Laburnum Terrace

Maria Alpass of 18 Gloucester Road, Thornbury

In the 1901 census the house is occupied by the Alpasses.

Maria and her unmarried daughters had moved to 18 Gloucester Road after the 1891 census when they were living in Olveston Green.  She had been listed in the 1896 electoral register as living in Gloucester Road and she was to remain there for about 10 years.

Maria died in April 1909 aged 82 years and she was buried in the same plot as her parents and her husband in Berkeley Cemetery.  The inscription on her grave includes the words ‘her end was peace’ suggesting that she may have been in poor health for some time, and probably cared for by her three unmarried daughters.

One of Maria’s daughters, Clara, died shortly after on May 29th 1909 aged 51 years.  She was also buried in Berkeley Cemetery, but in a different plot.  Her monumental inscription shows that she died whilst living at Heathview, Thornbury.  This was a newly built house further down Gloucester Road, now known as number 15.

We believe that Maria moved with her three unmarried daughters to Heathview when it was built in 1908 or early 1909.  The Prewetts Directory shows Mrs Alpass as living there in 1909.  It also lists ‘Mrs’ Alpass in Heathview until 1913, but we think this is a mistake.  In 1914 ‘Misses’ Alpass are listed as living at Heathview.  With Clara dying in 1909, this must relate to Ellen and Annie Laura.  Ellen died on 6 January 1917 whilst living in Thornbury and the 1918 Electoral Register lists Annie Laura Alpass as being in Heathview.  By 1921 this house is occupied by the Laycock family so Annie Laura must have moved elsewhere.

She turns up again in 1930 when Annie Laura is shown as living with her sister, Ella, now married to Charles Phelps who were living in the big house at Stevelands, Gloucester Road.  She continues living there until her death on July 29th 1940 aged 77 years. The family seem to have retained a connection to Gloucester Road - they just gradually moved further down as they rose socially.

It is interesting that so many of the daughters of Stephen and Maria were buried in Berkeley, even though they had moved away.  There are two separate graves containing the remains of their daughters.  These include Ella who had married Charles Phelps and lived with him in Stevelands in Gloucester Road, Lilly who had married Frederick Bishop and had lived with him in Auklands, another large house next door to Stevelands, and Elizabeth wife of Decimus Coulstone who had died in Cardiff.  None of the husbands were buried with their wives!

Click here for information on the early life of the Alpass family.

This page was last updated: 12/05/2007