9 St John Street

Occupiers

Peter  Park - the indenture dated 23 September 1807 refers to: "All those two messuages or tenements hereto before in one messuage or tenement wherein Peter Park, carpenter deceased then and for many years previous to and at the time of his death inhabited and John Mabbett and  Jane Davis single woman afterwards dwellt and wherein the said John Mabbett and John Simons do now dwell".

So we know that Peter had died before 1807, that he had lived in the property for 'many years' up until his death, and probably when it was a single house.  We do know that a man called Peter Park died in Thornbury in February 1783 aged 70 years.  Obviously we have no way of knowing whether it is the same man as the one who lived in St John Street, but if it were the case it would mean that the houses had their origins back in the mid 1700's or earlier.

After Peter Park, we do not have a detailed history of the occupants.  The 1807 indenture mentioned that after Peter the house was occupied at some time by Jane Davis, single woman and in 1807 John Simons was known to be living there.  We also know from the 1850 indenture that Jane Edmonds lived in the house at some before that time.

The Walkers - George Walker, a butcher, was occupying the house in the 1840 Tithe Survey and the 1841 census.  Click here to read more about the Walkers

In 1850 when the house was bought by William Knapp, it was 'void'.

John Packer Stinchcombe - John was living in the house in 1851.  He was aged 26, working as a porter to a spirit merchant  from Stone.  He was living with his wife, Eliza 22 from Aust and sons, Henry Thomas aged 2 and John aged 4 months.  Click here to read more about this Stinchcombe family

John Morgan - in 1861 John was a house agent aged 62 born in Thornbury.  His wife was Elizabeth aged 55 from Berkeley.  It is interesting to note that John married three times, each time to a lady called Elizabeth.  John was born about 1797, the son of William Morgan of Thornbury.  William was described as a farmer when John married in 1840 and an innkeeper when he married in 1861.  John himself was a tailor for most of his life, although when he married in 1861 he was described as a bailiff and in the census of 1861 described as a house agent.

John married Elizabeth Jenkins on 21 November 1822 at Thornbury.  She was born on 12 March 1795, the daughter of John and Sarah Jenkins of Sibland.  She died on April 20 1834 aged 39 years.  Their daughter, Elizabeth Jenkins Morgan, died on the same day aged 4.  On 30 September 1840 John married for the second time, this time to Elizabeth Cook, daughter of Thomas Cook, of Thornbury, labourer.  In the 1841 census, John was a tailor, living in the High Street with Elizabeth and his two sons, Thomas, a tailor's apprentice aged 15, and Charles aged 9.

Elizabeth died 16 July 1842 aged 34 years.  In the 1851 census, John is a master tailor living in Castle Street with his daughter, Amelia, aged 23.  Amelia is described as 'At Home' and Charles '... out of place'.  On 26 February 1861 John married for the third time, this time to Elizabeth Mallett, the daughter of Christopher Dimory, a farmer.  Elizabeth was also a widow, her husband had been Henry Mallett who had been living with Elizabeth a farm at Hogsdown near Alkington.

By the 1861 census, John and Elizabeth were living in 9 St John Street.   John died on 6 December 1865 aged 67 years.  In the 1871 census Elizabeth is visiting her stepson, Charles Morgan, a cab proprietor living with his wife and children in Castle Street.  Following Charles' death in 1878 aged 46 years,  the 1881 and 1891 censuses show Elizabeth moved in with George Paradise Mallett, her son from her first marriage, in his home in Gloucester Road.  She died on 28 January 1893 aged 87 years and is buried in Berkeley. 

Sarah Wetmore - Sarah occupied the house in 1871.  Sarah was widow, her husband had been Thomas Wetmore who had been born in Lodden, Norfolk about 1805.  In the 1841 census Thomas and Sarah were living in 'Back Street'.  We believe that their house was what later became known as 18 Rock Street.   

In 1851 their address was described as 'Top of Back Street'  which was another name for what we now know as Chapel Street.  Thomas was a tailor aged 45 employing 2 boys and 1 girl.  Living with Thomas and Sarah were Matilda aged 17 a tailoress, Frances aged 15, Elizabeth aged 13, Eliza aged 11, Thomas aged 9, George aged 7, and Ann aged 5 and George Alway a tailors apprentice aged 17 from Alveston.

Thomas died on 20 September 1860 aged 55 year when his address was given as the 'Thornbury Union' so he may have been in the infirmary or the family were living in the Workhouse.  In 1861 Sarah was living in 13 St John Street,  a widowed seamstress aged 56 born in Tytherington, her daughter, Eliza a tailor aged 21 and son, George a tailor's apprentice aged 17.  By 1871 Sarah had moved to 9 St John Street.  She was described as a housekeeper born in Itchington, living there with her son, James, an apprentice clock and watch maker aged 19 and two lodgers, Herbert Chivers, a grocers assistant aged 31 from Devizes and Charles Neal, a baker from Sodbury aged 30.  Sarah is still the tenant of the house in the 1876 Rate Book.  Sarah died 3 Feb 1880 aged 75 years.  In 1881 James Wetmore was a clock & watch maker, boarding in Horseshoe Lane with Edwin Wathen, a baker, and his wife Harriett.

James Herbert - the Rate Book of 1880 shows that James Hebert was the tenant of Mark Crossman Meredith and the 1881 shows that the house was occupied by James, a railway porter aged 30 from Bagpath near Stroud, and his wife, Anne aged 35 from Gloucester.  They had three children: Gertrude aged 7 born in Trent, Derbyshire, Ernest aged 5 and Bessie aged 2, both born in Thornbury. 

Working for the railways, the Herberts didn't stay long in Thornbury.  They must have moved to Thornbury about 1875.  In 1871 James was a servant coachman, lodging with the Merrett family in Hempstead Gloucestershire.  In June 1873, James married Ann Merrett.  The 1891 census shows they must have left Thornbury by 1885 when another daughter, Beatrice was born in Leicester.  The family were now living in Ashby de la Zouch where James was employed as a railway gateman.

White - The 1885 Rate Book just shows the name of the tenant at that time as "White".

Charles Parsons - Charles was living in the house in the Rate Book of 1890 and the 1891 census.  Charles Henry Parsons was born in December quarter 1868.  He was the son of Enoch Henry Parsons, a carpenter and his wife, Kezia.  In 1871 the family were living at Whitfield.  By 1881, Charles is living and working at a nearby farm owned by a a widow, Elizabeth Hook.  Charles is described as a farm servant and his age is given as 12 which seems to be slightly wrong.    His mother, Kezia and his father (now called Henry rather than Enoch), are living a few households down the road with the rest of the family.  Henry (or Enoch) and the eldest son, Samuel, aged 17, are carpenters.

In the September quarter 1889 Charles married Julia Philips.  The registration area is Chipping Sodbury but Julia came from from Frampton Cotterell so they may have married there.  They may have moved straight to St John Street after their marriage as their daughter Dorothy Alice was baptised at St Mary's Church on 3rd August 1890.  By this time Charles was a butcher.  When they appeared in the 1891 census Charles Henry was aged 23 and Julia was 29.  Their daughter, Dorothy, was 9 months old.

We do not know how long they stayed at St John Street, but Charles is shown in Castle Street in the 1896 voter's list.  It is interesting to note that when Charles Trayhurn started at the National School in 1897, Charles Parsons of Castle Street was shown as his guardian.  This implies a strong link between Charles who is a butcher and the Trayhurns who had the butcher's shop on the corner of St John street and The Plain.  Presumably Charles worked there.  Florence Parsons, Charles' second daughter, who was born August 5th 1893, started school at the National School in the same year.  Herbert the youngest, born 13 September 1895, started school in 1899.

Charles and Julia were shown in Castle Street in the 1901 census.  By this time Charles, aged 33, and Julia, aged 40, had four children; Dorothy, now 10 years, Charles Edward aged 9, Florence aged 7 and Herbert aged 5.  All the children were born in Thornbury.  Charles and Julia are buried in Thornbury Cemetery with their older son, Charles Edward.  The inscription reads; "In loving memory of JULIA PARSONS 11 April 1931.  Also CHARLES HENRY the beloved husband of Julia Parsons died 9 June 1933.  Also CHARLES EDWARD PARSONS died 27 February 1930."

William Vizzard - according to an indenture dated 21 February 1896, W. Vizard was then occupying the house.  The Voters List 1896 shows this was William Vizard.  William born in 1868, the son of John Vizzard, a labourer and his wife, Sarah Ann.  They had been living at Lower Bath Road in 1871.  The 1901 census shows that William was a groom at a livery stables.  He had married Susannah Rose Woollet in 1888 who was born about 1865 in London.  They were living at Crossways.  Note both the census records show the name spelt with a double Z.  The Thornbury Trade directories of 1899 and 1904 show William Vizzard as a colt breaker in Crossways.  William died in 1955 aged 86.  His death was registered in the Bristol area.

William Newman  - was renting the house from Mary Ponting in the 1899 Rate Book

George Thorne - was occupying the house from before 1901 up until at least 1916. The 1905 Rate Book confirms that he was renting the house from Mary Ponting.  George was born in Thornbury about 1849.  He was the son of Alexander Thorne, a journeyman tailor, and Sarah, a tailoress.  The 1851 census shows that the family lived in St Mary Street.  George had five siblings at this time.  They were obviously destined for the family trade.   The oldest Emily was a dressmaker aged 21 and the other sister was Elizabeth, a milliner aged 17.  His elder brother, Henry, was a tailor aged 15.  The younger ones had no trade yet;  Edgar was 10 years old and Albert aged 5.

George's mother, Sarah, died on 11 February 1859 aged 51 years.  By 1871 the rest of the family had left home and George had become a tailor.  He was living with his widowed father, Alexander, then aged 62, in St Mary Street.  George's father died in 1875 and by 1876 the Rate Book shows George was living in Upper Bath Road in a house which later became known as 10 Rock Street.

George's life took a dramatic turn when he  married a wife twenty years younger than himself on 10 November 1889.  His wife was Lucy Ann Phillips who was aged only 19, the daughter of Joseph Phillips, labourer.  In 1881 Joseph had been a quarryman living on Alveston Down with his wife, Hester.  In 1891 George, by then 41 and Lucy were living in a four room house in Lower Bath Road, which we think is the same house later known as 10 Rock Street.  They had had one child, Hester Lilian, baptised on 29th September 1890 but she died the same year.

The  1901 census shows that George was a tailor aged 49 from Thornbury, and that he lived in this house with his wife, Lucy A aged 31 from Alveston, and their children: Mabel aged 8 and Hubert Victor aged 3.  Mabel, died at only eleven years of age in the June quarter of 1904.  In August 1916 George's son Hubert Victor aged only 18 was trying to claim exemption from conscription to the horrors of the First World War.  George completed a form to explain that he and his son worked for John Williams the tailor (who lived round the corner at Gloucester House).  His written application shows some of the tragedy behind conscription; "I am a tailor aged 67 years of age in failing health.  My son who is the only child works in the same shop with me and assists in keeping the house together.  He is the chief support of the home.  Respectfully yours, George Thorne, John St."   The application for exemption was refused.   We do know Hubert's war record at this stage but he seems to have survived the war.

Edith Carver -  we do not know when the next people moved into the house but Edith Carver was there by 1921.  She is shown in the electoral register at the house until 1930 when she appears to have moved to 9 Pullins Green. Click here to read more about Edith Carver

Frank and Augusta Smith - Frank and Augusta moved into the house around 1929 and the family were live here for almost 70 years.  Click here to read more about Frank and Augusta

This page was last updated: 29/10/2008