Transcript

of

William Henry Turner [Obituary]

Trans. Devon Assoc., 1880, Vol XXXVII, (1905), p. 41.

by

J. Brooking-Rowe (Ed.)

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was read at the Association’s July 1905 Princetown meeting. Wealthy farmer William Turner is mentioned several times in R.I Kirby’s remarkable history of Bideford’s East-the–Water Shore. In particular, a note for 1883, mentions that the Devon County Show was held in East-the-Water. The Note reads “Following an unsuccessful bid to host the Bath and West of England Society’s annual show, in Mr. Wm. Turner’s field, East-the-Water, a meeting in March 1882 considered whether to invite the Devon Agricultural Association’s annual show (the Devon County Show) to the same field in 1883”. (at this period the annual show still met in different locations). The invitation was clearly accepted as the show took place in May that year, in Mr Turner’s field, the first time it had ever been held in Bideford. More information about Bideford during its early days and particularly during the Victorian and early Edwardian era is available at The Wharves website. The obituary, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

William Henry Turner. William Henry Turner, of the Barton, Bideford, was born 4 December, 1856, and died 3 June, 1905, was a justice of the peace for the borough, a well-known agriculturist, and a successful farmer. He took an active part in public matters, and was Chairman of the Bideford Rural District Council and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Guardians. He was elected a member of the Association in 1902.