The Overlooked Village

 

Although having been in existence since the 1850s Talbot Village has largely remained ‘invisible’ to many people.  This was the case when it was first built and still appears to be so today.  This may be due to a few factors, such as it being fairly hidden from public view, early scepticism of its founding by Victorian society, being some two miles from the hub of the town (i.e. Bournemouth), having no commercial activity within its boundaries, and was developed by two sisters who do not seem to have sought public attention.  It was built to help destitute workers and their families, so long as they worked for their keep; it was a philanthropic project, but not a charity.  These factors did not lend themselves to a lot of press attention.

A search through the newspapers during the early stages of the village from 1850 up until Georgina’s death in 1870 reveals very little attention by the journalists.  One of the earliest articles was from 1850 when the two sisters attended a society wedding some months after the death of their father, Sir George Talbot of Mickleham.  This would have been prior to the first stone being laid.  A second early article from 1852 reports how Georgina Talbot provided financial aid to a sick employee even though he couldn’t work, which continued when the wife became a widow.  This would have been quite rare in Victorian times when social support by an employer hardly ever occurred.

Many more articles started to appear in 1870 when Georgina herself died and her older sister, Mary Anne (or Marianne), took over and continued the work of her younger sister.  The newspapers were starting to acknowledge the generosity and good work of Georgina in establishing the village, but made little reference to Marianne her older sister.  It seems that neither sister wanted personal publicity and were frequently referred to as ‘Miss Talbot’ without distinguishing one from the other.

Over the following years, the press had a steady stream of articles on developments within the village including church activities, land being used for sport, social and military activities, donations for good causes, activities of the Talbot Village Band, as well as some misbehaviour by some of the village occupants.  

However, the Miss Talbots were not completely invisible.  Their principal property in Bournemouth on the East Cliff was Hinton Wood House.  This was a significant villa in significant grounds in a prime position.  The directories of the time (e.g. Kelly’s, the Post Office, Harrods, etc) listed Hinton Wood House much more frequently than Talbot Village, with ‘Miss Talbot’ frequently (but not always) being given as the occupant.  Occasionally they were also listed under ‘Gentry’ with the likes of Sir Percy Shelley, Christopher Crabb Creeke, military and coastguard officers, titled members of the community, clergy and medical professionals.  This was clear recognition of their standing in the community but unlike their years with their father, they do not appear in any social events. 

As with the Village, St. Marks, the village church received very little attention outside of the immediate community.  It was hardly ever listed under ‘places of worship’, possibly because it was within the parish of Kinson for the first 50 years.  From the start, the church was served by visiting curates and priests, such as the Revs. E. Coombes, R. F. Daniel, W. Summers, and A. M. Sharp.  The Rev. Benjamin Clutterbuck though is frequently cited as the first vicar, but only because he was the sitting curate when St. Marks became its own parish in 1919.  Interestingly, the one of the first bell ringers at St Marks 1870 was Samuel Kerley who was still ringing 66 years later in 1936.

Today, some 175 years later, the village still remains a modest settlement with a modest recognition.  Since the demise of the two sisters Talbot Village has been overseen by a board of trustees with little promotional activity up to now.  However, this is changing with the expansion of the team at the Talbot Village Trust and with the volunteers at the newly formed Talbot Village History Group.

Martin Senior, updated 20 July 2026

 

Sources

Bournemouth Council (1899–1899) Minutes. Vol. 3. [Minutes of meetings held during the tenure of Mayor Hoare, April 1899 – November 1899]. Bournemouth: Bournemouth Council Archives.

Bournemouth Times and Directory (1936) ‘Founder of Talbot Model Village. Work of Miss Georgina Talbot. Commemorated at St. Mark's’, Bournemouth Times and Directory, 6 March.

Bournemouth Echo (1941) 'Devoted service to Talbot Village: Thirty-three years' work of the Rev. B. R. Clutterbuck', 7 August.

Dorset County Chronicle and Somersetshire Gazette (1883) Petty sessions, 2 August, p7.

Dorset County Chronicle and Somersetshire Gazette (1885) Petty sessions, 16 July, p. 6.

Edwards, E. (1981) A history of Bournemouth: the growth of a Victorian town. Chichester: Phillimore. 

Morning Herald (London) (1824) Social news: Misses Talbot to give a rout at their house in Burlington Street, 13 March.

Morning Post (London) (1834) Fashionable Arrivals: Sir George and the Misses Talbot at Hanover Square, 10 January.

Morning Post (London) (1849) Sir George Talbot and family arrive in Grosvenor Square from Bournemouth, 29 January, p6.

Poole and Dorset Herald (1859) Charitable subscriptions and benefactions list including Miss Georgina Talbot, 17 February, p.5.

Salisbury and Winchester Journal (1852) Bournemouth: Miss Georgina Talbot and the Labouring Classes at Kinson, 27 May.

Salisbury and Winchester Journal (1863) Petty Sessions: Theft at Kinson, 26 December, p.8.

Staffordshire Advertiser (1850) Misses Talbot, 9 November, p. 7.

Talbot Village and Almshouse Trust (1942) Talbot Village, Dorset: A brief account of its origins and objects and the trusts under which it is governed. [Place of publication not identified]: Talbot Village and Almshouse Trust.