Thomas Douch was born on 9th December 1860, the son of Jane Thomas and Charles Douch, a basket maker of Old Carrier's Yard, Battle. Charles Douch, Thomas's father, was born in Brightling, Sussex around 1825 and married his wife Jane Thomas (born c1829, Mountfield) during the 4th Quarter of 1854. After their wedding, the couple set up home in Charles Douch's home village of Brightling, where their first son, Charles Douch junior was born on 9th June 1859. By the end of 1860, Charles and Jane Douch and their infant son moved to the small town of Battle, some six miles south of Brightling. During the second week od December 1860, Jane Douch gave birth to her second son, Thomas Douch.

When the census was taken on 7th April 1861, Charles and Jane Douch and their two young children were living at a house in Old Carrier's Yard, Battle. Charles Douch, the 'Head of Household' is described on the census return as a thirty-four year old "Basket Maker". In addition to Charles Douch's thirty-two year old wife Jane, their two year old son Charles junior, and Thomas, a three month old baby, Douch's home in Old Carrier's Yard also accommodated Charles Douch's fifteen year old nephew John Douch, a young agricultural labourer, and another young relative Sarah Thomas, a ten year old girl from Brightling.

By 1881, Charles Douch and his family were living near Battle's High Street at Ticehurst Court. By this date Charles and Jane Douch were the parents of four children. A son, christened with the distinctive name of Naphtaly (Naphtali) Douch had been born in Battle on 31st March 1866 and a daughter Mary Douch had arrived a couple of years later on 17th August 1868. Charles Douch was now working as a general labourer, but money contributed to the household by Charles Douch's three grown up sons - twenty-one year old Charles Douch junior, entered on the census return as a "Taylor", twenty year old Thomas Douch, who was employed as a "Baker", and teenager Naphtali Douch, described on the census return as a "Labourer", aged 15.

[ABOVE] The trade plate of Thomas Douch, Photographer, of Mount Street, Battle,  rubber-stamped in purple ink on the back of one of his photographs (c1905).

Thomas Douch probably took up photography in the 1890s. At the time of the 1891 census, twenty-nine year old Thomas Douch was working as a baker in Battle's High Street, but when the 1901 census of Battle was taken, the enumerator recorded Thomas Douch as a forty year old bachelor earning his living as a "Photographer". In the commercial section devoted to Battle in Bennett's Business Directory for the County of Sussex, published for the year 1907-08, the entry for Thomas Douch reads: "Thos. Douch, photographer, Mount St. - Children and Groups a Speciality - dark room for amateurs". Although Thomas Douch is not recorded as a professional photographer in the Sussex trade directories published by Kelly between 1890 and 1907, surviving photographs with the trade stamp "T. DOUCH, Photographer, BATTLE" indicate that he was active as a photographer at least a dozen years before Kelly's 1913 Sussex Directory first recorded Thomas Douch as a professional photographer at Mount Street, Battle.

All three of Thomas Douch's siblings married. Charles Douch junior married Annie Eldridge (born c1859, St Leonards, Sussex) around 1888. The 1901 census records forty-year old Charles Douch as a "Journeyman Tailor" in Battle, living with his wife Annie and their two sons, Frank and Charles junior. Mary Douch, Thomas Douch's young sister, married Charles Feaks (born 1869, Battle) in her home town of Battle in 1889, but she and her husband moved to live in Bournemouth shortly after their wedding. Naphtali Douch (1866-1939), who had taken up his father's former trade as a basket maker, married Elizabeth White (born c1867, Battle) in 1894. The 1911 census records Naphtali and Elizabeth Douch with their eight children at their home in Mount Street, Battle. Thomas Douch, described as a forty-eight year old single man working as a "Photographer", is also recorded in Mount Street, Battle, in the 1911 census.

Thomas Douch worked as a photographer in Battle for over 30 years. Thomas Douch is recorded as a "Photographer" in the 1901 census and he is listed as a professional photographer in the Sussex trade directories published between 1913 and 1930. The listing for Thomas Douch, Photographer of Mount Street, Battle in Bennett's Business Directory of Sussex (1907-08) notes that "Children and Groups" were Mr Douch's speciality, adding that the photographer provided a "dark room for amateurs". Percival (Percy) White, who in the 1920s and 1930s was a press photographer for the 'Kentish Express', recalled Tom Douch as "a family friend, in whose tiny darkroom, together with my father, I spent many hours learning about developing and printing, and watching magic lantern shows". (A selection of photographs taken by Percival James White (born 1902, Battle) and his father Walter White (born 1868, Battle) can be viewed on Tim White's website Battle-Abbey.co.uk.

The Battle Town Band photographed by Thomas Douch of Mount Street, Battle

[ABOVE] A group photograph of the Battle Town Band taken by Thomas Douch of Mount Street, Battle. Walter White (born 1868, Battle), a gardener who rose to become Head Kitchen Gardener on the Battle Abbey Estate, is pictured on the far right holding his trombone. Walter White and his son Percy White (born 1902, Battle) were both taught photography by Thomas Douch (born 1860, Battle), a family friend and Battle's resident photographer.                                                                [Photograph courtesy of Tim White]

[ABOVE] The trade plate of Thomas Douch, Photographer of Mount Street, Battle,  rubber-stamped in purple ink on the back of the group photograph of the Battle Town Band, illustrated on the left.

 [Photograph courtesy of Tim White]

Arthur Thomas Cobb was born in Marylebone, London, in 1873, the eldest son of Fanny (Smith) and Frederick Cobb, a grocer and wine merchant.

Frederick Cobb, who was born at Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire, on 15th August 1848, had married Fanny Smith (born c1852, Bishops Waltham, Hampshire) at the Register Office in Barnet on 4th June 1871. After their marriage, Frederick and Fanny Cobb lived briefly in the Marylebone district of London, where their first child, Arthur Thomas Cobb was born in 1873. By 1876, the Cobb family had settled in Folkestone, Kent, where Frederick Cobb worked as a "grocer & shopman" and, with his wife Fanny, ran a lodging house at 18 Victoria Grove, Folkestone. On 25th June 1876, Fanny gave birth to a second son, Frederick Henry Cobb. During their stay in Folkestone, there were two more additions to the Cobb family - Florence Fanny Cobb (born 1879) and Charles Edward Cobb (born 1882). We know that Frederick Cobb and his family left Folkestone around 1884, because his fifth child Grace Mabel Cobb was born in Brentwood, Essex in 1885. [Birth registered in the Essex district of Billericay during the 4th Quarter of 1885]. By 1887, Frederick Cobb and his growing family had moved to Ealing Broadway, where his three youngest children were born. Gertrude Emily Cobb was born in Ealing during the 1st Quarter of 1887, followed by Alfred Hutton Cobb (born 1890, Ealing) and Sydney Richard Cobb (born 1893, Ealing).

Frederick Cobb, together with his wife Fanny and their 8 children, arrived in the small Sussex town of Battle around 1896. The 1899 edition of Kelly's Directory of Sussex, records Frederick Cobb as a "grocer & china dealer" in High Street, Battle. Frederick Cobb is also listed as an "agent for W. & A. Gilbey Limited, wine & spirit merchants" in Kelly's 1899 directory. The 1901 census confirms Frederick Cobb's occupation, describing him as a fifty-two year old "Grocer & Wine Merchant". Two of Frederick Cobb's sons, Arthur, aged 27, and nineteen year old Charles were assisting their father in his grocery and wine store. When the 1901 census was taken, Frederick Henry Cobb, Frederick Cobb senior's second eldest son, was also working as a "Grocer's Assistant" but living in Bedford, where he married Hilda Maude Coleman the following year.

Arthur Thomas Cobb probably started taking portrait photographs in Battle soon after his family's arrival in the town around 1896. Although Arthur Cobb's main occupation was as a "Grocer's Assistant", he appears to have been working semi-professionally as a portrait photographer in Battle. A cabinet portrait of a baby, carrying the photographer's trade plate of "Arthur T. Cobb, Battle" dates from 1897. Arthur Cobb's short photographic career in Battle came to an end during the final months of 1901, when, after his marriage to Charlotte Harriet Coldman (born 1881, Hollingbourne, Kent) he  moved away to Sevenoaks in Kent.

[ABOVE] A group portrait picturing Arthur Thomas Cobb (seated in the centre) with his four brothers. In the back row, standing on the left, is Frederick Henry Cobb (born 1876) and (to Frederick's left) Charles Edward Cobb (born 1882). Arthur is flanked  on the left by Sydney Cobb (born 1893) and Alfred Hutton Cobb (born 1890), who stands front right. Arthur Thomas Cobb had a total of seven siblings - four brothers and three sisters - Florence (born 1879) , Grace (born 1885) and Gertrude Cobb (born 1887).

PHOTO: Courtesy of Rosemary Temple

Langton House, High Street, Battle, the home of Frederic Gorham Ticehurst

[ABOVE] The trade plate of Frederick G. Ticehurst, Photographer, Battle (c1874).

Frederic Gorham Ticehurst was born in Battle, Sussex, in 1849, the son of Jane Gorham and Francis William Ticehurst, a printer, bookseller and stationer. Francis William Ticehurst (born 1811, Battle) had married Jane Gorham (born 1816, Battle) in Hastings in 1838. The union of Jane Gorham and Francis William Ticehurst produced at least ten children - Jane Frances Ticehurst (born 1839, Battle), Francis William Ticehurst (born 1841, Battle), Ellen Elizabeth Ticehurst (born 1842, Battle), Emily Anna Jane Ticehurst (born 1843, Battle), George Frederick Ticehurst (born 1845 - died 1858, Battle), Frederic Gorham Ticehurst (born 1849, Battle), Elizabeth Ticehurst (born 1851, Battle), Charles James Ticehurst (born 1853, Battle), Clara Charlotte Ticehurst (born 1855, Battle) and Kate Maria Ticehurst (born 1857, Battle).

Francis William Ticehurst (1811-1902), Frederic's father, was a leading figure in the town of Battle. In 1855, Francis William Ticehurst was the proprietor of a bookselling and printing business at 77 High Street, Battle and was the town's Post Master. The 1859 edition of The Post Office Directory of Sussex lists Francis William Ticehurst as a printer, bookseller & stationer at 76 & 77 High Street, Battle. In addition to his duties as "Postmaster", Francis William Ticehurst was also serving as the Clerk to the Board of Guardians of the Battle Union being employed as the Superintendent Registrar for the Battle Union Workhouse. The 1861 census records Francis W. Ticehurst as "Head Post Master, Battle, Sussex, & Superintendent Registrar of Deaths, Births & Marriages" residing in High Street, Battle, with his wife and five children.

By 1870, Frederic Gorham Ticehurst (Francis William Ticehurst's second eldest surviving son) had joined with a Mr Sparks to form the firm of Ticehurst & Sparks, described as "coal, coke & lime merchants" in a local trade directory. It was around this time that Frederic G. Ticehurst became interested in photography and began to take photographic views around Battle. In the early 1870s, Frederic G. Ticehurst was described as a "Photographer of buildings, views, etc." A number of carte-de-visite photographs of well-known buildings and beauty spots, carrying the credit "F. G. Ticehurst, Photographer, Battle" have survived from this period. It is likely that these small carte-de-visite views of Battle and the surrounding area were sold at his father's bookshop and stationers business at 76 & 77 High Street, Battle. A young man in his early twenties, Frederic G. Ticehurst appears to have been particularly interested in recent developments in science and technology during this period of his life. The 1871 census records Frederic G. Ticehurst as a "Practical Electrician" aged 21, living in the High Street of Battle.

On 19th April 1876, at Hellingly Church, twenty-seven year old Frederic Gorham Ticehurst married Caroline Maria Pitcher (born 1852, Hailsham, Sussex), the twenty-three year old daughter of Maria and David John Pitcher, an auctioneer's clerk from Upper Horsebridge, Hellingly. A son, named Frederic Gorham Ticehurst after his father, was born in Battle during the First Quarter of 1877. A second son, Arthur Cecil Ticehurst, was born in Battle early in 1880. John William Ticehurst, the couple's third son was born in Battle during the 3rd Quarter of 1885.

In 1878, Frederic Gorham Ticehurst was apparently still dealing in coal and fertilizer. In Kelly's Directory of Sussex, published in 1878, Frederic Gorham Ticehurst is listed in the commercial directory of Battle as a "coal, coke & artificial manure merchant". By the time the 1881 census was carried out, Frederic G. Ticehurst was working as a "Telegraph Engineer" and had been appointed Superintendent Registrar for the Battle Union. Frederic Gorham Ticehurst was now residing at The Old House (Langton House) at 81 High Street, Battle. During this period of his career Frederic Gorham Ticehurst was providing clerical duties for a range of public bodies. Kelly's Directory of Sussex, published in 1890, records Frederic Gorham Ticehurst as Clerk to the Guardians of the Battle Union, Clerk to the Burial Board, Clerk to the Assessment Committee, Clerk to the Rural Sanitary Authority, Clerk to the School Attendance Committee and Superintendent Registrar for the Battle Union. The 1901 census records Frederic G. Ticehurst at 81 High Street, Battle. Frederic G. Ticehurst is described on the census return as the "Clerk of Guardians", aged 51. Kelly's 1903 Directory of Sussex lists Frederic G. Ticehurst at Langton House, Battle, describing him as "Clerk to the Guardians, Rural District Council". In Kelly's 1915 Directory of Sussex,  F. Gorham Ticehurst is shown at Langton House, 81 High Street, Battle holding the position of "Clerk to the Guardians & Assessment Committee".  

Frederic Gorham Ticehurst died in his home town of Battle during the First Quarter of 1922 at the age of 72.

[ABOVE] A view of Battle Church, photographed by Frederick G. Ticehurst of Battle (c1874).

[ABOVE] The reverse of a carte-de-visite view photographed by Frederick G. Ticehurst, of Battle (c1874).

[ABOVE] A photograph taken from the top of the Abbey Gateway showing the buildings in Battle's High Street opposite the entrance to Battle Abbey (c1870). The dark, ivy-clad building in the right-hand corner is Langton House at 81 High Street, Battle, later the home of Frederic Gorham Ticehurst. A few doors away, towards the centre of the picture is the business premises of Francis William Ticehurst, printer, bookseller and stationer, at 76-77 High Street Battle, where F. G. Ticehurst's photographic views were sold in the early 1870s

Photographers in Battle : Locations

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