Saturday 31 October 2015

Get involved with Devon Archives


The Devon Archives at Sowton invite anyone interested to a Volunteer Celebration on Monday 16th November.
New recruits welcome!


New book about Devon pubs




Akeman Press has just published Devon Pubs: A Pictorial Retrospective by Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott. This features archive photographs of over 450 of the county’s
 pubs (including three in Starcross) 
– some long gone, some still thriving – and also covers such diverse subjects as the history of cider making, Devon’s lost breweries, church house inns, the folk song revival, the curious tale of Devon white ale, the story of Uncle Tom Cobley and much more. During over a decade’s worth of research, the authors not only travelled the length and breadth of Devon (as well as visiting three islands) to find out what the pubs featured in the book are like today, but also trawled through old newspapers, census returns, directories and other archive material to trace their histories. The result is an indispensable guide to an unjustly neglected aspect of the county’s history. The book, which runs to 384 pages, costs £15 and is available through bookshops or direct (with free postage in the UK) from Akeman Press, 58 Minster Way, Bath BA2 6RL.  A press release is enclosed and further details can be found at www.akemanpress.com.

To celebrate the publication of Devon Pubs, a book launch will be held at the Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton at 7.30pm on Wednesday 4 November. The authors will be signing copies of the book and everyone is cordially invited to the event. Further information and details of how to find the Tom Cobley are at www.tomcobleytavern.co.uk.

Sunday 25 October 2015

Dawlish History Day

Dawlish History Day on Saturday 31st October at the Strand Centre.

What do you know about the Dawlish story, and would you like to pass it on to others, or learn a bit more?


Jumble jumble everywhere

The amount of jumble donated was amazing
Thanks again everyone

Pews at St Paul's festooned with clothes. Toys, furniture and bric-a-brac was across the front

Pews at St Paul's festooned with clothes. Toys, furniture and bric-a-brac was across the front

Pews at St Paul's festooned with clothes. Toys, furniture and bric-a-brac was across the front

Only 1 carload was left over
Thankyou to everyone who bought jumble.
We'll do it all again in around 6 months time

Saturday 24 October 2015

Helping to set up the jumble sale in St Paul's

Helping to set up the jumble sale in St Paul's


Thankyou Starcross, for this magnificent display of generosity. Most of the donations came from the village. Many thanks as well, to those from further afield who gave. Thankyou everyone who supportedour jumble sale, by donating items, spending money at the sale, and helping to set out, sell, and clear up.

Thankyou to everyone at St Paul's for everything they did to make today's jumble sale such a great success.
An army of folk laid out the clothes&books on the pews, and toys&bric-a-brac on tables across the front of the church. Then they organised the raffle and served teas&coffees.
There was only one carload of jumble left at the end of the sale. Thankyou to the Westbank Charity Shop for accepting the leftovers.

Starcross History and St Paul's had half  each of the proceeds of the raffle and the sale - which meant £101 each.

There will be another Jumble Sale in around 6 months time... or even sooner? Watch this blog for details.


Thursday 22 October 2015

JUMBLE SALE

JUMBLE SALE in St Paul's Church EX6 8QB

Saturday October 24th from 2pm

The team from St Paul's Church will swing into action to provide teas&coffees & biscuits, as well as the manpower needed for the stalls in case there aren't enough volunteers from Starcross History.

Where to leave your jumble  and RAFFLE PRIZES and CARRIER BAGS

St Paul's will be open a little before the sale starts -  to take your jumble on the day.

and

  • Jumble and raffle prizes and plastic carrier bags may be left anytime at Myrtle Cottage EX6 8QT

 or
  • Monica can collect it from your house

Please email Starcross History or phone Monica on 01626 890650



The cash will go towards the upkeep of St Paul's Church, and to Starcross History because we have had to buy a projector, and the badge sales (20 badges @ £10 didn't seem like an unreachable target... ) haven't made any cash yet, and we've joined Exeter Scrapstore, and the cost of room hire for our meets is £20, but we need to pay Starcross Parish Council in advance for this. 
Let's hope Starcross History can make enough to cover our expenses, and perhaps even enough to be able to affiliate to the Devon History Society. Affiliation means that our badge-holding members can go to Devon History Society events at a reduced fee, and also it's a good cause for us to support

The leftovers will be taken to the Westbank Charity shop on The Strand and The Force Cancer Charity's shop in Fore Street, Heavitree, Exeter.

Saturday 17 October 2015

Kelly's Directory online

Take a look at this amazing amount of freely available online
 information.The mispelling STABCBOSS must be a computer
 glitch, rather than an historic spelling. 
They had trouble filling the position of 
Parish Clerk... There was a Starcross Co-op. 150 children
 went to the school. There was a master mariner called
Cruse, and the superintendent at the  idiot asylum
was called Locke...

 
STABCBOSS is a village, pleasantly seated on the river 
Exe, about ij miles from its mouth, and was formed 
December 4, r829, into an ecclesiastical parish from the 
civil parishes of Kenton and Dawlish ; it has a station on 
the South Devon section of the Great Western railway, 
and is 8 miles south-east from Exeter, 14 north from Daw- 
lish and 202* from London, in the North Eastern division 
of the county, Exminster hundred, Wonford petty ses- 
sional division, St. Thomas union, Exeter county court 
district, rural deanery of Kenn, and archdeaconry and 
diocese of Exeter. The road from Exeter to Dawlish runs 
through the village, forming its principal street, which is 
lighted with gas by the Starcross and Kenton Gas Light 
and Coke Co. Limited, established in 1877 with a capital 
of 2,400. The church of St. Paul, erected in 1828, is a 
large building of stone in the Norman style, consisting of 
chancel, nave, north and west porches and a -western 
turret containing a clock and 2 bells : the clock was 
erected in 1865 by the parishioners as a memorial to the 
Rev. William Powley, 32 years incumbent here : the 
carved oak pulpit and other fittings were executed by 
Hems, of Exeter : the stained east window is a memorial 
to the Coles and Ash families, 1828-52 ; and there are 
others to the Eales and Bishop families 1856-8, and to 
Capt. Rose Henry Fuller R.N. d. October 27, 1860: there 
are modern monuments to the Rev. James Coles, Messrs. 
Richard and Charles Thomas Eales and Capt. Sweetland : 
the church was restored and re-seated about 1896, under 
the direction of Messrs. Rowell and Sons, architects, of 
Newton Abbot, and has sittings for upwards of 600 per- 
sons, 350 being free. The register dates from the year 
1828. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value 184, 
with residence and about sJ acres of glebe, in the gift of 
the Deans and Chapters of Exeter and Salisbury alter- 
nately, and held since 186^ by the Rev. Edward Copleston 
Bond' M.A. of Exeter College, Oxford. The Wesleyan 
chapel is situated in the Strand. Here are two good 
hotels, v< the Courtenay Arms " and the Railway hotel. 
A pleasure fair is held on Whitsun Wednesday yearly. 
The original parish charities amount to 22 yearly, in 
addition to which ,500 stock was p'aced in the hands of 
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1881, by the late Sir 
John Lewis Duntze bart. of Exeleigh (d. 1884), for the 
benefit of seven aged parishioners, regular attendants at 
the church : there are also clubs for distributing clothing, 
coals and blankets to the poor. Exeleigh is the seat of 
Rev. Edward Ohatterton Orpen M.A. The Rev. the Earl 
of Devon M.A. is lord of the manor and 1 sole landowner. 
The chief crops are wheat, barley and roots. The soil is 
sandy; subsoil, yellow gravel. The area is u, 800 acres. 
The population in 1891 was 978, inclusive of 188 inmates 
and' 33 officials of khe asylum. Under the provisions of 



the "Divided Parishes Act, 1885," by Local Government 
Board Order 16,546, the ecclesiastical district of Cofton, 
including Cockwood, Middlewood, Westwood, Eastdon, 
the Warren and Week, amounting to 739 acres, was taken 
from this parish and added to Dawlish, March 25, 1885. 

Parish Clerk, .vacant. 

Post, M. 0. & T. 0., T. M. 0., S. B., Express Delivery, 
Parcel & Annuity & Insurance Office. (Railway Sub- 
Office. Letters should have R.S.O. Devon added). Miss 
Elizabeth Kingdon, sub-postmistress. Letters by mail 
cart from Exeter arrive at 5.40 a.m.; 9.1 a.m. by 
T.P.O. (to callers only) & 3.25 p.m.; dispatched at 
10.50 a.m. & 4.30 & 7.25 p.m. ; box closes at 7.10 p.m. ; 
Sundays at 7.10 p.m. 

Wall Letter Boxes, Mount Pleasant, cleared at 8 a.m. & 
5.35 p.m. week days; Sundays, 8.30 a.m.; Cofton, 
cleared at 10 a.m. & 6.20 p.m. ; Sundays, 9.45 a.m. ; 
Eastdon, cleared at 7.30 a.m. & 6 p.m. ; Sundays, 8 a.m 

THE WESTERN COUNTIES IDIOT ASYLUM. 
The foundation stone of this building was laid on April 9, 
1874, by Lady Anna Maria Oourtenay; it is built of 
grey limestone, relieved by dressings of buff brick & 
Bath stone, in the Early English style, & was opened 
in June, 1877 ; it consists of a central block with north 
& south wings, the central block comprising the ad- 
ministrative department & the residence of the super- 
intendent ; the northern wing is appropriated to boys & 
the southern to girls ; the dining hall, a fine apartment, 
is too by 20 feet in area, and contains an organ, the 
gift of friends of the children; considerable additions 
were made in 1896, so that the asylum is now available 
for i'8o boys & 90 girls ; the entire cost has exceeded 
32,000 ; the institution is supported by the payments 
for the maintenance of the patients, augmented by volun- 
tary contributions ; Sebastian Coseng Snow, treasurer, 
Exeter Bank, Exeter; Edgar Richard Senhouse laps- 
comb L.R.O.P.Lond., M.R.C.S.Eng. medical officer; 
Ernest William Locke, resident superintendent & sec. ; 
Mrs. Alice L. Mayer, matron 

SCHOOL. 

Board (formerly National) School, transferred to the Daw- 
lish Board in 1875, & an infants' school & master's resi- 
dence erected in 1876, for 150 children ; average attend- 
ance, 30 boys, 38 girls & 30 infants ; William Passrnore 
Towill, master ; Mis* Caroline Emma Towill, infants' 
mistress 

Railway Station, Alfred Hitchcock, station master 
Carriers to Exeter. Mark Capener, every day. but thura. 
returning the same day, from the ' Bull ' ; & Louii 
Carjlake, every day, returning tain* day 

DEVOS 41* 



fi44 fcTARCROSS. 

PRIVATE RESIDENTS. 

Anning Mrs 

Baker Edward John 

Besley Mrs. Hnrpridge 

Bishop Richard Preston, The, Cottage 

Bond Rev. Edward Copleston M.A. 

(vicar), The Vicarage 
Brown Cul. Wm. Thomas, Elm court 
Colley Mrs. Staplake 
Cookson Mrs. Regent house 
Davey George 

Drew Jn. Gould B.A. Northbrook ho 
Dunsford Mrs 
Euan John S 
Grace Edwin, Strand 
Hooper Mrs. Southbrook house 
Jennings Mrs 

Lipscomb Edgar Richard Senhouse 
Locke Ernest William 
McClaughlin Mrs 
Martin Thomas, Ilex house 
Monro Alexander Aylmer 
Muller William Charles, Soho house 
Orpen Rev. Edward Chatterton M.A. 

Exeleigh ; & Devon & Exeter club, 

Exeter 
Pitt Miss 
Preist Daniel 

Russell Vincent, Grove lawn 
Splatt George Laskey 
Thomas Mrs. Staplake Mount 
Towill William Panmore 
Wollacott Edward. Faleide 
Youlden William Paryem Weeks 

COMMERCIAL. 

Anning Jsph. Percy, farmer, Tiverlnd 
Anning William, farmer, Cofford frm 
Assembly Rooms (Charles William 

Hamerton, proprietor) 
Bazley Henry, assistant overseer & 
rate collector, school attendance 
officer & agent Commercial Union 
Fire & Life insurance, Hope cottage 



DEVONSHIRE. 

Bowerman Henry H. tailor 
Browning John, boot maker & china 

& glass dealer 

Callaway Mrs. Emma, laundry 
Carnall John, gardener to Mrs. 

Thomas, Staplake mount 
Carslake Louis, carrier 
Chown William, Ship inn, & butcher 
Coles John Bailey, builder, contractor, 

carpenter & joiner & stone mason 
Coombe William, Alexandra Hotel P.H 
Crews William, coal & potato merchnt 
Crispin Harry, head attendant at the 

Asylum 

Crispin John Edwin, baker & grocer 
Cruse Henry, master mariner 
Drew John Gould B.A. solicitor, 

Northbrook house 
Elliott James, blacksmith 
Farley William Henry, gardener to 

the Rev. E. C. Orpcn M.A 
Fiiield Mary (Mrs.), dress ma. Strand 
Fletcher Emily (Mrs.), laundress 
Ford Michael Albert, basket maker 

to the Asylum 
Gale William (Mrs.), market gardnr. 

2 Rose cottages 

Greenslade Louisa(Mrs.),refshmt.rms 
Gribble Susan (Miss), apartments 
Hamerton Charles William, Courtenay 

Arms hotel 

Harding Caroline (Mrs.), baker 
Haydon William Jn. frmr. Staplake 
Henton William Henry, wheelwright 
Hill William, fanner, Venn bridge 
Hooper & Tupman, grocers &c. see 

Starcross Co-operative Stores 
Kerswell Charles, shoe maker to the 

Asylum 
Kingdon Elizabeth (Miss), stationer, 

Post office 
Lipscomb Edgar Richard Senhouso 

L.R.C.P.Lond., M.R.C.S.Eng. sur- 
geon, medical officer & public 



[KELLY'S 



vaccinator, Kenton district, St. 
Thomas union, & medical officer to 
the Western Counties Idiot Asylum 
Locke Ernest William, resident supt. 
& sec. Western Counties Idiot 
Asylum 

Morrish Ernest John, carpenter 
Mortimore Geo. gardnr. to the Asylum 
Palfrey Frederick Vowler, contractor 
Parkhouse Wm. coal & manure inei 
Payne Henry, apartments 
Pearce Edward, boat owner 
Reynolds Walter, mason 
Reynolds William, mason 
Rowe Frank, chemist & drggst. Strand 
Howe George, general dealer, Folly cot 
Rowe Marwood & Geo. wheelwrights 
Ruth Wm. Geo. H. insurance agent 
Sercombe John & Sun, basket makers 
Serle George, boat owner 
SheppardRobt. Ingram, boot & shoe ma 
Shoemack Edward, market gardener, 

i Hose cottages 

Starcrass Co-operative Stores- 
(Hooper & Tupman, proprietors), 
grocers & provision dealers 
Starcroiss, Kenton & Powderham Cot- 
tage GardenSoc.(J.G.D.rew, lion. sec) 
Steer William John, apartments 
Tupman Frank, grocer &c. see Star- 
cross Co-operative Stores 
Venn Mary Ann & Elizabeth (Misses), 

drapers 

Voysey Jessie Payne (Miss), dress ma 
Wedlake John, master tailor to the 

Asylum 
Westcott Brothers, market gardeners, 

Southbrook gardens 
Western Counties Idiot Asylum 
(Ernest William Locke, resident 
supt. & sec) 

Whitton Frank, Railway hotel 
Wood Sophia (Miss), apartment*
 
Kelly's Directory online 

Friday 16 October 2015

Volunteers needed at the Devon Heritage Centre

Between 2 and 4 pm on Monday 16th November, at the Devon Heritage Centre, the Devon Archives and Local Studies Service will be hosting an event designed to showcase and celebrate the incredibly valuable work which our many dedicated volunteers have carried out over the past year.
There will be presentations by volunteers about the work they have done, together with displays relating to projects which have been undertaken over the last year. The event will form part of the annual Explore Your Archive campaign, co-ordinated by the National Archives and the Archives and Records Association, which this year runs from 14th to 22nd November.
The event is open to both existing and prospective volunteers, and, if you’re someone who is interested in giving your time and skills to the service, we would be delighted to see you at the event. There will be opportunities for would-be volunteers to try their hand at different aspects of the service’s work, and ask questions of staff and existing volunteers.
New volunteers are required for a number of areas of the service’s work, including processing and cataloguing new collections of documents, digitisation and conservation, as well as helping with the Devon Remembers Heritage Project, which is the archive service’s contribution to Devon County Council’s commemoration of the centenary of the First World War, Devon Remembers.
The Devon Remembers Heritage Project will run until early 2019, and will encompass a range of activities which volunteers will be able to get involved in, including the possibility of indexing newspapers for the period, which are held by the Heritage Centre.
Light refreshments will be served during the afternoon.
If you are a potential volunteer interested in attending, please contact Brian Carpenter, Community Learning Officer, at brian.carpenter@devon.gov.uk.





 


Thursday 15 October 2015

Catalogue of 1997 Sale at Powderham

A fascinating record of the sale of some of the contents of the castle. No-one bid for it.

Here's the ebay link to the Phillips catalogue of 1997 for a sale of treasures at Powderham Castle.




This catalogue is for the auction on 15th and 16th September 1997 from Powderham Castle, Kenton, Nr Exeter. With 120 pages, 1191 lots are catalogued, including Cars, Paintings, Clocks, Furniture, Sculpture and Jewellery. Many of the lots are illustrated including some in colour.


Thursday 8 October 2015

It's the 21st Birthday of National Poetry Day

Here's a couple of poems about our Swan of the Exe sculpture

The Swan of the Exe by Vicky Jocher

Collaborations
Amalgamations

By notions of history and art
Very much from the heart
A wackin' burd
Made perhaps fantastically, absurdly bold
Sea monster or swan
Whichever the plan,
A folly of old
A folly of new
with plastic jetsam and flotsam, orange, white and blue

Harp, aliens, carp and a... monster? by Monica Lang

Look! That harp plays all by itself
No-one’s there. ssss’ MAGIC Mum
ssss’MAGIC Dad
ssssssssssss
Look at the jellyfish
It’s not a jellyfish
It’s got aliens
inside
Ooh. Glittery fishes
Mirror carp
Colourbright dragons
Don’t forget the bags Mum and Dad
the next time we go to Sainsburys
You can Save the Planet too,  Mum and Dad
That’s what the sculptures are for…
out-with-the-kids but NOT SHOPPING  
nor armchairSkytelly content
They drag at their fags and their kiddie’s new clothes
Come away from those women in hats!
from their scissors lump hammers and mess
There’s Wetherspoons only down there
Come away from the sculptings and seagulls and sand
Come away from the Grand Teignmouth Pier
old buckets and worn spades
faded jeans and a picnic basket
chattering smiling laughing stopping
to admire our oh-it’s-a-monster
no it’s a swan
actually.
their children make her more feathers
out of our plastic milkbottles
and take photos

Thursday 1 October 2015

Starcross Oral History Project - volunteers please


The information on this new website is very helpful for the Starcross Oral History Project but we need some more volunteers.
  • Would you interview someone?
  • Do you have some memories you would like to record? They can be memories of Starcross and area, or, if you live here now, they canbe memories of your life. We'd love to hear from you.

The new website for the Oral History Society
(quite a few of the links don't work yet)

"

Welcome

Oral history is the recording of people’s memories, experiences and opinions. It is:

  • A living history of everyone’s unique life experiences
  • An opportunity for those people who have been ‘hidden from history’ to have their voice heard
  • A rare chance to talk about and record history face-to-face
  • A source of new insights and perspectives that may challenge our view of the past.
The Oral History Society promotes the collection, preservation and use of recorded memories and plays a key role in facilitating and developing the use of oral history

...

"