Popular local curate
Richard Cobbett was born in London in November 1841. A graduate of Pembroke College Oxford, he became a parson and took up the post of junior curate at St Mary’s, Twickenham, in 1866. Shortly afterwards he married and lived at 'Orleans Villas' in London Road. Three of his children were born in Twickenham.
Publishes 'Memorials of Twickenham'
In 1872 he published his book Memorials of Twickenham: Parochial and Topographica, describing the writing of it as "a source of much pleasure and relaxation".
Cobbett had been popular in Twickenham but left the parish shortly before his book came out as a consequence of a sharp disagreement with his Vicar; in his own words “a circumstance very sorrowful and sad”. Grateful parishioners, however, gave him a silver salver worth £60 and a purse containing over 150 sovereigns. |
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| Cobbett moved to Notting Hill where he died in January 1877 aged 36. He left a widow and 5 small children. He was buried in the Twickenham cemetery. His former Vicar had pre-deceased him. Cobbett’s widow later remarried and returned to live at Orford Lodge in Waldegrave Road, Twickenham. The house has been demolished. |
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Further reading:
R S Cobbett, Memorials of Twickenham, 1872
Surrey Comet for 1866-72
Richmond and Twickenham Times for 1873-77
THR Cashmore, Richard Cobbett's Twickenham, Borough of Twickenham Local History Society Paper No.53, 1984 |
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a source of much pleasure and relaxation |
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