4 St John Street

Occupiers

The building was occupied by:

Jeremiah Price - the 1832 land tax records and 1840 Tithe Survey show Jeremiah as living in this property owned by Thomas Osborne Wetmore. Earlier land tax records from 1821 onwards show Jeremiah living in a house owned by John Powell.  The deeds show that Jeremiah was a plasterer and tiler. 

Jeremiah appears to have been baptised in Berkeley on 10th April 1785.  His father was William Price, a pauper living at Ham.  We don't know when Jeremiah married Mary, but they had several children:  Priscilla and Philip, both baptised in Thornbury on 15th January 1815, Philimore baptised on 14th March 1819 and Percival baptised on 29th July 1821.  Philip died aged 8 and was buried on 10th November 1823.

In 1840 Jeremiah Price was one of the signatories of a document that led to the setting up of an Independent Chapel in Crossways.  The other people named in the document were all leading members of the Independent Chapel in Thornbury, although the four children  named above were baptised in St Mary's Church, which is an Anglican Church.

The 1841 census shows Jeremiah as a plasterer aged 58 living in St John Street with Mary aged 63, Philimore a plasterer aged 20 and Eliza Saniger a shopkeeper aged 27.  We do not know what happened to the family after this time.

Harriett Prewett - we know from various deeds that Harriett was living in the house and this is confirmed by the 1851 census.  Harriett was the daughter in law of Hester Prewett who had owned the house since 1848.  Click here to read more

Aaron Tidman - when the house was put up for sale by auction in 1859 it was occupied by Aaron Tidman.  Aaron was born in North Nibley, Gloucestershire about 1801.  In 1851 he was a cloth manufacturer aged 50 living in Water Lane, Wotton Under Edge with his wife, Elizabeth who appears to be aged 50 born in Potterton, Wilts, and their children: Charles aged 14 and Mary aged 15 both born in Chippenham.

In the 1850's the Tidmans moved to Thornbury and we know from the sale of the property referred to above that Aaron was living in St John Street in 1859.  By 1861 they had moved to the High Street where Aaron was a grocer.  Interestingly there is a big difference in Elizabeth's age - she is now shown as being 43 and born in Chippenham.  The 1871 census shows them still living in the same place.  Aaron was listed as a butcher and grocer aged 70 from North Nibley living with Elizabeth aged 52 from Chippenham.  The Trade Directory for 1877 describes Aaron as a provision dealer in the High Street as late as 1877.  Aaron died in 1879 aged 81.  A sale notice for his property was printed in the Bristol Mercury dated 4th September 1880 - this mentions that Aaron had run his 'ready-money business successfully for the past 50 years'.

George Thomas - in the 1859, 1867 and 1876 the Rate Book shows that the building is tenanted by George Thomas. 

The Trade Directories show that George was trading as a grocer and baker from as early as 1849.  The 1851 Census shows the family is living near the bottom of St Mary Street.  At that time George was trading as a grocer.  He was 44 born in Berkeley and married to Hannah who was 42 and born in Elberton.  They were living with their children: Edwin aged 18 born in Almondsbury, Ann aged 13, Jane aged 10 and John aged 8, all born in Alveston, and a visitor, John Bendall an unmarried agricultural labourer aged 46 from Elberton.  George Thomas had married Hannah Bendall on 13th March 1831.

The 1861 census shows George living in 4 St John Street.  George is described as a master baker aged 54 born in Stone and living with his wife, Hannah, aged 52 who was born in Elberton.  They had three children living them: Ann aged 23, Jane a dressmaker aged 20 and John a painter aged 18, all three were born in Olveston.  

Hannah died aged 55 and was buried on 20 September 1863.  George re-married in June quarter 1864 - his wife was Susannah Whitfield. 

The census of 1871 shows that George Thomas was a baker and grocer who occupied the premises with his wife Susanne.  George was aged 63 and his wife was 60 and was born in Thornbury.  In the Trade directory of 1877 he is a baker.  George died aged 72 and was buried on 5th May 1879.  Susannah died aged 69 and was buried on 31 March 1882.

John Thomas - the 1880 Rate Book shows that the house was occupied by John Thomas, the son of the George Thomas who had lived here previously (see above).  The 1881 Census shows that John was a painter, now aged 38 born in Oldbury on Severn, and he was living with his wife, Mary A, a shopkeeper aged 33 and their children: Frederick J, a baker aged 14 from Alveston, Hubert J aged 9 and Kate J aged 5, both born in Oldbury and Edwin aged 2 born in Thornbury.

By 1891 the family were living in Oldbury.  John was a house decorator, aged 48 born in Rudgeway, Mary A was aged 43 from Oldbury, Frederick G was a painter aged 24, Hubert J a tailor aged 19, Kate was a  teacher in N School (presumably National School), Edwin aged 12 and John A aged 8.

Between 1889 and the 1970's the bakery was owned and occupied by the same families.  When the bakery was closed it was let to various small businesses including Cotswold Storage Systems, an electrical business operated by Blanchard and White (which later moved to the corner of The Plain and Gloucester Road) and a travel agency called 'Blue World Travel'.  Blue World Travel was run by Mrs E Kyle-Price in 1973.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY

 This page was last updated: 23/12/2011