St John Street

Number 13

Number 13 is the house on the right in the above photograph. 

The 1840 Tithe Map shows that Luke Withers owned three properties on the areas numbered 239 and 240 which are now known as 11,13 and 15 St John St, and that he was living in number 15 which is referred to as 'a house and garden'.  The other two properties were described as two 'houses and courts' occupied by Martha Allen and Susan Watkins.  We guess that it was Martha Allen who lived in number 13.  The term 'court' suggests that there was just a little courtyard at the rear, and no garden.

Martha Allen appears in 1841 census as the wife of Samuel Allen aged 40 a gardener.  In this census they were both living in Gillingstool.  The 1851 census shows they were in the Black Horse Gillingstool.  Samuel was a beerhouse keeper and Martha was born in Ilfracombe.

From our research in Gloucester Records Office, we are fairly confident that the house was built in the mid 1820's by John Bevan, a Thornbury cooper.  We found two indentures, the first dated 1824 refers to a newly erected dwelling built by John Bevan on the garden land to the north of St John Street.  We believe this refers to the house now known as number 15.  The property was sold by John Bevan to James Withers of Thornbury, carpenter.  Mary Jefferys of Southampton is also mentioned in the indenture, but we assume she may have provided the mortgage for John Bevan.  

The second indenture dated 1827 refers to the same newly built dwelling and three other properties all built by John Withers Bevan on the garden land.  We believe this refers to the houses now known as numbers 11, 13 and 15.  We are somewhat confused by the reference to 3 other properties, and it might just mean that number 15 is one of the three.  The other obvious problem with this document is that it is saying that John Withers Bevan built all the houses. This is contradicting the 1824 document which says that John Bevan built the first house. John Withers Bevan was the son of John Bevan, the cooper and his wife Hester (nee Withers).  It is possible that father and son were both responsible for building the houses or that the author of the document had simply confused the two John Bevans.

The indenture also appears to suggest that James Withers had a mortgage from John Withers Bevan and that the two of them were leasing the properties to Thomas Smith of Henbury, yeoman, for a period of one year.  It was standard practice to lease for one year as a first step in the purchase of a property.  In this case however it would appear that the sale was not completed as the houses were owned by Luke Withers in 1840.

There would appear to be a connection between John Bevan, John Withers Bevan and the person who bought the property from them, James Withers.  It is possible that James Withers was a brother of John Bevan's wife Hester but we have not found any evidence to confirm or disprove this.

Click about the other OWNERS of the property.
Click here to read about the families who occupied the house as TENANTS.

This page was last updated: 13/01/2008