Ivybridge Heritage & Archives Group

The Ivybridge Heritage & Archives Group aims to celebrate the rich history of Ivybridge and is dedicated to promoting a lively interest in the Town’s background and development by researching, collecting and preserving archives and photographic records of this unique Mill Town.

October 1882

The month when the Great Comet

could be seen in the night sky.

We all know Halley’s Comet, but the ‘Great Comet of 1882’ was perhaps the brightest comet ever seen. It was first spotted by a group of Italian sailors in the southern hemisphere on 1 September and it brightened dramatically as it approached the Sun. By the 14th it became visible in broad daylight and during the following days became visible in the morning sky as an immense object with a intense white tail. Today, some comet historians consider it as a ‘Super Comet’ so it must have been quite a sight all those years ago!

October 1882

The month when the Great Comet

could be seen in the night sky.

What sports were popular in 1882?

In the same newspaper reporting on the comet was an interesting article regarding sports activities during that era with the likes of golf only then becoming a popular recreational sport.

“By October most outdoor games and recreations are at an end. The cricket season is now over and the grounds which drew crowds of eager spectators are now deserted. The wickets, bats, and balls are all stowed away ready for another year. Lawn tennis is only enjoyable in dry sunny weather, and in October when the withered leaves lie rotting in the grass, the ground is seldom in safe condition for feet encased in thin-soled shoes. Quoit players are hardier than lawn-tennis players, and they stick to their favourite recreation on Saturday afternoons until the weather becomes positively disagreeable. The frequenters of bowling greens are not so fond of their pastime during the latter part of the year. Golf, which is better known in the north than the south seems rather too leisurely a game to be played on the threshold of winter, especially on the ‘links’ of St. Andrews, which lie exposed to the full sweep of the east wind blowing.

By October the excursion season may be considered to have terminated. Railway and steamboat companies cease to advertise cheap trips by land and water. The ordinary traffic on all the lines through the country is not now interfered with by monster trains crowded with passengers who are out for a day’s enjoyment.”

GOLF

The sport of golf as we know it today originated in Scotland. Its popularity during the nineteenth century was boosted by the arrival of the railways and in the second half of the century the number of golf clubs grew from fewer than 50 to more than 1,000.

Locally, Torquay and St. Marychurch Golf Club was founded in 1882. This 9-hole course boasted fine views being situated at Walls Hill on Babbacombe Downs overlooking the sea.

By 1895 the inhabitants of Ivybridge had a local golf course located on the edge of Dartmoor on Ugborough Moor.

“The introduction into South Devon of a game quite unknown in these ‘quiet parts’ has been accomplished, and the result of the importation has yet to be seen.

A club called the South Devon Golf Club has been formed and the Links is located on Ugborough Moor. The membership is already satisfactory and the chances of the club being a success are brilliant”.

On 17th April 1895, a letter was received from Miss Carew which gave permission for the use of ground on Ugborough Moor for a golf club provided no permanent building was erected and no broken bottles and such like rubbish were left about.

On 26 April 1895, following a meeting at the Kingsbridge Road Hotel the ‘South Devon Golf Club’ was formed and for many years a small rent of £1 was paid. The club received initial interest from 17 gentlemen around the district. The annual subscription was £1 for single members and £1 10 shillings for families.

The course was located on Ugborough Manor ground on the southern slopes of Dartmoor between Ivybridge and South Brent. The land had been gifted to the club by the Misses Elizabeth and Beatrice Carew of Marley. They had inherited a large estate including this land from their father, Sir Walter Palk Carew, eighth Baronet of Haccombe who had died at Marley House in 1874. His only son Walter, a captain in the Royal Horse Guards had died a year earlier. When Beatrice died in 1919 and Elizabeth died in 1921 the estate passed to Sir Henry Palk Carew, the ninth Baronet. With the family heavily hit by death duties, the Marley estate had to be broken up and sold off. This included parts of South Brent, Rattery and Ugborough.

SOUTH DEVON GOLF COURSE

The links, which have been laid out under the supervision of the well known professions from Westward Ho are beautifully situated on a southern slope of Dartmoor, about a quarter of a mile from Wrangaton Station, and half an hour by train from Plymouth, and command a magnificent view. Everything possible is being done by the energetic secretary, Captain Conran, to promote the comfort of members, who already number about 50, whose numbers, as the South Devon Golf Club become better known, will no doubt be greatly augmented.

Totnes Weekly Times 24 August 1895

The club had to thank four men for its formation.

Mr. Frederic James Cornish-Bowden of Black Hall, Avonwick

Major Gerald Marcell Conran of Bradridge House, Diptford

Major Richard Hall Green of Glazebrook, South Brent, and

Mr. Bertram Frederick Trelawny Hare of Curtisknowle, Diptford

Frederick James Cornish-Bowden lived at Black Hall, the former seat of the Fowells of Fowellscombe Hall which had become a ruin. This gentleman had changed his name by deed poll (from Frederick James Bowden) following his marriage to Esther Priscilla Cornish. She was the daughter of James Cornish whose family had purchased Black Hall in 1815. Frederick extended the property in 1881.

As a major landowner the couple arranged the building of St James’ Church in Avonwick at their sole expense to fulfil the vision of the late James Cornish.

Mr Cornish-Bowden was an all-round sportsman. The family founded the Avon Vale Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club which held its first tennis tournament in 1879. This is a mere two years after the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club began lawn tennis tournaments at Wimbledon. It is believed that Avon Vale is the third oldest tennis club in the world still playing on its original courts.

In 1885 the Avon Fishing Association was formed with Mr Cornish-Bowden its first President and when a new bowling green was opened in 1912 behind the Avon Inn, he had the honour of throwing the first wood.

The pub sign at the Avon Inn depicts the coat of arms of the Cornish-Bowden family in recognition of the enormous contribution the family had made to Avonwick.

Major Gerald Marcell Conran gained the rank of Major in the 3rd Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of Devon and also held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for Devon.

Major Richard Hall Green married the widowed Caroline Hodge (née Coker) of Glazebrook in 1894. Her previous husband, Gage John Hodge, had bought Glazebrook during the 1870s.

Mr. Bertram Frederick Trelawny Hare along with Mr Cornish and Major Conran was a major landowner around the Diptford area.

The formal opening ceremony of the newly-formed club took place on Tuesday afternoon on the lovely golf link under Ugborough Beacon, The weather was delightfully fine, and a large number of members had their friends assembled to meet the Misses Carew, the patronesses of the club, who, having hit off the first two balls from the first ground declared the club duly open.

After tea in front of the pretty and commodious pavilion, Colonel Carwithen, captain of the club, addressing the Misses Carew on behalf of the members sincerely thanked them for their great kindness in allowing their ground to be used for the golf links, and also for so kindly coming personally to perform the opening ceremony…

Totnes Weekly Times 24 August 1895

Remote from town of any size, the South Devon Golf Club has its nine hole course on the southern escarpment of Dartmoor, at a distance of more than two miles from the village of South Brent, but within easy reach of the Wrangaton railway station and a commodious hotel. The situation is high and extremely pleasant in fine weather in summer and autumn, and the air is most exhilarating. The furze of the moorland supplies at present the desirable natural hazards.

The Queen, The Lady’s Newspaper – Sport & Games section 14 November 1908

The thick covering of gorse and very narrow fairways inevitably resulted in a large number of lost golf balls. At that time the very best quality golf balls cost around 1 shilling (5p) although what was called ‘remades’ also existed. The first hole at Wrangaton was notorious for lost balls due to the ‘sea of gorse on either side of the fairway’.

A keen golfer from Ivybridge was James Carter Allen, the grandson of John Allen who purchased Stowford Paper Mill in 1849. James lived at Ermeleigh on Erme Road, so he only had a short distance to travel to reach the golf course. His personal diary records weekly payments to the club professional Bertie Daish, for golf lessons.

Mr Daish joined the golf club in 1914 and was the professional until 1946 (apart from the time it closed from late 1916 to early 1920). He lived locally at 2 Rose Villas in Bittaford with his wife Marie. She also worked at the golf club and looked after the clubhouse and collected green fees. In February 1920 Bertie Daish was offered the role as club professional attracting a weekly wage of £2.

On his retirement he was presented with a statuette of a golfer in appreciation of his service.

It was reported in July 1898 that two boys from South Brent were absent from school once or twice a week and it was understood that they were employed as caddies by members of the South Devon Golf Club.

The South Brent School Board wrote to the club secretary advising him that members rendered themselves liable to prosecution for employing boys during school hours.

During the Great War the golf course was closed but by 1919 thoughts once again returned to this recreational sport.

“At a general meeting of members to discuss the possibility of reopening South Devon Golf Club, which was shut down for play during the Great War, it was unanimously decided to endeavour to again get the course in order and to reopen if sufficient members can be found to meet the increased cost of labour etc. Mr. B. F. T. Hare, St. Michael’s, South Brent, was appointed hon. secretary, and instructed to circularise the neighbourhood. The efforts of the old members to get the club on its feet again are to be commended, and with the growing interest being taken in golf there is little doubt that many hitherto prevented playing by lack of facilities will be attracted to the South Devon Club”.

Western Morning News 26 August 1919

In 1923 James Carter Allen presented a trophy in his name, the Allen Cup. It was to be held each year by the gentleman returning the best score in the Bogey Handicap Competition. The winner of the inaugural event was William Brundett Maddock from ‘Kerries’, South Brent. He went on to be Hon. Sec of the club in 1926.

Following the formation of a ladies section in 1925 Mr. Allen gave the club a similar trophy for the ladies to contest each year under bogey rules. The winner of the Allen Cup for the ladies was Mrs. M. Hingston.

To this day, members at the golf club at Wrangaton contest these two trophies. The men’s an 18 hole Bogey Competition (see below for concept) and the women’s a par/bogey competition.

The term “bogey” was originally used by golfers similar to the way that the term “par” is used today.

The concept of bogey golf is to play match play against the course using stroke play rules.

On each hole, a player tries to beat the score of bogey to win the hole and go up +1 in the match. If a player makes a bogey, they halve the hole and the score does not change. But if a player makes double bogey or worse, they lose the hole and go down -1 in the match.

In bogey competitions, the aim is to therefore better the score of bogey on as many holes as possible. That means unlike in match play, competitions are played right up until the final hole, keeping games fun and exciting for all players.

At the end of the round, the number of holes won is subtracted by the number of holes lost to give a final score and determine the winner.

Other trophies contested were the Beacon Challenge Cup which was presented by the Committee in 1904 and originally played for twice a year but from 1925 just once in the Spring. There was also a Beacon Cup for the ladies.

The rather odd named Mahmoud Cup was first presented in 1936 for lady and gentleman members in a knock-out competition. One only has to refer to the winner of the Epsom Derby in that year to appreciate the possible source of the name!

Mahmoud was a light-coloured grey horse owned by the Aga Khan. Mahmoud set the fastest time ever for the Derby, a record which was to last until 1995.

On 29th April 1922 the golf club changed its name to ‘The South Devon and Wrangaton Golf Club’.

In 1924 the ladies section became a separate entity and was called the Wrangaton Ladies Golf Club, having their own Hon. Sec., Captain and Committee.

The club has always been proud of its 1895 heritage and is now part of ‘The 1895 Club’. The concept of this club was instigated by three Edinburgh based clubs whose centenary year coincided with each other. Enquiries were sent out to other 1895 centenary clubs throughout the country inviting their participation. Today those who are part of this exclusive club offer courtesy rounds of golf to members from other participating clubs.

These daisies are a popular late-summer and autumn plant for garden borders as they flower from August through to October.

The act of giving a Michaelmas Daisy symbolises saying farewell, perhaps in the same way as Michaelmas Day is seen to say farewell to the productive year and welcoming in the new cycle.

We now have a selection of booklets on various themes. These are available for purchase at The Watermark in Ivybridge. Each booklet is priced at £3.

Ivybridge Explored – this 28 page booklet provides an historical review of the churches, public houses and infrastructure of Ivybridge including the Ivy Bridge from whence the town derived its name.

Ivybridge Researched – this 28 page booklet provides a review of some of the notable events, people and businesses which have shaped the history of this town.

Stowford Paper Mill 1869 – this 20 page booklet is composed of a series of three newspaper articles published in 1869 which provide an insight into the workings of the paper mill at this time, describing the equipment and the methods used in manufacturing paper.

Stowford Paper Mill Ivybridge 1787-2013 – this 28 page booklet provides a chronological history of paper making at this historic site in Ivybridge from the once privately owned mill to the later one which was part of a multi-national company.

Ivybridge and the American during World War II – this 28 page booklet provides a wealth of interesting facts regarding the American servicemen who were billeted in Ivybridge from 1943 in the build up to D-Day.

The River Erme and its Industries – this 22 page booklet describes the path of the river through the South Hams to the sea along with lots of interesting facts regarding the area along the way.

The History of Ivybridge

The remains of stone-age hut circles can be found on Harford Moor, above Ivybridge, but the ivy-covered bridge, after which the town was later named, was first recorded in 1250; it is possible that it existed as a river crossing prior to the Doomsday Book of 1086. An early ‘King’s Highway’ from Exeter to Trematon Castle near Saltash, the 12^th Century crossing may have been constructed by the monks of Plympton Priory (founded in 1121) to give them access to their lands at Wrangaton, Dean Prior and Buckfastleigh.

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All rights, including copyright, in the content of these pages are owned or controlled for these purposes by Ivybridge Heritage & Archives Group.