Workers at the Timberscombe Quarry, Probably later 19th Century and Leslie Delbridge in 2001
Title
Workers at the Timberscombe Quarry, Probably later 19th Century and Leslie Delbridge in 2001
Subject
Description
The upper photograph depicts workers with tools of the trade and their workhorses and carts inside the Timberscombe Quarry. The quarry is situated on the east side of the village of Timberscombe, cut into the west-facing slope of the Timberscombe Common and has been measured as being 120 metres long by 85 metres wide. It is thought to have post-medieval origins and is depicted as operating on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1904 (1). If so, that is probably around the time it closed. Primarily limestone and red sandstone was excavated (2). The latter is considered a building stone and certainly a majority of the buildings in the village of Timberscombe are a testament to its use.
Just northeast of Timberscombe Quarry are further signs of previous quarrying, used in modern times for stabling and with groupings of sheds and barns. Three other sites are just to the east of the Timberscombe Quarry, that were recorded as gravel or quarry pits in 1889 (3) and another disused quarry, that was worked until 1919 (4), is a little further northwest at Cowbridge, near the southern side of the junction of Cowbridge Road and the A396.
The photograph of the men at the quarry was donated in 2019 by the Timberscombe School. It had probably been donated to the school in the 1990's for display at exhibitions of local village history. In 2019, Reg Holcombe of Timberscombe, the nephew of Leslie Delbridge who was owner of the quarry in the mid 20th century, believed this photograph would have been taken in the late 19th century. He said he would not be surprised if any of the men were from the Quick family, especially suspecting the gentleman on the right may be a Quick. (In the later 19th century, Robert and Mary (nee Pearce) Quick and their son, James, lived at Timberscombe and in Wootton Courtenay were George and Martha (nee Stanbury) Quick, with their son, Edwin (5). All of these men worked as labourers, generally on farms, but certainly may have worked shifts at the quarry. In 1911, Robert Quick, now a widower and on his own, lived at Hill Cottage. Hole's Square, in close proximity to Timberscombe Quarry).
Later the quarry became known as Delbridge Quarry. Gilbert Leslie Delbridge was born in 1915 in Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon, the son of Albert and Elizabeth Bessie (nee Buckingham) Delbridge (6). The family moved to Timberscombe, where his parents operated Delbridge, a general store at Combe House on Jubilee Terrace from the later 1930's to around 1951 (7). In January 1952 Leslie Delbridge married Doris Jessica Muriel Yarde (8), born at Langport, Somerset in 1921 (9).
A machinist and engineer, Leslie Delbridge set up his own agricultural engineering shop situated in the quarry after World War II (10), at first renting the location (11). Reg Holcombe believes he bought the quarry around 1960. After that point, it appears that every year in the phone book, Mr. Delbridge had listed next his phone number a variation of "agric. engin, Quarry" (12). It seems he took pleasure in having his business, selling and repairing garden machinery in a quarry. It is a business that his nephew, Reg Holcombe, continued, as well as later having a workshop near upper Church Road in the village.
Leslie Delbridge was interviewed by the Exmoor Archive and recorded by Birdie Johnson for "REFLECTIONS LIFE PORTRAITS OF EXMOOR", published in 2002, where he remembered working inside the quarry, often until 2 AM and that he never sold a new bit of machinery without stripping it down to see how it operated.. He died in September of 2001 and was buried at St. Petrock's Church, Timberscombe. His wife was buried at his side in February 2004. On their gravestone, "(ENGINEER)" is carved under Mr. Delbridge's name (13).
The bottom photograph shows Leslie Delbridge and his wife, Jessie (as she was known), enjoying a meal in 2001 at the 1850's Raleghs Cross (14) at Brendon Hill, Exmoor, Somerset. The photograph was donated by Joan Vaulter-- the woman seated on the right--to the St. Petrock's History Group in 2017, when it was being founded, one of the first Timberscombe residents to donate photographs for the group's Archive. Joan Vaulter was born as Evelyn Joan Griffith in March 1925 at Aville, just west of Dunster. During World War II, she volunteered to do land work at Aville Farmhouse, where she met Donald Vaulter, whose parents operated the farm. They were married 31 December 1946 at the Dunster Methodist Chapel. Donald and Joan Vaulter farmed Aville Farm until his death in 1999 and is where Joan Vaulter continued to live until 2018 (15). She passed away in December 2019.
Just northeast of Timberscombe Quarry are further signs of previous quarrying, used in modern times for stabling and with groupings of sheds and barns. Three other sites are just to the east of the Timberscombe Quarry, that were recorded as gravel or quarry pits in 1889 (3) and another disused quarry, that was worked until 1919 (4), is a little further northwest at Cowbridge, near the southern side of the junction of Cowbridge Road and the A396.
The photograph of the men at the quarry was donated in 2019 by the Timberscombe School. It had probably been donated to the school in the 1990's for display at exhibitions of local village history. In 2019, Reg Holcombe of Timberscombe, the nephew of Leslie Delbridge who was owner of the quarry in the mid 20th century, believed this photograph would have been taken in the late 19th century. He said he would not be surprised if any of the men were from the Quick family, especially suspecting the gentleman on the right may be a Quick. (In the later 19th century, Robert and Mary (nee Pearce) Quick and their son, James, lived at Timberscombe and in Wootton Courtenay were George and Martha (nee Stanbury) Quick, with their son, Edwin (5). All of these men worked as labourers, generally on farms, but certainly may have worked shifts at the quarry. In 1911, Robert Quick, now a widower and on his own, lived at Hill Cottage. Hole's Square, in close proximity to Timberscombe Quarry).
Later the quarry became known as Delbridge Quarry. Gilbert Leslie Delbridge was born in 1915 in Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon, the son of Albert and Elizabeth Bessie (nee Buckingham) Delbridge (6). The family moved to Timberscombe, where his parents operated Delbridge, a general store at Combe House on Jubilee Terrace from the later 1930's to around 1951 (7). In January 1952 Leslie Delbridge married Doris Jessica Muriel Yarde (8), born at Langport, Somerset in 1921 (9).
A machinist and engineer, Leslie Delbridge set up his own agricultural engineering shop situated in the quarry after World War II (10), at first renting the location (11). Reg Holcombe believes he bought the quarry around 1960. After that point, it appears that every year in the phone book, Mr. Delbridge had listed next his phone number a variation of "agric. engin, Quarry" (12). It seems he took pleasure in having his business, selling and repairing garden machinery in a quarry. It is a business that his nephew, Reg Holcombe, continued, as well as later having a workshop near upper Church Road in the village.
Leslie Delbridge was interviewed by the Exmoor Archive and recorded by Birdie Johnson for "REFLECTIONS LIFE PORTRAITS OF EXMOOR", published in 2002, where he remembered working inside the quarry, often until 2 AM and that he never sold a new bit of machinery without stripping it down to see how it operated.. He died in September of 2001 and was buried at St. Petrock's Church, Timberscombe. His wife was buried at his side in February 2004. On their gravestone, "(ENGINEER)" is carved under Mr. Delbridge's name (13).
The bottom photograph shows Leslie Delbridge and his wife, Jessie (as she was known), enjoying a meal in 2001 at the 1850's Raleghs Cross (14) at Brendon Hill, Exmoor, Somerset. The photograph was donated by Joan Vaulter-- the woman seated on the right--to the St. Petrock's History Group in 2017, when it was being founded, one of the first Timberscombe residents to donate photographs for the group's Archive. Joan Vaulter was born as Evelyn Joan Griffith in March 1925 at Aville, just west of Dunster. During World War II, she volunteered to do land work at Aville Farmhouse, where she met Donald Vaulter, whose parents operated the farm. They were married 31 December 1946 at the Dunster Methodist Chapel. Donald and Joan Vaulter farmed Aville Farm until his death in 1999 and is where Joan Vaulter continued to live until 2018 (15). She passed away in December 2019.
Creator
Anonymous /
Anonymous
Anonymous
Date
probably later 19th Century
2001
2001
Contributor
Format
Language
English
Identifier
workers in the Timberscombe Quarry, in the later 19th century / Leslie and Jessie Delbridge and Joan Vaulter at Raleghs Cross, Brendon Hill / Timberscombe (the quarry) / southeastern edge of the village
Acquisition Date
2017
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PEOPLE: Occupations / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Named / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Named / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2020
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12 X 20.5
8 X 14.5
8 X 14.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park, MMO2590 (2) genuki.org.uk/ big/ eng/ SOM/ Timberscombe (3) Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park, MSO11643 (4) HER, MMO2590 (5) 1881 England Census, 1891 England Census and 1911 England Census (George and Martha Quick had three other sons besides Edwin, who went into other professions, being Arthur, a School Master, William, a Tailor and John, a Chauffeur) (6) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 (7) as recalled by Reg, Mary, and Andrew Holcombe in 2019 and as pictured at SP-007 (8) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (9) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (10) VictoriaCountyHistory.ac.uk (11) The Exmoor Archive, "REFLECTIONS LIFE PORTRAITS OF EXMOOR, text and recording by Birdie Johnson, Dulverton & District Civic Society, Guildhall Heritage Centre, Dulverton, 2002 (12) British Phone Book, 1880-1984 (13) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (14) raleghs-cross.co.uk (15) as recalled by Joan Vaulter in August and October 2017 conversations with Marion Jeffrey and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-180
Technique
Copies
Citation
Anonymous /
Anonymous, “Workers at the Timberscombe Quarry, Probably later 19th Century and Leslie Delbridge in 2001,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 8, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3280.
Comments