Over 250 Years On Combe Down
Michael Miner has recently given me the story of the Miner family on Combe Down. You can see it here. 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, Read More …
Following last month’s movers and shakers post I have discovered more Combe Down cousins for that link them to other families who lived in the ‘big houses’. Those are the Allen, Atherton, Bennett, Bryan, Cruttwell, Daubeney, Disney, Falkner, Fortt, Gabriel, Gore, Hope, Howard, Maude, Morley, Richardson, Vivian and Wingrove families who are mentioned on this site in numerous places This post is probably best read with last month’s post open in another tab for easy Read More …
I suddenly realised that it’s 3 years since Prior to Now launched as a website, building on the book. It happens that in May 2015 I wrote 3 blog articles: Bathampton Manor on May 3rd, Prior Park sale on May 5th and Particulars of Prior Park sale in 1808 on May 8th. A year later in Read More …
Things that are new on the site recently are a small section on Combe Road – something of a shaggy dog story given that it, unfortunately, has so little of consequence in it. But one can’t just make things up for a site like this. There’s also a brief article on Mulberry Park the the 48 acre Read More …
Things added recently include: An ‘upgrade’ to the history of Prior Park. This explains how it was, originally, the deer park for the Priors of Bath Abbey monastery. It was broken up after Henry VIII‘s Dissolution of the Monasteries and brought back together over a 30 year period by Ralph Allen. A section on the Tucking Read More …
I have long wanted to introduce some personal memories of Combe Down into the site. The article written by Jackie Carr, wife of Dr David Carr about the history of Combe Down surgery was a step in this direction. Serendipity has struck with the memories of Frank Sumsion who was born on Combe Down in 1926, meaning Read More …
A while ago I added a page about the pubs, inns, arms and crowns of Combe Down and Monkton Combe. In our small area there used to be at least fourteen but now there are five. When I first came to write this blog I thought it might be more about them, but I became Read More …
I’ve just reordered the site somewhat into Now and Then. The, slightly punning, title of the book was Prior to Now and that became the website title too. A thought that I always had, was that the site could include the history of Combe Down (Prior) and what’s going on now (Now). I have now put Read More …
I’ve found an historical maps treasure trove. There’s a lovely page at: A Vision of Britain through Time History of Combe Down in Bath and North East Somerset. which tells us that in 1870 – 72, John Marius Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Combe Down like this: “COMBE-DOWN, a chapelry in Combe-Monckton Read More …
I have just added a page for Listed Buildings on Combe Down and in Midford and Monkton Combe divided into 15 areas which are in a rough circle as follows: Prior Park North Road The Avenue Church Road Belmont Road Summer Lane Combe Road Bradford Road Entry Hill Midford Castle Tucking Mill Monkton Combe Brassknocker Hill Read More …