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from an old talk on Bicknoller....
We go on down Chilcombe Hill and come to a cottage now known as Old Forge.  In 1910 it was a working forge. There lived there Edwin and Ann Dibble and the forge was worked by their son Billy. Edwin Dibble had been a carter at Warres Farm when it  was farmed by the Lethbridges but later he worked as a stonecracker. Now if you look at exhibits 2 and 3 I will explain exactly what he did. There would be a pile of stones deposited by the roadside in what was known as a stone depot and Edwin and such similar workers would sit on a piece of sacking by it and with their eyes protected by gauze goggles from splinters and armed with a two pronged claw fork and a hammer they would break the stones which came from Bicknoller quarry into the size required for road making and those would be very neatly stacked with almost military precision and an official from the road authority would come along a measure the pile which they had done for cubic feet and they were paid accordingly. Of course the roads were never tarmacked then and the method of making them was to put down the small stone, water it profusely with a water cart and then roll it in with a heavy steam roller. The result was deep mud in winter and clouds of dust in summer. You may get some idea of the typical surface of our country lanes looking at exhibit number 2, but there were compensations. The verges then stood thick with buttercups and ragged robin, celandines and other wild flowers, cow parsley and so forth. Sometimes in the banks there were lovely rows of stately foxgloves and the hedges were interlaced with roses and honeysuckle. Ann took in laundry work for 20 years to my knowledge; she always did my father’s surpluses and washed and starched collars for us both. This cottage bears a sad distinction in that it was the only home in the parish from which each of the two world wars took a life, Walter Dibble in the first and Dennis Barber in the second.

Sarah Humphries was removed from Crowcombe back to Stogumber around 1820 as she was expecting a baby. It seems from the bastardy order that it was a girl, the father was a certain Mr Dafter (not a Duddridge!). He was not from nearby which would suggest that Sarah Humpries had probably been sent to work elsewhere for a while. I have more info if required.

Hi, checked through Stogumber card index bastardy bonds and removal orders. Found a Sarah Humphries removal order in 1820 (Crowcombe 13/3/3.20). Seems to also refer to her as Sarah (Dafter) - presumably an alias. There are a few other references.
Sarah - Crowcombe 1821 dd/sas/pr 482
Sarah (Dafter) - bastardy order 1821 crow 13/5/1
Sarah (Dafter) - bo/be 1821 dd/sas/sx 39 folder 6 nos 3-4-20
some refs under Duddridge
John and fam B.Stogumber se 1820 dd/sas/pr 482.1.240
Didn't get a chance to track down any of these. There are a few refs to Abraham Duddridge son of James as well.

Hi,
wonder if this is of interest. Taken from Bicknoller rector's diary and Bicknoller burial registers.
Rector was not always sympathetic!!!
March 9th 1878
On my way to Williton on March 2nd I stopped a gipsy woman & spoke to her about baptism. Today 2 gipsy men called at Vicarage & wished to have 3 children baptised & one told me that his wife was
dying on the Moor. I found 5 caravans in one of which the poor woman was lying or rather reclining,
she seemed a pure gipsy & professed to be of no religion. I read to her St Matthew V telling her how
we are born in sin & that Jesus Christ came to deliver us from that state & taught us in his gospel what we ought to do if we wished to be saved. She seemed very nervous but listened, her mother & another woman were in the caravan which had a fireplace....etc
March 10th 1878
Service at Sampford Brett at 11. Rev J Tripp took the morning service here and preached for Additional Curates Society. Edie Tripp said that some of the gipsies were drunk last night and making such a noise that he hardly liked to pass by. Evensong Baptisms and Sermon 140. One gipsy child was baptised and 7 were received into the congregation. Some of the gipsies put something in the Bag. The children behaved well during the Baptismal service but badly afterwards.
October 3rd 1878
Buried C Orchard from caravan about 40 followed, orderly some in mourning some not.
Charlotte Orchard Woolston 3 Oct 1878 41 "Caravan on Woolston Moor"
November 14th 1878
Buried a gipsy child. 
Robert Holland Woolston 14 Nov 1878 6mon "Caravan on Woolston Moor"
June 24th 1900
A gipsy child was baptized. Hath this child been baptized. Oh no sir, they could not read & had to be
told the responses.