Laburnum Terrace

Charles & Laura Underhill of 20 Gloucester Road, Thornbury

The 1899 Rate book shows William Charles Underhill as occupying the house.  The 1901 census tells us more about the Underhills.
 

Charles was born on 8th May 1868 and baptised William Charles Underhill at St Mary’s in Thornbury on 5 July 1868.  His parents were William and Annie Underhill.  William was a labourer at that time but in 1889 he took over as beer-house keeper at the 'Queens Head', situated on the corner of the High Street and Chapel Street.  Various directories and Charles’s marriage record show that William was also a carrier running a daily service to Bristol.

Charles also acquired an interest in running pubs.  On 28 December 1893 he married Laura Wilson, the daughter of Thomas Wilson.  Thomas had been the licensee of 'The Horseshoe' from 1871 until his death in 1882.  The licence was then taken over first by his widow, Ann Marie, and then following her death in 1885 by her son, Henry Charles Wilson.  However in 1894 shortly after Charles and Laura’s marriage, Charles Underhill took over as beer-house keeper.  The Horseshoe was situated in the building now used as a kebab takeaway opposite the Heart Foundation shop in St Mary Street.

Charles left The Horseshoe in 1898 and moved to 'The Porter Stores', which is now known as 'The Barrel'.  It seems that about 1900 Charles gave up The Porters Stores to his brother, Frederick.  Unfortunately, Frederick only managed to stick it out for a couple of years before he died in early 1902 aged only 31.  William Underhill, the father of both Charles and Frederick, moved from the Queens Head to The Porters Stores which he continued to run until his death in 1910.

The 1901 census record shows that when Charles moved into Gloucester Road from The Porters Stores, he became a carrier.  We assume that he was working with his father on the daily service to Bristol.

We note by 1904 Charles and Laura had moved to Pullins Green and in the 1905 Rate Book he is living at 1 Horseshoe Lane, the cottage which faced on to Pullins Green.  Charles died in 1909 aged only 41.  By 1910 his widow Laura was living next door to the Wheatsheaf in a house that later became 8 Chapel Street.  According to the Electoral Rolls Laura lived in Chapel Street until about 1935.  She may have died in Bristol aged 69 in 1939.

This page was last updated: 21/03/2012