Upper Bath Road
Numbers 2- 8
The four houses on the left in the above photo became numbered 2, 4, 6 & 8 Upper Bath Road when house numbering was introduced in the early 1950's.
The 1840 Tithe Map shows they were owned by Robert Ann. The map appears to show that there was only three houses built at that time, and if we are right about this, then it would appear that it was numbers 4, 6 & 8 which were built at that time. The details accompanying the survey show only two occupants on this plot, which is Plot 115. They were William Walker and Isaac Sly, but we don't know which houses they were occupying.
Robert Ann was baptised on 8th April 1787, the son of John and Ann Ann. Robert was a stonemason who lived in Alveston with his wife, Ester. Robert Ann died in the September quarter of 1870 aged 84. On 3rd August 1870 there was an auction of properties in his estate. This included 'two dwelling houses in Upper Bath Road leading to the new railway in the occupation of John Stinchcombe and Mrs Murphy'. These were two houses which later became known as numbers 6 and 8 Upper Bath Road.
We don't know whether the houses were sold at auction. The Rate Books show that from 1876 onwards the houses were owned by James Martin. There is a record of a marriage between a Mary Ann (Ann being the surname) and James Martin in the Thornbury district in September quarter 1856, so it is possible that Mary Ann and Robert Ann were related.
James and Mary Martin lived at Alveston Down and records show that Mary was born about 1800 whereas James was born about 1822. Mary died in 1882 aged 82.
James was living on his own at Alveston in 1891 census, but by the 1901 census he was married again to another Mary. This one was born in Thornbury about 1850. From the details shown in her Will, it would appear that this was a Mary Brown born in 1850, the daughter of Thomas and Susan Brown of Buckover. There is one possible marriage of James Martin and Mary Brown but that takes place in Salford in Lancashire in 1895 and we have no knowledge of James or Mary ever being in that part of the world. In 1891 Mary Brown was a house maid in Westbury on Trym in Bristol.
James Martin died in 1907 aged 85 and the next knowledge we have is that they were put up for auction again on 30th May 1916 as part of the estate of Mrs Mary Martin (deceased).
The auction of 30th May 1916 of properties belonging to Mrs Mary Martin (deceased) included two lots of freehold property:
Lot 4 - all those two cottages with yards and premises situate in Raglan Castle Road, in the occupation of Miss Sherman and Mr William Cook at the weekly rent of 2s 6d and 2s 4d respectively. Each house contains two bedrooms, front room, kitchen with small garden. There is a pig sty on that occupied by Miss Sherman and a large outhouse on that occupied by Mr Cook.
Lot 5 - all those two cottages with yards and premises situate in Raglan Castle Road, in the occupation of Messrs Henry Bendall and Robert Sainsbury at the weekly rent of 2s 4d and 2s 6d respectively. Each house contains two bedrooms, front room, kitchen and small garden.
Both lots were sold to Thomas Exell for £125 - possibly for his daughter, Bertha Annie Exell (who married Wilfred P Winter in 1927).
Click here to read about the occupants of 2 Upper Bath Road
Click here to read about the occupants of 4 Upper Bath Road
Click here to read about the occupants of 6 Upper Bath Road
Click here to read about the occupants of 8 Upper Bath Road
This page was last updated: 21/10/2008