Wednesday, 23 December 2020
Fisherman's Cot in the 1950s
Some old home movie footage of the Fisherman's Cot and Bickleigh in the 1950s.
Comparing Times
This YouTube video from 2009 compares old photographs of Tiverton to modern equivalent views.
Thursday, 17 December 2020
Old Tiverton Words
From the book The Peasant Speech of Devon by Tiverton resident Sarah Hewett (Principal of the Wilderness House ladies' boarding and day school in Barrington Street) in 1892:
Whipshire = Tiverton
Tradition has it that, in 'olden time,' persons found guilty of minor offences were not sent to prison as at present, but were punished by being whipped at a cart's tail through the streets. This practice was at one time so common at Tiverton, that the name of 'Whipshire' was applied to the town. An old man at the Warren, near Dawlish, told me that he 'larned cheermaking tü Kentisbeare, an' then zot up in businez tü Whipshire, but was a-foced tü layve tha place, cuz tha Latin-bwoys zot vire tü his 'ouze.'
Stid = to study
On a boy returning from Blundell's School, Tiverton, to his home at Dawkridge, his fond mother asked the gardener how he thought Master Joe was looking. The gardener looked the lad up and down, then shaking his head said:
'Well, mum, 'e dü lüke cruel wisht tü be sure, pale and pittice-like; I zim 'e 'th a stid tü ard. I rekkon 'e 'th abin keept tü tight tü tha taskis.'
Stodgers or Busters = large satisfying buns
Mr. Tom Ward, of Tiverton, some years ago was in the habit of making once a week a batch of very large buns, which he sold at one penny each. Children on going into the shop would invariably say: 'Plaize I wants a penny stodger.' Others would ask for a 'penny buster.'
Shine = fine, well dressed
The question of clothing cropped up recently before a certain Board of Guardians in this district. An old man, who said his 'matics' were so bad that he could not work, applied for outdoor relief. Rightly enough he was questioned as to the earnings of his sons; and one of the Guardians asked:
'Didn't I see one of them home a little while ago cutting a fine shine?'
'Well, sir,' was the old man s reply, 'I don t know about cutten a vine shine: 'e weer 'ome bad, and wore one of these 'ere coats wi' a cape to; but they do say down our way as how poor vokes can wear um as well as rich uns. I can't say whe'er tis true or no; I bant eddicated up to that.'
In the end the applicant got relief for a fortnight.
- Tiverton Gazette, August 25th, 1891.
Mommet or momet = a scarecrow
'A man named Morrish came along and said defendant's little girl was a "mommet." Mrs. Berry accused him of calling her (defendant) that name. He said he had not, and then she said he had called her shadow a "mommet." The male defendant came out and began to abuse them. Both were much the worse for liquor. He could not say that they were sober. Cross-examined: There was a brass band there.
'MR. WATKINS. "What was there at Halberton on Monday night?"
'WITNESS. "I don t know."
'MR. WATKINS. "What was there on Wednesday?"
'WITNESS. "Halberton and the people, I suppose." (Laughter.)
'Witness was sure defendants were "perfectly" drunk. The last witness did not speak the truth if she said they were sober.
'William Morrish, thatcher, of Halberton, said he went through the village about ten o'clock on the night in question. When near the Swan he saw five or six men listening to a row. Thomas Gray was with witness, and as they went down the road he saw something standing against the wall. It gave him a "bit of a turn" and he said, "Oh, what mommet is that?" He found that it was a child. Mrs. Berry directly after began to abuse him for calling her a "mommet."
'REV. R. B. CAREW. "What is a 'mommet'? A scarecrow?"
'MR. WATKINS. "I am equally ignorant. Perhaps witness can give a definition."
'WITNESS. "We stick it up in a cornfield to frighten the birds."
'THE CHAIRMAN. "Now we understand." (Laughter.)
- From the Tiverton Gazette, June, 1891.
Scads or Scats = passing showers
'On Friday crowds of people assembled at Cloutsham. There was a cold pressing wind and a few scats during the day. A stag harboured in Sweet Tree gave a lot of trouble ere he was forced away, continually finding substitutes in the shape of younger deer. At last he was induced to ascend Dunkerry, on the crest of which the pack was laid on, and ran their deer into the Cutcombe coverts. Here hounds got scattered on other deer, and by an accident a three-year-old was killed. The stag was lost in extensive woods, and a return and further search along the eastern slope of Dunkerry failed to yield another. So we jogged homeward.'
- Tiverton Gazette, Sept. 20th, 1889.
Tuesday, 15 December 2020
History of Tiverton Town Leat
A Tiverton Community Radio programme from 2019 discussing the history of the town leat with Jeremy Salter of the Tiverton Civic Society.
Monday, 14 December 2020
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Tiverton's Mesmeric Mania
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| "The magnetic pass, the Mesmeric sleep" Wellcome Collection Gallery / Public Domain |
Tiverton was well and truly swept up in the early Victorian "Mesmeric Mania". Mesmerism (named after Franz Mesmer) was an important specialty in medicine for about 75 years from its beginnings in 1779, and continued to have some influence for another 50 years. Hundreds of books were written on the subject between 1766 and 1925, but it is almost entirely forgotten today. Mesmerism is still practised as a form of alternative medicine in some countries, but magnetic practices are not recognized as part of medical science now.
On page 165 of the 1850 volume of the specialist mesmerism journal, The Zoist, it describes a meeting in Tiverton in the Mayoralty Room on 5 October 1848, with an incredible number of very well known Tiverton names in attendance:
A MEETING was held in the Mayoralty Room of Tiverton, on Thursday, October 5th last, for the purpose of investigating many extraordinary cures effected in various diseases by Mr. Thomas Capern with mesmerism. A hundred and twenty ladies were present, and, besides them, John Heathcote Esq. M.P., S. Amory Esq., of London, F. Hole, Esq., George Coles, Esq., John Barne, Esq., H. Dunsford, Esq., A. Brewin, Esq., nearly the whole of the clergy and the dissenting ministers, and the greater part of the members of the medical profession, who had been especially invited to attend.
The Mayor, John Snell, having kindly consented to take the chair, Mr. Capern made some remarks upon various branches of mesmerism, and then introduced successively about thirty individuals, all of whom had received more or less benefit from his manipulations. Each stated in his or her own simple language the nature and extent of the disease, and the amount of improvement, or the duration of perfect cure. Among the diseases removed, and many in a space of time so incredibly short that only the direct evidence of the patients themselves could have sufficed to establish the facts, were tic douloureux, chronic rheumatism, fits, spinal affection, paralysis, and palpitation of the heart; some of the cases having been discharged as incurable from the Devon and Exeter Hospital. At the conclusion of the investigation, which lasted nearly three hours, the Rev. John Spurway moved, and the Rev. Mr. Madgin seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr. Capern, the reverend gentlemen speaking in the highest terms of the able manner in which Mr. C. had treated his subject, and also of the candour and honour of the proceeding, by which every individual case had been thus boldly subjected to the trying ordeal of a hearing in the presence of so large a number of well informed and professional gentlemen.
The entire company, a considerable portion of which consisted of ladies connected with the principal families in the neighbourhood, expressed their satisfaction by frequent bursts of applause.
We understand that Mr. Capern received a most flattering letter from Lord Palmerston, expressing the deep interest felt by his lordship in the progress of the science, and earnestly requesting a report of the proceedings connected with the meeting. Mr. Capern intends publishing all these cases, with a large number of others.
Thomas Capern did indeed go on to publish his book of 150 cases in 1851 entitled The Mighty Curative Powers of Mesmerism. It features many stories of people from Tiverton, their ailments, and their seemingly miraculous cure. GENUKI has listed out all the people referred to in the book.
The Royal Societry of Medicine library had an exhibition on mesmerism in 2017. You can read the booklet therefrom (in PDF format) where Thomas Capern gets a mention on page 37.
Friday, 27 November 2020
John Cross (1819–61)
The Wikipedia entry for Tiverton-born artist John Cross is quite brief, so here are some more detailed biographies from a couple of sources.
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| "Death of Becket" from the book The Pageant of British History |
From page 36 of the 1883 book Art in Devonshire: With the Biographies of Artists Born in that County:
Cross, John, historical painter, a native of Tiverton, born in 1819. His father, who was superintendent of the lace factory at that place, removed to St. Quentin, to become foreman of the English factory established there. Here young John Cross worked at the factory in the machinery department; but as he showed a strong disposition for art, he was admitted into the School of Design, founded by Delatour. Here he worked so well that at the end of the last year but one he was presented with a medal. From this place he removed to Paris, and entered the studio of M. Picot, a painter of the classical school, and acquitted himself so well that he was appointed treasurer and director of the studio, and won several medals.
At the time of the completion of his studies at M. Picot's, the British Government offered prizes for the best cartoons portraying subjects from English history or poetry, the competing cartoons to be exhibited in Westminster Hall. To this Cross sent a cartoon, the subject of which was "The Assassination of Thomas a Becket"; but owing to certain conditions not having been complied with, he did not obtain a prize. The picture, however, was very highly approved, and had been much admired when previously exhibited at the hall at Fervaques. A second competition, two years later, opened by the same authority, took place at Westminster Hall, and to this Cross sent a picture, representing "Richard Cœur de Lion, at the Siege of Chaluz, pardoning the archer who had wounded him". This painting obtained the first premium of £300, and it was thought so highly of that it was purchased by the Government at £1,000, and placed in the hall of the Fine Arts Commissioners in the Palace of Westminster.
He had now gained early in life the summit of his reputation. Everything looked well with him, and for a time he was sought after and looked upon as the rising historical painter of the day. The Fine Arts Commissioners engraved the picture at their own expense, and he received a commission to repeat it in reduced size for Mr. Heathcot, of Tiverton, together with an order for a new picture, "Lucy Preston, imploring the pardon of her father from Queen Mary II". His health unfortunately began to fail, and to this circumstance must be attributed the fact that he did nothing after to sustain his reputation. He painted pictures certainly which showed great talent, but nothing which took with the public as his early ones did. He received commissions to paint two pictures, "Edward the Confessor naming Harold his successor", and "William of Normandy swearing Harold on the reliques". These have been well spoken of.
He next took to portrait painting and teaching drawing for a livelihood. His paintings became weak and feeble, and in 1860 two pictures which he sent to the Academy were actually rejected. His last works of any note were a picture from his prize cartoon, "The Assassination of à Becket", and "The Coronation of William the Conqueror", which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1858. Both remained unsold at the time of the artist's death, which took place on the 26th February, 1861. The paintings he left were exhibited at the Society of Arts, and a subscription was raised to a small amount for his family. His friends purchased his "Murder of à Becket", and placed it in Canterbury Cathedral; and "The Burial of the two Princes in the Tower", which they presented to the Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter.
According to the Bank of England inflation calculator, £300 in 1847 would be roughly £31,000 today, and £1,000 would be £104,500, so his Richard the Lionheart painting was clearly very significant, akin to winning the Turner Prize now.
From page 215 of the 1888 book Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 13:
CROSS, JOHN (1819–1861), painter, born at Tiverton in May 1819, was the son of the foreman of Mr. Heathcote's lace manufactory in that town. He showed great talent for art when quite young, but his father discouraged him, as he wished him to apply himself to mechanics. His father, however, removed with his family to St. Quentin in France, as superintendent of a branch manufactory in that town, and young Cross, though at first employed in the machinery department, was admitted, through the entreaties of his mother, to the art school founded by De Latour in that town. Here Cross made such progress that he moved to Paris and entered the studio of M. Picot, one of the painters of the old French classical school; here he gained several medals, and eventually became a director of the school.
In 1843, when the competition was started for the decoration of the houses of parliament, Cross determined to enter the lists, and came to England, bringing a cartoon of ‘The Death of Thomas à Becket,’ which he had already exhibited in France. This he exhibited at Westminster Hall in 1844, but did not meet with success. He, however, applied himself with great vigour to the composition of a large oil-painting for the exhibition in 1847. This was called ‘The Clemency of Richard Cœur-de-Lion towards Bertrand de Gourdon,’ and gained a first premium of 300l.; it was purchased by the commissioners for 1,000l., and was engraved at the expense of the commission. This success advanced Cross in one bound to the foremost rank of the profession, but the labour and anxiety brought on a serious illness, from which he was a long time recovering. He henceforth devoted himself to historical painting, which was unfortunately a branch of art that met with little support, and required a stronger constitution to carry it on than Cross possessed.
In 1850 he sent his first contribution to the Royal Academy—‘The Burial of the Young Princes in the Tower,’ followed by ‘Edward the Confessor leaving his Crown to Harold’ (1851), ‘The Assassination of Thomas à Becket’ (1853), ‘Lucy Preston imploring the Pardon of her Father of Queen Mary II’ (1856), and ‘William the Conqueror seizing the Crown of England’ (1859). His works, though of the highest class of art, remained unsold, and this told upon his health, which began to fail rapidly. With his health his powers also failed him, and the pictures contributed by him to the Royal Academy in 1860 were actually rejected. He tried teaching drawing and portrait-painting, and struggled on under the afflictions of disappointment, failure, and increasing illness.
He died 27 Feb. 1861 in Gloucester Place, Regent's Park, aged 41, leaving his wife and family totally unprovided for. Several leading artists to whom Cross was personally endeared, and who had a high opinion of his abilities, started a subscription in order to purchase some of his unsold works and raise a fund for his wife and family. An exhibition of his principal works was held at the rooms of the Society of Arts in the Adelphi, and the subscription resulted in the purchase of ‘The Assassination of Thomas à Becket,’ which was placed in Canterbury Cathedral, and ‘The Burial of the Young Princes in the Tower,’ which was placed by his Devonshire friends in the Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter. The latter picture had been engraved by the Art Union in 1850.
On page 108 of the 1878 edition of A Dictionary of Artists of the English School: Painters, Sculptors, Architects, Engravers and Ornamentists: with Notices of Their Lives and Work it notes that a window's pension was granted by the Government:
His friends purchased his 'Murder of Thomas à Becket' and placed it in Canterbury Cathedral, and a small civil list pension was granted to his widow in consideration of his merits as a painter.
The 1908 book The Pageant of British History has three low-resolution depictions of John Cross paintings:
Some engravings of John Cross paintings can be seen on the fine art print site Meister Drucke.
07/12/2020 Update: The archivist at Canterbury Cathedral kindly confirmed that 'The Assassination of Thomas à Becket' painting is still in their collection, but is currently in storage.
09/12/2020 Update: Unfortunately the Royal Albert Memorial Museum could find no record of 'The Burial of the Young Princes in the Tower' ever being in their collection.
Art in Devonshire: With the Biographies of Artists Born in that County
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