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Combe Martin in The Blackmore Country (1911)

Sourced from Frederick John SNELL (1862-1935) | Author of A Book of Exmoor, and North Devon.

Title: The Blackmore Country | London - Adam and Charles Black (1911) | In the public domain |

2nd Edition with 32 full-page illustrations from photographs by Catharine W. Barnes Ward.

Introduction

Containing Snell's description of "Combmartin", our excerpt on this page (verbatim, pages 272-275) also mentions novelist R.D. Blackmore (author of Lorna Doone, 1869). Usefully, in his Blackmore Country  (1911), F.J. Snell offers a lot of historical information about Combe Martin and its silver mines.

F.J. Snell's reflection on life in the Blackmore region serves as a heartfelt homage to a fading lifestyle. Through his perspective, readers experience the cycles and traditions of rural life in the early 20th century, including harvest festivals and sheep-shearing events.

Rich in stories and insights, Snell's The Blackmore Country (1911) is an enjoyable read for anyone who appreciates the beauty of the English countryside. The discussion around the Blackmore region and its interpretation opens up valuable conversations about literature, place, and meaning.

Frederick J. Snell may have favoured Combe Martin, yet readers are encouraged to think about how personal experiences and local histories shape storytelling. This enriches experiences and helps connect the text for readers, residents, and visitors to North Devon and Somerset.

The Blackmore Country isn’t fictional; it's a real place with a specific identity

What is The Blackmore Country?

This article explores the historic Blackmore Country through the lens of Combe Martin, North Devon. In his titular work published in 1911, author Frederick J. Snell asserts that Blackmore Country primarily refers to North Devon, and "needs some explanation." He includes Combe Martin in his geographic assessment.

Snell believed that Blackmore Country could not just mean all the places that Victorian novelist Richard Doddridge Blackmore (1825-1900) included in his various fictional works", notably Lorna Doone  (1869). And also that "it should not include every part of Devon where Blackmore set his stories".

Novelist R.D. Blackmore stated that his grandfather was the incumbent clergyman or priest of Oare, Somerset, and of Combe Martin in North Devon> (Snell, F.J., 1911, in The Blackmore Country).

Blackmore's grandfather seems to have been Reverend John Blackmore, who officiated at Oare, in the Taunton district of Somerset, during the early 1800s. "In 1809, [John Blackmore] was appointed rector of Oare, and in 1833 (pluralities being still admissible) he received in addition the valuable living of Combe Martin" (Snell, 1911).

A living refers to a position or benefice held by a clergyman in the Church of England or other Anglican churches. It typically includes the right to receive a salary or income from a church or parish, allowing the cleric to support themselves and carry out their pastoral duties.

John Blackmore was the incumbent priest at Combe Martin, and Oare, till his death in 1842; moreover, Combe Martin has several geographic, literary and cultural connections to the Blackmore Country. While R.D. Blackmore’s Lorna Doone (1869) is set primarily in Exmoor’s Doone Valley, his family also has historical links to Combe Martin, with graves in Combe Martin parish churchyard.

It might be argued that the charm of Blackmore's writing should be remembered throughout all the West Country areas he wrote about. Yet in Snell's probably biased opinion, "in reality, 'Blackmore Country' mainly refers to North Devon and a bit of a neighbouring county" (Snell, F.J., 1911). It's a hypothetical scenario worth pondering.

What Was F.J. Snell Talking About in His Prologue?

Snell is saying that "Blackmore Country" refers to a specific geographic area, not just a collection of locations mentioned in Blackmore's novels like Lorna Doone.

The author believed that this often misconstrued nomenclature should be better explained as actually referring mainly to North Devon, with a small part of Somerset included. 

Snell is pointing out that "Blackmore Country" isn’t just about the fictional settings; it's a real place with a specific identity. On the other hand, some might argue that all locations mentioned in Blackmore's works contribute to the overall tapestry of his literary universe. Indeed, excluding certain areas could overlook the value in his depictions of Devon and Somerset.

The Blackmore Country  (1911) | Verbatim excerpt; pages 272-275

Combmartin, *Westcote’s village—a long, straggling place, which Miss Marie Corelli annexed for her Mighty Atom, and another lady, whom I met at Challacombe [Exmoor] some years ago, designated with pious horror as “dark”—no doubt in allusion to the bits of folklore, which—happily, as I think—yet linger in these rural districts.

[ *Thomas Westcote (c. 1567 – c. 1637) (alias Westcott) of Raddon in the parish of Shobrooke in Devon, was an English historian and topographer of Devon. He married Mary Roberts (died 1666), eldest daughter and coheiress of Richard Roberts of Combe Martin, Devon].

[Richard Roberts (d. Christmas Day 1622) was patron of Berrynarbor Parish Church whose son in law was rector there. By Mary Roberts he had one son and heir, Philip Westcott (1614-1647/8), and five daughters.]

It would be easy to cite many illustrations of West-country superstition, such as the fruitful influences of the moon, which will send a man to dig in his garden when it is covered with snow; but, having devoted a considerable section of my Book of Exmoor to this fascinating topic, I will here confine myself to the principal interest of Combmartin—namely, its silver mines.

In the reign of Elizabeth [r. 1558 until her death in 1603], however, it was a great place for hemp, and a project was formed for establishing a port at Hartland entirely on account of this trade. As it was, the shoemakers’ thread manufactured in the neighbourhood was sufficient to supply the whole of the western counties.

As to the mines, Westcote states:—

“This town hath been rich and famous for her silver mines, of the first finding of which there are no certain records remaining. In the time of Edward I. they were wrought, but in the tumultuous reign of his son they might chance to be forgotten until his nephew (?) Edward III., who in his French conquest made good use of them, and so did Henry V., of which there are divers monuments, their names to this time remaining; as the King’s mine, storehouse, blowing-house, and refining-house.”

The industry was resumed in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, but seems to have been checked by the influx of water. However, a great quantity of silver is said to have been raised and refined, mainly through the enterprise of Adrian Gilbert [brother of the Elizabethan navigator Sir Humphrey Gilbert], and [Elizabethan speculator] Sir Beavois [or Bevis] Bulmer, who bargained for half the profit. Each partner realised £10,000.

The owner of the land, Richard Roberts, who happens to have been Westcote’s father-in-law, presented William Bourchier, Earl of Bath, with a “rich and rare” cup, bearing the quaint inscription:

In Martin’s Comb long lay I hiyd,

Obscur’d, deprest wth grossest soyle,

Debased much wth mixed lead,

Till Bulmer came, whoes skill and toyle

Refined me so pure and cleen,

As rycher no wher els is seene.

“And adding yet a farder grace,

By fashion he did inable

Me worthy for to take a place

To serve at any Prince’s table,

Comb Martyn gave the Oare alone,

Bulmer fyning and fashion.”

Another cup was given to Sir Richard Martin, Lord Mayor of London, who was also master and manager of the Mint, the design being that it should remain in the permanent possession of the Corporation.

It weighed 137 oz., and like its fellow, was engraved with naïve, and, I fear, doggerel verses.

“When water workes in broaken wharfe

At first erected were,

And Beavis Bulmer with his art

The waters, ’gan to reare,

Disperced I in earth dyd lye

Since all beginnings old,

“In place cal’d Comb wher Martin long

Had hydd me in his molde.

I did no service on the earth,

Nor no man set me free,

Till Bulmer by skill and charge

Did frame me this to be.

The Latin appendices to the “poems” show the date of the presentations to have been the year 1593; and Blackmore seems to refer to them when he speaks of the “inaccurate tales concerning” the silver cup at Combmartin, sent to Queen Elizabeth (Lorna Doone, chapter lviii.).

Ultimately the flooding, with which there was no means of effectually coping, put a stop to the operations; but it is possible that they were not entirely suspended, as a few years ago I saw a report in a local journal that a Combmartin half-crown of 1645 was sold in an auction room in London for the sum of £5. 12s. 6d.

In 1659 the working of the mines was brought before Parliament by a distinguished mineralogist named Bushell, but nothing was done, and, when, forty years later, an attempt was made to exploit them, it resulted in failure. Between 1796 and 1802 the experiment was renewed, and 9293 tons of ore were shipped to Wales.

The mines were then closed, and so remained till 1813, when 208 tons were sent to Bristol. The cost, however, exceeded the profit, and in 1817 the mining was again abandoned.

Yet another effort was made in 1833, this time by a joint-stock company with a capital of £30,000, nearly half of which was expended in plant, the sinking of shafts, etc. However, a rich vein having been discovered, work was carried on feverishly night and day, and a large profit realised, three dividends being made to the shareholders. 

As the result, shares were run up to a high premium by speculators, who, in mining phraseology, “worked the eye out.” In 1845 a smelting company was formed, but neither this nor the mining company, whose expenses averaged £500 a month, was destined to last.

In 1848 the engines were taken down, and apart from a spasmodic and, ’tis said, unprincipled attempt at company promoting in 1850, nothing has since been done.

The levels were driven under the village; and beneath the King’s Arms (or Pack of Cards, as the old manor-house of the Leys is usually designated) runs a subterranean passage, constructed for drainage purposes.

The ore is exceedingly rich in silver and lead, and the opinion has been expressed that the mines, worked fairly, would have yielded a tolerable return.

There is an old saying, “Out of the world, and into Combmartin.” On this odd text Miss Annie Irwin has based the following pretty verses:—

“‘Out of the world’ they call thee. True,

Thy rounded bay of loveliest blue,

Thy soft hills veiled in silvery grey,

Where glancing lights and shadows stray;

“Thy orchards gemmed with milk-white bloom,

Thy whispering woodlands, grateful gloom,

Thy tower, whose fair proportions rise,

’Mid the green trees, to summer skies—

“Viewed thus afar, by one just fled

From the vast city’s restless tread,

He well might deem, when gazing here,

His footsteps pressed some lovelier sphere.”

End quote.

Conclusion

In conclusion, examination of the Blackmore Country, particularly through the lens of Combe Martin, highlights its significant historical and cultural importance. By considering all the areas Blackmore wrote about, readers can better appreciate how his literary artistry is deeply connected to the landscapes that inspired his stories.

A broader perspective enriches the understanding of Blackmore's work and its ties to the culture and identity of Devon and Somerset. The discussion around "Blackmore Country" and its interpretation opens up valuable conversations about literature, place, and meaning. Such debates often highlight the richness of literary analysis, allowing for multiple viewpoints and interpretations.

Readers are encouraged to explore how settings influence narratives, and the emotional resonance of specific locations. Ultimately, these discussions enhance our appreciation of both the literary canon, and the places that inspire it.

Frederick J. Snell's 1911 work, The Blackmore Country, provides a crucial framework for understanding this region in North Devon, emphasising that it is not merely a collection of fictional settings from R.D. Blackmore's novels but a distinct geographic area with its own identity.

The historical context of Combe Martin is notably marked by its silver mining activities, which played a vital role in the local economy and contributed to the broader historical developments in the region. The references to the ancient silver-lead mines and the notable figures involved in their operations illustrate the economic significance of Combe Martin throughout history.

Additionally, the connection between local folklore, industrial history, and literary figures enriches the understanding of Combe Martin's identity. The legacy of silver mining, combined with its cultural ties to authors like R.D. Blackmore, underscores the multifaceted nature of this area.

As we reflect on the historical significance of the Blackmore Country, it is clear that it is a region with a rich past that continues to influence its present.

© Author, first posted on December 11, 2023.

 

Sources accessed 2023-2025:

Excerpt from The Blackmore Country (1911). London. Adam and Charles Black, 1911. Verbatim extract; pages 272-275.

Author: F. J. SNELL (Frederick John Snell [1862-1935]). Author of A Book of Exmoor, etc. Project Gutenberg.

Archive.org: https://dn790004.ca.archive.org/0/items/theblackmorecoun53478gut/53478-0.txt. The Blackmore Country (1911).

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Doddridge-Blackmore.

Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/53478/53478-h/53478-h.htm. The Blackmore Country (1911).

On October 09, 2024, this book was still freely available in the public domain from Project Gutenberg.

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