13 Pullins Green

Mark Williams - The Blacksmith

In 1851 the house was occupied by Mark Williams, a blacksmith employing one man and a boy.  Mark was aged 34, living in the house with his wife, Harriet, aged 33 and their daughter, Sarah Ann aged 6.  The apprentice  Horatio John King, aged 15, the son of the previous blacksmith in the house, was also living with the family.  All of them were born in Thornbury. 

Mark's father was also called Mark and was also a blacksmith.  The 1841 shows the family living in the High Street before young Mark was married.  Mark's mother was called Mehitabel.  She was a Thornbury girl and Mark Williams senior was from Olveston.  We have not found where young Mark married Harriet but their daughter, Sarah Ann was baptised at St Mary's in Thornbury in September 1844.

Mark and his family were still in Pullins Green in 1861.  Horatio King had presumably completed his apprenticeship and become a blacksmith.  However, he had moved off to live in Olveston and he later settled in Elberton where he had his own blacksmith's forge.

In 1871 Mark and Harriet were still living at Pullins Green.  By this time they were 54 and 51 respectively and they had another apprentice, a nephew called Thomas Taylor aged 17.  A 75 year old annuitant called Samuel Davis also lived there.  Thomas had been born in "Clays Lane End"

1n 1881 Mark and his wife Harriet were living in the house alone.  Despite his advancing years, Mark was still a blacksmith.

By 1891, Harriet and Mark moved up to Alveston to live at The Abbey.  He had  retired from being a blacksmith and was described as a "farmer" despite his age, which was 74 by this time.

Click here to read more about Oliver Higgins, the next blacksmith in the forge.

This page was last updated: 26/03/2008