19 Rock Street

Occupants

We have had great difficulty in identifying the occupants of each house in the 19th century census records so we have not attempted to do so until we get some other supporting sources.  The history of occupants is therefore largely based on what people have been able to tell us, backed up by church records, electoral registers, school records etc.    

In this case, because the house was next door to the Seven Stars which was always identifiable in census records we are pretty sure of the earlier occupants of this house.

John Goodman - in the 1851 census the house seems to be occupied by John Goodman, an agricultural labourer aged 25 from Luckington in Wiltshire and his wife, Ann a seamstress aged 30. 

John, who was the son of Samuel Goodman a labourer, had married Ann Grimbell on 29th April 1849.  Ann was baptised on 2nd September 1818, the daughter of George Isles, a butcher and his wife, Ann who lived at Crossways.  Ann had married George Grimbell from Old Sodbury on 10th February 1839 and he had died. 

In the 1861 census John and Ann Goodman were living in Bulls Lane. We think that it was the house which later became known as 1 Bath Road.  John was a potato dealer.  In 1871 they had moved to the Hackett where John was a farmer.  In 1876 Rate Book they were listed as living in 3 Upper Bath Road.  In 1881 they had moved to The Comb in Gloucester Road, thought to be the cottage now known as Combe Cottage.  John was working as a general labourer.  In 1891 they were still there and Ann was recorded as being blind.  The 1894 Rate Book shows that they moved again, this time they were living at 7 Upper Bath Road.

It appears that John and Ann moved to Gloucester.  John died there in 1900 aged 74.  The 1901 census shows that Ann was in the Gloucester County Lunatic Asylum.  She died in 1904 aged 85.

Frederick Williams - in the 1861 census the house appears occupied by Frederick Williams, a Chelsea Pensioner aged 32 and his wife, Maria Williams, a washerwoman aged 32 and a visitor Hannah Woodward, a married sempstress aged 38.

Frederick was baptised on 20th August 1826, the son of George Williams, an innkeeper and his wife, Elizabeth.  On 23rd January 1850, he married Maria Hopton, the daughter of Charles Hopton, a labourer.  In the 1851 census they were living in St Mary Street where Frederick was described as a Chelsea Pensioner aged 23.

Frederick died aged 35 years and was buried on 17th February 1864.  An inquest into his death found that the cause was consumption (natural causes).

George Blake - in 1871 census George was a draper's porter aged 49 from Wiltshire, his wife, Hannah aged 43 from Thornbury, and their children: William an apprentice baker aged 16 born in Warmley, Alfred aged 14 born in Olveston, Emily aged 11 and Mary Ann aged 9 both born in Thornbury.  They also had one lodger, George Bendall a labourer aged 18 from Bristol.

George was a labourer when he married Hannah Bendall on 27th July 1846.  Hannah was the daughter of Meshac Bendall, a labourer.  Apart from the children listed above who were living with George and Hannah in 1871, they had other children:  George baptised on 19th September 1847, Sarah Ann and Mary Elizabeth both baptised on 13th July 1851, Henry baptised on 3rd July 1859  and Ellen baptised on 1st March 1869 and who was buried on 18th April 1869 aged 3 years and 9 months.

Jeremiah Mahagan - Jeremiah was born in Rathcormack in County Cork, Ireland about 1834.  By 1851 he had moved to Swansea in Wales where he is listed as a cordwainer aged 20 lodging in the High Street. 

By 1858 he had moved to Thornbury where he married Ruth Walker on 5th October at the Parish Church.  Ruth had been baptised on 20th September 1835, the daughter of John Walker, a labourer, and his wife, Sophia.  Jeremiah was an agricultural labourer.  He and Ruth settled in a house which later became known as 15 Rock Street but it was listed in the 1861 census as Back Street.  By that time they had two children: Ellen aged 2 and Henry aged 3 months.

They were still living in the same house in in the 1871 census by which time they had two more children:  John now aged 8 and Dennis aged 5.

The 1881 census shows the family had moved to 19 Rock Street.  Jeremiah was described as a hawker aged 47 living with his wife, Ruth who was aged 45 and their son, Dennis.

In 1891 Jeremiah and Ruth were living alone.  Jeremiah was a general labourer aged 63 and Ruth was aged 55. Jeremiah died on 27th August 1894 aged 66 years.   The 1901 census shows Ruth was living on her own at 19 Rock Street.  She died and was buried on 20th August 1902 aged 69 years.

Of their children: we understand that Ellen married Henry Neale in Thornbury in 1881 and both Dennis and John may have emigrated to Canada.  Henry - moved to Bristol but returned to marry Sarah Ann Ball and they settled first at Crossways and then Marlwood Lower Lodge and then Horseshoe Lane - click here to read more about Henry and Sarah Ann's family.

Henry Webb - the 1906 and 1910 Rate Books show that the house was occupied by Henry Webb who had been living in number 15 Rock Street.  Click here to read more

We do not know who lived in number 19 between the Webbs and the Messengers.

Frederick George and Sarah Jane Messenger
Frederick George Messenger was baptised on 16th October 1898.  He was the son of Charles Messenger, a labourer and his wife Mary Ann who lived in Grovesend.

Frederick married Sarah Jane Davies, the daughter of Edward Henry Davies, a master saddler.  They had  Clifford Arthur Messenger born on 7th May 1925, Douglas John Messenger born on 26th May 1927 and Agnes May Messenger born on 16th February 1930. 

By 1927 Frederick is listed as living in Rock Street, at the house which later became number 19.  Frederick had been badly affected by a gas attack during the First World War and he died in 1930 aged 31.  Sarah Jane carried on living in the house and married her next-door neighbour, Albert Ernest Caise (see below)

Albert Ernest and Sarah Jane Caise
On 2nd February 1932 Sarah Jane Messenger married Albert Ernest Caise, the son of Theophilus and Sarah Elizabeth Caise who lived next door at number 17 Rock Street.  Click here to read more about the Caise family

Albert and Sarah Jane continued to live at 19 Rock Street where they had one child, Shirley Elizabeth, born on 8th August 1935.  By 1950 the family had moved to 46 Eastland Avenue.  Sarah Jane died in 1986 aged 87 and was buried in the same grave as her first husband, Frederick Messenger.

Austin Dixon - the Dixon family lived in the house from about 1950 until it was demolished in the early 60's.  Austin Dixon was born in 1894, the son of Mark and Florence Dixon.  Click here to read more about the Dixon family

On 28th July 1926 Austin married Lily Harris, the daughter of William George Harris.   Austin was then aged 31 and working as a motor driver.  Austin and Lily moved to live in Filton.  He was a chauffeur for Sir George White, the head of Bristol Aeroplane Company.  They had one son, George Dixon who became an engine driver on the railways. 

Unfortunately Austin and Lily's house was bombed in one of the air-raids in 1942.   They moved back to Thornbury, living at first with Lily's sister, Emily Ellen Skuse in St Mary Street, and then in their own house at 19 Rock Street.

Both Austin and his son were bandsmen with the Gloucester Regiment.  Austin died April 27th 1956 aged 61 years.  George had moved away and was working on the railways.  He returned to Thornbury to look after his mother and got work at Berkeley Power Station.

In 1965 Lily was living in Streamleaze and George now lives in Streamleaze.

This page was last updated: 22/11/2008