Elizabeth Jane Land at the Entrance to Berrowcote, 1967
Title
Elizabeth Jane Land at the Entrance to Berrowcote, 1967
Subject
Description
This photograph is of Elizabeth Jane Land, identified as being taken in 1967, standing in the doorway of her home, Berrowcote, on Brook Street, Timberscombe. The photograph was donated in September 2020 by Mrs. Land's grand-daughter, Joy (nee Land) Booth of The Knapp on Church Street, Timberscombe, who described her "Grandma" as "all of 4 ft. 11 in. and who gave birth to 9 children".
On the 1939 England and Wales Register, Mrs. Land gave her birthday as 19 November 1884, born Elizabeth Jane Cowling, the daughter of Henry John Cowling, a labourer from Withypool (1), born in 1863 to John and Sarah Cowling. The senior Mr. Cowling gave his profession as a Tradesman and his abode as Bristol but his son, Elizabeth Jane's father, was baptized in Timberscombe on 31 May 1863 (2).
Elizabeth's birthplace was given as Timberscombe on the 1901 Census and as Withypool on the 1911 Census. Regardless, by 1901 the sixteen-year-old was working as a servant for the family of Robert Baker, a farmer at Batsom Farm in Withypool (3). Here is where she apparently met John Land, born in Withypool in 1877 (4) and who also worked as a servant for the Baker family (5).
On the 25th of October 1904, Elizabeth and John were married in Withypool (6). By 1911 they were living there at Mill Cleeve Farm with their first four children, Ernest George (known as George), Lily Ann (known as Annie and later married Mr. Little), Amelia Mary (known as Mary and later married William Schofield) and Frederick James. A fifth child, born in 1912, was William (known as Bill).
By 1939, Elizabeth and John were farming at Hillway Farm in Dulverton. Their eldest child, George, was still living with them, as well as two younger sons, Abraham (known as Abe) John and Jellicoe Joseph (known as Joe). Two other children did not survive. Indeed Abe was born 7 weeks premature,"weighing little more than a bag of sugar". There was no hospital care and the only choice was to put him in a drawer in front of the fire and pray. Yet Abe grew up to be "tough as old boots" and in 1945, married Elsie May Burnett. They became the parents of Joyce Land, later Joy Booth, the donor of this photograph and who kindly shared the family names and much of this information.
If Mrs. Land was indeed born in Timberscombe, perhaps that was a factor in her and Mr. Land's move to Berrowcote late in 1947, after they retired from farming Hillway Farm (7). They purchased the property from William Floyde who had owned it with his sister, Eva Jane Floyde, since 1899. They had never actually lived there (8). Berrowcote was on the western end of a row of four semi-detached properties likely erected in the early 19th century or possibly the late 18th century (9). Their first owner (and possibly their builder) was Robert Blackmore, born in Lyme Regis in 1775 (10) but who was established in Timberscombe at least from 1800 when he married Hannah Merchant, born and raised in the village (11). Mr. Blackmore died in 1843 and was buried at St. Petrock's, the parish church at Timberscombe (12). On the 12th of July 1844, Berrowcote became Timberscombe's first post office, when it was inhabited by James Thomas, a carpenter who was sworn in on that date as the Post Master by Thomas Luttrell, the acting Magistrate of Somerset County (13). The post office remained here until the mid-1930's (14). The door where Mrs. Land is standing is on the western side of Berrowcote. To the left and around the corner, where the front side of Berrowcote faced the road, one of two windows had been replaced with a post office box (15) and remained enclosed until the 1990's (16)-- including the entire time that Elizabeth and John Land lived here.
After being the post office, Berrowcote was leased from Mr. and Miss Floyde by a Farm Carter, Frederick John Norman and his wife, Elsie Victoria (nee Gadd) Norman (17). On the 18th of October 1947, Eva Jane Floyde signed a Deed of Release to her brother (after he paid her £50) and two days later William Floyde sold Berrowcote to John and Elizabeth Land (18) making them the first known owners of the property that actually lived here.
John Land died on the 6th of December 1961. At probate, his middle name was given as "Hillway", the name of the Dulverton Farm where he and Elizabeth worked and raised their family (19). This seems to be a mistake as Mr Land is just "John" in all other documents including his will (20). Mrs. Land is a widow in this photograph and passed away on 16 May 1975 (21), aged 92 years. She may have been only 4 feet 11 inches tall but her smile in the photograph is huge.
In 1977, before Berrowcote was sold to Geoffrey and Ann Toze, the name had been modernised to Burrow Cottage (22). In July 2022, the name was changed back to Berrowcote.
Besides Mrs. Land, three distinctive details appear in the photograph. To the right of the door, Berrowcote is rendered and to the left the red sandstone and rubble, that the entire row (and much of Timberscombe) is built of, has been exposed. Eventually the render was removed completely. It is possible the porch seen here is a temporary one. SP-026 is a photograph taken in the 1930's where there appears to be different door with a substantial frame that might have needed to be removed to take off the render. In 2020, Marion (nee Huxtable) Fewlass was Burrow Cottage's neighbour at Tiki Cottage, lived in by the Huxtable family since at least 1843 (23) and she recalled a later curved metal porch. Around the 1990's, Marion's husband, Roger Fewlass, constructed a wooden porch here, built from pews that were being replaced at St. Petrock's Church.
And as Joy Booth pointed out when donating the photograph, slots for flood boards are evident on each side of the door. While flooding can still occur, Timberscombe residents remember flooding as more severe at this area of Brook Street in the past. The Churnet stream, which passes through the village, flows across the road as it wends its way to the River Avill.
On the 1939 England and Wales Register, Mrs. Land gave her birthday as 19 November 1884, born Elizabeth Jane Cowling, the daughter of Henry John Cowling, a labourer from Withypool (1), born in 1863 to John and Sarah Cowling. The senior Mr. Cowling gave his profession as a Tradesman and his abode as Bristol but his son, Elizabeth Jane's father, was baptized in Timberscombe on 31 May 1863 (2).
Elizabeth's birthplace was given as Timberscombe on the 1901 Census and as Withypool on the 1911 Census. Regardless, by 1901 the sixteen-year-old was working as a servant for the family of Robert Baker, a farmer at Batsom Farm in Withypool (3). Here is where she apparently met John Land, born in Withypool in 1877 (4) and who also worked as a servant for the Baker family (5).
On the 25th of October 1904, Elizabeth and John were married in Withypool (6). By 1911 they were living there at Mill Cleeve Farm with their first four children, Ernest George (known as George), Lily Ann (known as Annie and later married Mr. Little), Amelia Mary (known as Mary and later married William Schofield) and Frederick James. A fifth child, born in 1912, was William (known as Bill).
By 1939, Elizabeth and John were farming at Hillway Farm in Dulverton. Their eldest child, George, was still living with them, as well as two younger sons, Abraham (known as Abe) John and Jellicoe Joseph (known as Joe). Two other children did not survive. Indeed Abe was born 7 weeks premature,"weighing little more than a bag of sugar". There was no hospital care and the only choice was to put him in a drawer in front of the fire and pray. Yet Abe grew up to be "tough as old boots" and in 1945, married Elsie May Burnett. They became the parents of Joyce Land, later Joy Booth, the donor of this photograph and who kindly shared the family names and much of this information.
If Mrs. Land was indeed born in Timberscombe, perhaps that was a factor in her and Mr. Land's move to Berrowcote late in 1947, after they retired from farming Hillway Farm (7). They purchased the property from William Floyde who had owned it with his sister, Eva Jane Floyde, since 1899. They had never actually lived there (8). Berrowcote was on the western end of a row of four semi-detached properties likely erected in the early 19th century or possibly the late 18th century (9). Their first owner (and possibly their builder) was Robert Blackmore, born in Lyme Regis in 1775 (10) but who was established in Timberscombe at least from 1800 when he married Hannah Merchant, born and raised in the village (11). Mr. Blackmore died in 1843 and was buried at St. Petrock's, the parish church at Timberscombe (12). On the 12th of July 1844, Berrowcote became Timberscombe's first post office, when it was inhabited by James Thomas, a carpenter who was sworn in on that date as the Post Master by Thomas Luttrell, the acting Magistrate of Somerset County (13). The post office remained here until the mid-1930's (14). The door where Mrs. Land is standing is on the western side of Berrowcote. To the left and around the corner, where the front side of Berrowcote faced the road, one of two windows had been replaced with a post office box (15) and remained enclosed until the 1990's (16)-- including the entire time that Elizabeth and John Land lived here.
After being the post office, Berrowcote was leased from Mr. and Miss Floyde by a Farm Carter, Frederick John Norman and his wife, Elsie Victoria (nee Gadd) Norman (17). On the 18th of October 1947, Eva Jane Floyde signed a Deed of Release to her brother (after he paid her £50) and two days later William Floyde sold Berrowcote to John and Elizabeth Land (18) making them the first known owners of the property that actually lived here.
John Land died on the 6th of December 1961. At probate, his middle name was given as "Hillway", the name of the Dulverton Farm where he and Elizabeth worked and raised their family (19). This seems to be a mistake as Mr Land is just "John" in all other documents including his will (20). Mrs. Land is a widow in this photograph and passed away on 16 May 1975 (21), aged 92 years. She may have been only 4 feet 11 inches tall but her smile in the photograph is huge.
In 1977, before Berrowcote was sold to Geoffrey and Ann Toze, the name had been modernised to Burrow Cottage (22). In July 2022, the name was changed back to Berrowcote.
Besides Mrs. Land, three distinctive details appear in the photograph. To the right of the door, Berrowcote is rendered and to the left the red sandstone and rubble, that the entire row (and much of Timberscombe) is built of, has been exposed. Eventually the render was removed completely. It is possible the porch seen here is a temporary one. SP-026 is a photograph taken in the 1930's where there appears to be different door with a substantial frame that might have needed to be removed to take off the render. In 2020, Marion (nee Huxtable) Fewlass was Burrow Cottage's neighbour at Tiki Cottage, lived in by the Huxtable family since at least 1843 (23) and she recalled a later curved metal porch. Around the 1990's, Marion's husband, Roger Fewlass, constructed a wooden porch here, built from pews that were being replaced at St. Petrock's Church.
And as Joy Booth pointed out when donating the photograph, slots for flood boards are evident on each side of the door. While flooding can still occur, Timberscombe residents remember flooding as more severe at this area of Brook Street in the past. The Churnet stream, which passes through the village, flows across the road as it wends its way to the River Avill.
Creator
Anonymous
Source
Date
1967
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
Elizabeth Jane Land at Berrowcote, 1967 / Timberscombe / Brook Street
Acquisition Date
2020
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PEOPLE NAMED / Timberscombe
PLACES: Cottages / Timberscombe
PLACES: Cottages / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2021
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
15 X 9.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) Somerset, England, Church of England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 (2) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 (3) 1901 England Census (4) 1939 England and Wales Register (5) 1891 England Census (6) Somerset, England, Church of England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 (7) 1939 England and Wales Register (8) Deeds and Conveyances of Burrow Cottage, held in 2021 by current owners, Randall Alan Hines and Thomas Sperling (9) Victoria County History.ac.uk and Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park, MEM24410 (10) UK, Poll Books and Electoral Register, 1538-1893 and Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1531-1812 (11) Somerset, England, Church of England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 (12) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (13) declaration of Appointment of Timberscombe's First Post Master, donated by the Timberscombe School, June 2019 (14) Kelly's Directory of Somerset, 1935 (15) as seen in a 1915 photograph at SP-022 (16) as recalled in 2019 by Ann Toze who lived at Burrow Cottage from 1977 to 1995 and in 2020 by Malcolm Passmore, who lived at Burrow Cottage from 1995 to 2007 (and who opened up the enclosure and replaced with a window) (17) 1939 England and Wales Register, Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 and UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (18) from Deeds and Conveyances of Burrow Cottage, held in 2021 by current owners, Randall Alan Hines and Thomas Sperling (19) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations ), 1858-1915 (20) as recalled by Joy Booth (21) as recalled by Joy Booth (22) Berrowcote first appears as Burrow Cottage in the 1977 Deed for Geoffrey and Ann Toze when they purchased the property, as held in 2021 by current owners, Randall Alan Hines and Thomas Sperling (23) Timberscombe Tithe Map, 1843, Source: Somerset Records Office, Taunton, as researched and redrawn by John Burns for the Timberscombe School, February 1989
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2021
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-201
Technique
Copy
Citation
Anonymous, “Elizabeth Jane Land at the Entrance to Berrowcote, 1967,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 5, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3471.
Comments