George Jackson

and

Mary Anne

Cloggs,
Templeton,
Devon

By 1851 George Jackson, now 54, and Mary Anne, 45, had moved to ‘Cloggs Living’, in the heart of Templeton Village, a cottage facing the parish church across the green. Albert with his hazel eyes and mousy brown hair was now 15, probably rather stocky, perhaps already as tall as he would ever be, 5 foot 8 inches and no doubt helping his father most of the time.

The cottage, long, low, whitewashed and thatched is still there, rather splendidly ‘restored’ by an architect, and re-named ‘The Wolery'. As George and Mary Anne were still at ‘Cloggs Court,’ according to the 1861 Census, it is reasonable to assume that they remained there until after November 1864 when George made his last entries in the accounts book. The farm at Lower South Combe is recorded by George as being rented by George Beesley.

Village School

Mary Cottrell, described as a schoolmistress in the County Directory of 1850 and again in the 1851 Census, paid £2 a year rent for her cottage in Mill Village from 1854 to the end of the accounts book in 1864. Mill Village was variously known as Temple or Templeton Bridge, about a mile from Templeton itself. The Census tells us that Mary Cottrell was a widow aged 57, born in Templeton. Her daughter Martha, 18, was her assistant.

R.Bovett, in his “Historical Notes on Devon Schools” of 1989 quotes the Abstract of Education Returns of 1833 which states that a daily school of ten pupils commenced in 1827, supported by the Rector and the Curate. He assumes that Mrs Cottrell “taught the few children in the cottage where she lived.” Both Emma and Albert Jackson must have attended this little school which was no great distance down the hill from either Lower South Combe Farm or Cloggs, in the 1830’s and 1840’s, although there is no specific record of it at this time. When Albert received his discharge papers from the army in 1875 it was recorded that he was in possession of a 3^rd Class School Certificate.

Bovett goes on to say that Mary Cottrell was residing “at Temple Town, obviously Templeton Village” according to the Census of 1861, though this must be a mistake as she was still paying rent for the cottage at Templeton Mill. According to Bovett “sometime between the census returns of 1861 and 1871 a house in the village belonging to the Chichester family was made available for use as the school.” He attributes this to the personal intervention of Lady Chichester-Nagle of Calverleigh Court, as the 1873 Directory explicitly refers to the ‘Parochial School supported by Lady Chichester-Nagle and the children's pence.’ R.Bovett states that the house is listed as ‘Court House’ in the Tithe Apportionment of 1842, and that in the census returns of 1851 and 1861 it is listed as Cloggs Living or Cloggs Court and occupied by a land steward. He continues, ‘It is an attractive white and thatched house, said to be the oldest in the village, and stands immediately to the east of the later purpose-built school.’ As it is reputed to be the oldest house in the village ‘Court’ could perhaps imply an earlier use.

At some time between 1865 and 1871 the school removed to Cloggs itself. By 1871 George and Mary Anne were resident in Sussex and Mrs Sargent, a widow from Salcombe, was in residence as the Schoolmistress. Lady Chichester-Nagle had a new school built of stone, adjoining "Cloggs", just one schoolroom 24' by 12' which appeared to have been partitioned at one time. The Schoolmistress continued to live in the house as long as the school lasted. The schoolroom was reputed to be still there in 1981, though fallen into ruin. The only building fitting the description in 1994 was a tumble-down building, not ‘adjoining’ Cloggs but across the road from the church, and facing Cloggs across the village green.

It is reasonable to assume in these circumstances that Emma and Albert both attended the school run by Mary Cottrell and her daughter between the years 1830 and 1847, at least until they were twelve or older. It is even possible that Emma herself who was described as ‘schoolmistress’ on the 1861 Census, had her first experience of teaching in this school.

1851-1854

On March 30th 1851 as recorded on the Census Emma was a lady’s maid, staying at Burton Constable in Yorkshire. Albert, 15, in Templeton, is listed only as ‘the steward’s son.’ George, the steward, lived rent free at Cloggs which was worth £25 a year and received £48 in wages as steward. In addition he received about £9 for his book bills. Altogether this was equivalent to a wage of about £82 a year. This was not however the sum total of his earnings. He was listed in White’s Directory for Templeton in 1850 as a farmer. He grew his own vegetables and kept chickens, maybe also a cow, a pig or a horse, and could well have sold his own produce as well. People were accustomed to walking very long distances but even so he would find it a slow business overseeing the property on foot! Being familiar with horses could be why Albert chose to join the Royal Artillery later on.

Mary Anne looked after the chickens as her bill of £2. 4s 3d. for ‘fowl and carriage’ appears in the accounts for November 1864.

See also the section on Templeton Devon, including George's account book (in full) and details of the people he knew.

George's story continues with :

Emma Jackson andBurton Park, Sussex

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