The Symes Family

Early History

The Symes family moved to Thornbury in  the early 1850's.  William Symes and his wife, Matilda (nee Bishop) had previously lived in Shepton Mallett in Somerset where  their first 5 children had been born: Anthony in 1839, Mary Ann in 1841, George in 1844, Bernard in 1847, and Gilbert in 1851. 

In 1841 William had been a tailor and Matilda a dressmaker, living at Garston Street, Shepton Mallet.  The 1851 census shows that William was away from home visiting Bristol where he was staying at an 'eating and brewing house' run by James Allen in Temple Gate, St Mary's Redcliffe.   Meanwhile, Matilda was back home in Garston Street where she was working as a milliner and dressmaker as well as looking after their 5 children with the help of a nurse.

By 1861 the family were shown as living in St John Street, Thornbury.  We believe that they were living in one of the small cottages opposite the Forge and Fish & Chip shop in Pullins Green, probably the one now called number 6.  The two eldest children were not there.  Mary Ann had become a house maid for Edward Long, the surgeon, and was living in his house in Castle Street.   William and Matilda still had 6 children living in Pullins Green, as they had added Charles and Matilda, both born in 1855, and Sydney in 1860. 

George, their eldest child living at home in 1861 was a pupil teacher aged 16.  George is not seen again in any of the records we have traced.  We suspect he may be the George Symes who died in Bristol in 1870 - he was aged 26 which would be the right age.

In 1871 William and Matilda were still living in the same house in St John Street.  They had one more child since the last census; Frank born in 1863. Other sons, Gilbert, an apprentice blacksmith aged 20, Charles, an apprentice cooper aged 15 and Sidney a scholar aged 11 were still living with their parents.  The 1880 Rate Book show that William has moved to 2 Pullins Green and in the 1881 census William and Matilda are still there, left with just their unmarried daughter, Matilda a dressmaker aged 25 and  Frank, a saddler aged 17.  The 1885 Rate Book shows that William had moved again - this time to 15 Pullins Green.  By 1891 they had moved to a 4 room house in Castle Street.  William was still shown as a tailor and Matilda as a dressmaker.  Their daughter, Matilda had married John Brown, a printer,  in 1884; she was however living with her parents with her son, William John Brown born in February 1885.  The family also had one lodger, Daniel Smith, a gardener from Rockhampton.

William Symes died on 3 February 1892 aged 74 years and Matilda, his wife, on 11 December 1893 aged 76 years.  Both are buried in the churchyard at St Mary's Church, Thornbury.

Click below to see brief histories of the four children of William and Matilda who all became well known tradesmen in Thornbury: 

Bernard Symes - the tailor
Gilbert Symes  - the blacksmith and ironmonger
Charles Symes - the cooper and seedsman
Frank Symes - the saddler and harnessmaker   

The photo on the left shows their other surviving son, Sidney Albert Symes who joined the Royal Engineers.  In the 1880's he fought in Egypt and Sudan.  In the 1891 census he was a corporal living in barracks in Chatham.  By the time of the Boer War he was a Company Sergeant Major.  He died in Bristol in 1910. 

This page was last updated: 12/11/2008