Edward Cording, Builder of the Bible Christian Chapel and the Knapp Cottages, with his wife, Mellony (nee Townsend) Cording
Title
Edward Cording, Builder of the Bible Christian Chapel and the Knapp Cottages, with his wife, Mellony (nee Townsend) Cording
Subject
Description
For a small village, Timberscombe has a surprising number of surviving structures built by men who also lived in the village. Among them was William Floyde (1878-1947), a mason who constructed many homes with No. 1 Willow View and No. 2 Willow House still occupied on Willow Bank. Frank Huxtable (1884-1962) supervised the building of many properties including the eight homes that make up Meadow View, as well as Orchard Close on Brook Street, all built throughout the later 1930s into the later 1940's. The ten homes facing out on Willow Bank were designed and created by William Schofield (1906-1991), with construction commencing in 1945. A century before these men though was Edward Cording, who along with his brother, James, was responsible for both cottages on the southern end of Church Street, known now as The Knapp and Higher Ledge as well the place of worship built into the steep hill across the road, which opened on the 27th of March 1836 as the Bible Christian Chapel.
Edward Cording did not identify himself as a builder. On the censuses of 1851, 1861 and 1871 he listed himself as a Farmer, each time specifying he worked 320 acres at Croydon Farm. His wife, Mellony Cording, pictured to the right of Mr. Cording in the two oval portrait photographs at the top of this entry, described herself as a "Farmer's Wife" (1). On the 1881 census, when Edward Cording was 80-years-old, a widower and retired from working at Croydon, under "Occupation" he was entered as "Yeoman". Edward Cording could also have been listed as "Preacher", which he had practiced locally for 52 years (2).
Cording's own father, John Cording, was likely a Cordwainer (a maker of leather shoes), a profession he apprenticed at in Milverton, Somerset, completing his indenture in 1784 when he was 29-years-old (3). Four years earlier, he had married Jane Newland in her hometown, Bathealton, Somerset. John Cording had been born and baptised in Carhampton but he and his wife settled in Bathealton and in 1785 their first child, Jane, was born there-- as were all their children. The fourth was James, born in 1793 and the seventh was Edward, baptised at Bathealton on the 2nd of November 1801 (4).
As a young man, Edward Cording moved about quite a lot, finding work as an agricultural labourer, which is probably how he ended up in mid Devon, where he met Mellony Townsend, born in 1802 at Culmstock, Devon, the daughter of John and Ann (nee Manfield) Townsend (5). On the 7th of December 1823, Edward and Mellony gave their Banns at St. Mary's Church in nearby Hemyock, where both were registered as "Anglican" (6) --which later will alter. Edward and Mellony married on the 1st of January 1824 at Culmstock, seemingly at All Saint's Church, which historically has shared services with St. Mary's (7).
Edward and Mellony Cording had (at least) ten children. The births of the five oldest reveal how their family changed not only their locations but also their faith. The first two Cording children were John, born in Upton, Somerset in 1824 and Jane Ann, born in Huish Champflower in 1827. Both were baptised in the local Anglican Church of England (8). The third child of Edward and Mellony was Mary, born in 1829 at Upton. However her baptism was delayed until 1835, when instead of a church, Mary was baptised as a Bible Christian in a Non-Conformist ceremony held in the "home of her father", seemingly in Kingsbrompton (later Brompton Regis), which was conducted by a Bible Christian preacher named James Staddon (9). The Bible Christian tradition had been founded around 1815 in north Cornwall, an offshoot of the Wesleyan Methodists. In those early days, before the Bible Christians had places of worship, most services were held in a home or a farm building or sometimes places of business ran by members, such as a shop or a mill and were ministered by part-time itinerant preachers. Growing in numbers quickly, scattered groups of Bible Christians were divided into Circuits, with one of the first originating in Kingsbrompton--thus the baptism of Mary Cording at Edward and Mellony's home (10).
Their fourth child, William Cording was born in March 1831, also in Upton (11). Like his sister, Mary, William's baptism was delayed. On the 13th of August 1834, James Cording, the fifth child of Edward and Mellony was born, this time in the Parish of Carhampton. Unlike Mary and William, James was quickly baptised on the 28th of September 1834 by a travelling minister, John Edwards. James was the first Cording child to be baptised in the "Parish of Timberscombe" at a location only identified as "Chapel" (12)--which was not yet built. While the exact location of where James's baptism was held is not clear, a shopkeeper's cottage in Timberscombe had become a fellowship for prayer and preaching (13)--and until an actual chapel was built, this unknown shop may have served the purpose and could have been the site for James' baptism. Also unlike the four siblings that preceded him, young James would not be relocating any time soon. His actual birthplace was Croydon Farm (considered to be part the Parish of Carhampton in 1834), where his family was now living and which Edward Cording would farm for the next fifty years.
Perhaps the naming of his fifth child coincided with the fact that at Croydon, Edward Cording was now working side by side with his older brother, James. Situated south of Timberscombe, approached by a private road beginning at Holes Square on the eastern side of the village, Croydon, was a large farm, well established by 14 December 1620 when Thomas Siderfin, a lawyer, signed a 99 year lease to occupy the property (14). By 1826 or 1827, Croydon had been sold to Robert Hole, a member of the influential Hole family who during this period were purchasing several of the larger farms in and around the Timberscombe Parish (15). Mr. Hole did not intend to inhabit Croydon--he and his immediate family lived at Harwood Farm for most of Hole's life (16). Nevertheless in 1832, when Robert Hole leased both the farm and the manor house, then called Croydon Hall, to James and Edward Cording (17), while they may have been occupants as opposed to owners, taking control of Croydon Farm was a major move-up for the Cording brothers. It also meant one of the leading properties in the parish was a place that welcomed itinerant Bible Christian preachers or members (18). Ironically though in later life, Croydon may have been a bit of a trap for Edward.
Once at Croydon, James and Edward established themselves not only as farmers but capable builders as well, creating several new farm structures, including a cow and calf house and a Waggon House at the entrance to the farmyard. Also at Croydon, the brothers constructed a mill waterwheel, described as "a cold job on a winter's night" (19).
James and Edward were also bringing their carpentry tools down the road from Croydon to Holes Square and into the village. By 1834, Edward Cording was also preaching (20) and while it may have been safe for Bible Christians to meet at Croydon, their local membership was growing. Edward and James Cording and other local Bible Christians were ready for a church where they could assemble and celebrate their faith.
This was not easy to achieve. Bible Christians were often physically threatened. Without a church, for many denominations open-air services were the only way for larger groups to gather and it was not uncommon for other villagers to throw stones, clods and eggs (and beer) at the preacher and congregation. Herds of cattle, pigs or sheep were purposely driven straight though the services (21). Things were not much better in Timberscombe when proposals were made to build a Bible Christian chapel. Many local Anglicans, Tory landowners and village leaders were firmly opposed. Finally only a steep bank of land on the south east of the village, wedged between upper Church Street and The Old Mill was offered, likely because it seemed impossible to build upon. Also directly above the spot, between where the chapel would have to be built and Church Street was "an ancient barn" that would not be removed (22)--(and still remains in modern times). This suited most villagers as the chapel would be largely out of sight and not have to be seen by those attending services at the nearby St. Petrock's Church. Nevertheless, as farmers the Cording brothers had probably erected structures on land just as treacherous. Construction began in 1835, the Bible Christian chapel was securely built and successfully opened its doors on the 27th of March 1836. Total costs were £150 and it was free of any debt to the local trustees by 1839 (23). Perhaps most satisfying to Edward and Mellony Cording was, at last, the 6th of May 1836 Bible Christian baptism of their fourth child, William. When William was born in Upton in 1831, his parents were likely adjusting to a change of religion and location. William's baptism was followed by the 8th of March 1837 baptism of the sixth Cording child, Gregory, born on the previous 27th of January (24). Neither boy was baptised in a shop or someone's home but in a chapel created by their father and uncle.
James Cording was likely at the baptism of William but not for Gregory. Later in the same year the chapel opened, he died at the age of forty-two (25). John Cording, the father of James and Edward, had died in 1830 (26), while their mother, Jane, had been able to come live at Croydon before her passing in 1835 (27) . On the 3rd of January 1837, James Cording was buried with his mother at St. Petrock's Churchyard (28).
The second image above are two views of Providence Chapel, as the church built by James and his brother later became known. On the left is the southern back view of the building, with its north-facing front entrance on the right. The photographs were placed side by side in 2019 by the West Somerset Methodist Circuit, reporting that in August of that year, the chapel had closed. ( At that time the membership was down to three people but gatherings still occur in modern times at the Old Diary in Timberscombe.) On the caption under the right photograph, the building is labelled as the "Timberscombe Methodist Church". In 1907, the Bible Christians became part of the United Methodist Church, which then in 1932, also joined with the Primitives and the Wesleyans, becoming the Timberscombe Methodist Church. A more complete history of the Providence Chapel from 1836 to 2019 is at SP-232.
The Bible Christian Chapel was not all Edward (and likely James) were building at Timberscombe in 1835 and 1836. At the top of the embankment where the chapel had been perched and just across Church Street (opposite the "ancient barn"), Edward built a house that became known as "The Knapp", completed around the same time as the chapel (29), The Knapp was included on the 1843 Timberscombe Tithe Map, where interestingly it was being leased by the Rev. Thomas Bealy, the then Curate at St. Petrock's Church (30). Bealy actually lived at The Vicarage (the Old Vicarage, an apartment house in modern times) and sublet The Knapp to John Tudball, an agricultural labourer, who had seemingly been through hard times, recently living with his three children at his widowed mother's home, where she was listed as a "Pauper" (31). The other residence that would be semi-detached on The Knapp's left does not yet appear on the 1843 Tithe Map but was completed shortly afterwards (32). It was also built by Edward Cording, although this time working on his own (33).
It is presumed that Edward Cording built The Knapp to be a separate home for himself and his family and devote more of his time to preaching--- perhaps just across the road. However a Bible Christian preacher was normally an unpaid volunteer (34). With the death of his brother and the responsibilities of their large and extended family, Edward may have had to return to Croydon Farm. As the builder (and a being a preacher) of Timberscombe's "other" church, Cording certainly would have been familiar with Rev. Bealy and indeed Bealy had officiated not only at the burial of James Cording, but also the burial of James and Edward's mother. Rev Bealy had also buried the father of John Tudball and recently had baptised Tudball's youngest son (35). Perhaps arrangements were made between the two men to provide a home for Mr. Tudball and his children, at least for the time-being. Meanwhile, Cording completed work on the second house, adjacent to The Knapp, to be used as a manse-- a place for the other men and their families to live, who would (and could) come to minister at the Bible Christian chapel (36). The newer house and The Knapp became collectively known as the Knapp Cottages (37)
The third photograph seen above, picturing a seated Edward Cording holding a book, is clearly a more full length version of the portrait photograph at the top. The lower photograph is labelled in red ink with "Webber and Blizard" and "Taunton". John Blizard worked as a photographer at 52 East Street in Taunton, where he was joined for a relatively brief time by John Webber (38). Other photographs sharing both men's names suggest this rather distinguished version of Mr. Cording was taken perhaps in the early 1860's (39). At the same time of her husband's photograph, Webber and Blizard photographed Mellony Cording, which was also the source of her image in the oval portrait at the top of this page (40).
Mellony Cording tragically died, aged 75, in July 1876 at Croydon when a garden wall collapsed and fell on her (41). Also in 1876, Edward Cording gave up farming at Croydon and finally moved into The Knapp (42). It is not clear which event occurred first. When Mellony was buried at St. Petrock's on the 19th of July, her home was recorded as both "Croydon" and "Timberscombe" (43). A printed Remembrance Card, distributed at the time of her passing, read "MELLONY, THE BELOVED WIFE OF EDWARD CORDING, who died at Croydon, Carhampton and was interred at Timberscombe" (44).
The fourth photograph is of Mrs. Cording, labelled "Mellony Townsend Cording, mother of Lucy Cording Norman, Timberscombe, England". Lucy was the youngest child of Edward and Mellony, born in 1845, who married William Norman of Luxborough and emigrated to America where she died in 1917 (45). (For the record the other Cording children between Gregory and Lucy, were Elizabeth, born 1939, Edwin, 1841 and Albert, born in 1844.) In this photograph, Mellony stands in front of a house. If it is The Knapp, it has altered in modern times, with the render removed, a different door in place above added steps and a porch and there is a different front window-- but all of the modern versions are basically in the same position as in the photograph and both then and now have a recessed addition visible on the right edge of the house. Finally, this must be the Knapp. Certainly the label identifies the house as in Timberscombe--and if Mellony Cording was going to be photographed in the village, whatever other house would she stand in front of, other than the one her husband built.
Obviously Mellony Cording would have known The Knapp well for over 40 years but whether she lived to move into it with her husband in 1876 is not clear. Likely both Mellony and Edward had been back and forth, as Croydon remained leased by the Cording family. In 1872, their 8th child, Edwin Cording, had married Sarah Ann Bowering of Wootton Courtenay (46) and on the 1881 Census, they were farming Croydon farm and living at Croydon Hall-- indeed at the time of the census, they were hosting a visitor, William Henry Webber, a Bible Christian preacher. Also on the 1881 Census, 80-year-old Edward Cording was at The Knapp, being cared for by his 27-year-old grand-daughter, Anne Townsend. Miss Townsend was the daughter of Jane Ann , Edward and Mellony's oldest daughter and her husband, James Townsend, Mellony's younger brother (47). Living next door to Edward Cording and Anne Townsend, at the second Knapp (later renamed Higher Ledge), was John Hicks, the current Bible Christian minister at the chapel. The second house was indeed serving as a manse---just as its builder had intended.
Edward Cording died on the 10th of June 1886 at The Knapp, as registered by his son, "Edwin Cording of Croydon, the sole Executor" (48). Edward was buried at St. Petrock's, but unlike Jane, his mother, James, his brother or Mellony, his wife, Edward's burial was not ministered by the current Curate (or Vicar) of St. Petrock's. Instead it was "certified by Edwin Cording under the Burial Act of 1881"(49). Actually passed in 1880, as part of the Burial Laws Amendment Acts, anyone could now be buried in parochial burial grounds and the service could be conducted by any person invited to do so, if proper notice was given to the church (50). Therefore his son and someone who shared his beliefs could bury Edward Cording, an evolution partly made possible by people like himself.
Edward Cording did not identify himself as a builder. On the censuses of 1851, 1861 and 1871 he listed himself as a Farmer, each time specifying he worked 320 acres at Croydon Farm. His wife, Mellony Cording, pictured to the right of Mr. Cording in the two oval portrait photographs at the top of this entry, described herself as a "Farmer's Wife" (1). On the 1881 census, when Edward Cording was 80-years-old, a widower and retired from working at Croydon, under "Occupation" he was entered as "Yeoman". Edward Cording could also have been listed as "Preacher", which he had practiced locally for 52 years (2).
Cording's own father, John Cording, was likely a Cordwainer (a maker of leather shoes), a profession he apprenticed at in Milverton, Somerset, completing his indenture in 1784 when he was 29-years-old (3). Four years earlier, he had married Jane Newland in her hometown, Bathealton, Somerset. John Cording had been born and baptised in Carhampton but he and his wife settled in Bathealton and in 1785 their first child, Jane, was born there-- as were all their children. The fourth was James, born in 1793 and the seventh was Edward, baptised at Bathealton on the 2nd of November 1801 (4).
As a young man, Edward Cording moved about quite a lot, finding work as an agricultural labourer, which is probably how he ended up in mid Devon, where he met Mellony Townsend, born in 1802 at Culmstock, Devon, the daughter of John and Ann (nee Manfield) Townsend (5). On the 7th of December 1823, Edward and Mellony gave their Banns at St. Mary's Church in nearby Hemyock, where both were registered as "Anglican" (6) --which later will alter. Edward and Mellony married on the 1st of January 1824 at Culmstock, seemingly at All Saint's Church, which historically has shared services with St. Mary's (7).
Edward and Mellony Cording had (at least) ten children. The births of the five oldest reveal how their family changed not only their locations but also their faith. The first two Cording children were John, born in Upton, Somerset in 1824 and Jane Ann, born in Huish Champflower in 1827. Both were baptised in the local Anglican Church of England (8). The third child of Edward and Mellony was Mary, born in 1829 at Upton. However her baptism was delayed until 1835, when instead of a church, Mary was baptised as a Bible Christian in a Non-Conformist ceremony held in the "home of her father", seemingly in Kingsbrompton (later Brompton Regis), which was conducted by a Bible Christian preacher named James Staddon (9). The Bible Christian tradition had been founded around 1815 in north Cornwall, an offshoot of the Wesleyan Methodists. In those early days, before the Bible Christians had places of worship, most services were held in a home or a farm building or sometimes places of business ran by members, such as a shop or a mill and were ministered by part-time itinerant preachers. Growing in numbers quickly, scattered groups of Bible Christians were divided into Circuits, with one of the first originating in Kingsbrompton--thus the baptism of Mary Cording at Edward and Mellony's home (10).
Their fourth child, William Cording was born in March 1831, also in Upton (11). Like his sister, Mary, William's baptism was delayed. On the 13th of August 1834, James Cording, the fifth child of Edward and Mellony was born, this time in the Parish of Carhampton. Unlike Mary and William, James was quickly baptised on the 28th of September 1834 by a travelling minister, John Edwards. James was the first Cording child to be baptised in the "Parish of Timberscombe" at a location only identified as "Chapel" (12)--which was not yet built. While the exact location of where James's baptism was held is not clear, a shopkeeper's cottage in Timberscombe had become a fellowship for prayer and preaching (13)--and until an actual chapel was built, this unknown shop may have served the purpose and could have been the site for James' baptism. Also unlike the four siblings that preceded him, young James would not be relocating any time soon. His actual birthplace was Croydon Farm (considered to be part the Parish of Carhampton in 1834), where his family was now living and which Edward Cording would farm for the next fifty years.
Perhaps the naming of his fifth child coincided with the fact that at Croydon, Edward Cording was now working side by side with his older brother, James. Situated south of Timberscombe, approached by a private road beginning at Holes Square on the eastern side of the village, Croydon, was a large farm, well established by 14 December 1620 when Thomas Siderfin, a lawyer, signed a 99 year lease to occupy the property (14). By 1826 or 1827, Croydon had been sold to Robert Hole, a member of the influential Hole family who during this period were purchasing several of the larger farms in and around the Timberscombe Parish (15). Mr. Hole did not intend to inhabit Croydon--he and his immediate family lived at Harwood Farm for most of Hole's life (16). Nevertheless in 1832, when Robert Hole leased both the farm and the manor house, then called Croydon Hall, to James and Edward Cording (17), while they may have been occupants as opposed to owners, taking control of Croydon Farm was a major move-up for the Cording brothers. It also meant one of the leading properties in the parish was a place that welcomed itinerant Bible Christian preachers or members (18). Ironically though in later life, Croydon may have been a bit of a trap for Edward.
Once at Croydon, James and Edward established themselves not only as farmers but capable builders as well, creating several new farm structures, including a cow and calf house and a Waggon House at the entrance to the farmyard. Also at Croydon, the brothers constructed a mill waterwheel, described as "a cold job on a winter's night" (19).
James and Edward were also bringing their carpentry tools down the road from Croydon to Holes Square and into the village. By 1834, Edward Cording was also preaching (20) and while it may have been safe for Bible Christians to meet at Croydon, their local membership was growing. Edward and James Cording and other local Bible Christians were ready for a church where they could assemble and celebrate their faith.
This was not easy to achieve. Bible Christians were often physically threatened. Without a church, for many denominations open-air services were the only way for larger groups to gather and it was not uncommon for other villagers to throw stones, clods and eggs (and beer) at the preacher and congregation. Herds of cattle, pigs or sheep were purposely driven straight though the services (21). Things were not much better in Timberscombe when proposals were made to build a Bible Christian chapel. Many local Anglicans, Tory landowners and village leaders were firmly opposed. Finally only a steep bank of land on the south east of the village, wedged between upper Church Street and The Old Mill was offered, likely because it seemed impossible to build upon. Also directly above the spot, between where the chapel would have to be built and Church Street was "an ancient barn" that would not be removed (22)--(and still remains in modern times). This suited most villagers as the chapel would be largely out of sight and not have to be seen by those attending services at the nearby St. Petrock's Church. Nevertheless, as farmers the Cording brothers had probably erected structures on land just as treacherous. Construction began in 1835, the Bible Christian chapel was securely built and successfully opened its doors on the 27th of March 1836. Total costs were £150 and it was free of any debt to the local trustees by 1839 (23). Perhaps most satisfying to Edward and Mellony Cording was, at last, the 6th of May 1836 Bible Christian baptism of their fourth child, William. When William was born in Upton in 1831, his parents were likely adjusting to a change of religion and location. William's baptism was followed by the 8th of March 1837 baptism of the sixth Cording child, Gregory, born on the previous 27th of January (24). Neither boy was baptised in a shop or someone's home but in a chapel created by their father and uncle.
James Cording was likely at the baptism of William but not for Gregory. Later in the same year the chapel opened, he died at the age of forty-two (25). John Cording, the father of James and Edward, had died in 1830 (26), while their mother, Jane, had been able to come live at Croydon before her passing in 1835 (27) . On the 3rd of January 1837, James Cording was buried with his mother at St. Petrock's Churchyard (28).
The second image above are two views of Providence Chapel, as the church built by James and his brother later became known. On the left is the southern back view of the building, with its north-facing front entrance on the right. The photographs were placed side by side in 2019 by the West Somerset Methodist Circuit, reporting that in August of that year, the chapel had closed. ( At that time the membership was down to three people but gatherings still occur in modern times at the Old Diary in Timberscombe.) On the caption under the right photograph, the building is labelled as the "Timberscombe Methodist Church". In 1907, the Bible Christians became part of the United Methodist Church, which then in 1932, also joined with the Primitives and the Wesleyans, becoming the Timberscombe Methodist Church. A more complete history of the Providence Chapel from 1836 to 2019 is at SP-232.
The Bible Christian Chapel was not all Edward (and likely James) were building at Timberscombe in 1835 and 1836. At the top of the embankment where the chapel had been perched and just across Church Street (opposite the "ancient barn"), Edward built a house that became known as "The Knapp", completed around the same time as the chapel (29), The Knapp was included on the 1843 Timberscombe Tithe Map, where interestingly it was being leased by the Rev. Thomas Bealy, the then Curate at St. Petrock's Church (30). Bealy actually lived at The Vicarage (the Old Vicarage, an apartment house in modern times) and sublet The Knapp to John Tudball, an agricultural labourer, who had seemingly been through hard times, recently living with his three children at his widowed mother's home, where she was listed as a "Pauper" (31). The other residence that would be semi-detached on The Knapp's left does not yet appear on the 1843 Tithe Map but was completed shortly afterwards (32). It was also built by Edward Cording, although this time working on his own (33).
It is presumed that Edward Cording built The Knapp to be a separate home for himself and his family and devote more of his time to preaching--- perhaps just across the road. However a Bible Christian preacher was normally an unpaid volunteer (34). With the death of his brother and the responsibilities of their large and extended family, Edward may have had to return to Croydon Farm. As the builder (and a being a preacher) of Timberscombe's "other" church, Cording certainly would have been familiar with Rev. Bealy and indeed Bealy had officiated not only at the burial of James Cording, but also the burial of James and Edward's mother. Rev Bealy had also buried the father of John Tudball and recently had baptised Tudball's youngest son (35). Perhaps arrangements were made between the two men to provide a home for Mr. Tudball and his children, at least for the time-being. Meanwhile, Cording completed work on the second house, adjacent to The Knapp, to be used as a manse-- a place for the other men and their families to live, who would (and could) come to minister at the Bible Christian chapel (36). The newer house and The Knapp became collectively known as the Knapp Cottages (37)
The third photograph seen above, picturing a seated Edward Cording holding a book, is clearly a more full length version of the portrait photograph at the top. The lower photograph is labelled in red ink with "Webber and Blizard" and "Taunton". John Blizard worked as a photographer at 52 East Street in Taunton, where he was joined for a relatively brief time by John Webber (38). Other photographs sharing both men's names suggest this rather distinguished version of Mr. Cording was taken perhaps in the early 1860's (39). At the same time of her husband's photograph, Webber and Blizard photographed Mellony Cording, which was also the source of her image in the oval portrait at the top of this page (40).
Mellony Cording tragically died, aged 75, in July 1876 at Croydon when a garden wall collapsed and fell on her (41). Also in 1876, Edward Cording gave up farming at Croydon and finally moved into The Knapp (42). It is not clear which event occurred first. When Mellony was buried at St. Petrock's on the 19th of July, her home was recorded as both "Croydon" and "Timberscombe" (43). A printed Remembrance Card, distributed at the time of her passing, read "MELLONY, THE BELOVED WIFE OF EDWARD CORDING, who died at Croydon, Carhampton and was interred at Timberscombe" (44).
The fourth photograph is of Mrs. Cording, labelled "Mellony Townsend Cording, mother of Lucy Cording Norman, Timberscombe, England". Lucy was the youngest child of Edward and Mellony, born in 1845, who married William Norman of Luxborough and emigrated to America where she died in 1917 (45). (For the record the other Cording children between Gregory and Lucy, were Elizabeth, born 1939, Edwin, 1841 and Albert, born in 1844.) In this photograph, Mellony stands in front of a house. If it is The Knapp, it has altered in modern times, with the render removed, a different door in place above added steps and a porch and there is a different front window-- but all of the modern versions are basically in the same position as in the photograph and both then and now have a recessed addition visible on the right edge of the house. Finally, this must be the Knapp. Certainly the label identifies the house as in Timberscombe--and if Mellony Cording was going to be photographed in the village, whatever other house would she stand in front of, other than the one her husband built.
Obviously Mellony Cording would have known The Knapp well for over 40 years but whether she lived to move into it with her husband in 1876 is not clear. Likely both Mellony and Edward had been back and forth, as Croydon remained leased by the Cording family. In 1872, their 8th child, Edwin Cording, had married Sarah Ann Bowering of Wootton Courtenay (46) and on the 1881 Census, they were farming Croydon farm and living at Croydon Hall-- indeed at the time of the census, they were hosting a visitor, William Henry Webber, a Bible Christian preacher. Also on the 1881 Census, 80-year-old Edward Cording was at The Knapp, being cared for by his 27-year-old grand-daughter, Anne Townsend. Miss Townsend was the daughter of Jane Ann , Edward and Mellony's oldest daughter and her husband, James Townsend, Mellony's younger brother (47). Living next door to Edward Cording and Anne Townsend, at the second Knapp (later renamed Higher Ledge), was John Hicks, the current Bible Christian minister at the chapel. The second house was indeed serving as a manse---just as its builder had intended.
Edward Cording died on the 10th of June 1886 at The Knapp, as registered by his son, "Edwin Cording of Croydon, the sole Executor" (48). Edward was buried at St. Petrock's, but unlike Jane, his mother, James, his brother or Mellony, his wife, Edward's burial was not ministered by the current Curate (or Vicar) of St. Petrock's. Instead it was "certified by Edwin Cording under the Burial Act of 1881"(49). Actually passed in 1880, as part of the Burial Laws Amendment Acts, anyone could now be buried in parochial burial grounds and the service could be conducted by any person invited to do so, if proper notice was given to the church (50). Therefore his son and someone who shared his beliefs could bury Edward Cording, an evolution partly made possible by people like himself.
Creator
Webber & Blizard, Taunton /
Anonymous /
Webber & Blizard, Taunton /
Anonymous
Anonymous /
Webber & Blizard, Taunton /
Anonymous
Date
possibly early 1860s
possibly early 2010s
possibly early1860s
possibly early 1870s
possibly early 2010s
possibly early1860s
possibly early 1870s
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
photographic portraits of Edward and Mellony Cording, sourced from photographs taken by Webber & Blizard, Taunton, c. 1860s / photograph of the front and back of the Timberscombe Methodist Church, possibly originally taken for a church pamphlet ,"WELCOME!", c. 2010s and reproduced with captions on 14 November 2019 for "All about Timberscombe Methodists" by West Somerset Methodist Circuit / photograph of Edward Cording taken c. 1860s by Webber & Blizard, Taunton / anonymous photograph, c. early 1870s, taken of Mellony Cording, labelled "Mellony Townsend Cording, mother of Lucy Cording Norman, Timberscombe England", possibly taken on Church Street in front of The Knapp
Acquisition Date
2022
2023
2023
2023
2023
2023
2023
Acquisition Method
Research
Category
PEOPLE: Known / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Occupations / Timberscombe
PLACES: Churches and Chapels / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Occupations / Timberscombe
PLACES: Churches and Chapels / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2023
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12 X 19
13 X 17.5
20.5 X 12
24 X 14.5
13 X 17.5
20.5 X 12
24 X 14.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) 1871 England Census (2) "WELCOME!", church pamphlet for the Timberscombe Methodist Church, donated in 2018 by Martin and Joy Booth, current owners of The Knapp (3) UK Register of Duties Paid for Apprentice's Indentures, 1710-1811 (4) Somerset, England, Church of England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1531-1812 (5) 1861 England Census and Susan Bell Family Tree, tree search, susan_cane, Edward Cording, Ancestry.com (6) Devon, England, Church of England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1920 (7) England Select Marriages, 1538-1973 and Upper Culm Valley Mission, culmkirks.co.uk (8) 1851 England Census and Somerset, England, Church of England, Baptisms, 1813-1914 (9) England Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 and England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936 (10) "The West Country Preachers: A New History of the Bible Christian Church (1815-1907)" by Michael J.L. Wickes, M.A,. first published by author, June 1987 and printed by Jamaica Press, Hartland, 1861 England Census, "Religion, Geography and Identities in Cornwall: The Bible Christians", bernarddeacon.files.wordpress.com, Ringashcircuit.org.uk/history, Bible Christians, Kings Brompton, Somerset, England, England Select Births & Christenings, 1538-1975 and "WELCOME!" (11) England Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 and 1851 England Census (12) England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936 and England Select Birth and Christenings, 1538-1975 (13) "All about Timberscombe Methodists", West Somerset Methodist Circuit, 14 November 2019 (14) "CROYDON HOUSE TIMBERSCOMBE, Documentary Evidence on the History of the Farm Buildings", by Dr. John Prideaux , Draft Date, 19th April 2001 (15) Victoria County History.ac.uk (16) Somerset, England, Church of England, Baptisms, 1813-1914 (Robert Hole's newborn son , Michael, was listed as at "Harwood in Timberscombe"at his baptism in February 1916) and England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (indicating Robert Hole died at Harwood on 11 March 1867) (17) "CROYDON HOUSE TIMBERSCOMBE, Documentary Evidence on the History of the Farm Buildings" and UK Poll Books and Registers, 1937 (18) "All about Timberscombe Methodists, West Somerset Methodist Circuit, 14 November 2019 (19) "CROYDON HOUSE TIMBERSCOMBE, Documentary Evidence of the Farm Buildings" (20) "WELCOME!" (21) "The West Country Preachers: A New History of the Bible Christian Church (1815-1907)" (22) "J.P. Martin, Father of Uncle, A Master of the Great English Nonsense Tradition" by Stella Martin Currey, Matador, an imprint of Troubador Publishing, Ltd., on page 259 in the chapter, "A Dance of Joy on a Lonely Road, 1948-1960" (23) "WELCOME!" and "All about Timberscombe Methodists, West Somerset Methodist Circuit, 14 November 2019" (24) England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936 and England. Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 (25) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 and Somerset, England, Church of England, Burials, 1813-1914 (26) Somerset, England, Church of England, Births, Marriages and Burials, 1531-1812 and Townsend Family Tree, tree search, Eric Townsend, Eric Cording, Ancestry.com (27) Somerset, England, Church of England, Burials, 1813-1914 (28) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (29) as recalled in 2018 by Martin and Joy Booth of The Knapp (30) Timberscombe Tithe Map of 1843, Source: Somerset Record Office, Taunton and Extracts from the "Apportionment of the Rent Charge in lieu of Tithes", researched and drawn by John Burns for Timberscombe School, February 1989 (31) 1841 England Census and Hamm-Collins Family Tree, tree search. John_Hamm, John Tudball, 1805-1867, Ancestry.com (32) the second cottage built by Edward Cording, to the left of The Knapp (later known as Higher Ledge), first appears on lot 444 on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1844-1888 (33) "WELCOME!" (34) "The West Country Preachers, A New History of the Bible Christian Church (1815-1907)" (35) Somerset, England, Church of England, Burials, 1813-1914 (36) "WELCOME!" (37) as seen in the particulars of the 1916 auction of The Knowle Estate, "THE KNOWLE ESTATE, DUNSTER, SOMERSET, PARTICULARS, PLANS and CONDITIONS OF SALE OF KNOWLE ESTATE" , prepared by Messrs W.R.J. Greenslade & Co., Taunton (38) antiquedogphotographs ,co.uk (39) a comparable photograph taken by John Webber and John Blizard of George Anthony Denison, the Archdeacon of Taunton, was taken in the early 1960s (Abebooks.uk.com) and by the 1871 Census, Mr. Webber was no longer at 52 East Street, Taunton studio, where Mr. Blizard continued photographing, with his wife, Sarah Ann, working with him as his co-photographer (antiquedogphotographs.co.uk) (40) the photograph of Mellony Cording can be viewed in the Gallery of Townsend Family Tree, tree search, Eric Townsend, Mellony Townsend, Ancestry.com, originally shared by Michael Johns, 3 April 2014 (41) West Somerset Society Newsletter, April 1996 (42) "WELCOME!" and "All about Timberscombe Methodists", West Somerset Methodist Circuit, 14 November 2019 (43) Somerset, England, Church of England, Burials, 1813-1914 (44) the Remembrance Card can be viewed in the Gallery of Townsend Family Tree, tree search, Eric Townsend, Mellony Townsend, Ancestry.com (45) Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914, 1880 United States Federal Census and US, Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current (46) Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 (47) 1881 England Census, 1861 England Census and Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 (48) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (49) Somerset, England, Church of England, Burials, 1813-1914 (50) Legislation.gov.uk and rootschat.com
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2023
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-294
Technique
Copies
Citation
Webber & Blizard, Taunton /
Anonymous /
Webber & Blizard, Taunton /
Anonymous, “Edward Cording, Builder of the Bible Christian Chapel and the Knapp Cottages, with his wife, Mellony (nee Townsend) Cording,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 7, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3566.
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