2 St John Street
George Hughes
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
George Hughes
The
earliest reference we have found so far which confirms that someone is
living in the building is the 1899 Kelly's Trade Directory which gave the address of
George Hughes as 'Court House, St John Street'. George was
listed as living in St John Street in the 1897 directory, and although it
makes no mention of the Court House, we assume it was the same house.
George was running a business offering traps etc for hire. He is listed in the directories as living in St John Street from 1897 to 1904.
George was born in Thornbury about 1837, the son of Samuel Hughes, blacksmith and his wife, Sarah. In 1851 he was living with his parents in 11 Horse Shoe Lane. In 1858 he married Susan Rudd, the daughter of William Rudd, labourer. In 1861 they were living in St Mary Street, just a couple of doors up from The Plough Inn. George was a blacksmith. The records show that Susan was born in Diss, Norfolk about 1828 and she already had a daughter Sarah Ann Rudd aged 13 who was living with them.
In 1871 the family had moved to the house which we think was 8 St John Street and George was still working as a blacksmith. Susan was working as a laundress and Sarah had become a dress and mantle maker. In 1881 George is shown as a beerhouse keeper in The Plough, St Mary Street. Living with him and Susan is George's father, Samuel Hughes aged 80, a retired blacksmith born in Earthcott.
Susan died in March quarter 1891 aged 61 years. In the 1891 census, he was still living at The Plough, but now only as a boarder. George married again in the December quarter of the same year, this time to Sarah Ann Harris who was born in Stanton Drew about 1856.
In 1901 he was living in the Court House, St John Street where he was running his own business as a carriage proprietor. George and Sarah had two boarders living with them.
As far as we know, he carried on working and living in the Court House until he died in 1906 aged 66 years. Sarah Ann moved to take over the Castle Temperance Hotel in the High Street. She died on 22 January 1913 aged 55 years and she is buried in the same grave as her two sisters, Mary Matilda who had married Alfred W Sealey and Selina Harris who had never married.
This page was last updated: 29/10/2008