Laburnum Terrace
Tenants of No. 8 Gloucester Road
No. 6 Laburnum House
No. 8 Gloucester Road
No. 10 Gloucester Road
No. 12 Gloucester Road
No. 14 Gloucester Road
No. 16 Gloucester Road
No. 18 Gloucester Road
No. 20 Gloucester Road
No. 22 Gloucester Road
No. 24 Gloucester Road
No. 26 The Elms
No. 28 West Shen
No. 30 Shen
Other properties
The Georgian House
The Old Mill
1- 11 Gloucester Road
Shipps Garage
Coombe Cottage
The Coombe
The house was rented out to tenants during the time it was owned by the Hodges family. During this time we have traced many of the families who occupied the house:
The Hudson family - by the 1871 Census the Hudson family were living in 8 Gloucester Road. Thomas was aged 28, an officer of the Inland Revenue, born in St Giles, Camberwell, Surrey. Elizabeth, his wife, was aged 32 was born in Thornbury. They had one daughter, Catherine Elizabeth, aged 1. Elizabeth Smith aged 14, a general servant from Plymouth was lodging with the family. Thomas Hudson appears in the 1865 Electoral Roll and his address there seems to be Brinkmarsh in Whitfield near Thornbury. He married Elizabeth Smith in April 1868 in what is now the United Reformed Church in Thornbury. The Thornbury Journal of February 1870 mentions that Thomas was the Secretary for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge which met in the Reading room in the High Street on Tuesday evenings. At that time Thomas was being re-elected as Secretary so it seems likely he had been a member for at least a year. When the birth of their daughter Catherine was announced in the March 1870 Thornbury Journal, the address given was Laburnum Cottages Gloucester Road. On the 20th July 1872 their son Manfred Pitt Hudson, named after Thomas's father, died aged only seven weeks and was buried at the United Reformed Church.
By 1881 the family had moved away. Thomas was
working in Battersea, London, lodging in Chatham Villas. Elizabeth was
living with her in-laws in Chelmsford with her two sons, Thomas Smith Hudson
aged 11 and Henry aged 5. Manfred Pitt Hudson, Thomas’s father was a
retired Inland Revenue Officer born in Gloucester. By 1891 Thomas was
a widower living in Staffordshire with Catherine and Thomas who were both
born in Thornbury and 15 year old Henry Charles who had been born in
Liverpool. Thomas was by this time a supervisor for the Inland
Revenue.
Of Thomas and Elizabeth's children:
Catherine Elizabeth Hudson, aged 22, departed Liverpool
on board the “City of New York”, arriving in New York 9 September 1892 and
married William Henry Whittingham in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan on 11
September 1892. Catherine was naturalised in 1929 and William Henry in
1938.
Thomas Smith Hudson, aged 31, departed Liverpool on board
the “Oceanic” 25 February 1903 bound for New York. Thomas gives his occupation as “Grocer”
and his final
destination as Detroit. He was naturalised in 1905 and married Mary Gibson
about 1905. Thomas died, aged 77, on 14 May 1948 at Chelan in the State of Washington, USA.
Henry Charles Hudson married Eliza Millie Bayliss in 1898, Aston,
Warwickshire. Henry and his family emigrated to the USA 1904 or 1905.
Hester Milner. the Special Drainage
District Rate Book of 1876 shows that the tenant at that time was Hester
Milner. In 1871 the census showed that Hester was a 32 year old
governess with the Staley family in Kington. Her birthplace is shown
as Whitson in Gloucestershire.
There is an entry in the trade directory of 1877 for Miss Hester Milner
who had a ladies' boarding school in Laburnum Cottage in Gloucester Road.
This seems to have been short lived as the Phelps family were living her in
1881.
The Phelps family - the 1880 Rate Book and 1881 Census shows that the house was
occupied by the Phelps family -
click here for more information
John Hodges - the Special Drainage Rate Book of 1885 shows that
there was a period when John Hodges lived here. This John
Hodges was the son of the owner and builder of the house, George Hodges and
his wife, Tracey. John died and was buried on 15th February 1892 aged
only 37.
Click here to read more about John.
Revd C. W. Rhodes - the 1887 Rate Book shows that Revd C. W. Rhodes
was the tenant at that time.
It is difficult to say how long Albert Davis lived in
this house. His name appears in the Kelly's Directory of 1889 and he
is listed as the tenant of number 8 in the Special District Rate Rook of
1890. Interestingly, the Inland Revenue
Office is actually at the Swan public house. We know from an article
in the Bristol Mercury dated 1892 that Albert was about to leave Thornbury.
He was presented with a purse containing £30 and an illuminated address as a
mark of public esteem and in recognition of his efforts in organising a
series of smoking concerts.
By 1901, Albert
George Davis had moved to 17 Crescent Road, Kidderminster. Despite being 40,
he had a new wife, Elizabeth Jane, aged 21 from Tottenham. He had
three sons,
Albert Robert, a clerk aged 17, Sidney Algernon aged 11 and their new baby,
Frederick Reginald aged 1 born in Kidderminster.
Austin Hodges - the Rate Book of 1894 shows that Austin Hodges
was a tenant of the house at that time. Austin was the youngest son of
George and Tracey Hodges. He was born 29th January 1868. He
married Eleanor Mary Barber in the March quarter of 1893. Their son
Geoffrey Stephen was born in Thornbury on July 4th 1897 but by 1901 they had
moved to Surrey and lived near Epsom.
The Burchell family - the Rate Book of 1899 shows that the next
tenant was F H Burchell and his family -
click here for more information
Caroline Pitcher - the 1925 Valuation List shows that Caroline
Pitcher was living in the house. We had assumed that Caroline was in
some way connected to Augustus Ernest Pitcher (who lived in the house
earlier) and the family of Walter William Pitcher who lived in the
Gloucester Road for such a long time. However we now suspect that she
was the daughter of George Edward Pitcher, a farmer from Morton and his
wife, Eliza (nee Ogborn). This Caroline was baptised on 11th August
1878, at the same time as her twin sister, Matilda. Caroline was
listed as living in Gloucester Road in the 1921 electoral register.
The 1923 Kells Trade Directory lists Caroline in connection with a business
described as 'Apartments' in Laburnum Terrace, Gloucester Road.
Caroline is not listed in the area in 1927 electoral register. We
suspect that she married William England in Thornbury area in 1932 and that
she died in Bristol in 1953 aged 74.
Maurice Symes - the 1926 Rate Book shows the house occupied by
Maurice. The electoral register from 1927 to
1930 list Maurice Gilbert Symes and his wife, Louisa as living in Gloucester
Road.
Click here to read more This page was last updated:
04/06/2011
Davis family - In the 1891 Census, the house was now occupied by another
officer of the Inland Revenue. This might suggest there was some connection
with the Inland Revenue at that time. Albert Davis was aged 30, a Second
class Officer of the Inland Revenue, born in Woolwich. Isabella, his wife,
was aged 29 and also born in Woolwich. They had two sons, Albert R. aged 7 who
was born in Woolwich, and Algernon who was born in Lambeth. They had a
servant, Annie Bennett aged 14 who was born in Cromhall.
Augustus Ernest and Annie Pitcher - we know from the 1901 Rate
Book that they were living at that time. Also we were told that
when Annie was presented with
flowers on her 100th birthday she told Joan Hall (then the Mayor) that she
had lived in number 8 Gloucester Road when she first got married.
Augustus Ernest had married Annie Symes in 1908. Click
here for more information
The Hand family - from about 1932 until about
1970 the house was occupied by the Hand family.
Click here for more information