The Infant School, New Road, South Molton
The infant school was built by one of South Molton’s most talented builders, John Cock junior, whose firm can be thanked for many of the fine stone buildings that are dotted around the town. The school was completed in 1861 on a site generously given by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, a local landowner.
In 1834 the Town Council had erected the National School, in North Street next to the then Congregational Church, (now Langmead House) and from 1834 until 1849 infants had attended school there. But in 1849 it was decided not to admit children under the age of six years.
Some "kind ladies" rented a cottage in the Church Yard, fitted it with a gallery and provided a schoolroom for fifty children. The school opened in June 1850 with about sixteen infants and was funded by gifts and subscriptions. A few years later a generous benefactor provided the school with a larger room at the eastern side of the Church Yard, which would accommodate about 100 scholars.
By 1858 the buildings were no longer large enough and so a big effort was made by the townspeople to build a new Infant School together with a playground and a house for the Mistress.
The new school was officially opened on the 12th March 1861 when a public service was conducted there by the vicar, the Rev. T. H. Maitland. The building was crowded for the occasion, and among those present were the clergy and gentry of the town and many neighbouring parishes. An afternoon tea was provided for the children and their parents in the schoolroom which was "prettily decorated with evergreens, flowers and numerous devices".
The school provided an education for infants for 140 years and closed at the end of July 2001. In September of the same year South Molton infants moved into a new school more suitable for the education of children of the 21st Century.
Contributed by Shirley Bray
J M W Turner - The South Molton Connection
Joseph Mallord William Turner, one of England’s most famous landscape artists, was born on the 23rd April 1775 at 21, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London. He was the son of William Turner and Mary Turner (nèe Marshall).
Turner’s grandfather, John, worked at South Molton as a saddler and his father, William, was a barber and wig-maker in the town. It is said that the family lived for at time in a cottage in North Street (then known as Steppa Lane) near to where Forest View now stands. William Turner had four brothers and two sisters.
It is believed that William and Mary Turner moved from South Molton to London shortly before their son, Joseph was born in 1775. Joseph Turner’s early life was spent at 21 Maiden Lane where the basement of the building was used as a tavern. By the time he was twelve, he had decided that he was going to be an artist. His father encouraged him and proudly hung his son’s drawings around the entrance to his barber’s shop "ticketed at prices varying from one shilling to three".
Turner never married and in his Will he made provision for land for the building of almshouses for "decayed English artists (Landscape Painters only) and single men". In a codicil made in 1848, he left all his pictures to the nation, providing that an Art Gallery, to be known as "Turner’s Gallery", was built and maintained at the nation’s expense. If it was not built within ten years from the date of Turner’s death then his heirs-at-law could claim the entire collection. When Turner died in December 1851, his next-of-kin contested Probate on the grounds that he had been of unsound mind. On 19th March 1856 after long drawn out court hearings, the "charity" money was split between his five cousins or their descendants with the result that Turner’s plans for his almshouses came to nothing.
According to a report in the Exeter Flying Post dated March 20th 1856 the agreement reached was that Turner’s pictures were to be handed over to the National Gallery together with a sum of £200,000 to the Royal Academy for the encouragement of landscape painting. A large fortune, consisting of about £100,000 in funds and other property was to go to Mr. Turner’s nearest relations; Mr. T. P. Turner and Mrs. Matthews of Exeter, Mrs. Tepper and Mrs. John Widgery of South Molton, and Mr. William Turner of Barnstaple. Mrs. John Widgery (Mary Ann Turner Tucker Widgery) was a first cousin to the artist and the daughter of his father’s sister Mary.
Between 1861 and 1878 another lawsuit took place relating to the sale of certain Turner engravings. During this hearing Mary Ann Turner Tucker Widgery died without issue (1871) and her two nephews John Tucker Widgery and Samuel Widgery of South Molton continued the lawsuit. The case was won with the result that the brothers were awarded one fifth of the total proceedings of the sale and they each received a share of £6,300 out which they had to pay £1,850 legal costs. It was probably with this money that the two brothers bought the two Victorian villas at the top of Paradise Lawn, South Molton (see picture below). Strange to say although the terms of Turner’s will with regard to an Art Gallery were never met, the relatives did not claim his works as they were entitled to do!
The South Molton Museum has a gallery named after Turner but unfortunately has none of his works!
Contributed by Shirley Bray
Shirley Bray has contributed an interesting note on Turner's connection
with South Molton. I have discussed that in "The Turners of Devon" and
other publications. I doubt, however, if his mother, a Londoner, ever
visited Devon.
I have also discussed the history of the Turner Bequest in "An Historical
Account of The Will of J.M.W.Turner, R.A." and "The Fallacy of Mediocrity".
The scandalous failure to carry out Turner's conditions for his bequest
has been repeatedly condemned. John Henry Turner (of Plymouth and
Bideford) took the matter up in 1906 (See Devon and national papers). The
Guardian published a letter from Antony Turner Widgery a few years ago.
It seems a pity that South Molton Museum has nothing by Turner. An
interesting touched proof by him was sold some months ago by Lord Coleridge
at the sale of The Chanter's House, Ottery St Mary.
Kindly contributed by:Dr Selby Whittingham
Turner House
153 Cromwell Road
London SW5 0TQ
www.jmwturner.org
Thank you Peter Caddy for this interesting contribution!
I have a letter written by my great great grandfather John Turner Caddy who
was 10 years old at the time. It was written in 1832 from a Southmolton
private school of 57 boys to his mother. Below is the contents.
Peter Caddy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southmolton, November 29th 1832.
My dear Mamma
It is my pleasing task to inform you how very soon our Vacation commences,
on the 12th of the next month; when I trust we shall again meet. Mr Mallet,
whom I saw a few days ago, told me that you were all quite well. I have been
examined in all that I have learned this half year, namely, Geography,
English and Latin Grammar, arithmetic, History, &c, and have been passed as
correct. I am getting on rapidly I think with my Latin, and construe
difficult books.
There are fifty seven boys in the school, And I am only seven from the head
in Writing. I have a lrge Copy-book to show you when I come home, and I
flatter myself you will think it very neatly finished.
I should like to go home by the same conveyance as I came, as there are some
of my school fellows, who can accompany me. Please to give my kind love to
Papa, Aunt Sisters, and Brother, and accept the same yourself.
I remain,
Your affectionate Son,
John T Caddy.
Mr and Mrs Rossiter desire very kind regards.----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is an image of Rossiter House from our files with the school the lower building of the right of the red brick faced main house. The date of the image is 2001.
Cruwys News
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International Space Station
Hello
Last night 9.02.08 I was hoping to see the shuttle and the International space station going over South Molton fairly close together in the very clear night sky...too late the'd already docked so went over together...still dusk so difficult to see the stars(more difficult here since the addition of the kilowatts of Police Station lights to join those of the Skateboard Park)...so they were very easy to see going straight over S.Molton at 18.16. Tonight looks clear as well so if anyone chances on this message before the event,tonights pass peaks at 18.37,again immediately overhead, if you miss this one it's been on a trip round the world and is back at 20.10 but this time fairly low in the west (about 14 degrees elevation)
11th Feb 18.57 at 61 deg. to theSSW
12th 17.43 overhead
13th 1803 at 65 deg. el.to SSW
14th 18.24 at 35 deg. el. to SSW
Dont know when the separation will be but future timings and news can be had from www.heavens-above.com and if you enter my co-ordinates 50.0186 deg. N 3.8306deg W it'll be near enough and you may get lucky and see the both of them go over close together
All passes start at about 10 degrees elevation in the West about 2 mins before the peak and end about 2 mins later usually in an easterly direction.
Good Luck
Pete Dixon
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