17 Pullins Green

Occupants

John and Jane Drake - the 1876 Rate Book tells us that John Drake was the occupant of the house and that by 1880 Rate Book Jane Drake was the tenant. 

Jane's maiden name was Heard and she was born in Hartland in Devon about 1821.  There are a few Heard families in Hartland at this time and we have not established who her parents were, as by 1841 she was a servant in Parkham, not far from Hartland.  By 1851 she had moved further away from home - she is shown as an unmarried servant aged 34 working for Henry Britton, an attorney at his home in Chudleigh House, Clifton.    

She married a widowed master sawyer from Thornbury, John Liddiatt in Bristol in June quarter 1854 who had been living in Horseshoe Lane in 1851.  In 1861 Jane and John were living in Rotten Row (now called Chapel Street) Thornbury.  John Liddiatt was a sawyer aged 56.  Jane was aged 40.  John appears to have died.  Jane Liddiatt re-married in Bristol in December quarter 1869, to another widower, John Drake.  In 1871 she was living in 25 Victoria Street, Bristol with John Drake, a shoemaker, aged 53 from Crediton in Devon.  Jane's age was given as 50.  John's first wife, Elizabeth had died earlier in the year aged 49.

By 1876 they had returned to Thornbury and were in 17 Pullins Green.  John died in Thornbury in December quarter 1879 aged 68.  In 1881 Jane was a widowed annuitant aged 55  living at 17 Pullins Green with an unmarried  lodger, Alfred S Freer, a shoemaker aged 21 from Woodstock in Oxfordshire. 

Jane isn't listed in the 1885 Rate Book, but in the 1890 Rate Book she is living in 21 Pullins Green.  She was described as a 70 year old widow born in Hartland in Devon and now living on her own means.  We are not sure when Jane died - she might be the person whose death was registered in Clifton in 1895 aged 79 - her age seemed to vary a lot in previous censuses!

The Hemming family - in 1891 the house was occupied by John William Hemming, a police constable aged 34 from Stroud and his wife, Elizabeth Ellen aged 34 from Challon, Berks.  Also living there were two lodgers including Frank Yeomans a railway porter aged 18 from Studley in Warwickshire and Edgar Marsh a bird taxidermist aged 76 who had been born in Thornbury.

John's occupation obviously kept the family on the move.  Earlier, in 1881, John had been an unmarried police constable in Cirencester.  They lived for a time after their marriage in Iron Acton where their first child, Albert William was born about 1884.  Percy, their second son, was born in Thornbury about 1888.  Later they seemed to leave Thornbury to move to Fishponds where two more children, Violet H and Elsie M were born in 1892 and early 1901.  At the time of the 1901 census, the family were living at 6 Filwood Road, Bristol.  Their son, Albert had become a tram car conductor. 

Rev David D. Evans - shown as living here in the 1894 Rate Book.  David (whose photo is on the left) was a minister with the Congregational Chapel from 1889 until 1895.  He was described by Edgar Pitcher in his brief history of the Chapel as being a warm hearted Welshman.

James and Eliza Hodges - the 1901 census shows James and Eliza living in the house with Jane Elmer, Eliza's widowed mother who was aged 85 from Warboys in Huntingdonshire.   Click here to read more about James and Eliza Hodges

George and Edna Ord - shown as living in the house from about 1935 onwards.  George was born in the Sunderland area in 1907, the son of William Ord, a miner.  He moved south to Thornbury and on 24th May 1924 he married Edna Francis Thompson, the daughter of Albert Ernest Thompson, the baker.  Edna's birth was registered in Chipping Sodbury in 1909.  At the time of his marriage, George was a carpenter.  We understand that he later worked for Hortham Hospital as a charge nurse.  George was a keen cricketer playing for Thornbury Cricket Club.  The photo on the right shows George when playing in 1936.

George died on 19th June 1980 aged 73 years, Edna died in Chipping Sodbury on 17th November 1993 aged 84 years.

This page was last updated: 27/10/2008