1 Rock Street

The house on the right in the adjoining photo became number 1 Rock Street when house numbering was introduced in the 1950's.

We don't know when the house was built.  It was there at the time of the 1840 Tithe Survey when it was Plot 123 a house and garden owned by the Feoffees of Thornbury and occupied by Joel Wathen.  An attached orchard, Plot 124 was also owned by the Feoffees and occupied by Joel.

The Rate Books show that it was owned by the Feoffees of Thornbury Charities in 1876, the Trustees of Jones Edwards and Whites Charities in 1880, the Governors of the Grammar School in 1885 to 1899.  On 20th August 1901 the Charity Commissioners and the Governors of the Grammar School sold the property to George Henry Baylis.

The house had a very large rear garden and orchard.  It must have been very fertile ground as several of the families living in the house were frequent winners at the local horticultural shows.

Joel Wathen - the 1841 census shows that Joel was a gardener aged 75 living with his wife, Flora who  was aged 74 and Hannah Woodward aged 50 who was of independent means.  The Tithe Survey shows that Joel was renting the property from the Feoffees of Thornbury.

The International Genealogical Index seems to indicate that Joel may have been baptised in Cromhall on 19th April 1767.  Flora was born in Wickwar.

We don't know how long Joel and Flora had been living in the house.  We do know that they had a large family:   Elizabeth born 20th April 1795, Hannah born 25th April 1797, William born on 20th October 1799 who died in 1803 aged 3, John born on 17th March 1802, another William born on 18th April 1804, Jabez born on 18th February 1807, Prudence born on 23rd December 1808, Phoebe born on 28th October 1812, Julia baptised on 10th October 1813 and Enoch baptised on 18th September 1814.

The baptism records show that Joel was working as a labourer at the time and all the records show Flora's name as 'Flower'.

Joel died on 26th April 1845 and was buried in Thornbury St Mary's.  He was aged 80 years.  Flora, or Flower as she was called in the 1851 census, went to live in an Alms House in St Mary Street.  She was buried on 18th December 1853 aged 86 years.  Their son, William Wathen, settled in the house later known as The Cottage, 1 Horseshoe Lane.  Click here to read more about William
 

Joseph and Hester Pym A meeting of the trustees of the charities associated with the Free School in Castle Street which took place on 28th November 1846 resolved that Joseph Pym should replace Joel Wathen as tenant of the property.  The 1861 Census shows the house was occupied by Joseph Pym, a shoemaker and his wife, Hester.  Click here to read more about Joseph and Hester.  The meeting of the Trustees of Thornbury Grammar School on 15th April 1868 resolved that Richard Scarlett should write to Joseph Pym to ask him for the arrears of the rent due up to 25th March last.  Joseph Pym senior had quitted the premises and Joseph Pym junior took over the tenancy from 25th March 1868.

Joseph and Elizabeth Pym - the 1871 census shows the house was occupied by Joseph, a labourer aged 50 and his wife, Elizabeth aged 47 from Chepstow.

This Joseph was the son of Joseph and Hester who had lived here previously.  Elizabeth is shown as being deaf.  We don't know much about Joseph and Elizabeth's earlier life.  They seem to have lived in a small labourer's cottage off Castle Street (on Tithe plot 346) according to the sale advert for the property in 1868. 

By 29th May 1871 Joseph Pym junior was in arrears with rent.  George Hodges the agent for the trustees of the Grammar School reported that Joseph owed £4 for a half year's rent.  Joseph Pym was told that he had to pay within 14 days of distress would be levied on his goods (the bailiff would be sent in).

In 1881 they were still in 1 Rock Street - Joseph was described as a gardener.  The accounts for Thornbury Grammar School for the year ending December 1883 have a note "the arrears of rent due from Joseph Pym, 25th March 1883, £16, were forgiven him on condition that he quitted the premises without notice."

The Rate Book of 1885 shows they moved to a house in Mutton Lane owned by R Sargent.  By 1891 they had moved to a small three-roomed house in Mutton Lane.  Joseph was still working as a gardener, although he was now aged 68.  His wife Elizabeth was aged 66.  Elizabeth was buried on 2nd November 1892 aged 69 years and Joseph died in Thornbury Union Workhouse on 27th December 1899 aged 77 years.

William Stinchcombe - in 1885 Rate Book the house was occupied by William Stinchcombe.  Click here to read about the family

John and Lydia English - in 1891 census the house appears to be occupied by John English, a baker aged 27 from Malmesbury, his wife, Lydia aged 26 and their children: Wesley John aged 2, and Charles Elton Victor aged 10 months.  Click here to read more about the English family

Sidney Tyler - in 1894 Rate Book shows that Sidney Tyler was living in the house.  We do not know anything about Sidney.

George Henry Baylis - on 20th August 1901 the Charity Commissioners and the Governors of the Grammar School sold the property to George Henry Baylis for £270.  George was a carrier who was already occupying the property at the time of the sale.  George acquired the house, the orchard to the rear and the adjoining garden plot (no. 131 on the Tithe Survey). 

The 1901 census shows the house is occupied by George Henry Baylis, a carrier aged 42, his wife, Louisa aged 40 from Taunton, and their children: Dora G aged 13, Robert B aged 11, Mabel E aged 8 and Reginald G. H. aged 6.  The Rate Books show that George was occupying the adjoining agricultural land in 1899. 

George was baptised on 6th February 1859, the son of Henry and Amelia Baylis.  Henry Baylis was a carrier and the family lived in St Mary Street during George's early years.  By the 1881 census George had joined his father in the carrier business and they had moved to a house on the junction of Lower Bath Road/Bulls Lane which became the family home/business for many years.  In 1887 George married Louisa Dollin in Taunton and the 1891 census shows they moved in to 51 High Street.   In 1894 they were renting the house which became known as 4 Horseshoe Lane.

By 1901 George had moved into the house behind his parents house which later became 1 Rock Street.  He bought the property and the adjoining garden land for £270 with the help of a mortgage he obtained from his mother, Amelia Baylis.  The 1911 census shows George and Louisa living there with son, Robert Bertram a solicitor's clerk aged 21 and Reginald George Henry aged 16, a mason's labourer. 

We don't know what happened to George.  He was unable to repay the money owned to his mother and on 7th November 1913 his property was conveyed to her.   Amelia died on 29th January 1914. 

On 26th June 1914 the property was put up for sale at auction, as part of the estate of Mrs Amelia Baylis.  It was described in two lots:

Lot 1 was 'a substantially built residence and large size garden situate in Rock Street, numbered 123 and 124 on the Thornbury Tithe Map, the whole containing 1 rood and 25 perches.  The house contains two bedrooms, two front sitting rooms and kitchen.  There is an excellent garden running from the back of the house and a pig-stye. This lot has an excellent frontage to Rock street and is in the occupation of Mr George Henry Baylis'.   Lot 2 was 'a piece of accommodation garden or building land situate adjoining the former lot, plot 131 on the Thornbury Tithe Map and containing about 14 perches.  This lot has an excellent frontage to Rock street and forms an advantageous building site'. 

By 1918 Louisa Baylis was living in 75 High Street and she continued living there until her death in 1933 aged 74.

Joseph & Emily Tuck - on 29th September 1914 Joseph bought the property for £255 from the trustees of Amelia Baylis.  The indenture describes Joseph as a market gardener living at Crossways.

From the 1918 electoral registers onwards the house appears occupied by Joseph and Emily Tuck.

William Joseph Tuck was born in Hawkesbury Upton in 1852.  He was the son of Robert Tuck, a farmer and his wife, Harriett.  In 1861 the family were living in Back Street, Hawkesbury Upton.  By 1881, Joseph had moved to the Thornbury area.  He was living in Mumbleys Lodge and working as a mason.  He was now married to Amelia Meredith who was born in Alveston about 1853.  They had 3 children: William J born in Hawkesbury Upton about 1875, Harriett E born in Alveston about 1876 and Kate born in Alveston about 1879.

Amelia Meredith died and was buried on 21st April 1886 aged 33 years.  Joseph re-married in 1887.  His new wife was a widow, Elizabeth Coates born in Wotton Under Edge about 1856.  The 1891 census shows Joseph and Elizabeth living at Mumbleys Lodge with children: William J, now a mason's labourer aged 16, Harriett E a domestic servant aged 15, Kate aged 12, Vashti Edith aged 8 and Amelia Winifred aged 4 months, and two of Elizabeth's children: Frederick and Arthur Coates aged 10 and 5 respectively.

In 1901 Joseph and Elizabeth were still living in Mumbleys Lodge.  They had had one more child: Doris Annie baptised on 26th June 1895.  Elizabeth died in 1911 aged 55.  By 1913 the trade directories show that Joseph has moved to Crossways and become a market gardener.  In 1916, Joseph re-married yet again - this time to Emily Stinchcombe.  Emily was born in Aust in 1860.   She was the daughter of William Stinchcombe, an agricultural labourer and his wife, Hannah, who was a charwoman when they were living in Mutton Lane (now called Crispin Lane) in 1871.  William later lived at 19 St John Street between about 1918 and 1925.

The 1918 electoral register shows Joseph and Emily living in Outer Back Street (which is now called Rock Street) and we were told that they lived in the house which later became number 4.  They continued to live here throughout the 1920's and early 30's, last appearing in the electoral registers we have seen, in 1935.

We know that in 1924 Joseph bought the pair of houses on the junction of Rock Street and Horseshoe Lane (which later became known as numbers 9 and 11).  He paid £300 for these houses.

We were told by Miss Higgins that a Mr Stinchcombe moved in with the Tucks 'when he was getting old'.  It is possible that it could have been Emily's father who was listed as living in St John Street in the street directory 1926/27.  Alternatively, there was a Charles Stinchcombe living in Horseshoe Lane in 1927 but we don't know his connection to Emily's family.

Emily died on 24th November 1937 aged 77 and is buried in Thornbury Cemetery.  Joseph died on 11th January 1937 and he seems to have been buried elsewhere, presumably in the grave of one of his earlier wives.  Joseph had made his will on 18th September 1925 appointing Edwin Franks Baker and Edwin William Savery as his trustees.  The will refers to Joseph Tuck as a retired mason.

On 18th December 1937 there was a sale of the property at auction described as 'the estate of Joseph and Emily Tuck deceased'.  It is interesting to see that the sale was to take place at 'Rock Cottage' so we assume that this was the name by which the house was known at this time.  On 7th February 1944 Joseph's surviving trustee, Edwin Franks Baker,  finally sold his property to William George Stafford for £625. 

Of Joseph's children, we know of only one with a Thornbury connection.  His daughter, Harriett, married William J Garrett in 1915.

Ernest John Pearce - the 1938 electoral register shows the house occupied by Ernest John Pearce and his family.  Click here to read more about this family

The Staffords  - on 7th February 1944 William George Stafford bought the property from the trustee of Joseph Tuck for £625.  The 1946 and 1950 electoral registers show the property occupied by William George and Marian Amy Stafford. Click here to read more about the Staffords

Leonard Smith - on 10th August 1953 Leonard Smith bought the property from William George Stafford for £1250.  Leonard Smith, the carrier and his wife, Mary Louise (nee Clutterbuck) moved here from 16 Gloucester Road.  They were still there when the house was earmarked for demolition as part of the town's re-development.  On 7th October 1968 Leonard sold the property to Thornbury Rural District Council for £8500.  Click here to read more about Smiths, the carriers

 This page was last updated: 22/11/2011