Address: The Commercial Inn. Lower Main Street

As he born before the registration of births, marriages and deaths started in 1837 he did not have a birth certificate. It was normal practice for a child to be baptised shortly after the birth so John was probably born in July 1821 based on a baptismal date of 29 August 1821. This estimate is shown to be reasonable by all subsequent records which give his age - Marriage Certificate, 1851-1881 Censuses and Death Certificate. As his father was the landlord of the Commercial Inn he was almost certainly born there.

Address: Totnes, Devon

but who else is not known.

a joiner|| All reliable records for John which give his trade show that was a carpenter and joiner and therefore he must have served an apprenticeship. The 1841 Census shows that he was apprenticed to Thomas Furneaux who was a joiner at Higher Town in Totnes, Devon. It is assumed that he was apprenticed at the age or 12 and served 5 years. It is slightly surpising to find current directories do not list joiners as a trade.

John's marriage certificate (the earliest record which gives his occupation after he had finished his apprenticeship); the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 censuses; and his death certificate all give his occupation as either a joiner or a carpenter. In addition there are two references to him being a jouneyman indicating that he was employed. His death notice says he was a 'leading man of joiners' at Keyham.

Family oral history, as recorded in notes left by his great granddaughter, Doris Luscombe, says that he was a Foreman of Yard in Devonport Dockyard. Documentary evidence pointing towards this is provided by the Birth and Marriage Certificates of John's daughter, Clara Amelia. The former gives his occupation as Joiner in Keyham Steamyard (which later became the North Yard part of Devonport Dockyard) and the latter as Foreman Shipwright. Whilst the occupation of 'Joiner in Keyham Steamyard' fits in with the official sources given in the preceding paragraph the occupation of Foreman Shipwright is considered to be 'gilding' by Clara in changing his rank from Leading Man to Foreman and trade from Joiner to that of the more skilled Shipwright. As Doris was Clara's granddaughter the source of her information on John's position is self evident! As a Foreman of the Yard is one grade higher than a Foreman Doris may have been guilty of 'gilding' Clara's 'gilding'!

The date that he moved to Devonport is uncertain but it must have been sometime between finishing his apprenticeship in Buckfastleigh, probably in August 1841, and marrying Amelia in October 1848. The Birth Certificate of their daughter Clara who was born in 1858 and his death notice indicate that he worked for a contractor in Keyham Steam Yard which was built between November 1844 and October 1853 to accommodate the Royal Navy's growing number of steam warships. Undoubtedly joiners would have been required during construction and after the yard was brought into use. The fact that he was Leading Joiner by the time of his death in 1883 indicates that he worked there for many years so it is highly probable that he came to Devonport in 1844/5 in response to advertisements for workers.

At the time of his marriage he was living at 9, James Street with Joseph and Ann Rickard. After his marriage he, his wife and later their children gradually moved from sharing a house to single occupancy. The known addresses are:-

DateAddressSourceOccupancy

30 March 185114, Marlborough Street1851 CensusShared with 3 other families

7 April 186123, Marlborough Street1861 CensusShared with one other family

2 April 187123, Marlborough Street1871 CensusSole occupancy

3 April 18812, St Aubyn Ope1881 CensusSole occupancy

27 May 18832, St Aubyn OpeDeath Certificate

Address: the Royal Albert Hospital

Although the hospital record gives his age as 57 (two years younger than his real age) the details of his occupation and place of birth are correct and, as there is no evidence of another John Luscombe with the same trade and birth place in the previous or subsequent Censuses, it is concluded that both records refer to the same John Luscombe but that he was recorded as being at home through a misunderstanding by his wife or because he was taken into hospital a day or so before the Census and his 'home' census form had already been filled in by the enemurator. His presence in hospital supports the family oral history as recorded by his great-granddaughter Doris Luscombe that he had a serious accident. How long he was in hospital is not known. Although Doris says that the accident resulted in his death this is not supported by his death certificate although of course it could have been a contributory factor. A search of local newspapers in the 2 weeks before and a week after the census did not find a report of the accident.

Cause: bronchitis, general debility and exhaustion

Address: 2 St Aubyn Ope

His wife Amelia was with him when he died. The statement in the notes by his granddaughter Doris Luscombe that he died of a fatal accident is obviously not correct however the observation that his wayward daughter (Clara Amelia) broke his heart may have been a contributory factor. His death occurred a few months after the birth of her first illegitimate son in the workhouse. The disgrace for a person of his standing in the community (a chargeman of joiners working for a contractor at Keyham and a teacher at Morice Town Sunday School) must have been enormous.

Address: Stoke Damerel, Devon

Address: Milehouse Road, Stoke Damerel, Devon

Although the death notice in the Devonport Independent gives the date of the funeral which left from the house at 2, St Aubyn-street Ope at half past one it does not give the place. It could have taken place either at his local parish church (St Andrew, Morice Square) which did not have its own graveyard or in the chapel of the Stoke Damerel Parish Graveyard where he was buried. The latter is considered the more likely. The distance between St Aubyn Ope and the graveyard was nearly one and a half miles which would have taken the cortege a good half hour. His great granddaughter Doris says in her notes that it was one of the biggest civilian funeral in Devonport which at that time was bigger than Plymouth. As it was a Sunday it could have been well attended especially as according to Doris he was superintendent of the Sunday School. The service was taken by the Rev. J Gilberton who was curate at St Andrew's Church. It is certain that his widow and reasonably certain that his children were present at the service but who else and how many is not known. Neither a report of the funeral nor an obituary could be found in a search of 6 newspaper titles which covered the area.

Address: Milehouse Road, Soke Damerel, Devon

Probably only the immediate family attended the committal.

John was buried in Section G (on the Hill), Row 11, No. in Row 9. There was a second interment on 18 April 1895 of a J Luscombe. The relationship (if any) has not been established. In the 1960s the Milehouse Graveyard was landscaped and turned into a public open space. Most of the old headstones were placed round the walls or laid out as paths, and the remains of those buried there were re-interred at Efford.

Amelia Sleep (1829-1910)

John Henry Sleep Luscombe (1851-1871?)

Jessy Eleanor Luscombe (1856-1890)

Clara Amelia Luscombe (1858-1927)

Eveline Elizabeth Luscombe (1861-1947)

Alfred Samuel Don Luscombe (1865- )

Fredrick Ernest D. Luscombe (1867-1906)

Richard Luscombe (1869- )

Address: Stoke Damerel, Devon

The 1851 Census shows that James Dowell was a 52 year old shoemaker and Grace Algar a 60 year old widow - unlikely friends for the young couple so it is assumed that they were casual witnesses and unrelated to John and Amelia. It is thought unlikely that any of their relatives who lived in Totnes and Alternun would have attended the wedding. At the time of their marriage John, who had moved to Devonport to work at Keyham Steam Yard, was lodging with Joseph Rickard at 9 James Street (Joseph was a joiner) whilst Amelia was staying in a lodging house at 5 Marlborough Street run by Thomas Whole and his wife Jane. Thomas was a carpenter. Why Amelia moved from Altarnun to Devonport is not known but as both Thomas and Jane came from Cornwall (unfortunately the 1851 Census is not more specific) there may have been some contact prior to moving and an indication that work was to be had in Devonport (she was a milliner). John and Amelia may have met through Joseph Rickard and Thomas Whole who were both woodworkers knowing each other, or it may have been through a chance encounter.

Address: 14 Marlborough Street

The household consisted of John, his wife Amelia and their three month old son John. Amelia is working as a milliner and a dressmaker almost certainly at home so that she could look after her son John white her husband was at work. They shared the house with 3 other families. How many rooms they had is not known but they were probably living in a single room. There was also a tenement with another couple. In all 15 people were living in the house.

Address: 23 Marlborough Street

The household consisted of John, his wife Amelia and their children John (age 10), Jessy (age 4) and Clara (age 2). They shared the house with another family of 3. The size of the house is unknown. The house was flanked on one side by a cabinet maker's showroom and the other by an ironmongers which had closed down.

Address: 23, Marlborough Street

The household consisted of John, his wife Amelia, and their children Jessie (age 15), Clara (age 12), Eveline (age 10), Alfred (age 6), and Frederick (age 4). All the children except for Jessie were attending school. The family were now the sole occupants of the house. (In the previous Census they has shared it with another family.)