Brett Payne's Victorian & Edwardian
Home / Studio Index / England / Devon / Exeter / Henry Davey
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Henry Davey was born at Tiverton, Devon in 1838, son of a carpenter/builder James Davey (1816-1903) and his wife Jane n�e Hill (c1809-1885). The family moved to St Thomas, Exeter in the late 1840s. Henry appears to never have married, and lived until at least 1917.
James DAVEY b. c.1816 Watchet SOM d. 1903 Exeter DEV m: 13 Feb 1837 Tiverton SOM Jane HILL b. c.1809 Spreyton DEV (dau of Samuel & Betty HILL) d. 1885 Exeter DEV |- Elizabeth DAVEY b. 1837 |- Henry DAVEY b. 1838 Tiverton DEV |- James Walter DAVEY b. 1842 Tiverton DEV m: 1869 Axbridge DEV Mary DAWTON b. c.1848 Newton Abbott DEV |- Clermont W. DAVEY b. c.1869 Exeter DEV |- Fanny DAVEY b. 1844 Tiverton DEV m: William George SMITH b. 1846 Creech St Michael SOM |- Edith Fanny SMITH b. c.1868 Exeter DEV |- Samuel DAVEY b. 1846 Cullompton DEV |- Edwin DAVEY b. 1849 St Thomas Exeter DEV m: Mary E. b. c.1847 Shoreditch MID |- Herbert DAVEY b. c.1871 Islington MID |- Ernest DAVEY b. c.1873 Islington MID |- Sydney DAVEY b. c.1874 Islington MID |- Clarence DAVEY b. c.1876 Islington MID |- Alice DAVEY b. c.1877 Islington MID |- Louise DAVEY b. c.1879 Islington MID |- Emma DAVEY b. 1850 St Thomas Exeter DEV |- John DAVEY b. 1852 St Thomas Exeter DEV m: Lena b. c.1851 Tavistock DEV |- Mabel Ellen DAVEY b. c.1879 East Stonehouse DEV |- Ethel Mary DAVEY b. c.1883 East Stonehouse DEV |- Henry George DAVEY b. c.1885 East Stonehouse DEV |- Alice Maud DAVEY b. c.1886 East Stonehouse DEV |- Florence Edith DAVEY b. c.1889 East Stonehouse DEV |- Sidney G. DAVEY b. c.1892 East Sstonehouse DEVHenry Davey probably started working as a photographer in the early 1860s. By the late 1860s he had premises at 135a Fore Street Hill, Exeter - Scott (1985) shows an earliest date for him at this address as 1870 - and in April 1871 he was living at the studio. An assistant Elizabeth Isaacs (c1816-1877), a widow, was also living there. His younger brother John Davey (1852-), living with his parents at 4 North Street (Iron Bridge), St David Exeter, was shown as a photographer in the census of that year, and was possibly assisting Henry. In about 1877 Henry opened new premises at the family home at 4 North/Iron Bridge, which he initially called the Albert Studio, located two doors from the Crown & Sceptre Hotel.
In 1879, Henry had moved to 4 Iron Bridge, and the Fore Street Hill premises appears to have been closed at this time. The studio continued to operate at Iron Bridge until at least 1914. His sister Emma Davey (1850-) and nephew Ernest Davey (c1873-) were both assisting in the shop in April 1891 and 1901, while a niece Mabel Davey (c1879-) was working there in 1901. For a brief period from 1893 to 1895, Henry Davey also operated a cycle agency next door to the studio, at number 3 Iron Bridge.
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| Type I Used c. early to mid-1860s ornate initials, ivy, four fonts & extra text violet on buff card |
Type II Used c. mid- to late 1860s angular scroll, ivy, coat of arms, one font & extra text black on white card by Smith Exeter |
Type III Used c. late 1860s to early 1870s ornate monogram & initials, scroll, ivy & extra text red on buff card |
Type IV Used c. early to mid-1870s artist's palette, ivy & 6 fonts red on pink card by Oborne, London & Paris |
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| Type Va Used c. mid- to late 1870s diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts & extra text; 2 studios red on orange card |
Type Vb Used c. late 1870s diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts & extra text; 2 studios red on buff card |
Type Vc Used c. late 1870s to early 1880s diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts & extra text; one studio brown on pale yellow card |
Type Vd Used c. early to mid-1880s diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts & extra text; one studio brown on white card by Oborne, London & Paris |
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ID #: hdavey03 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Davey, of 135A Fore Street Hill, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type I (violet) - ornate initials, ivy, four fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1862-1867 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. No writing on front. Subject: Two unidentified young women, probably in their 20s or early 30s, full length standing/seated portrait. |
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ID #: hdavey06 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Davey, of 135A Fore Street Hill, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type I (violet) - ornate initials, ivy, four fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1862-1867 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. No writing on front. Subject: Unidentified young man, probably in his early 20s, head-and-shoulders vignetted portrait. |
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ID #: hdavey08 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Davey, of 135A Fore Street Hill, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type II (black on white) - angular scroll, ivy, coat of arms, one font and extra text; single line frame around photo. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1865-1869 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Marked "Davey / Exeter" on front. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s, three-quarter length seated portrait with book. Possibly the same woman as the one seated in #hdavey03 above. |
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ID #: hdavey01 Source: Collection of Roger Vaughan Artist: H. Davey, of 135A Fore Street Hill, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type III (red) - ornate monogram & initials, scroll, ivy and extra text; single line frame around photo. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1868-1873 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Marked "H. Davey / Exeter" on front. Subject: Unidentified young man, probably in his late teens, full length standing portrait with chair. |
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ID #: hdavey09 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Davey, of The Albert Studio of Photography, North Street & 135 Fore Street Hill, Exeter Negative No. 17940 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type IV (red on pink) - artist's palette, ivy & six fonts with extra text; by Oborne, London & Paris. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1872-1876 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. No writing on front. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s, three-quarter length seated portrait with table & posy basket. |
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ID #: hdavey02 Source: Exeter Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Davey, Albert Studio, North Street & at 135 Fore Street Hill, Exeter Negative No. 23815 Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63.5 x 105 mm; Photo 58 x 94.5 mm) Card Type: Type Va (red on orange) - diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts, and extra text; two studios; thick red border on front of photo. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1874-1878 Notes: Thick card. Rounded corners. Marked "H. Davey / Exeter" on front. Subject: Unidentified elderly woman, probably in her 70s or 80s, three-quarter length seated portrait, with book and posy basket. |
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ID #: hdavey05 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Davey, Albert Studio, North Street & at 135 Fore Street Hill, Exeter Negative No. 25477 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type Vb (red on buff) - diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts, and extra text; two studios; thick red border on front of photo. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1875-1878 Notes: Thick card. Rounded corners. Marked "H. Davey / Exeter" on front. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s, full length standing portrait, with "leaning chair". |
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ID #: hdavey04 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Davey, Albert Studio, North Street, Exeter Negative No. 29202 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type Vc (brown on buff) - diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts, and extra text; one studio. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1876-1879 Notes: Thick card. Rounded corners. Marked "H. Davey / Exeter" on front. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s, full length standing portrait, with dresser and posy basket. |
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ID #: hdavey07 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Davey, Albert Studio, North Street, Exeter Negative No. 35062 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type Vd (brown on white) - diagonal name, ornate initials, 5 fonts, and extra text; one studio; card stock by Oborne, London & Paris. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1880-1885 Notes: Thick card. Rounded corners. Marked "H. Davey / Exeter" on front. Subject: Unidentified teenaged girl, three-quarter length standing portrait, with dresser and posy basket. |
Historical Directories from the University of Leicester
Indexed 1841- 1901 Census Images from Ancestry.com
1881 Census Transcript & International Genealogical Index (IGI) from the LDS Church's web site FamilySearch
Partial Transcript of the GRO Index from FreeBMD
Photographers in Devon 1842-1939 : a brief directory for photograph collectors, by C.G. Scott, 1985, The PhotoHistorian Supplement No. 101, ISSN 0957-0209
Trade Directory entries
History, Gazetteer & Directory of Devon (1878-79)
- Davey Henry, 4 Iron bridge, and 135A Fore street, Exeter
Kelly's Directory of Devon (1889)
- Davey Henry, 4 Ironbridge, Exeter
Kelly's Directory of Devon & Cornwall (1893)
- Davey Henry, photographer, 3 & 4 Ironbridge, Exeter
Besley's Post Office Directory of Exeter & Suburbs (1894-95)
- Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's Exeter (also cycle agent at 3 Iron Bridge)
Post Office Directory of Exeter (1895-96)
- Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter (also cycle agent at 3 Iron Bridge)
Kelly's Directory of Devon & Cornwall (1902)
- Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, Exeter
Besley's Exeter Directory & Business Guide (1906-11)
- (1906) Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
- (1909) Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
- (1910) Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
- (1912) Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
Besleys' Directory of Exeter & Suburbs (1913)
- Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
Besleys' Directory of Exeter & Suburbs (1914)
- Davey Henry, photographer, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
Besleys' Directory of Exeter & Suburbs (1915)
- Davey Henry, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
Besley's Directory of Exeter and Suburbs (1916-19)
- (1916) Davey Henry, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
- (1917) Davey Henry, 4 Iron Bridge, St David's, Exeter
Many thanks to Leonie Cousin and Roger Vaughan for kind contributions of images and information.