Ovapedia search :

The actual records of any Societies that were formed have not been kept so we have to rely on the accounts printed in the Devon newspapers at the time (1,2,3).  The first recorded Society was the Budleigh and Budleigh Salterton Cottage Garden Society, although its exact name is not totally clear because different newspaper accounts refer to it in subsequent years under the heading of either the East Budleigh and Budleigh Salterton Cottage Garden Society, or the Budleigh Salterton Cottage Garden Society, or Budleigh Salterton and East Budleigh Cottage Garden Society – and any combination of those names!  I will refer to it as the Budleigh Salterton Cottage Garden Society (BSCGS) because, apart from a few held in Bicton Park, the majority of the shows were held in Budleigh Salterton.  

The Society was the brainchild of Miss Willyams who lived in East Terrace (4), and the first show was held on Thursday 25th June 1857 (1).  There was a sale of ladies’ work at the same time in aid of funds for the fledgling Society and a band was employed to enliven the proceedings.  It is likely that the show was held on the Mount View Field owned by Mr John Walters, as this was the venue in the following and most subsequent years.  Mount View Field was described as being on East Budleigh Road in one newspaper account and I suspect it was the field in which the house called The Mount was later built at the top of Fore Street Hill just north of Elvestone.  

By 1858 the Society was obviously getting into its stride because it was recorded that there was a decided improvement in the quality of the exhibits, particularly the vegetables.  Tents were erected and the show was organised by Mr H. Martin, the Honorary Treasurer.  As in the previous year, a bazaar was held supervised by Miss Willyams, assisted by several of the local ladies, to bolster the Society’s funds. Most of the newspaper accounts print long lists of the prize winners.  The band on this occasion was that of the South Devon Militia.  The show was held on Midsummer Day and the company that owned the Royal Princes steamer advertised that tickets could be purchased from Starcross and Exmouth to call in at Budleigh Salterton to see the show before sailing on up the coast to Lyme Regis and then returning home in the early evening.  

In 1859 a show took place in Mount View Field on September 22nd and this was described in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette as being the sixth exhibition; this suggests that, at least in the early years, there were shows in June and in September (as the June 1858 show had been called the third exhibition by the Western Times).  In November following the sixth show the members of the BSCGS presented Miss Willyams with “an elegant silver flower stand” for her work promoting the interests, and greatly contributing to the success, of the Society.  

The exhibition held at the start of August 1860 was extremely well attended with hundreds visiting the Mount View Field.  The local people treated the day as a holiday, with many of the shops closed, business suspended, and the populace all dressed in holiday costume for the occasion.  A band of itinerant musicians from Exeter had been engaged for the afternoon but they failed to appear and the Budleigh Salterton Band stood in at the last moment and, according to one account (5) “played well, but would play much better with a little instruction and more practice.”  

The committee, as seemed to be the case in the early days, consisted solely of men, and on this occasion comprised Dr Shirreff as Secretary, Mr G. K. Holmes (described as “the able and zealous county magistrate”) as Treasurer, and Mr Harris, Mr D. Walker, Rev. S.P. Coleridge (Otterton), Revd Adams (Budleigh Salterton), and Revd Bullock (Colaton Raleigh); the three clergymen acted as representatives for their parishes.   

As usual a bazaar was also held in one of the marquees. Admission prices were one shilling for non-subscribers dropping to threepence after four o’clock.  The ticket price stayed the same throughout the existence of the Society.  A later newspaper account shows that the annual subscription for membership of the Society was five shillings which meant that only the reasonably affluent members of the community could vote at annual general meetings. 

In August 1861 they had two bands playing at the show which was well attended in good weather.  Matthew Davey, who gained the largest number of first prizes in the Cottagers’ Section was awarded a pig.  It would appear that from an early time the competition was divided into Open and Cottager Sections.  As many of the exhibitors had full or part time gardeners it was presumably thought fairer that a separate Section was allocated to the cottagers to encourage their participation.  Later this Open Section was divided into two categories. 

The September show in 1862 was held on The Lawn Field, and the August 1863 show was again in Mount View Field (although the Exeter & Plymouth Gazette referred to it as Sea View Field).  The weather for the latter show was very inclement and the attendance very poor, so much so that the prize giving was deferred two hours to five o’clock, however attendance didn’t improve. 

The August 1866 show took place in the Public Rooms.  Prizes were awarded in three classes, Cottagers, and General (consisting of the two categories mentioned earlier), however it would appear that only half of the prizes were awarded and all of these were in the Cottagers section.  This probably reflects the fact that the “gentry” were now showing a reluctance to get involved (see the account for the 1869 show below).  In 1866 the committee consisted of Dr Murphy, Major Temple, H. Harris, H. Carter, and Ringler Thomson (Hon. Treasurer).  There were conflicting accounts as to who was the Honorary Secretary (Harris or Carter). 

In 1867 the July 31st show was still in Mount View Field and the Sidmouth Brass Band supplied the music.  The field was decorated with fir trees and flags and contained three marquees, one of which was a refreshment tent.  The tent containing the flower and vegetable display was adorned with a suitable motto “In all labour there is profit”.  The summer show in the following year had to be cancelled because of drought conditions. 

There was a very full account in the Western Times of the exhibition held in July 1869 on the Mount View Field which illustrates one of the difficulties the Society was facing.  The show ground had obviously been well prepared and there was a large marquee and the weather was good.  The Exmouth Artillery Band played and there were a large number of visitors. There was dancing on the field after the show.  The newspaper account however records that:

 “The gentry of the neighbourhood do not seem to take near such an interest in the welfare of the society and the attractiveness of its shows as those residing in many other parts of the County. Not a single flower, fruit, or vegetable was sent by any one of the many who have in their power to add greatly to the beauty of these exhibitions – my lady of Bicton was one of those who failed to send anything to the show”. 

By 1870 the show had moved temporarily to the grounds of Park House the home of Mr R.C. Price, and it was held there again in 1871. In January 1872 a special meeting of the members of the BSCGS was held in the Public Rooms to appoint a new secretary and treasurer as Mr Price and Mr G. H. Rendall were resigning, Mr Rendell due to serious ill health and Mr Price because he was leaving the district.  Mr Price was a sad loss because he had worked hard for the Society and let the grounds of his house be used for shows.  J. Smart and J. Gush were elected as treasurer and secretary respectively.  

Probably the most important decision at the meeting however followed a suggestion made by Mr Charles Stuart Harris that the Society should return to its original format.  He argued that when the Society was first established there were ladies on the committee and they actively encouraged knitting and needlework and these were included in the shows.  He maintained that since the ladies had ceased to be on the committee the Society had not prospered so well.  He proposed that the ladies should again be asked to take an active part in the Society.   Mr Harris also said he thought the cottagers had not had fair play recently as there were many men who worked as gardeners in gentlemen’s gardens who were allowed to grow things in those gardens where they had access to good soil and manure and they then brought this produce to the competition.  

After a vote it was agreed that ladies be added to the committee but this appears to have been as a separate group which consisted initially of Mrs G. D. Adams, Miss Willyams (4), Mrs Ross (5), Mrs Palmer, Mrs Cross, Mrs Winbolt (5), Mrs Hoskins, and Mrs Neave (6) with powers to add to this number.  The special business of the ladies branch was to attend to the cottage juveniles, encourage knitting, darning, cutting out and making shirts etc.  The ladies should award prizes for the best of these exhibits (as well as to those cottagers who kept their houses the cleanest!).  

The first fruits of the re-appearance of the ladies as a force was evident at the annual show in August when there was a fine display of needlework but competition in the horticultural sections was still not good as evidenced by two winners (William Morgan and Walter Webber) taking a large number of the prizes between them.  The ladies held a separate bazaar in the Assembly Rooms to raise funds so that prizes could be awarded to agricultural labourers for long and good service.  Unfortunately Mr Harris, who had proposed that the ladies should become involved again on the committee, died shortly before the show. 

Mr Walters continued to allow Mount View Field to be used for the annual show through the remainder of the 1870s and 1880s and into the 1890s, and the ladies did sterling work with their bazaar raising money for teas for the cottagers, and they were also responsible for the “industrial” exhibits at the shows (the needlework etc).  The shows in the 1870s seem to have been very successful.  There was always a band or bands in attendance.  The shows also seem to have evolved into a purely cottage garden show by this time, and the rules of the Society described a cottager as an agricultural labourer, or day labourer, other than a gardener, assisting his daily wages by cultivating a garden or piece of allotment ground, not exceeding half an acre. 

The committees changed personnel occasionally.  In the mid 1870’s the Ladies’ Committee in 1874 consisted of Mrs Adams, Miss Willyams, Mrs Hosken, Mrs Palmer, Mrs Lipscomb, Mrs Pember, Mrs May, Miss Davis, Mrs Crosse, Miss Dart (7), Mrs Hitch and Mrs Ross.  The Gentlemans’ Committee in 1876 was Revd Adams, General Goodwyn (8) as treasurer, Mr T Good (secretary), Capt. May (9), Revd Turner, Revd Northcote, Col. Rundall, and Messrs Mercer, Baker & Gush.  By 1881 Mr N Parsons had become Honorary Secretary, and Messrs Morgan, Smart and Guerin (10) had joined.  Mr Parsons was eventually replaced for a short time in the mid 1880’s by Mr H Tucker who in turn was replaced by Mr Friend in 1888 who continued in post to 1901.  In the 1880’s the Revd W F Green became the President for the remainder of the time that the Society functioned and Dr Brushfield took over as treasurer. 

In the 1880’s, in order possibly to attract younger people to attend, races were added to some shows, although these usually seem to have taken place in the evening.  Also, in an attempt to make the shows more interesting, it had been the practice almost from the inception of the Society for some of the local people to exhibit prime house or green house plants in the floral tent.  Mark Rolle (as had his mother) allowed plants from Bicton to be displayed on several occasions, e.g. at the annual show in 1888 there was a selection of ferns, begonias, crotons and coxcombs (the amaranth family).  The same year Mr Yates, a local florist, had a stand displaying flowers, ferns and cut blooms.  

The judges at the shows were invariably professional gardeners and in 1888 Mr Phillips (gardener at Bicton) and Mr Havill (gardener to Lady Stuart from Withycombe) were employed and their verdicts seem to have been largely endorsed by the visitors many of whom in previous years had grumbled about some of the decisions.  The weather on the day was rather inclement and the show again suffered the same fate in 1889 but that year the women’s lace and needlework and the knitting exhibited by the school children all came in for special praise. 

The shows continued into the 1890’s and for a short time the shows were held in the grounds of Bicton Park before moving to the old cricket ground and then back to Bicton.  The account of the 1891 show refers to the Society as “The Budleigh Salterton and East Budleigh Cottage Garden and Industrial Society”.  This name recognised the importance of the handicraft component of the show.  The account also says that the Society by that time encompassed the parishes of Bicton and Colaton Raleigh, and these were represented on the Committee.  

In 1891 a Chrysanthemum Society was started in the town and several men served on both committees.  This Society will be the subject of a subsequent article. 

By 1893 the BSCG Society exhibition was back on the cricket field and the sports which had become a regular and popular feature were held in the evening, and the same arrangements applied in 1894.  At the annual general meeting in October that year the Treasurer Dr Brushfield declared a favourable balance of £20 15s 1d, unfortunately by 1895 the balance was down to £3 18s 3d.  Bad weather contributed to lower gate receipts but most of the money went on prize money and, in addition, the Society must have owned their own tents which could be hired out to create income, and money from this source had apparently declined.  In 1893 the names of Capt Pepys (11), Dr Robert Walker and Mr Chamier (land agent for the Rolle Estate), appear as committee members; Capt Astley Cooper (12) from East Budleigh had also joined circa 1890.  Edwin Chamier became the Rolle Estate Land Agent in October 1892 (13) after the death of Mr Lipscombe (who he replaced as a member of this committee). 

In1896 Mark Rolle offered Bicton as a venue again and the show plus the usual sports events was held on August Bank Holiday.  Mr Rolle had (perhaps wisely) absented himself abroad but sent a telegram wishing them well.  At the AGM in October it was recorded that the Society had a deficit and the ladies were asked to run a bazaar during the winter. This turned out to be a jumble sale in November which raised £21. 

1897 was apparently another drought affected year.  There was great hope that attendance in 1898 might be boosted by the advent of the railway (which occurred in May 1897), however it would appear that the construction of the road from the station had not been completed as there were complaints that a steam roller should be used to compact the road surface because it was almost impossible to walk on.  1898 was apparently another drought year and this caused the grass to be very slippery for the athletic events and several mishaps occurred, notably in the tug-of-war!

There is no record of a show in 1899 and it would appear that the Society was on its last legs by the end of the century because the show scheduled for Bicton Park on August Bank Holiday in 1900 was cancelled at the last moment due to insufficient entries “and the want of interest evinced by the cottagers”.  However the prizes competed for by the school children and those offered for lace, wood carving and long servitude were awarded, and a fee of 2/6d was given to every competitor who had entered a vegetable exhibit. 

The last rites of the Society were performed at the AGM in 1901 when a majority voted to discontinue the shows.  There was money in hand and a resolution passed in a previous year vested this money in Revd W. F. Green and Dr Brushfield as trustees.  It was resolved at the AGM that the interest on this money would be distributed each year to the poor of Salterton & East Budleigh. 

Researched and Written by Roger Lendon © 2013 

(1) Western Times

(2) Plymouth & Exeter Gazette

(3) Exeter Flying Post

(4) In OVApedia entry “Willyams, Miss Jane Louisa (1786-1878) Author.Budleigh Salterton C19”

(5) In OVApedia entry “Ross Families, three generations. Budleigh Salterton C19, C20”

(6) In OVApedia entry “ Neave, Edwin Francis. Budleigh Salterton C19”

(7) In Miss Dart in “Dart, Joseph (1773 – 1866). Budleigh Salterton, C18, C19”  OVApedia

(8) In OVApedia entry “Goodwyn, General Julius (1824 -1890). Budleigh Salterton C19” 

(9) In OVApedia entry “May, Rear Admiral Charles, at Lee Ford. Budleigh Salterton C19”

(10)See de Guerin in “19th Century Occupiers of Batstone Lodge. East Budleigh C19” OVApedia

(11)In OVApedia entry “Pepys, Captain Arthur & family: John, Francis, Christopher. Budleigh Salterton C19, C20.”

(12)In OVApedia entry “Cooper, Captain Astley, East Budleigh C19.”

(13)Information from Gerald Millington

BS-G-00017 158 any