The Symes Family
Frank Symes - the saddler
No. 1 St John Street
No. 1A St John Street
No. 3 St John Street
No. 5 St John Street
No. 7 St John Street
No. 9 St John Street
No. 11 St John Street
No. 13 St John Street
No. 15 St John Street
No. 17 St John Street
No. 19 St John Street
No. 21 St John Street
No. 23 St John Street
No. 2 St John Street
No. 4 St John Street
No. 6 St John Street
No. 8 St John Street
Frank was born in Thornbury in 1863. He was the
youngest of William and Matilda's nine children.
The 1881 census shows that Frank had become a saddler, living at home with his parents in St John Street (Pullins Green). The Thornbury Trade Directory of 1889 suggests that Frank tried his hand as running 'refreshment rooms', however this seemed a short-lived enterprise as he was soon back operating as a saddler.
Frank married Augusta Hill in Thornbury in 1889. He is shown as being a saddler at this time. Augusta was aged 26, a cook, the daughter of Edward James Hill, a bailiff from Stapleford in Wiltshire.
Frank had a saddler's shop at 18 High Street. In 1891 he was there living with Augusta. They had had a baby boy, Claude Frank, born in August 1890 but Claude died in January 1891.
In the 1890's Frank extended his business interests becoming Secretary to the Rational Sick and Burial Association in addition to his work as saddler.
In 1901 Frank was shown as a saddler and harness maker. By this time they had had three more children: Maud Augusta in 1891, Frank Gilbert in 1894 and Archibald Harold in 1895. The photograph shown above is of Frank outside his shop and is believed to have been taken about 1916. The shop must have been very successful. At about this time Frank's young assistant, Herbert Henry Allen, applied for an exemption from fighting in the First World War. The reason given for applying for the exemption was that the shop was so busy maintaining 100 farmers and 300 horses. The application was granted in that Herbert's call up was delayed until December 1917.
When Frank retired in 1926, his assistant, Mr W. Roach took over the business. Augusta died in 1926 aged 63 years and Frank in 1931 aged 68 years.
Of Frank and Augusta's children, Archibald Harold continued the Symes tradition by opening a shop. He is shown in various trade directories as a confectioner in the High Street.
Click here if you wish to read more about the early history of the Symes family
This page was last updated: 13/01/2008