1 Bath Road

Baylis the Carriers

The Baylis family of Thornbury were best known as providing Thornbury with a carrier service for more than 100 years.  We are not sure how far back in time they started this service.  The earliest record we have seen so far mentions Walwin Baylis as a carrier when his daughter Emma was baptised in 1831.  We know from other records that there was a Robert Baylis was also a haulier and carrier - he is shown as living in Poultry Brook (the house below Daggs allotments).  We assume this may be Walwin's brother.  Walwin and Robert were sons of Benjamin Baylis, a tailor and his wife, Martha (nee Mills).  Click here to read about Benjamin and Martha and their other children

Walwin Baylis - "Wallwynn" Baylis was born on 24th December 1799 and baptised in Thornbury on 7th February 1800.  His parents were Benjamin and Elizabeth Baylis.  It seems possible that Benjamin and Elizabeth had another child Elwin who died aged 16 weeks and was buried at the Baptist burial ground.  Walwin's mother, Elizabeth Baylis died aged 40 on 8th August 1818 in Thornbury and was buried in the yard of the Baptist Meeting House. 

The IGI seems to indicate that "Walwyn Bayliss" married Hannah Alway on 28th September 1825 in Southampton in Hampshire.  We do not know why Walwin was in Southampton at this time but we assume he was working there as a servant.

On 15th November 1829 when their son Edwin was baptised in Thornbury Walwin Baylis was a servant.   By 1831 when his daughter, Emma was baptised on 2nd October 1831 Walwin had become a carrier.  The Tithe Apportionment drawn up by 1840 shows that Walwin was living on Plot 105 and renting from the Feoffees of Thornbury a property described as house and stable behind what may then have been the New Inn, near the corner of Chapel Street and High Street.

The 1841 Census shows that Walwin was living in Chapel Street with his family.  Walwin was a carrier aged 40 living with his wife, Hannah aged 40 and their children: George aged 16, Mary Ann aged 12, Edwin aged 11, Emma aged 9, Henry aged 7, Robert aged 5, Ann aged 3 and Jane aged 1.  At this time he was advertising a carrier service between his house in Thornbury and Bristol every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

In 1848 Walwin's wife Hannah died.  In 1851 he was still in the Chapel Street house with his children: Mary Ann, Edwin now also working as a carrier, Emma, Henry, Robert, Anne and three extra children born since last census: Jane, Elizabeth and Walter.  On 2nd October 1850 Walwin and his brother Robert, both hauliers agreed to be surety for their father's rent of 15 St Mary Street.  The 1852 trade directory shows that Walwin had joined with Thomas Greenman to operate the carrier service to Bristol on the same 3 days.

In 1861 Walwin was a carrier aged 61 living with his son, Walter aged 16 and daughter, Elizabeth a housekeeper aged 18 and a nephew George Hodges aged 5 born in London.  The 1871 census shows that he is still working as a carrier, now aged 71 and living in the same place.  At this time he has just his daughter, Elizabeth living with him as housekeeper.  Walwin died in the Bristol area on 4th February 1872 aged 72.  One of the executors of his will was John Spicer Binder of Thornbury the "Dissenting minister."

Walwin's daughter, Emma then aged 26 married John Honeyborne aged 28 on 9th May 1858.  John died in 1867 and Emma married again.  Her second husband was John Stevens.  We know Walwin's daughter Jane, ventured overseas as there is a report of her death in the Bristol Mercury.  It says she died in Norway on 6th February 1871 and that she was the wife of Captain Hans Torjuson and the fourth daughter of Mr Walwin Baylis of Thornbury.  It is fascinating to see that all of Walwin's sons continued to work in the field of public transport:

George Baylis - in the 1871 census George was living at 5 Surrey Terrace, Camberwell and working as a railway porter.

Edwin Baylis - Edwin married Emma Ransom on 20th July 1856 in St Marylebone in Westminster.  In 1861 Edwin was living in 3 Stafford Place, Richmond in London where he was working as a coachman with his wife, Emma from Warminster in Wiltshire.  He died in Childown Chertsey aged 54 on 24th June 1883.

Walter Baylis - in the 1871 census Walter is living with his wife, Anne (nee Morley), at 12 Rock Street.  Following the death of Walwin in 1872 Walter took over his father's house in Chapel Street.  In 1877 and 1889 he was listed in the trade directories as being a carrier, haulier and coal merchant.  By the 1891 census, he was described as 'fly proprietor' so he was offering specialised form of transport for hire which we understand is a one horse two wheeled light carriage.   We have found a couple of notices in the Bristol Mercury which show that Walter was leaving town in 1891 and was selling his house, a 4 bedroomed dwelling with large coach-house and a 'never-failing supply of water'.  In the second auction he puts up for sale 'a portion of his household furniture, poultry and other effects'.  From the description of the house which also mentions two front sitting rooms, and a quarter acre of capital warm early garden' we are fairly confident that this was the house to the right of the present Thornbury Museum which was pulled down and is now an access way to the Armstrong Hall.   This would seem to indicate that Walter was living in the same property his parents had lived in.  Walter died in 1900 aged 55.

Robert Baylis - in 1871 Robert was living in 62 Dorchester Gardens, Paddington in London where Robert was employed as a coachman.  The 1877 Thornbury trade directory does however list a Robert Baylis carrier whose address was Poulter Brook.

And finally, there was Henry who carried on the family business well into the twentieth century.

Henry Baylis - Henry was born on October 30th 1834.  On 19th December 1858 Henry married Amelia Walker, the daughter of Daniel Walker, a labourer from Thornbury.  The 1861 census shows that Henry and Amelia (although her name was shown in the census as 'Ann') were living in the house on the corner of St Mary Street and Chapel Street (which later became known as 61 St Mary Street).  Henry was a grocer.  They had two children: George aged 2 and Albert aged 1.  Henry was working as a carrier, presumably with his father.  They were still in St Mary Street in the 1871 census but now Amelia had had lots more children: George aged 12, Albert aged 11, Florence aged 8, Jane aged 6, Emily 4, Mary Ann 2 and Amelia Anne aged 7 months.

Henry bought the property that became 1 Bath Road on 19th November 1873 for £190.  The 1876 Rate Book confirms that Henry now owned property in Bath Road (then called Bullseys Lane).  He was occupying himself the stables and coach-house he owned, presumably for the use of his carrier business.  The adjoining house and garden which he owned was initially occupied by George Parnell, but by 1880 Henry had moved in.  This house was later known as 1 Bath Road.  Henry was being listed in the trade directories from 1877 onwards as being a carrier and haulier and from 1889 he was offering a daily service to Bristol.  The 1895 directory specified that the daily service ran to the White Horse, Barr Street in Bristol.

The 1881 census showed Henry as a 'carrier haulier etc' living with Amelia and the children: George a carrier aged 22, Florence aged 18, Emily aged 14, Mary Ann aged 12, Annie aged 10, Walwin aged 8, Ada aged 6, Austin Edward aged 4, Kate aged 2 and Elsie aged 3 months.  By 1891 he had added one more child: Ralph who was then aged 7.  In 1901 Henry and Amelia were still living at 1 Bath Road but all the children had moved away except for Jane who was a dressmaker aged 36 and Ralph who had become an ironmonger's apprentice aged 17.  The 1911 census shows Henry and Amelia still living at the house in Bath Road.  Henry was still described as a carrier and farmer aged 75.  They were now living with Kate aged 31, Elsie aged 29 and Ralph a carrier's assistant aged 26.

Amelia died on 29th January 1914 aged 75.  Henry made a will dated 1st December 1915 appointing as his trustees Walwin Baylis of Clipstone Road Forest Town Mansfield a contractor and George Tucker a builder of Thornbury.  Henry died on 19th May 1918 aged 85.  The carrier business was taken over by Ralph, Henry's youngest son. 

When a Thornbury man, George Williams, applied for an exemption from military service in the Great War he said that his employer was Henry Baylis of Thornbury Coal Company of the High Street.  This company advertised in trade directories from as early as 1897 to 1936 and we are still investigating who actually owned that company during that period.

On 24th June 1919 the trustees of Henry Baylis, Walwin Baylis and George Tucker having had the property valued in accordance with Henry's wishes sold the property at 1 Bath Road for £625 to Kate Baylis a spinster, Elsie Baylis a spinster and Ralph Baylis a carrier.

Ralph Baylis - carried on the carrier business and lived at 1 Bath Road after the death of his parents with his sisters, Kate and Elsie.  Ralph died on 13th December 1949 aged 66 years. Kate Baylis died in June 1955 and Elsie Baylis died on 19th January 1956.  On the 16th August 1956 Robert Baylis of Middlesex and Albert Baylis of 23 Pullins Green sold 1 Bath Road to Francis George Hopkins of 18 High Street for £2000 and so ended the link the Baylis family had with this property.  Click here to read more about 1 Bath Road,

Of Henry's children, we know that:

George Henry worked initially as a grocer and then became a carrier living in 1 Rock Street, very close to his parents. click here to read more

Albert was involved in a Court Case in 1878.  Albert and George Baylis were driving their horse drawn van along what is now the A38 from Patchway with a Mr Vowles.  When they reached Almondsbury, James Crossman tried to jump on the tailboard of the van.  George Baylis "curled the whip around his legs to make him desist".  James Crossman called for help and two other men began to throw stones.  Albert was hit in the eye, and suffered "a severe wound".  His attackers were sent to prison for one month.

Albert married Sarah Ann Ashley in 1887 and they settled in Sibland/Crossways area of Thornbury.  Albert became a haulier and carrier, although at the time of his death in 1906 he was described as a general labourer.  Albert and Sarah Ann had five children: Beatrice Annie baptised on 4th December 1887, Hubert Lloyd baptised on 2nd November 1890, twins, Albert Howard and Percy Ashley baptised on 11th September 1892 and Adelaide Amelia baptised on 1st July 1896.  On 31st March 1897, Sarah Anne died aged 36, possibly in childbirth because there is record of a birth and death of a Christian Baylis in Thornbury in the March quarter 1897.  The newspaper article on the right dated 7th May 1896 shows Albert was trouble with the police but got anyway with it. 

Albert died of acute pneumonia and heart failure on 25th February 1906 aged 45.  We understand that  following the death of their parents, the children were brought up by Mrs E Skidmore.  We don't know what connection Mrs Skidmore was the family.

Of Albert's children: Hubert settled in 23 Pullins Green, Thornbury and became known locally as 'Plumber Baylis' - click here to read more.  Beatrice (or 'Beat' as she was called) initially worked in service for Dr Lionel Williams at Oriel House for a few years before moving to Kingswood and then on to Wick.  She never married and she died in 1976 aged 88.  Adelaide (or 'Addie' as she was known) married William E Ball in the Bristol area in 1925.  Howard served in the Navy in the First World War and married his cousin, Elsie Northcott in 1928.  They settled in Beer in Devon and Howard became the local baker in nearby Seaton.  Percy worked as a butler before joining the Army with the 8th Battalion Welsh Regiment.  He spent some time in India during the War.  After the War he resumed his work as a butler and moved to different parts of the country.  He married Dorothy.  The thumbnail on the right is a photo of Albert's children taken at the wedding of Hubert's daughter, Margaret Anne.  Click on the thumbnail to see the full image.  

Jane - married a widowed carpenter, Henry Sherborne in 1907 who lived at 4 Bath Road click here to read more

This page was last updated: 30/12/2011