The Trayhurn family
of Thornbury

The Trayhurn family made a large impact on the St John Street area for many years.  Local people all associate the Trayhurns with the butchering business which all started with George Trayhurn. 

George Trayhurn
George Trayhurn was born in Thornbury and baptised on 7 September 1856.  He was the son of James Trayhurn, a tailor and his wife Ann.  In 1861 the family were living in Horse Shoe Lane.  James was a tailor aged 30 born in Thornbury.  Ann was a tailoress aged 35, also from Thornbury.  They had William aged 11, Edwin aged 8, George aged 5, Albert aged 4, Briant aged 2.  'Bryant' died in 1867 aged 7.

By 1871 George had left home and was working as a general servant in the house of George Walker, a butcher in St John Street.  It was here he must have the taste for being a butcher, which he had become by the time he married on 7th August 1876.  George's wife was Elizabeth Maishment, the daughter of George Maishment, a tailor.

In 1881 the family were living in Silver Street.  George Trayhurn was a butcher aged 25, Elizabeth, a shopkeeper aged 26.  They had three children then - Harry Maishment Trayhurn born in 1877, George born in 1879 and Arthur born in 1881.

They had further children throughout the 1880's: Albert Edward born in 1883, Reginald born about 1895, Mabel Ellen born in 1887, Austin Roy born in 1888, and Charles Victor born in 1889.

George died on 19 April 1889 aged 33.  Elizabeth must have been a remarkable person as she carried on and built up George's business and managed to bring up the eight young children.  Her grandson, Don, recalled how when his grandfather died young, his grandmother started making faggots and peas etc and selling them one morning each week. The business grew and grew and by the 1891 census she moved from Silver Street to bigger premises on the corner of The Plain, St John Street and St Mary Street.

The 1891 census shows Elizabeth is shown as a butcher and grocer, Harry was 13, George 12, Arthur 10, Edward Albert  8, Reginald 6, Mabel Ellen 4, Austin Roy 2, Charles Victor 1.  Elizabeth's sister, Ellen Maishment aged 29, was also living there helping out as a grocer's assistant. 

In 1901 Elizabeth was shown as a butcher in St John Street.  Still living with her were Albert, a butcher aged 18, Reginald, a baker aged 16, Mabel, a school teacher aged 14, and two other sons, Roy aged 12 and Victor aged 11.  We believe in 1905 and 1910 Elizabeth was living at The Court House, 2 St John Street as she is mentioned as being the occupant in a sale notice of the property. On 8th September 1910 Elizabeth bought several properties from the trustees of Abraham Cole.  These included the butchers shop and adjoining house in St Mary Street and the Court House and adjoining Malthouse.  She paid £1050 for these properties.

Harry had married in 1897 and had left home.  He was however only living a few yards away and he was assisting his mother with the butchery business.  Click here to read about Harry who was to carry on the Trayhurn business from his mother.

Elizabeth carried on the business on The Plain.  The 1911 census shows Elizabeth, a widow aged 56 with her son, Harry a widower aged 33 and Albert aged 25.  All three were butchers.  Also living in the house were Elizabeth's daughter, Mable Ellen, a teacher aged 24 and a grand-daughter, Frances aged 12 born in Tenby and a grandson Jack who was aged 10.  Frances and Jack were the children of Harry and his late wife.

Elizabeth is listed as a butcher in the Thornbury Directories until 1914.  The family was to suffer badly in the War.  Six of her seven sons responded to the call. 

Their youngest son, Charles Victor (shown in the photo on the right) was twice rejected by the Army, but was accepted by the 8th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment in September 1914.  This Regiment was a Pioneer Battalion whose main responsibility was to dig trenches, but this duty often exposed them to heavy fire and occasionally they got involved in the fighting.  We have a copy of a newspaper report dated September 1915 which refers to a letter sent home by Victor - he explained that 'Most of our work so far has been trench digging and  we get a shell over us occasionally just to break the monotony.  At present we are digging behind our line under cover of night.  There is a good deal of firing at night and we get the stray shots over us as we are working'. 

Victor was serving as a Lance Corporal when he was wounded in the great advance at Trones Wood in the Battle of Somme on 14th July 1916.  An article in the South Gloucestershire Chronicle says that he lay wounded for twelve hours before being put into an ambulance.  His friend had come to attend to him but a shell killed the man and further injured Charles.  He was admitted to the Canadian hospital at Etaples in France with injuries to his thigh, knee and arm.  His mother and only sister were able to travel over to see him and speak with him before he died on 21st July 1916.  He was aged 27.  He had been a chorister and bell-ringer at St Mary's church in Thornbury.

Prior to joining the fighting, Victor worked for the Gazette offices at Dursley and then moved to join Lamson Paragon Supply Company, a London firm of printers.

Another son, Roy, was sent home from the fighting on more than one occasion.  We have newspaper report showing whilst he was serving with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars in the Dardanelles in 1916 he was invalided home because of enteric fever, but after six weeks he recovered well and was able to resume duty in Egypt.  Then in 1917 whilst in Palestine he was shot through the shoulder and the injury gave him great trouble.  He was brought to England and received muscular treatment in a hospital at York.  Roy went into partnership with his brother, Harry and together they ran the butchers on The Plain under the name of 'Trayhurn Brothers'.  In December 1937 this partnership was dissolved and Roy retired from the business.  He died on 25th October 1944 when he was living at Littledown, Haw Lane, Olveston.

Albert is known to have served the 12th Gloucester Regiment in France, but we know little as yet about his war experiences.  Albert married Ellen Elizabeth Horrell in the Keynsham District in 1913.  Albert Edward Trayhurn continued to live at Court House.  On December 4th 1926 there was an announcement in the Gazette of the death of Ellen Trayurn, Albert's wife on November 27th of that year.  The article said that Mrs Trayhurn had been ailing for some time but died aged only 42 with "painful suddenness."  There was a service for her at St Mary's Church in Thornbury and she was interred at Canford Cemetery in Bristol.  In 1927 Albert's name appears on the Electoral Roll with the address of Court House.  He remarried in the September quarter of 1927.  Albert's second wife was Gertrude Honeywill whom he married in the Bristol area.  Gertrude and Albert Trayhurn continued to live at Court House as their names appeared in the 1931 Electoral Roll with that address.  They appear to have moved by 1935.  Albert died on 17th September 1966 aged 83.

Finally another son, Reginald, suffered from gas poisoning sustained during fighting on the Western Front. Private Trayhurn was a stretcher bearer and was attached to the Hood Battalion of the Royal Naval Division.   He received treatment in three hospitals in the fighting before being brought to England.  Reginald had received military exemption from service in the early part of the War and was not called up until May 1917.  He had been in France long before his injury.  Reginald recovered and carried on as a baker.  He had been employed as a baker up to 1910 when he purchased a 'bread round' for £10 and used his savings of £50 to set himself up in business.  In 1914 he was a baker and confectioner in the High Street.  He got into financial difficulties and became bankrupt in early 1917.  He blamed his problems on the health of his wife and family, losses by horses, heavy rents for his business premises and loss of trade since the War.  He explained that before the War he was paying 26 to 28 shillings per sack of flour, but for 12 months prior to his bankruptcy he was paying 60 shillings a sack and he could not get customers to pay the extra costs.  After serving in the Army, Reginald is known to have had a bakery in Raleigh Road, Bedminster.  A newspaper article dated 1920 shows that he was working as a foreman confectioner and he was applying for his bankruptcy to be discharged.  At that time he indicated he was not intending setting himself up in business again.

The only daughter, Mabel was to make a name for herself in teaching.  She started teaching at the Council School before setting up a private school.  This was located in 81 High Street, what was then the last house in Thornbury before the entrance to the Railway Station (and before the building of Tanners Court!).  The school later moved down to the building that was knocked down to make way for PG Hawkins new store.  She carried on here for many years up to at least 1956.

Elizabeth eventually died on 28th December 1930 aged 76 years.

This page was last updated: 15/11/2011