Bristol’s Lost Pubs

Crystal Palace Abbey Green

1851. W. Knight
1856 – 64. Joshua Knight
1871. Harriett Knight
1871 to 1891. William McCoombe
1892 to 1924. Charles Sydney McCoombe
1924 to 1934. Kate McCoombe
1934 – 50. Charles W. Rossiter (manager)

Previously this building was occupied by Charles Tanner, who was a carrier by trade.

Information on this page was kindly provided by Peter Dillon of New Zealand.

I have already posted a message regarding the Castle Inn/Alehouse/Tavern in Bath which was licensed at one stage to Andrew DILLON married to Matilda WHITTICK, and also regarding the New Market Tavern in Bath which was held by Andrew’s in-laws, the WHITTICKs, then Andrew’s son, Andrew William DILLON who was married to Harriet Louisa MCCOOMBE. Andrew DILLON senior was previously a butcher as was his father Henry DILLON

(= Sophia WEST) and uncle Thomas DILLON (= Elizabeth NICHOLAS) , and indeed other DILLON relations in Bath. Thomas DILLON is my ancestor.

Harriet Louisa MCCOOMBE had two brothers who had the Crystal Palace pub at 10 Abbey Green Bath, William MCOOMBE (1= Mary Ann ???) & Charles Sydney MCCOOMBE. Their parents were William MCCOOMBE & Mary Ann DAVIS. After their mother Mary Ann DAVIS died in 1883, their father William in 1887 married again to Winnie Louisa SMITH.

Email received 6 Mar 2003:

“In Tuesday night’s Bath Chronicle in Memories there is a photo of 10 Abbey Green, which is Crystal Palace public house, sent in by Geoffrey BINNS (he wrote the book called ‘Historic Inns and Taverns of Bath’ which I have). Painted on the front of the pub is The Crystal Palace C.S. McCOOMBE, Oakhill Invalid and Double Stout, and a horse and landau parked outside. Mr. BINNS says the picture dates from around 1892 when Charles Sydney McCOOMBE was in residence (1892-1924)”
Charles Sydney MCCOOMBE is not to be confused with his nephew, Sydney Charles MCCOOMBE. Here is Charles Sydney in the following family structure (= marriage) and his much older brother William, by 20 years, who had the Crystal palace pub before Charles Sydney got it.

1 is the first generation, 2 is the second and so on. (= is marriage).

1. William MCCOOMBE c.1820-1878
1841 = Mary Ann DAVIS c.1824-1883
2. William MCCOOMBE 1842- (Crystal Palace at 10 Abbey Green)
= Mary Ann ??? c.1844-1884
3. Ada Louisa MCCOOMBE c.1864
1886 = Tom DRAKE or Philip John ELLIOT?
2. Emma MCCOOMBE bap.1844-
2. Elizabeth MCCOOMBE bap.1846
2. Mary Ann MCCOOMBE 1849-1901
1874 = George William CRITCHLOW c.1845/48-
3. Ernest CRITCHLOW c.1867-
1892 = Ellen BIGGS c.1869
2. Jane MCCOOMBE c.1852-
1872 = Thomas Rowland SIMS c.1849
3. Harriet Kate L. SIMS c.1873-
3. Edith Alice SIMS c.1875
2. Harriet Louisa MCCOOMBE 1854-1904
1874 = Andrew William DILLON 1849-1903 (New Market Tavern, his father Andrew had the Castle Inn)
3. Emily Louise DILLON 1875-c.1879
3. Lily Agnes DILLON 1876-
???? = ?????
3. Augustus William Joseph (Joseph) DILLON 1878-1900
3. Norman James DILLON 1880-1880
3. Ethel Maud (Maud) DILLON 1881-1963
1904 = William Alfred PERRY
3. Kate Constance DILLON 1882-
c .1904 = James BUCK
3. Clara DILLON 1883-1891
3. Ada Winifred DILLON 1886-1887
3. Edith DILLON 1886-1886
3. Alice Ora? DILLON 1888?-
1911? = Francis ATKINS
3. Mabel Clara DILLON 1891-
1918 = Sydney STEPHENS
3. Lydia DILLON
3. Florence (Flossie) 1893-
2. Henry James MCCOOMBE c.1857
1877 = Ellen WATTS c.1857
3. William Charles MCCOOMBE 1878
2. Kate/Emily MCCOOMBE c.1859 (one person or two?)
2. Clara MCCOOMBE c.1861
1895 = Edward DAVIES c.1864-
3. Gwladys DAVIES c.1897
3. Herbert C. DAVIES c.1899
2. Charles Sydney MCCOOMBE 1862- (Crystal Palace at 10 Abbey Green)
2. Alice Maud. or Maud MCCOOMBE c.1865-1939
1890 = james Walter/Walter James GOLDSWORTHY c.1863-1918
1887 = Winnie Louisa SMITH c.1867-
2. William H. MCCOOMBE c.1887/88-
2. Sydney Charles MCCOOMBE 1889-
2. Kathleen S. MCCOOMBE c.1897-
2. Doreen M. MCCOOMBE c.1899-

2/4/1871 Bath Census
5 Ambury [ Abbey 317 3c RG10/2482 Fiche 1+ Page 25 ]

William MCCOOMBE Head Marr 29 Licensed Brewer? b. Bath
Mary Ann MCCOOMBE Wife Marr 28 b. Bath
Ada Louisa MCCOOMBE Dau 07 Scholar b. Bath

This is William MCCOOMBE who later had the Crystal Palace, son of William MCCOOMBE & Mary Ann DAVIS.

3/4/1881 Census
27 Corn Street , St James
[ FHL Film 1341586 PRO Ref. RG11 Piece / Folio 2437 / 36 Page Number 25 ]

Mary A. MCCOOMBES Head Wid 57 General dealer b. Bath
Emily MCCOOMBS (MC COOMBES) Dau Unm 22 b. Bath
Clara MCCOOMBS (MC COOMBES) Dau 20 Assistant (Dyers) b. Bath
Charles MCCOOMBS (MC COOMBES) Son 18 b. Bath
Maud MCCOOMBES (MC COOMBS) Dau 16 b. Bath

This is Mary A. MCCOOMBE nee DAVIS whose husband William died 1878, also her son Charles who got the Crystal Palace in the 1890s.

3/4/1881 Census Bath
10 Abbey Green, St James, Bath
[ FHLFilm 1341586 PRO Ref. RG11 Piece / Folio 2436 / 57 Page Number 6 ]

William MCCOOMBE Head Marr 39 Licensed Victualler b. Bath
Mary A. MCCOOMBE Wife Marr 37 Licensed Victualler Wife b. Bath
Ada L. MCCOOMBE Dau Unm 17 Licensed Victualler Dau. b. Bath
Celia E. BAKER Lodger Unm 24 Dressmaker b. Bath

This is William MCCOOMBE, son of William MCCOOMBE & Mary Ann DAVIS.

We can see that William was a Licensed Brewer in 1871 and by 1881 he was a licensed Victualler of 10 Abbey Green, ie the Crystal Palace pub.

Mary Ann died 1883 age 59 ( not to be confused with her daughter-in-law Mary Ann who died 1884 age 40 ) and William married again in 1887 to Winnie Louisa SMITH.

23/1/1889 Sydney Charles MCCOOMBE born at the Crystal Palace (public house)
parents William MCCOOMBE & Winnie Louisa SMITH

Vaccination Books – held in Bath Archives, Guildhall, Bath
Walcot No.474 Born 23rd. Jan. 1889 Sydney Charles , Crystal Palace
Father Wm. McCOOMBE occ. Lic. Victualler
Given 11th. March 1889 to Mother
Date of successful vaccination 4th. June 1889 Signed W.H. NEWGATE

5/4/1891 Census Bath
[ Abbey Census Walcot 4A Fiche 1+ RG13/1934 ]
10, 11 Abbey Green, Crystal Palace Pub.

William McCOOMBE Head Marr 49 (40?) Pub Licensed Victualler b. Bath
Winnie S. McCOOMBE Wife Marr 24 b. Bath
William H. McCOOMBE Son 03 Scholar b. Bath
Sidney C. McCOOMBE Son 02 b. Bath
Kate SMITH Sis-in-Law Unm 18 b. Bath
Annie MORRIS Servant 14 Nursemaid, Domestic b. Bath

5/4/1891 Census Bath
27 Gt Corn Street, St James, Bath

Kate MCCOOMBE Unm 32 b. Bath
Clara MCCOOMBE Unm 30 Assistant b. Bath
Charles MCCOOMBE Unm 28 Marine Stores Dealer b. Bath

From the 1891 census we can see that William MCCOOMBE was still ensconced at the Crystal Palace pub and that Charles, his brother and future proprietor of the Crystal Palace, was with 2 of his sisters at 27 Corn Street which is the address where they were with their widowed mother in 1881 (see above). Kate in 1891 is probably Emily in 1881 which leads me to suspect that she was named either Kate Emily or Emily Kate. I suppose the entries could be for two people, Kate and Emily, but I don’t think so.

31/3/1901 Bath census 8 Beauford Square

William McCOOMBE Head Married age 59 Late Licensed Victualler Retired born Bath, Somerset
Winnie S. McCOOMBE Wife Married age 34 born Bath Somerset
William H. McCOOMBE Son age 14 occ. Billiard ????? Marker born Bath, Som.
Kathleen S? McCOOMBE Daughter age 4 Born Bath Som.
Doreen M. McCOOMBE Daughter age 2 born Bath Som.

31/3/1901 Census Bath
10 Abbey Green, Bath [ Walcot317 4A Fiche 1+ RG13/2340 ]

Charles McCOOMBE Head 39 Licensed Victualler, Employer b. Bath
Kate McCOOMBE Sis 42 Assistant Barman b. Bath
Kate SIMS? or JAMES? Niece 26 Barmaid b. Bath
Kate GOLDSWORTHY Visitor 09 b. Bath
William GOLDSWORTHY Visitor 08 b. Bath

Kate SIMS or JAMES is probably Harriet Kate L. SIMS, the daughter of Jane MCCOOMBE who married Thomas Rowland SIMS..
Kate & William GOLDSWORTHY were nephews to Charles, the issue of his sister Alice Maud (Maud) who married James Walter (or Walter James) GOLDSWORTHY. The latter was a Livery Stable Keeper who in his 1818 death notice in the Bath Chronicle was described as “the well known jobmaster and funeral carriage proprietor”. His father William GOLDSWORTHY was also a Livery Stable Keeper.

From the 1901 census we can see that William MCCOOMBE was by then retired to 8 Beauford Square and his considerably younger brother Charles Sydney (by 20 years) had taken over the Crystal Palace pub.