Laburnum Terrace

Occupants of No. 16 Gloucester Road

It is extremely difficult to say accurately who was living in each house in the 1841  and 1851 censuses.  We know that as the houses were being built by John Hodges and his sons during this period, they were mainly occupied by the Hodges family.

James Hodges - the 1861 census shows the house was occupied by James Hodges, a carpenter aged 48 and his daughter, Martha formerly a dressmaker aged 17.  James was the eldest son of John and Sarah Hodges.   He was born in Olveston baptised on 8th December 1811.  He married Charlotte (maiden name unknown) and they had two children: John born about 1840 (who died on 13th August 1843) and Martha baptised on 5th February 1843.  Charlotte died on 27th May 1856 and James died on 15th February 1866 aged 54.  The 1862 Rate Book shows that James had moved next door to number 14 and the occupancy taken over by his father.

John Hodges - the 1871 census and 1876 Rate Book show that the house was occupied by John Hodges who was building the whole of Laburnum Terrace and who owned the houses or conveyed them to his children.  The census shows him as a retired carpenter aged 85.  John died on 7th June 1877 aged 91.  Click here to read more about John Hodges

From the 1870's onwards, the house was rented out to tenants during the time it was owned by the Hodges family.  We have traced some of these families.

The Sutherland family - between 1870's and 1891 - Click here to see more information on the Sutherland family

Helen Mason - occupied the house in the 1901 census.

Name	Status	M	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
Helen M Mason	Head	M	72	Living on own means	St Pancras, London

In the Rate Book of 1894 the name of the tenant was given as "Mason".  The 1901 census makes it clear that the house was occupied by Helen Mary Mason, a married lady aged 72.  She had been born in St Pancras, London and was described as 'living on her own means'.  There is no sign of her husband at that time, or even 10 years earlier, when she was lodging with Frank Symes, the saddler, in the High Street.  We noted that in the 1891 census, her age was given as 60.  The Rate Book of 1899 spelled her first names as "Ellen."

There is something of a mystery about Helen's earlier life.  We have struggled to find any sign of her in the 1871 and 1881 censuses.  The FreeBMD website shows that Helen Mary Towton (or Touton) married Miles Bailey Mason in Solihull in the June quarter of 1857.  In the 1861 census, Helen  is recorded as aged 30 and living at 6 Willenham Terrace, St Pancras with her husband, Miles Bailey Mason, a photographic artist aged 34, and born in Cheddleton, Staffordshire.  They had two sons, Charles Touton King Mason aged 28 months and Miles Hill Haines Mason aged 2 months.  This is the only census that shows the family together.  By the 1871 census the boys have been sent off to a boarding school.

Some of the mystery appears to be due to the fact that Miles may have remarried.  In the 1871 census he was living in Mersham in Kent with a new young wife, Caroline, who was fifteen years younger than him.  Helen and Miles might have divorced, which was very unusual at that time.

They could have divorced soon after the introduction of the 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act which for the first time allowed divorce through the law courts, instead of the slow and expensive business of a Private Act of Parliament.  Under the terms of the act, the husband had only to prove his wife's adultery, but the wife had to prove her husband had committed not just adultery but also incest, bigamy, cruelty or desertion.

We are still intrigued by where Helen was after she and her husband parted and what brought her to Thornbury.  She must have a connection with the town that we have yet to discover.

Helen died on 3 February 1902 aged 72.  We have since found that the Free BMD website shows the marriage of a Miles Bailey Mason in the March quarter of 1905 to Caroline Cuming in Birmingham.  Perhaps they were not actually divorced and Miles had to wait all that time before he could legally marry Caroline.

In 1905 the Rate Book shows that the house was void at that time.

Charles Fisher - the 1907 Rate Book indicates that Charles occupying the house at this time.  Charles died aged 72 and was buried on 11th February 1910.  In the 1910 Rate Book 'Mrs Fisher' is living across at 3 Gloucester Road.  We suspect that Charles was a farmer living in Almondsbury in the 1881 census who was married to Mary Ann who died in 1911 aged 72.

In 1909 when he completed the entry form for joining the police force Joseph Underhill gave his address as Laburnum Cottage. We are provisionally assuming that he was a tenant in this house for a short time.

Francis James Williams - the Rate Book of 1910 shows 'F J Williams' was a tenant of the house at that time.  We know from military records that this would have been Francis James Williams who gave his address as 'Gloucester Road' when he applied for exemption from military service in 1916.  The 1911 census also shows Francis James and his wife, Mary Alice, living at the house.

Francis was born on 12th June 1880, the son of Francis James Williams, a Thornbury brushmaker and seedsman and his wife, Charlotte (nee Golding) who came from Dunkerton in Somerset.  The 1901 census shows that young Francis was assisting his father in his Seed Supply shop.

Young Francis married Mary Alice Milsom in Holt in Wiltshire on 14th July 1910.  The 1911 census shows Mary Alice was aged 32 and born in Sussex.  They had one son, Kenneth Francis, born in Thornbury on 12th January 1912.  They had settled in 16 Gloucester Road.  On 3rd December 1915 Francis was attested for service in the Forces, but was put into the Army Reserve.  In 1916 when he applied for exemption from military service, he described himself as a 'nurseryman and seedsman - 20 years' working for his father at the 'The Seed Supply'.  The basis of his application was that he was needed to maintain the business whilst his father is fully occupied as overseer for the parish.  The record shows he won a delay and was not to be called up until 30th March 1917.  Tragically the delay did not save Francis who died in Palestine on September 9th 1918 aged 38 years.  He was serving as a Private with the Army Service Corps 1073rd Mechanical Transport Company and served as a heavy lorry driver.  The cause of death was malaria and he was interred in Ramleh Cemetery.  The record on Commonwealth War Graves website confirms his wife was Mary Alice Williams of Gloucester Road.

Mary Alice continued living in the house - she is listed there in the 1921 and 1922 electoral registers but we don't know what she did later.

Winifred Rigden - the 1926 Rate Book shows that Winifred was occupying the house.  We suspect this was the 'Winifred H. Rigden' who was headmistress of the primary school at Buckover from 9th April 1923.  She continued to be shown as headmistress in the directories to 1935.

The Smith family - between about 1927 and 1955 - click here to see more about the Smith family.

After the Smiths the house was sold by the Hodges family - click here to see information on the OWNERS of number 16

This page was last updated: 04/06/2011