How times have changed
I spend quite alot of time looking through census information when I am investigating the houses and people of Tipton past and when looking at the occupations of villagers you can see just how things have changed over the last 150 years. Tipton was mainly based around farming in the 1800s, with its fertile soils and supply of water from the Otter and it's tributaries. So there's no surprise that most of the households were farm related and then later the Railway brought new employment and opportunities. The main farmhouses of Hayne, Coombe, Woods, Metcombe, Fluxton etc where the biggest landowners, the farmers lived, would need a good supply of domestic servants and farm labourers. These workers would usually live in the cottages around the farms, sometimes the cottage would come with the job. The farms would provide meat, wool, eggs,vegetables, milk and other dairy products for the local area. Mallocks House kept a well established orchard for many years supplying fruit.
The village had Blacksmiths to keep the horses of the village shod and to work on making or mending metalwork. The Old Smithy area is often referred to as 'Potters corner' as this was the surname of one of the families of Blacksmiths that lived and worked there. The waggoners and wheelwrights were also important for keeping the carts and wheels rolling!
The Mill has been important in the village for many years (and still is although the system is obviously different these days). When the original riverside mill was rolling it would have been only grinding corn and flour where as now the mill provides us with all sorts of animal feeds. Miller and Lilley came with the growth of the railway selling building supplies, coal and animal feeds. The Golden Lion Inn was not just a place for refreshment, but travellers could stay overnight and stable their horses, so there would be people to serve the ale and tend to the horses. There were several shops too, Dolphin Cottage (that was) was Tipton general stores and a dressmaker, lacemaker, shoemaker/mender were all living along the Railway terrace. We had not only the Post Office, but also our own postman who delivered mail and information around the village. There were also many Market gardeners in the valley providing us with salads, vegetables, and flowers. Goods would be sold from their house or sent off by horse and cart or train to local towns, even up to London. Mr Eli Baker grew flowers and soft fruits at Coombe and his name crops up often in newspaper reports for his displays of prize cut flowers in shows and at weddings. Mr Berry grew anemone and lily of the valley amongst other flowers that would be packed and sent to Covent Garden market. Liz Rodgers remembers packing up daffodils at her father, Mr Bartletts nursery and her mother would make up polyanthus posies. I remember visiting Mr Bartlett at Lancercombe to buy all sorts of salads and vegetables with my mum. The wonderful smell of vine tomatoes takes me right back to his greenhouses and his barn full of tools, wooden boxes and my favourite, the ships bell that hung on the wall which I was allowed to ring if I was good ( I was very happy to find out recently that Liz still has the bell ).
The presence of the village school meant that several school teachers have lived in the village over the years, with many people remembering Miss Richardson. The church had its own vicar living in the vicarage who employed house servants and the church sexton. We had a sawmills, timber men, thatchers, stonemasons and carpenters. Sam Pottinger was a chimney sweep and provided logs. Later came Tipton Garage (still going strong), Rutherfords builders, and the Angela Hospital all needing skilled workers.
It was almost as if Tipton could have been self sufficent
Do you think that the same could be said today? Well certainly some of these jobs and business have continued and some flourished. New opportunties have brought different occupations into the village and of course more people work outside of the village now. Sadly though many of the rural skills once common place have become redundant.
Maybe you could say that the people of Tipton St Johns occupations have had to diversify over the years and change with the times!
" Times change and we change with them"
Credits to Len Baker, Ann Knight, Liz Rodgers, Marilyn Berry, Ancestry and The British Newspaper Archives
