TWISS FAMILY 

Twiss 2 

Although Richard Doddridge Blackmore (1825-1900) was born at Longworth in Oxfordshire, he had westcountry connections: he was educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, (and subsequently Exeter College, Oxford) and his father, John Blackmore, had accepted a curacy in Culmstock in 1826 following the death of his wife and sister-in-law from typhoid fever (and later at Ashford, near Barnstaple in 1835). In addition R D Blackmore’s grandfather was Rector of Combe Martin and Oare. His uncle was Rector of Charles, a little village on the fringe of the Exmoor.

Richard was called to the Bar in 1852 but retired through ill health; after teaching Classics at Twickenham School for a short time; he took up horticulture and market gardening. He wrote a number of novels and works of poetry before he wrote Lorna Doone, which was published modestly in 1869. There were outlaws called Doone on Exmoor and Blackmore had probably heard stories when he was younger. In those days both Exmoor and Dartmoor were remote and inaccessible spots and made excellent hideouts for fugitives on the run.

In 1865, before he began to write Lorna Doone, Blackmore visited Lynmouth and stayed at the Rising Sun Inn as a base for his research. Only since his death has the area around Lank Combe on the west bank of Badgworthy Water been dubbed the Doone Valley. Only 300 of the first 500 copies printed were sold. Nevertheless, Sampson Low Jnr, resolved to risk publishing it and from 1871 the fame of Lorna Doone became established.[1]


Size: 210 x 290 mm. Scale of an inch to a mile.

No title. Scale (but no scale bar) and two imprints: PUBD BY TWISS & SON ILFRACOMBE (Ae) and COPYRIGHT (Ee).

Showing an area from Haddons Mouth, Highveer Point and the Hunters Inn to Oare and Glenthorn, including places mentioned in Lorna Doone such as Doone Valley and Badgworthy Water. Illustrated page 327.

1. 1888      Twiss & Son’s Illustrated Guide to Ilfracombe and North Devon
                   Ilfracombe. Twiss & Son. 1888, (1889). KB; KB.

                    Twiss & Son’s Guide to Lynton and Lynmouth by     William Riddell Esq.[2]
                    Ilfracombe. Twiss & Son. (1889). DevA.


                    Twiss & Son’s Guide to Lynton and Lynmouth by William Riddell Esq.[3] First Edition
                Ilfracombe. Twiss & Son. (1889). KB.


NOTES:

[1] This text is a summary of the interesting article to be found at http://www.lynton-lynmouth-tourism.co.uk/blackmore_and_lorna_doone.htm.


[2] Exeter have dated their copy to 1864: date must be an error. Cover title is Twiss and Son’s Shilling Hand Book to Lynton and Lynmouth and Neighbourhood.


[3] Cover title is Twiss and Son’s Sixpenny Lynton and Lynmouth Guide. Title page has Sketch Maps of the District, but only this map is present.

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