No 21 - Nailsea and District Local History Society

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Attracted by the excellent social services :- Water, supplied by Clevedon WaterCompany; electric light available everywhere; post office and telephone in acentral position, a pleasant tea garden at the West End, and a trim petrolstation near the Batch - is it surprising that bungalows and houses are beingbuilt in every direction?The population decreased from 427 in 1831 to 299 in 1891 and was then stilldecreasing. The census of 1921 shows 308 inhabitants; that of 1931 is not yetavailable, but is likely to show some increase.Across the eastern part of the parish stride the stately pylons carrying electricpower - surely a fitting type of the march of science! In November last a visitorto the Rectory arrived by autogyro, to alight in one of the wide meadows southof the road. Thus Tickenham is still "making history."Editor - Remember this was written in 1933. Here I reproduce part of the notethat appeared in Pennant 19.No attempt has been made to amend the text because of later knowledge. TheSociety claims no rights over the text reproduced in Pennant from that bookletexcept to hope that those quoting from the text will acknowledge both sources.Nailsea and the Archives of the Kemys Tynte familyby Julie Mansfield - North Somerset Archivist - Somerset Record OfficeThe survey book of the Kemys Tynte family's Somerset estates is a large,weighty, unwieldy volume(SRO ref DD/S/WH 218). Leather bound, the bookshows many signs of wear and tear and would once have been an estatemanager's indispensable tool. Now strengthened by conservation the volumehas become a snapshot of the landscape as it was in 1709, revealing the namesof tenants and the fields in which they worked within Nailsea, Wraxall, Backwelland Chelvey.When wedding bells rang out for John Tynte of Chelvey and Jane Haswell ofGoathurst in 1645 two major Somerset estates became inextricably linked. Theexpansion of the estate did not stop there, and when the family archives cameup for sale 300 years later the estate papers related to land far and wide, fromDevon to Berkshire, from Wiltshire to Rutland. As a result the collection was
carved up by many different purchasers and is now held in local record officesand private hands across the country.The Somerset papers date from the 1360s and contain the usual deeds,correspondence and surveys relating to the land as well as various personalnotes, memos and letters. As wealthy landowners, family members served onturnpike trusts, led local militia, championed regional improvements and wereheavily involved in county politics. Such duties are reflected in their papers,which tell of local, national and even international issues: in the 1770s SirCharles Tynte pondered the obstinacy of a few rebellious colonists causingtrouble thousands of miles away in Boston.But what about more local matters? What does this weighty volume tell usabout Nailsea and the surrounding area? In 1709 surveyor Edward Granthamrecorded the name and acreage of the family's properties, stating the tenant'sname and sometimes providing an accompanying map. Within Nailsea thefamily's interest centred around Mizzymead Farm, then worked by John Bailey.Various plots forming the farm included Bullocks Ground, Dovers Down, BakersCloss (Close) and Sawpit Ground, and a simply drawn map depicts the twomain buildings of the homestead.At Chelvey land worked by various tenants such as Thomas Coombes, Mr Foot,Thomas Wornall, Joseph Durband and Mary Crossman amounted to severalhundred acres. A large map would have been required and was presumablydrawn, but has unfortunately not survived with the book itself. A similar fateoccurred to the Wraxall map, making it more difficult to locate the propertiesowned by John Parsons, Maurice Good and John King which included plotssuch as Oxhovel Tyning, Sladelands, Cowleys Grove, Nailers Closs, OrcombeTyning and Fierney Closs. The family's land in Backwell was much smaller,amounting to only 19 acres which was rented to Thomas Parsons and HoldethReeds and contained various paddocks, yards, and strips scattered throughoutthe parish's east, west and middle fields.The volume was certainly a working book. Alterations and notes were added forat least the next 50 years and many pages left blank, presumably for otherentries to be added at a later date. Although it may have fallen out of use formany years, it has certainly retained its value in the information it holds. I amsure Mr Graham, compiling his survey in the early years of the 18 th centurywould have been astounded to hear that his efforts were still being referred toas the 20 th century comes to a close.
Page 2 and 3: Previously published by Nailsea & D
Page 4 and 5: Mueller, the botanist whose report
Page 6 and 7: orn in 1803 to his father Thomas Br
Page 8 and 9: partnership with three other local
Page 10 and 11: adapted for Shop Fronts as a less e
Page 12 and 13: September 1866Robbery at NailseaFre
Page 14 and 15: Family History Part 2These last few
Page 16 and 17: Three fine recumbent effigies, upon
Page 20 and 21: Survey of the Kemys Tynte family's
Page 22 and 23: The crosses come in many different
Page 24 and 25: Nailsea churchyard crossTo the left
Page 26 and 27: The cross was probably a noted site
Page 28 and 29: 12 th Century Mill at Tickenhamcomm
Page 30 and 31: Could the Cockpit be anything to do
Page 32 and 33: So, let us start in 1840, what was
Page 34 and 35: Feb 1841 or 1842?Mark Thompson of N
Page 36 and 37: Sources from which "A short history
Page 38 and 39: Nailsea Coalmines "Steampower"an ex

No 21 - Nailsea and District Local History Society

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