Jan Stewer is generally known in the South West of England as a character in the song "Widecombe Fair", the chorus of which ends with 'Uncle Tom Cobley and all'.
Sometime after 1876—and before 1881—William Coles was promoted to the rank of Master Gunner, and put in charge of the Martello Tower constructed from Sandgate Castle, to which the family moved.
[31] Her parents (Coles' uncle on his mother's side and his wife) had a farm in Exton Parish, Devon, and Florence was the eldest of seven children.
[32] As a foretaste of his own entertainments, "[W]hile Mr. Coles was village schoolmaster at Puddington ... he made his famous one-string fiddle from an old cigar box.
The biographer—Cock—affirms that the editor of the Devon and Exeter Gazette—Mr G. Gratwicke—saw the pages in the school journal, but wrote a letter just inviting Coles to submit "a" full length story.
Cock, the reporter of "Jan Stewer's Jubilee" article[35] and John Beaven in an interview,[36] say that Coles submitted the story with trepidation.
Voce speaks of the editor of the Devon and Somerset Gazette-- "which printed a large portion of the reading matter"--[34] as having sent congratulations and asked for 'similar story"--to the one on the last page of the school paper.
A. J. Coles, speaking as Jan Stewer says: "I thot tew mesel' I 'ud jis' drap in wance a wik and tell 'ee what we be dewin’ out ’long thikee part t' country."
He would appear in concerts for churches—including appeals to repair bells--, for cadet clubs, "to almost every conceivable good cause from painting the parish pump to procuring new uniforms for the town band".
[54] Even when he depended on his acting for his livelihood, his generosity was often taken advantage of[55] As the writer of "yarns" in the newspapers, and collections of these, addressee of letters from expatriate Devonians scattered widely, he was Jan Stewer.
On 2 April 1906, at the Devon Exhibition in Exeter, "in the evening Mr. Bert Coles, of Poltimore, recited 'Jan Stewer's' well known 'Census paper' story with great success' ...
[63] He makes a reductio ad absurdum of it--"Time 8:50 a.m —Seven and forty parents, and a miscellaneous gathering of ministers, deacons, local preachers, &c., crowd outside the door."
Dear Mr. Stewer,--l I thot I mite as well drap tha a vew lines these wik, as I knaw yu are mortal plazed ta yur frim varreign parts.
Laast wik Missus Stewer zend 'ee a ladder tullin ow her'd zarve 'en if 'e made 'er a gape snach bout thick pehanner.
Coles had already produced a play he had written, "Choosing a Knight", with the young students of the British schools—in the Bovey Tracey Town Hall—and in which he and F. Bissett acted.
"[76] The show went to the Exeter Theatre for a week,[77] last afternoon and evening on 15 July 1911, also to benefit the 5th Devon Cadet Corps, after expenses[78] In 1922 the operetta was performed in Torquay again, and £5 was donated from the proceeds for the "Christmas Pudding Fund" at The Western Morning News.
The Egypt stories read more like a normal tourist: "But laur' bless 'ee, 'tis when you gets up handy to the ole veller that you zees what a tremenyus size he be."
In the early nineteen-twenties Coles was assisted by Dorothy Latham who not only "accompanied Jan on the piano" [91] but sang her own songs and contributed to the performance until the family were old enough to form a party.
It gives a very good account of his travels--"I've been to Bude, that's right up north o' Cornwall, and down to Penzance, that's so-fur as the train will take 'ee, and scores of places in between; and up t'other way I bin to Bristol and Bath and Bournemouth and Swindon and lots o' plaaces around there."
It is unlikely that five would fit in the car—the photograph Cock gives, taken near Derry's Clock[95] Plymouth, makes it unlikely.,[96] but in 1925 the book "'Ole Biskit' speaks of the demise of Jan's car.
He gave a rave review ("his unsolicited testimonial") of his new car: "Dear Sirs,--Having driven my new Singer Junior hard for nearly three months, I am glad to able to tell you I am delighted with the performance she is putting up.
[103] Jan Stewer of Devon, (humorist), supported by the rest of his family, in Devonshire Dialect Recitals and Folksongs, &c. Vocalist, Gladys Latham.
Gladys Latham: "Only seven" (Lilian Grey), "Night of stars" ("Tales of Hoffmann") (Offenbach), Jan Stewer and party : Sketch, " The All-Fidgettes Day by the Seaside" (written and produced by A. J. Coles).
1 Portable Engine Winch" (31 March 1927)[106] and in the same year, by hosting a "mechanical drainage demonstration, under the auspices of Devon County Agricultural Committee",[107] A further project was the ‘Jan Stewer Tay Gardens’ where at least once they all dressed as characters from "Muddlecombe".
[109] But momentously, in 19 June (or so) 1928, at a concert in Whitestone—near the farm—he "assisted by his son [Colin] and two daughters {Mary and Joan], included in the programme a play, entitled 'Barnett's Folly' [which] was much enjoyed."
In March 1900 Coles has "Uncle Tom Cobleigh" say that what farmers needed most was co-operation: "the middle an' both ends ov the matter is conglomeration.
We wants a Nash'nal Union o' Varmers, wheerby all the agriculturalers in the country could put all thur voices together, an' maake a big noise as 'ad be yeerd in the land."
His Malvern Company played it in the Pier Pavilion, in the week of 8 June 1933.with Jan Stewer and Chloe Gibson in their roles of Growsell and Mudge.
[130] It was while living here that his store of "rare old dialect writings and books long out of print, works of reference, thousands of cuttings, diaries, programmes of past events, photographs, letters from readers all over the world, manuscripts, and half written plays, which stretched back forty years",[131] kept in a rented room, were totally destroyed in a May 1942 bombing raid.
[141] The following books written by an A. J. Coles, Assistant Master at St Albans School, are cited in several libraries, as noted in WorldCat.org as being by Jan Stewer.