Upper Bath Road
Number 10
We have no photograph of the house. We would love to hear from anyone with any knowledge of the house or photographs relating to it or its occupants.
We are grateful to South Gloucestershire Council for letting us see the deeds that they hold for this house.
Matthew Mills. The deeds in the packet for 10 Upper Bath Road begin with a lease and release dated 5th and 6th of July 1821 between Matthew Mills a mason and William Slain a carpenter. By these documents for the sum of £46 William Slain bought a garden ground that had been part of a close called the Paddock which had since been planted over with fruit trees and called the orchard which measured two acres. Click here to read about Matthew Mills
William Slain bought the property, then described as an orchard in July 1821. By 19th October 1827 William Slain sold to John Lippiatt for £160 the same piece of land together with a messuage or dwellinghouse erected by William Slain and which was now or late in his occupation. Click here to read about William Slain.
John Lippiatt a cordwainer who had bought the property in October 1827 sold it on 7th January 1830 to Thomas Dorney. It was then described as the land and the house now in the occupation of John Lippiatt. We are not sure of the identity of this John Lippiatt.
Thomas Dorney of Eastington gentleman, bought the property in January 1830. On 28th 1839 "now in the occupation of Richard Greenwood" it was bought for £120 by Joseph Dorney of Sundays Hill yeoman from Thomas Dorney. The 1841 Census shows Thomas Dorney as a a dissenting minister aged 45 living with Sarah Dorney of independent means with two servants in Falfield.
At the time of the 1840 Tithe Survey the house and garden was referred to as Plot 114 which was owned by John Dorney and occupied by Richard Greenwood. We think John Dorney may be a transcription error. The property seems to have been acquired by Joseph Dorney who on 23rd April 1822 married Edith Hooper. Joseph Dorney late of Sundays Hill made a will dated 23rd November 1839 leaving all his property to his wife Edith for her life time. In the 1841 Census Joseph was a farmer in Sundays Hill area aged about 60, living with Edith also aged about 60. He died on 6th July 1842. The 1851 Census shows Edith lodging with a farmer, Joseph Weeks and his wife Elizabeth, also in Sundays Hill. Edith Dorney died 1852. On 18th March 1853 Thomas Dorney of South Dean in Newnham Gloucestershire sold this property for £80 to Jesse Cossham.
Jesse Cossham bought this house in 1853. The Rate Books of 1859, 1876, 1880 and 1885 show that the owner of the property was then Jesse Cossham. In his will dated 10th March 1886, Jesse described as a gentleman of Thornbury devised the property to Esther Saise. It was then described as a "freehold messuage garden and premises" late in the occupancy of William Underhill. Jesse died on 20th May 1887. Esther was born on 19th May 1838 and she died on 22nd December 1914. In her Will dated 11th July 1906, Esther devised her real estate to her trustees, William Davis Canning and William John Allen, to sell. William Davis Canning died before Esther Saise so it was left for William John Allen to sell the property. Click here to read more about Jesse Cossham and Esther Saise
The sale took place at an auction on 22nd March 1916. At the time of the auction in March 1916, the property was described as 'A freehold cottage containing two front rooms and kitchen and two bedrooms with large and productive garden and outbuildings comprising large stone-built shed or stable and pigsty situate at Upper Bath Road, Thornbury and let to Mr. Thomas Boulton at a rent of £8 10s 0d per annum. Landlord pays rates.'
Thomas Exell a provision merchant bought the property on 2nd May 1916 for £125. The indenture arising from that sale refers to the property as 'All that messuage or dwellinghouse with the outbuildings garden and …. situate in Upper Bath Road in the town of Thornbury in the County of Gloucester now in the occupation of Thomas Boulton bounded on the north by property of the representatives of Mary Martin deceased on the east by Upper Bath Road on the south and west by property of Mrs Shepherd.
Thomas Exell was the son of George Henry Exell. Thomas was born in Thornbury and was baptised two years later on 5th October 1856. The 1861 Census shows that George and his family were sharing a household at the Baths in Thornbury. The other family consisted of John and Mary Morley. Thomas's father George was a shoemaker and Thomas aged 7 was the eldest of four children. By 1871 the family had moved a little way away to Vilner Farm.
By 1881 Thomas was working as a butler in Hastings in the household of Edward Harcourt and his lady (whose occupation was an "Earl's daughter"). The housemaid was Maria Vickerstaff. We have learned from the Ancestry website that Thomas married Maria Vickerstaff on 6th June 1883 at Holy Trinity Church in Kensington Middlesex while he was a servant living at Lloyds Place and Maria was at Princes Gardens. Her father John Vickerstaff was a gardener.
By
1885 the couple had set up home in Thornbury as Thomas appeared in a trade
directory for Gloucestershire under the heading of corn and flour dealers.
By the 1901 Census he was a grocer and provision merchant in the High
Street in Thornbury. He was aged 47 as was Maria. They had
three children; Ernest was 16 (baptised in Thornbury on 18th June 1884) Lilian Mary was 15 (baptised in Thornbury 22nd July 1885) and Bertha aged
6 (baptised 14th December 1894). They had a domestic help Susan
Wilson. The Rate Books
1905, 1910 and
1926 show that Thomas also owned
32
High Street,
12 and 14
St Mary Street, 2 and 4 Horseshoe Lane and numbers 2 to 8
Upper Bath Road.
On 25th November 1915 Ernest George Exell, Thomas's son joined the army. The record shows he served with the RGA which we assume meant the Royal Garrison Artillery. Ernest was 31 years and 6 months and 5ft 10 1/2. He was discharged "no longer physically fit for service" on 14th February 1917.
In 1916 on June 3rd the Bristol Mercury had a report about a breach of the the Defence of the Realm Act concerning Thomas Exell and his son Ernest. Neither of these two were spies! Ernest had been spotted driving without front and rear lights on his horse and trap by a local Special Police Officer. Special PC Brown said he approached Ernest and warned him about the lights to which Ernest replied "the lights are alright." Ernest drove the trap into St Mary Street and into his yard where he shut the doors. PC Brown asked him to open the doors but when Ernest ignored him he went to the front door of the house and fetched Ernest 's father Thomas. They met Ernest and the constable asked him his name and he said only" Exell." Thomas gave the policeman his son's full name. In court it was Thomas who came forward and apologised for his son and said he had highly strung nerves and he had "had work to get him to attend Court at all." Ernest was fined ten shillings.
Thomas Exell died on 14th January 1930, having made a will that appointed Lawrence Thurston Thurston and William James Shepherd and Lilian Mary Edwards formerly Exell his trustees. He requested that his real estate should be sold and after some legacies £2,00 should be invested upon trust for his daughters Lilian Mary Exell and Martha Annie Exell. Lilian Mary Exell married Reginald David Edwards a brewer's surveyor on 4th April 1931.
On 17th March 1947, Lilian died aged 61. The house (10 Upper Bath Road) was put up for auction as part of the estate of Mrs L. M. Edwards whose main property appears to have been Stock Farm, Littleton. At that time, it described as "A well-built detached cottage with garden known as 'Raglan Castle' Upper Bath Road, Thornbury let to Mr H. Wilson at an inclusive rental of 10s 6d per week. The Cottage is stone built, rough-cast over with tile roof, the accommodation comprising sitting room with cupboards, Pantry with ditto, Back Kitchen with sink, range and boiler; two bedrooms over. All main services. Good walled-in garden with W.C. and useful shed." On 29th September 1947 Lilian's executor, her sister, Bertha Annie Winter of Blanford, Dorset, sold the house to John Lester Edwards, a civil engineering assistant of Cutts Heath, Warmley for £250.
On 26th November 1958 John sold the property to Thornbury Rural District Council for £208 10s. John's address at the time was 24 Goldney Avenue, Warmley. The house was demolished about 1960.
Click here to read about the occupants of the house
This page was last updated: 09/12/2011