3 - 9 Rock Street

The Oxhouses

The above plan dated 1880 shows the area around the junction of Outer Back Street (now known as Rock Street) and Bath Road.  There was a row of four houses on Rock Street, just to the south of the junction with Bath Road.  These were known locally as 'The Oxhouses', but when house numbering was introduced in the 1950's,  they became known as numbers 3 - 9 Rock Street.

Unfortunately we have not found any photos of these houses.  We understand they were very small with one room downstairs and one bedroom upstairs.  There were no doors fronting Rock Street.  Access was via the shared court at the rear, between the back of the houses and the gardens.  The toilets were at the bottom of the garden (you can actually see the block of toilets in the plan above).

An 1822 Indenture referring to the properties later known as 11 to 19 Rock Street mentions that those properties were formerly part of a messuage and garden on the north and eastwards side, which were the estate and inheritance of Ralph Grove on whose death the property descended to Kingsmill Grove the younger, his nephew and heir-at-law, who sold and conveyed the property to William Cowley.  We believe that the property referred to is the same property mentioned in Ralph Grove's will dated 1790 in which he left to Kingsmill Grove two gardens and the orchard thereto adjoining called 'Blayes' situate in or near a certain place or street there called the Back Street.  If this is the case then it implies that the houses later numbered 3 to 9 Rock Street were not built until after 1790.  One other clue about the origins of the houses is found in an abstract of title referring to the adjoining properties (2 and 4 Bath Road).  This notes refers to the houses as in Rock Street as 'the four small messuages or dwelling houses some years ago erected by William Osborne deceased'.  

The 1840 Tithe Survey shows the houses were owned by Hector Maclaine and occupied by William Jones, Henry Herbert, William Davies and William Herbert. 

There is a memorial on the wall of St Mary's Church which tells us that Colonel Hector Maclaine was the youngest son of Gillian Maclaine Esq of Scallasdale, Isle of Mull.  He served in the 64th Regt. in the West Indies and Surinam, joined the 57th Regiment in Portugal in 1811 as Captain, and was present everywhere with Lord Hill’s Division.  He fought at Victoria, Roncesvalles, the Pyrenees, in front of Pampluna, at Nivelle, Tarbes, Orthes and Toulouse.  Besides constant skirmishing, as he was attached to, and frequently commanded the Light Companies of Gen. Byng’s Brigade, he was wounded and received a medal for his distinguished conduct at Nivelle.  He served afterwards in North America and France.  After the war he resided many years at Kington in this parish, and died on 15th January 1847 aged 62.

Following Hector Maclaine's death, the properties seem to have passed to his son, William Osborne Maclaine as the Rate Books from 1876 to 1905 show him as the owner.  Both William's sons pre-deceased him and on his death in 1906, the property passed to Mrs Herbert Jenner-Fust.  Her maiden name was Flora Maclaine Ross, and she was thought to be William's cousin.  She is listed as the owner in the 1910 Rate Book.

We know from the Gazette that the property was put up for auction in 1913 described as 'four small cottages known as 'The Ox House Cottages'.  They were purchased on 11th August 1913 by James Bevan of Thornbury for £140.  At the time of the sale they were occupied by Mrs Gough, Miss Bendall, Giles Reed and Charles Jefferies.  Following the death of James Bevan on 9th November 1914, the property was inherited by his son, Albert Edward Bevan.  The 1926 Rate Book shows that Albert Edward was the owner of the 4 houses at that time. 

On 3rd June 1931 Albert sold the cottages to Frederick James Bishop for £150.  At the time of that sale the houses were occupied by Mrs Mary Ann Burrows, Wilson George Parsons, Thomas Lanfear and Frederick Rugman as tenant.  Albert was described as a musician living at that time at 55A Portsdown Road, Maida Vale, London.

Frederick Bishop lived for a long time with his wife, Lily (nee Alpass), in a house called 'Auklands' on the Gloucester Road.  We understand that Frederick worked for Brocks, the firework makers and that Frederick invented a sort of rocket as a distress flare to be used by shipping.  We have not been able to confirm this story. 

Frederick died on 10th September 1958 and the cottages were transferred to his executor, Kate Elizabeth Bevan, widow of Auklands, Gloucester Road.  We are struggling to find the connection between Frederick and Kate.  She was the widow of Albert Edward Bevan who had sold the property to Frederick.  Albert had married Kate Elizabeth Anderson in Thornbury in 1907.  Following the death of Albert and Frederick's wife, Lily, both Frederick and Kate were listed as living in Auklands.

By 18th December 1962 the cottages had been demolished and Kate sold the land to Gloucester County Council for £500.  The Council used the land, together with other land on which 2 and 4 Bath Road once stood, for the erection of the new Police Station.

Click on the individual links below to read about the occupants of each house

3 Rock Street
5 Rock Street
7 Rock Street
9 Rock Street

We would love to hear from anyone with any knowledge of these properties and the families who lived in them.

 This page was last updated: 01/12/2011