The English family
Bakers of Thornbury (and Alveston)
No. 1 St John Street
No. 1A St John Street
No. 3 St John Street
No. 5 St John Street
No. 7 St John Street
No. 9 St John Street
No. 11 St John Street
No. 13 St John Street
No. 15 St John Street
No. 17 St John Street
No. 19 St John Street
No. 21 St John Street
No. 23 St John Street
No. 2 St John Street
No. 4 St John Street
No. 6 St John Street
No. 8 St John Street
The English family moved from Malmesbury in Wiltshire. At least
three of this family were to move,
all sons of Simon Crombe English, a dairyman and his wife, Elizabeth whose
photo is shown on the left. Simon
never moved to Thornbury. He died in Malmesbury in 1894 aged 72.
Thomas Eldridge English
Thomas was born in
Malmesbury in 1855. We know that Thomas moved to St John Street around 1882/3 because his son, Frank, was
born in Thornbury in 1883. Thomas was a baker. He had married
Caroline Eliza Reeves in Bath in 1880. They had a daughter, also
Caroline Eliza, born
in Malmesbury on 30th December 1881 before the move. Caroline Eliza started at the
Council School in 1884 and Frank started there in 1887.
After his first wife, Caroline died in Thornbury in 1885 aged 33 years, Thomas married again on May 1st 1886 at what is now the United Reformed Church in Thornbury. His second wife was Hannah Putley born about 1855 in Alveston. We don't know a great deal about Hannah - except that when Thomas died his obituary showed that Hannah must have been the sister of Laura Putley, the wife of Bernard Symes. Several of their offspring, or their spouses, are referred to as nephews and nieces of Thomas English.
By 1891 Thomas had opened his bakery at what became known as number 4 St John Street. Thomas and and his second wife, Hannah had had one child, Winifred, born in 1889. In 1898 and 1898 they applied for planning permission for two bay windows in the front of the house and a new bakery at the rear.
They were still there in the 1901 census which shows that Frank was by that time helping his father in the bakery. In 1914 Frank married Cordelia Lydia Rose Riddiford in Alveston and they settled in Weston- super-Mare.
The photograph on the left above is known to be the baker's van of T E English. It is possible that this is Frank.
Thomas continued trading as a baker and confectioner until his death. Hannah (or Anna as she became known) died on January 10th 1931 aged 75 years. Thomas died on August 9th 1934 aged 79 years. A few days earlier on the 4th August, he had been picking pears in his orchard at the rear of the bakery. It is thought that the ladder on which he was standing must have slipped and Thomas fell to the ground. He was found there muttering 'Oh, my back'. He was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary where he died. A post mortem revealed a fracture of the right ribs, internal injuries and hypostatic pneumonia which caused his death.
His obituary in the Gazette mentions that Thomas had been a long time treasurer of the Thornbury Master Baker's Association, President of the Thornbury Liberal Party and a Vice President of the Thornbury Gleemen's Society. It added 'Although 79 years of age, Mr English had been very active and every day he could be seen delivering bread round the town in his hand cart. His was a simple but noble character: he had a smile and a cheery remark for everyone and Thornbury is the poorer for his passing'.
Click here to read more about the other members of the English family
Click here to see the other occupants of number 4
This page was last updated: 23/06/2008