Year: 2020

Two stone pillars and beautiful iron gate to Combe Down allotments

Posted onAuthorJacqueline Burrows

In March 1895, in response to demand from villagers, Monkton Combe Parish Council rented several acres of land at the eastern end of Church Road, Combe Down for use as allotments.

In August 1895 the Parish Council paid Mr George Fisher the sum of £2 8s for building two stone pillars and fixing an iron gate at the entrance.

If you walk along the public footpath that runs past the allotments from Church Road towards Mount Pleasant today, you will notice these lovely, traditional stone pillars.

The original gate is still in position, in what is believed to be the earliest remaining dry stone wall in Combe Down on the ancient route from Bath Abbey to Hinton Priory.

two stone pillars and an iron gate 1024x872
Two stone pillars and an iron gate
george fisher bath chronicle and weekly gazette thursday 22 august 1895
George Fisher, Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Thursday 22 August 1895

In 1895, a George Fisher (carpenter and builder) was living just along the road at 1 Oxford Place in Combe Down, while another George Fisher (slate mason) was living nearby at 9 Tyning Place, Combe Down.

Did one of these gentlemen build the beautiful entrance to our allotments?

Jacqueline Burrows

Related Images:

Combe Down family maze grows even larger

Posted onAuthorthecassyput1 Comment

In April I published the Combe Down family maze.

It covered some 8,600 individuals. About 320 of those are gentry that lived on Combe Down and about 2,900 are ‘ordinary’ people that that lived on Combe Down or in Monkton Combe.

The other 5,000 or so are ‘linkers’, i.e. the people who link families across the generations (most of these are in the gentry, where the ‘marriage market’ – pragmatic marriages made for the preservation or transfer of wealth was general) and ‘partners’ as not everyone born on Combe Down stayed and many moved away when they married.

I’ve added another 600 people of which about 400 are ‘ordinary’ people that that lived on Combe Down or in Monkton Combe and the rest their spouses who did not.

The Combe Down family maze is still a work in progress.

Over the coming months I plan to continue to make improvements.

the combe down family maze 1024x729
The Combe Down family maze

Related Images:

The Miner family on Combe Down

Posted onAuthorthecassyput

Michael Miner has recently given me the story of the Miner family on Combe Down. You can see it here.

michael george gladys ivy arthur james miner with peggy the dog taken outside bramley cottages claverton down
Michael George, Gladys Ivy, Arthur James Miner with Peggy the dog taken outside Bramley Cottages, Claverton Down

The Miner family are a long established Combe Down family and have lived at many addresses, including:

  • 1 Green Cottages, Combe Down
  • 1 Miner’s Cottages, Monkton Combe
  • 2 Quarry Rise, Combe Down
  • 2 Upper House, Combe Down
  • 3 and 4 North Cottages, Combe Down
  • 3 Park Avenue, Monkton Combe
  • 4 Isabella Place, Combe Down
  • 5 Tyning Place, Monkton Combe
  • 8 DeMontalt Place, Combe Down
  • Brunswick Place, Combe Down
  • Byfields Place, Combe Down.
  • Edward Cottage, 5 Tyning, Combe Down
  • Edward Cottage, Belle Vue, Monkton Combe
  • Farrs Lane, Combe Down
  • Pearl Cottage, Monkton Combe
  • Tinsmith Shed, Avenue Road, Monkton Combe
  • Upper House, Laura Place, North Road, Combe Down
  • West Upper House, Monkton Combe

Michael’s research includes information about those members of the family that went to Australia and Canada as well as those that stayed on Combe Down.

He has also included a number of interesting photos.

It’s a good read and I thank Michael for contributing the article.

Related Images:

Combe Down family maze keeps growing

Posted onAuthorthecassyput

I hadn’t realised but it’s a year since I last wrote anything about the site which was Update to ‘Our Block’. Before that it was October 2018 with More Combe Down cousins. That is actually what has stopped me from publishing anything, as I have been working on a Combe Down family tree or, more accurately, a Combe Down family maze.

If you recall that far back you may remember that there were a number of posts about how the families in the ‘big houses’ were related. I’ve taken that further. I’ve also added and linked a many ‘ordinary’ families who live on Combe Down and in Monkton Combe as I can.

The grand result of that is that the tree or maze now covers some 8,600 individuals. About 320 of those are gentry that lived on Combe Down. About 2,900 are ‘ordinary’ people that that lived on Combe Down or in Monkton Combe. The other 5,000 or so are ‘linkers’, i.e. the people who link families across the generations (most of these are in the gentry, where the ‘marriage market’ – pragmatic marriages made for the preservation or transfer of wealth was general) or the ‘partners’ as not everyone born on Combe Down stayed and many moved away when they married.

The Combe Down family maze is still a work in progress but is published here.

Over the coming months I plan to make improvements.

the combe down family maze
Summary of the Combe Down family maze

Related Images: