Occupiers of No. 8 Gloucester Road

Frederick Henry (Harry) Burchell & his wife, Elizabeth Mabel Maud

In the 1899 Rate Book and the 1901 census, the house was now occupied by the Burchell family.  Frederick Henry Burchell was aged 27, a solicitor's clerk, born in Thornbury.  His wife, Elizabeth Mabel Maud, was aged 30 and also born in Thornbury.  They had one daughter, Dorothy Helen Burchell aged 9 months. On the left is a photograph of Dorothy in the garden of Glenthorne (13 Gloucester Road).
 
The Burchell family had been associated with Thornbury for a long time.  Frederick Henry was born on 12th October 1873 and baptised on 19 Nov 1873.  In the 1881 census, he had been living with his parents at The Combe, Gloucester Road.  His father, also a Frederick, and his grandfather, Daniel, were both carpenters.  Daniel had moved to Thornbury from Lyneham in Wiltshire.  Click here to read more about the Burchells

On 19th January 1885 Frederick Henry was admitted to Thornbury Grammar School with an Attwells Scholarship.  The 1891 census shows Frederick Henry was aged 17, still living with his parents, who had now moved to St Mary Street.  It shows that Frederick Henry had started work as a solicitor’s clerk.  He married at St Mary's on 17 May 1897.  His wife was Elizabeth Mabel Mary Boulton.  Thus when the family moved into 8 Gloucester Road, they were moving in next door to the house where Elizabeth’s sister was living in the 1891 census, and where Susan Boulton was living with her son, Harry Dawson Boulton in 1901.

The records of St Mary’s Church show that Dorothy Helen who was baptised on 5th September 1900, died in 1916 aged only 15 years.  Her obituary tells us that she was invalided from birth and constantly taken out in her wheel chair by her attendant (whom we know to have been Maud Worsley).  She finally succumbed following a short out of pneumonia.

Various trade directories show that Frederick Henry Burchell was a solicitor’s clerk living in Gloucester Road.  The 1907 Rate Book shows the Burchells still living at 8 Gloucester Road, but by 1910 they are listed at ‘Glenthorne’, 13 Gloucester Road, where they continued to live until their deaths.  We suspect that the move to Glenthorne took place in 1908 because a later occupant of 8 Gloucester Road, Annie Pitcher, said that she began her married life in that house on 13th February 1908.  The Burchells are also listed in the Electoral Register 1909 as living in Glenthorne.

In 1948 Frederick Henry Burchell presented a talk, “A Tour of Thornbury”, to the Society of Thornbury Folk.  A copy of this talk is included in the book “Thornbury: Pages from the Past”.  In this, he referred to the fact that he started working for Messrs Scarlett & Gwynn, solicitor, which in 1891 were amalgamated with Messrs Crossmans & Lloyd.  Apparently Frederick was employed by this firm for sixty years.  

Both Burchells were very active in public life.  They were both ardent church workers and members of the Parochial Church Council for over 25 years with Frederick being the Secretary of that body since its inception.  Frederick was also a licenced lay reader.  Both of them were representatives of the Diocesan Conference.  Elizabeth was very involved with the Mothers Union, being its Secretary for over 21 years.  She was also one of those responsible for the Thornbury and Falfield Women's Unions and when the Thornbury Branch lapsed she continued actively supporting the Falfield Branch.  She was a member of the Thornbury Public Assistance Committee, the Thornbury Food Control Committee and had been Vice Chairman of the Thornbury Conservative Association.

The photo above right shows Frederick Henry and Elizabeth Mabel Maud in their 'parlour' at Glenthorne.  It is thought to have been taken at their golden wedding anniversary in 1947.

Elizabeth Mary Maud died on 1st March 1955 and Frederick Henry died on 10 September 1959.

The Bristol Evening Post (Tues April 28 1959) contains an article about Frederick Henry - click on this link to see text and photo
 

This page was last updated: 21/03/2012