St John Street
No. 17
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
We know very little about this house as we haven't yet seen any deeds which relate specifically to the house. We would like to hear from anyone who can add to (or correct) the information shown on the website.
From the deeds of other properties in the street it would appear that either James Withers or James Withers Bevan built the house as they were both associated with the building of the adjoining houses. This would put the date of the construction of the house around the early 1800's.
William Thomas - at the time of the 1840 Tithe survey, the house was owned by William Thomas. The 1841 census shows William was living in the house - he was a mason living with his wife, Diana, and unmarried daughters, Kezia and Jemima. William was born in Alveston about 1788 and Diana born about 1784. By 1851 William and Diana had moved to the High Street. They were living there next door to a house occupied by their daughter, Jemima, and her husband, Hugh Smart, a grocer. Their other daughter, Kezia, was also living with the Smarts.
Diana died in 1860 aged 79. In 1861 census, William had moved in to live with Hugh Smart, now a beerhouse keeper and Jemima. William died in 1870 aged 84.
Although William had moved away from the house, it appears that he continued to own it. The deeds of number 5 St John Street include a list of the owners of adjoining properties in the street in 1873 and this shows that the house was then owned by William's son-in-law, Hugh Smart.
Hugh Smart - we assume that Hugh inherited the property from William Thomas when he died in 1870. Hugh was born in Oldbury and baptised on 18th May 1823, the son of James Thomas, a farmer and his wife, Mary.
Hugh married William Thomas's daughter, Jemima, in 1848 and they settled in the High Street on the corner of Chapel Street. Hugh initially traded as a grocer, but in 1858, he obtained a licence to sell beer in addition to groceries. His beer trade must have grown in importance as the place was given the name of the Queens Head Inn which continued under that name until it was finally closed in 1958.
Jemima died in 1879 aged 59 years and Hugh continued at the Queens Head until his death in 1888 aged 65.
Unfortunately, we know nothing about any other owners of number 17.
Click here to read about the occupiers of the house
This page was last updated: 23/06/2008