The family of John & Eliza Stinchcombe

Thornbury

John Packer Stinchcombe Snr
John was born in Stone and baptised on 2 May 1824, the son of John Packer Stinchcombe, labourer and his wife, Ann.  The middle name of 'Packer' came from Hannah Packer, John's grandmother. 

On 28 Sep 1846, John married Eliza Hobbs, daughter of James Hobbs of Thornbury labourer and his wife, Mary.  Eliza had been born in Aust about 1828.  John was a labourer at the time of his marriage.

In 1851 census, John and Eliza were living in 9 St John Street.  John was aged 26, working as a porter to a spirit merchant.  They had two children: Henry Thomas aged 2 and John aged 4 months.

By 1861, John and Eliza had moved to Gillingstool where he was working as an agricultural labourer.  John and Eliza now had five children: John aged 9 and Mary Ann aged 7, both baptised on 23rd March 1853, Fanny aged 6 baptised on 2nd March 1856, George aged 2 baptised on 2nd February 1859 and Hannah aged 5 months baptised on 23rd August 1861.

John and Eliza went on to have three more children, Ellen who was born in 1864, Daniel, baptised on 2nd August 1868 who died and was buried on 11th June 1871 aged 2 years 11 months and another son named Daniel who was born in 1873.

We haven't found the family in the 1871 census, but in 1881 they were back in Thornbury living in Upper Bath Road (now Rock Street).  John and Eliza were living there with their sons, John now aged 30 and Daniel aged 7.  They were still there in 1891 census although although Daniel of their children was living with them.

In 1896 John and Eliza celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary.  A party was arranged at the Cossham Hall and guests were asked to pay 6d for their tickets.  We were thrilled to get a wonderful photo of that event showing most of the family.  Click on the thumbnail alongside to see this photo

In 1901 John and Eliza were living in the Toll House adjoining the Market House on the High Street.  John is described as a retired gravel quarryman.  Eliza died in 1908 aged 81.  John died in 1912 aged 88.

Of John and Eliza's children:

John Packer Stinchcombe Jnr - John was baptised on 23rd March 1853 although he was born in 1850.  Unlike his siblings who drifted off to distant parts, John appeared to stay close to Thornbury.  He was living with his parents in the 1881 census.

In 1886, John married Rosa Whitchurch in Clifton.  The 1891 census shows them living in Hackett Lane.  John was a quarry labourer.  His age is given as 48 which must be a mistake.  Rosa is aged 38 from Olveston.  They had two children: John aged 1 and George William aged 1 month. They had one other child, a daughter, Mary Kate, born 29th May 1892.  The school records for the Thornbury National School show that the family moved from the Hackett to Castle Street and this was shown as their address when George and Kate started school in 1896.

The 1901 census shows that the family of John and Rosa Stinchcombe was occupying 4 Crispin Lane at that time.  John Stinchcombe was a gravel merchant aged 50, and Rosa was aged 48.   In 1901, they had three children, John Thomas aged 11, George aged 10 and Kate aged 8. 

Of John and Rosa's children, we know that John Thomas Stinchcombe married Ethel A. Wilding in Luton in 1915.   In the War, he served as a Gunner in D Battery of the Royal Field Artillery and he died in Belgium on 15th August 1917 when he was aged 27.  He is remembered with honour at the Gwalia Cemetery.

It appears that the Stinchcombes didn't stay in Crispin Lane long before moving off.  Around 1904 they are moved to Woodbine Cottage, Gillingstool. Then in 1913 they moved again, from Gillingstool to Crossways.

Rosa died on 28th August 1926 aged 74 and john died on 10th February 1929 aged 78.

Henry Thomas - Thomas was baptised on 20th August 1848.  It appears that he had a difficult start life.  On 8th November 1860 he was charged with stealing four scarves, one cap, one shirt and other articles from his employer, John Williams on the 4th November.  At the Gloucester Quarter Sessions on 2nd January 1861 he pleaded guilty to larceny and was sentenced to one month's hard labour.  Thomas was only 12 years old at the time!  He was described as a labourer 4ft 6.5 inches with brown eyes, hazel eyes, oval face and sallow complexion.  He had a scar on the centre of his forehead and a large cut right eye.  It was noted that he was a native of Thornbury, that his parents lived at Crossways and his father worked for Mr Salmon, the surgeon and that he was of Independent religion.  His conduct whilst in gaol was recorded as being 'indifferent'.

Thomas was released from prison on 1st February 1861.  Within two months he was back in trouble with the police.  On 27th March 1861 he was charged with stealing one sovereign, the property of George Harwood, on 23rd March and sentenced to one month's hard labour in the Penitentiary and five years at Hardwicke Reformatory School.  He was now described as being aged 13, 4ft 6.75 inches tall, and he was employed as a servant to George Harwood.  His conduct whilst in prison was recorded as being 'orderly'.

The 1861 census shows Thomas in North Hamlet prison.  His occupation at that time was given as farm labourer.  In 1871 the census shows that he was a farm servant at Nupdown Farm near Hill.  In 1878 he married Emily Smith in Bethnal Green.  The 1881 census shows that he had moved to Bedminster in Bristol and become a colour maker in a paint and dye works.  Emily was then aged 25 and they had a son called Frederick James aged 6.  We understand that he went off to Moscow to run a pickle factory there with his brother, Daniel.  Thomas died there.

Mary Ann - Mary was baptised on 23rd March 1853.  She went off to London and married John Lazina in Bethnal Green in 1873.  They moved and settled in Manchester where they had two children: Frances and Hannah.  John died when Hannah was only one and Mary re-married, this time to Alfred Myerns, a Jewish tailor.

Fanny - Fanny was baptised on 2nd March 1856.  The 1871 census shows her working as a dairymaid and living on a farm at Wapley called Chescourt Farm.  She married Thomas Wilkins Browning in London in 1876.  In 1881 the census shows that Thomas was a boilermaker from Bristol aged 29.  They already had three children at this time Henry, George and Anne.  The 1891 census shows that they were still living in Stratford, West Ham but Thomas had become a warehouseman.  Two of their children seem to have died as they now have William G, Walter, Alfred, Arthur and Charles.  Their eldest son, George, had become a locomotive machine hand.  Walter is a stationers' packer and John is a slater's porter in the building trade. 

At some time after 1901, Fanny and Thomas emigrated to Canada with their five sons.  Their travels involved crossing the continent in a covered wagon.  Click on the thumbnail on the left to see the family before they set off on their travels.

We were able to trace the military records of their son, Alfred John, who fought in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in WW1.  This showed the family had got as far as Alberta as he had joined the Alberta Regiment in Calgary in November 1917.  He was described as a driller, height 5ft 7 1/8th inches, with dark complexion, blue grey eyes and black hair.  He was a spiritualist by religion, and his next of kin was given as his mother.

George - George was baptised in the church of St Mary in Thornbury on 2nd February 1859. He married Annie Halls in West Ham in the June quarter of 1877.  In the 1881 census they were still living  in West Ham and they had a daughter, Eliza E.  The 1891 census shows George and Mary aged 13 and 11, who should have been in the earlier census and the later arrivals; John Ann Ellen Henry and Lily.  George was providing for this substantial family on his wage as a bricklayer.  Trade must have been good as by 1901 George and John has become bricklayers like their father.  The family were all living in East Ham and had now been joined by daughters Ivy and Gladys aged six years and two and a somewhat unfortunate son who was registered in the December quarter of 1892 as Gloucester Poole Stinchcombe.

Hannah - Hannah was baptised on 23rd August 1861.  In the 1871 census the ten year old Hannah was living with her grandmother, Mary Smith.   It appears that Hannah's grandfather, James Hobbs, had died and his wife married Thomas Smith on 16th May 1830. 

We understand that Hannah may have gone to Manchester to work in service.  She married William Davies, a carter on the railway.  They had one daughter who died young.  When Hannah's sister, Ellen, died in her 30's, Hannah and William took care of Ellen's daughter, Annie, and brought her up.

Ellen - Ellen was born on 15th November 1864.  We understand that she may have gone to Manchester to work in service.   In 1881 the census shows that she is 18 years old and living as a housekeeper  for Jesse  Murphy who at that time was a warehouseman aged 21 years.  She appears to have married Jesse, although we have not yet traced the marriage.  In 1891 they were living in 56 Tatton Street, Salford where Jesse was employed as a newsagent.  They had 2 children then: Nellie aged 3 and Jessie aged 10 months.  Ellen died on 10th January 1897 aged 32 and her daughter, Annie was brought up by Ellen's sister, Hannah and her husband William Davies.

It is interesting to note that the Manchester connection seems to have continued with this branch of the Stinchcombes as little Jessie (Ellen and Jesse's daughter) married George Morris in 1914 and two of their children became MP's for Manchester.

Daniel - Daniel was born on 9th October 1873, the youngest of John and Eliza's children.  He went off to Moscow with his older brother, Thomas, to run a pickle factory.  Family letters from him show that they were there in 1895.  He married a Russian girl, Claudia.  At the time of the Russian Revolution, Daniel and Claudia left Moscow and settled in the Bristol area of England.  We understand Claudia never learned to speak English.

This page was last updated: 24/08/2008