Timberscombe Cricket Club Photographs, c. early 1960's, taken by Mary E. Huxtable
Title
Timberscombe Cricket Club Photographs, c. early 1960's, taken by Mary E. Huxtable
Subject
Description
Three photographs taken at the Timberscombe Cricket Club, northeast of Timberscombe on Cowbridge Road at the western entrance to Knowle Farm, midway between the A396 and the junction of Knowle Lane and where the road turns west toward Wootton Courtenay. They were donated in September 2020 by Maurice Huxtable, a lifelong resident of Timberscombe and who is seen in the centre photograph, posting a "2" on the scoreboard. Maurice was not sure of the date but remembers the photographer being Mary Huxtable--his wife.
Mrs. Huxtable was born 21 October 1927 as Mary Elizabeth Palfrey in Bridgend, Glamorganshire Wales (1). She married Maurice Huxtable at Exmoor in June 1952 (2) and they had two daughters, Marion and Maureen and one son, Melvyn Ian (3). Mary passed away in 12 July 2002 and was buried at St. Petrock's Church in Timberscombe (4).
In 2020 Maurice remembered the gentleman in the top photograph, seated in the centre of the bench, as "Mr. Reed". He was likely John Reed, born about 1892 in Washford and whose family was settled at Coombe Cottage, Timberscombe by 1901 (5). In 1922, Mr. Reed married Margaret M. Binding of Watchet (6), possibly the woman seated to his left. He served as a member of the Board of Governors of Timberscombe School (7). If indeed John Reed, he died in October 1964 (8), dating this photograph before then.
Maurice could be more certain of the woman on the porch holding the tea kettle, as she was his mother, Grace Irene (nee Cook) Huxtable, born in Witshire on 15 July 1915 (9). In July 1932, Grace married Dudley Huxtable, born in Timberscombe in 1911 to Frank and Eva (nee Buttle) Huxtable (10). While he worked as a carpenter (11) and at the time of this photograph he was the owner of the Cowbridge Mill (12), Dudley remained a constant presence on Timberscombe cricket teams, up to his passing in 1994. He was photographed, probably in his early 50's, in full cricket kit by his daughter-in-law on the bottom photograph. Grace died in 2007 and she and Dudley are buried together at St. Petrock's. Maurice died in the summer of 2021. In May 2022 a plaque was mounted at at the Timberscombe Cricket Club honouring Maurice Huxtable's lifelong affiliation.
The woman standing on the ground to the left of Grace is her older sister, Constance May (nee Cook) Gear, known as "Connie". Twelve years older than Grace, she was born in 1903 in Newbury Berkshire (14). After the Cook family had relocated to Wiltshire, Connie married Joseph Albert Gear, a dentist, in 1922 (15). They later joined Grace in Somerset and at the time of her death in July 1990, Connie lived at 63 Poundfield Road in Minehead (16).
Other longtime participants and enthusiasts of Timberscombe cricket were Frederick (Fred) James Clatworthy and his wife Dorothy Ava (nee Meatyard) Clatworthy. Known as "Dot", she stands between the sisters and her husband is in the white shirt on the right end of the bench. Fred, a mason (17), was born in 1905 at Timberscombe, the son of John and Bessie (nee Quick) Clatworthy (18). Dot was born in 1907 at Battersea, London (19), coming to Timberscombe where she worked as a cashier and lived for a while with Evelyn and George Elford at Ford Cottage (20). Evelyn was the sister of Fred, possibly how Dot met him. They married in 1946 (21). Fred died in 1991 and living at No. 10 Orchard Way in Timberscombe, Dot passed away in 2000 (22).
The Pavilion and the free-standing score board look relatively new and they were, as the former was erected in 1960 and the latter was installed within the next few years--seemingly not used that long as a new score house was built by 1968, as depicted at SP-177. The first club house of the Timberscombe Cricket Club was a hut donated in 1921 by George Stanley Harris (23) who had purchased the nearby Duddings Farmhouse by 1920, where he lived until his death in 1932 (24). The hut was still in use for storage by the club in 1975 (25) but was likely gone shortly afterwards. David Cook, of Blackball House in Hole's Square, began playing cricket for Timberscombe in 1974. In 2020, he remembered the hut but believed it either fell down or was removed shortly after he arrived.
It is not clear when the Timberscombe Cricket Club was founded but two photographs of early club members, seen at SP-166, are dated 1909. Another Timberscombe Cricket Club group photograph at SP-165 may be a bit earlier. In all three photographs, one player is clearly Frank Huxtable, the father of Dudley and the grandfather of Maurice.
Mrs. Huxtable was born 21 October 1927 as Mary Elizabeth Palfrey in Bridgend, Glamorganshire Wales (1). She married Maurice Huxtable at Exmoor in June 1952 (2) and they had two daughters, Marion and Maureen and one son, Melvyn Ian (3). Mary passed away in 12 July 2002 and was buried at St. Petrock's Church in Timberscombe (4).
In 2020 Maurice remembered the gentleman in the top photograph, seated in the centre of the bench, as "Mr. Reed". He was likely John Reed, born about 1892 in Washford and whose family was settled at Coombe Cottage, Timberscombe by 1901 (5). In 1922, Mr. Reed married Margaret M. Binding of Watchet (6), possibly the woman seated to his left. He served as a member of the Board of Governors of Timberscombe School (7). If indeed John Reed, he died in October 1964 (8), dating this photograph before then.
Maurice could be more certain of the woman on the porch holding the tea kettle, as she was his mother, Grace Irene (nee Cook) Huxtable, born in Witshire on 15 July 1915 (9). In July 1932, Grace married Dudley Huxtable, born in Timberscombe in 1911 to Frank and Eva (nee Buttle) Huxtable (10). While he worked as a carpenter (11) and at the time of this photograph he was the owner of the Cowbridge Mill (12), Dudley remained a constant presence on Timberscombe cricket teams, up to his passing in 1994. He was photographed, probably in his early 50's, in full cricket kit by his daughter-in-law on the bottom photograph. Grace died in 2007 and she and Dudley are buried together at St. Petrock's. Maurice died in the summer of 2021. In May 2022 a plaque was mounted at at the Timberscombe Cricket Club honouring Maurice Huxtable's lifelong affiliation.
The woman standing on the ground to the left of Grace is her older sister, Constance May (nee Cook) Gear, known as "Connie". Twelve years older than Grace, she was born in 1903 in Newbury Berkshire (14). After the Cook family had relocated to Wiltshire, Connie married Joseph Albert Gear, a dentist, in 1922 (15). They later joined Grace in Somerset and at the time of her death in July 1990, Connie lived at 63 Poundfield Road in Minehead (16).
Other longtime participants and enthusiasts of Timberscombe cricket were Frederick (Fred) James Clatworthy and his wife Dorothy Ava (nee Meatyard) Clatworthy. Known as "Dot", she stands between the sisters and her husband is in the white shirt on the right end of the bench. Fred, a mason (17), was born in 1905 at Timberscombe, the son of John and Bessie (nee Quick) Clatworthy (18). Dot was born in 1907 at Battersea, London (19), coming to Timberscombe where she worked as a cashier and lived for a while with Evelyn and George Elford at Ford Cottage (20). Evelyn was the sister of Fred, possibly how Dot met him. They married in 1946 (21). Fred died in 1991 and living at No. 10 Orchard Way in Timberscombe, Dot passed away in 2000 (22).
The Pavilion and the free-standing score board look relatively new and they were, as the former was erected in 1960 and the latter was installed within the next few years--seemingly not used that long as a new score house was built by 1968, as depicted at SP-177. The first club house of the Timberscombe Cricket Club was a hut donated in 1921 by George Stanley Harris (23) who had purchased the nearby Duddings Farmhouse by 1920, where he lived until his death in 1932 (24). The hut was still in use for storage by the club in 1975 (25) but was likely gone shortly afterwards. David Cook, of Blackball House in Hole's Square, began playing cricket for Timberscombe in 1974. In 2020, he remembered the hut but believed it either fell down or was removed shortly after he arrived.
It is not clear when the Timberscombe Cricket Club was founded but two photographs of early club members, seen at SP-166, are dated 1909. Another Timberscombe Cricket Club group photograph at SP-165 may be a bit earlier. In all three photographs, one player is clearly Frank Huxtable, the father of Dudley and the grandfather of Maurice.
Creator
Mary E. Huxtable
Source
Date
c. earlier 1960s
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
three scenes of Timberscombe Cricket Club players and supporters at the Timberscombe Cricket Club, possibly early 1960's / Cowbridge Road / northeast of Timberscombe
Acquisition Date
2020
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
SPORTS / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Named / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Named / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2021
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12 X 12.5
13 X 13
12 X 13
13 X 13
12 X 13
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (2) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (3) as recalled in 2020 by Maurice Huxtable and Marion (nee Huxtable) Fewlass (4) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (5) 1901 England Census (6) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (7) Timberscombe School MINUTES BOOK, 3 April 1930-April 1974 (8) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (9) Wiltshire, England, Church of England Birth and Baptisms, 1813-1914 (10) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 (11) 1939 England and Wales Register (12) TimberscombeVillage.com., History of Timberscombe, OtherHistoric Structures, Cowbridge Mill, written by Lesley Webb (13) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (14) 1911 England Census (15) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (16) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Allegations), 1858-1995 (17) 1939 England and Wales Register (18) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (19) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (20) 1939 England and Wales Register (21) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (22) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Indexes, 1916-2007 and County of Somerset Bridgwater Constituency, REGISTER OF ELECTORS, 16th February, 1993 to 15th February, 1994 (23) "VILLAGE HERITAGE BOOK", by the Timberscombe W.I., 1975 (24) "DELL COTTAGE, TIMBERSCOMBE, SOMERSET", Exceptions, Reservations and Right of Way of 28th December Conveyance Between Mary Turner and George Stanley Harris (where Mr. Harris is cited as having already purchased Duddings in 1920) and England & Wales, National Probate Calendar, (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 (25) "VILLAGE HERITAGE BOOK"
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2021
Storage Notes
St, Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-176
Technique
Copies
Citation
Mary E. Huxtable, “Timberscombe Cricket Club Photographs, c. early 1960's, taken by Mary E. Huxtable,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 18, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3454.
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