21 St John Street

Charles Hopton

Charles Hopton was born in Slimbridge around 1798.  He was the son of John Hopton and his wife, Sarah.  Click here to read more about the Hoptons

Charles married Hannah Redman on 9th August 1818.  Hannah was baptised in Rockhampton on 30 July 1797, the daughter of Joseph and Prudence Redman.

Charles and Hannah had a large number of children, mostly girls: Mary Ann baptised on 10th January 1819, Jane baptised on 27th March 1821, Hannah baptised October 1823, Emma baptised on 5th February 1826, Maria, baptised in September 1828, Fanny baptised October 1830, Charles baptised on 28th November 1832, Sarah baptised February 1835, and Celia baptised on 7th January 1838, Elizabeth (aged 4) baptised on 10th September 1837, daughter of Mary Ann.

An indenture dated 1824 shows Charles and his mother were living in 7 Horseshoe Lane, and the Land tax records shows still there up to 1832.  By 1834 when Charles bought 21 St John Street, he was already occupying the house.  The 1840 Tithe Map whose details are probably taken one or two years earlier, shows number 21 owned by Charles Hopton and occupied by William Cullimore.  Charles was shown as living in one of the two houses on the opposite side of St John Street which were replaced when 6 and 8 St John Street were built. (Plot 217 on the Tithe Map).

The 1841 census shows him and his family living back in number 21 St John Street.  They have four daughters living with them at this time; Hannah, Fanny, Sarah and Ellen.  Elizabeth, the daughter of Mary Ann Hopton was also living there aged 4.  Charles and Hannah's only son, Charles, appears to be living with his widowed grandmother, Sarah Hopton in the house which became known as 7 Horseshoe Lane.

In 1835 when Sarah was baptised, her father is shown as a keeper of a beer house.  This suggests that 21 St John Street, bought by 1834, was a beerhouse.  When Ellen was baptised in October 1841 Charles was shown as a labourer.  This coincides with the fact that he had sold the house in August 1841 and so no no longer owned the beerhouse.  It is possible that Charles did both these jobs at the same time however.  It was normal practice at the time to have another occupation alongside keeping a beerhouse as there would not be enough custom for it to be a living on its own.  Charles probably held a two guinea beerhouse licence which enabled him to sell beer to customers in his own house.  This was not a pub as we would understand it, just the family's front room or kitchen.  If anyone came into the house during the day it was normal for the wife to serve beer but the licence would almost always be in the husband's name.

On 30th August 1841 Charles, described in the indenture as an alehouse keeper, sold the property to Luke Prosser.  In January 1838 Charles had raised a loan of £140 from Luke Prosser, a labourer from Buckover, using the house as a security, and when it became due it would appear that Charles was not able to pay the sum of £151 including interest and legal expenses, so that property became owned by Luke Prosser.

Charles and Hannah's daughter, Maria, married first Frederick Williams on 23rd January 1850.  Frederick was described as a pensioner at the time of their marriage and he was the son of George Williams, a beerhouse keeper.  She later re-married twice more, firstly to Charles Prewett and then Reuben Greenman.

The 1851 census shows Charles and his family having moved to 57 St Mary Street.  Living with Hannah and Charles in this census are their daughters Celia and Ellen.  A widower called Luke Morgan with three children was lodging with them.

By 1861 they had moved to Ragland Road, the house later known as 14 Upper Bath Road.  Hannah and Charles's family had left home but they had another lodger,  Anselm Thurston, a 70 year old widower.  The 1871 census shows them still living there.  They have another lodger, Henry Clark a mason.  Charles died in August 1873 aged 75 years and Hannah appears to move to 7 Rock Street.  She is living here in the 1881 census where she is shown as being a charwoman aged 85 and noted as being deaf.  She died in October 1883 aged 87.

This page was last updated: 23/10/2011