A Herbert Henry Hole Photograph of a Gathering at Lion Inn, Timberscombe, pre 1900
Title
A Herbert Henry Hole Photograph of a Gathering at Lion Inn, Timberscombe, pre 1900
Subject
Description
A photograph of well-dressed people gathered in the front of Lion Inn at Timberscombe. The porch over the door is as it was in the early 20th century. Another photograph of Lion Inn, with this porch, is at SP-005, which is thought to date from around 1910. This small porch will later be replaced with a larger enclosed porch, much as the The Lion Inn has in modern times.
This photograph, seemingly of an event that has spilled out onto the Village Square, is earlier than 1910. An original postcard utilizing the same photograph is at the West Somerset Rural Life Museum, part of a collection of photographs donated by Mr. Cyril Copp or members of his family, probably in the 1990's. Around that same time, Copp family photographs were apparently donated to the Timberscombe School.
The version of this photograph at the museum is a copy mounted on an original postcard backing. Printed on the left edge of the backing is "Photographed + Published by H.H. Hole, Williton, Somerset". This would be Herbert Henry Hole, an early West Somerset photographer, born in Williton in 1836 and who died on 19 January 1900. His normal professional name was "H.H. Hole". He had a son, Herbert John Hole (1871-1915), also a professional photographer, who went by the professional name of Bert Hole and was based in Watchet (1). The younger Mr. Hole had strong Timberscombe connections. He married Alice Maud Williams, born in Timberscombe in 1880 (2), with their wedding held at St. Petrock's Church in 1902 (3). But this photograph appears to be the work of his father.
The reverse of the postcard at the Rural Life Museum is addressed to "Mr. W. Copp Wootton Courteney Dunster Taunton Som",. It is stamped with a green King George V half penny stamp and is postmarked October 21 1915. The message on the reverse reads "Dear Walt, Will you come over tomorrow night (Friday) Father is going to Yeovil for a day or two. Bessie (4)".
The writer, "Bessie" is Elizabeth Ann Stenner (1891-1982). The addressee is Walter John Copp (1889-1970). On 30 November 15, just over a month and a week after this postcard was posted, they will marry at St. Petrock's Church (5). They are the parents of Cyril Copp, born in 1919 and who died in 2009 (6).
Elizabeth Ann Stenner was the youngest daughter of Samuel and Jane Stenner, the proprietors of Lion Inn. At the time she sent her postcard, Elizabeth lived at the inn (7). In the early 20th century, it became much the style to mount a postcard backing on copies of photographs, often advertised as sending a "real photograph". It seems likely that there might have been some of these at Lion Inn, possibly used for promotion. With her father away, it seems that Elizabeth may have used one of the postcards to invite Walter to come over and visit.
If indeed taken by Herbert Henry Hole this would be one of the earlier known photographs of Lion Inn, which was in business on this site by 1820, although then known as the Boot. It was renamed Lion Inn in 1841 with new owners and some refurbishment. Inns may have been at this location since the 1600's. Certainly in 1690, the Spurrier family held licenses for alehouses in the village. There had been a Red Lion, named by 1724 but by the early 19th century, it had become a private home, "opposite" the present Lion Inn. It is possible the 1841 owners of Lion Inn had been affiliated with Red Lion (8).
It is not clear which private home would have been Red Lion, but it has been suggested it was Church Steps Cottage, seen in the background of this photograph, considered to be an early 19th building (9). It appears on the 1843 Tithe Map, by which time it was the Village Poor House. On the 1844-1888 Ordnance Survey Map, it was divided into two cottages, as it likely is in this photograph.
This photograph, seemingly of an event that has spilled out onto the Village Square, is earlier than 1910. An original postcard utilizing the same photograph is at the West Somerset Rural Life Museum, part of a collection of photographs donated by Mr. Cyril Copp or members of his family, probably in the 1990's. Around that same time, Copp family photographs were apparently donated to the Timberscombe School.
The version of this photograph at the museum is a copy mounted on an original postcard backing. Printed on the left edge of the backing is "Photographed + Published by H.H. Hole, Williton, Somerset". This would be Herbert Henry Hole, an early West Somerset photographer, born in Williton in 1836 and who died on 19 January 1900. His normal professional name was "H.H. Hole". He had a son, Herbert John Hole (1871-1915), also a professional photographer, who went by the professional name of Bert Hole and was based in Watchet (1). The younger Mr. Hole had strong Timberscombe connections. He married Alice Maud Williams, born in Timberscombe in 1880 (2), with their wedding held at St. Petrock's Church in 1902 (3). But this photograph appears to be the work of his father.
The reverse of the postcard at the Rural Life Museum is addressed to "Mr. W. Copp Wootton Courteney Dunster Taunton Som",. It is stamped with a green King George V half penny stamp and is postmarked October 21 1915. The message on the reverse reads "Dear Walt, Will you come over tomorrow night (Friday) Father is going to Yeovil for a day or two. Bessie (4)".
The writer, "Bessie" is Elizabeth Ann Stenner (1891-1982). The addressee is Walter John Copp (1889-1970). On 30 November 15, just over a month and a week after this postcard was posted, they will marry at St. Petrock's Church (5). They are the parents of Cyril Copp, born in 1919 and who died in 2009 (6).
Elizabeth Ann Stenner was the youngest daughter of Samuel and Jane Stenner, the proprietors of Lion Inn. At the time she sent her postcard, Elizabeth lived at the inn (7). In the early 20th century, it became much the style to mount a postcard backing on copies of photographs, often advertised as sending a "real photograph". It seems likely that there might have been some of these at Lion Inn, possibly used for promotion. With her father away, it seems that Elizabeth may have used one of the postcards to invite Walter to come over and visit.
If indeed taken by Herbert Henry Hole this would be one of the earlier known photographs of Lion Inn, which was in business on this site by 1820, although then known as the Boot. It was renamed Lion Inn in 1841 with new owners and some refurbishment. Inns may have been at this location since the 1600's. Certainly in 1690, the Spurrier family held licenses for alehouses in the village. There had been a Red Lion, named by 1724 but by the early 19th century, it had become a private home, "opposite" the present Lion Inn. It is possible the 1841 owners of Lion Inn had been affiliated with Red Lion (8).
It is not clear which private home would have been Red Lion, but it has been suggested it was Church Steps Cottage, seen in the background of this photograph, considered to be an early 19th building (9). It appears on the 1843 Tithe Map, by which time it was the Village Poor House. On the 1844-1888 Ordnance Survey Map, it was divided into two cottages, as it likely is in this photograph.
Creator
Herbert Henry Hole
Date
pre 1900
Language
English
Identifier
Lion Inn / Timberscombe / Village Centre
Acquisition Date
2019
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PLACES: Pubs / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2020
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
11.5 X 17.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) "Secure the shadow: Somerset Photographers 1839-1939", by Robin Ansell, Allan Collier and Phil Nichols, The Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, 2018 (2) 1911 England Census (3) Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 (4) as recorded, 2018, by Tom Sperling when archiving at the West Somerset Rural Life Museum (5) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914, England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index. 1916-2007 (6) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (7) 1911 England Census (8) Victoria County History. ac.uk (9) Historic Environment Record, MEM24590, Exmoor National Park
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-093
Technique
Copy
Citation
Herbert Henry Hole, “A Herbert Henry Hole Photograph of a Gathering at Lion Inn, Timberscombe, pre 1900,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 15, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3333.
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