6 Castle Street

Owners

1840 Tithe Map
(PDF file format)

Castle Street
Numbers
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6 Oriel Cottage
 7
 8 Oriel House
 9 Lion House
10 Wigmore House
11 Porch House
12 Epworth House
13
14 Bank Cottage
15 Clematis Cottage
17 The Priory
20
22
24
26
28 & 28A
30
32 to 42
44
46
48
50 Munday Cottage
Fairfield House
Stokefield House
The Hatch
Thornbury Cottage 
Thornbury House

Oriel Cottage, number 6 Castle Street in Thornbury, is an interesting house.  A close examination of the photograph on the left shows that the front door of Oriel House (the large red brick building that is number 8 Castle Street) is actually on part of Oriel Cottage, the smaller white house next door.  Oriel Cottage appears from the outside to have two front doors.  The history of the two houses is obviously closely interlinked and at various times both houses were owned by the same person.

The positioning of the door seems to have arisen from the problem of access to the garden behind with a stable and its "garden house or privy situate in the northernmost corner of the said garden."

When  8 Castle Street was advertised for sale on 7th March 1860 it was specifically noted that that "the stable adjoining and the passage leading to the same now rented with the house are not included in the sale."

It was  stated in an abstract of 1888 that Sarah Beard bought what is now Oriel Cottage  AND the "offices garden and outbuildings thereto adjoining and the garden house or privy."  It seems that the stable behind the house had been used as offices by Joseph Young Sturge and he had had an access way to them from the street.  Sarah Beard then had to pay to block up the doorway at the far end of the passageway into the garden so that she had sole use of the stable/office and the privy.

This abstract which was part of the deeds of Oriel Cottage mentions the passage in some detail.  The south-westward wall of the passage way was to be a party wall from the floor to the ceiling of the passage and the north-westward wall was to belong to Oriel House (number 8 Castle Street) which at that time had been bought by Samuel Petvin.  This means that the passageway now belonged to Oriel House, the main entrance to Oriel House being a door on the left from the passageway.

Edward Thurston.  An abstract of 1888 says that before the Fewsters owned the property that is now 6 Castle Street it was occupied by John Oldland.  John Oldland appears in the Land Tax Records for 1800.  The record shows that he rented a house from Edward Thurston which we believe to be 6 Castle Street.

Edward Thurston was born about 1728 the son of John and Ursula Thurston.  He married Elizabeth Crowther the daughter of John Crowther on 25th December 1751.  The trade directory of 1784 shows that Edward was a tallow chandler.  Elizabeth Thurston died  10th April 1801 aged 70.  Edward Thurston died 20th April 1806 aged 78 years.

By 1809 the Land Tax Record shows that the property owned by Edward Thurston may have been taken over by John Greenwood who both owned and occupied the property.  John Greenwood does not appear in the 1810 Land Tax Record.

Thomas Fewster.   In the 1840 Tithe Apportionment survey the property was given Tithe Number 266 and was a house and garden owned by Thomas Fewster and it was void at that time.  Click here to read about Thomas Fewster and his family.

George Fewster   George Fewster was born 31st May 1802 and was the son of Thomas Fewster and his wife Elizabeth.  George was the third generation in his family to become an apothecary and surgeon and the  Trade Directory of 1830 advertises both George  Fewster and his father Thomas as apothecaries.

We do not know when or if George Fewster or his father lived at Oriel Cottage but the Abstract of 1888 in the deeds refers to the house as "all that messuage or dwelling house formerly in the occupation of John Oldland, afterwards of Thomas Fewster and George Fewster."  In this instance occupation probably means that they owned the house rather than that they lived in it.

When Thomas Fewster died George inherited "the entire good will of my practice as a surgeon apothecary and accoucheur" (this is a French term for a male Obstetrician).  After the death of their mother the  two children, George and Elizabeth inherited all Thomas Fewster's property as tenants in common.

It was later agreed that George should buy Elizabeth’s half share of "Wigmores House," as it is now called, for £825.  By the 1851 Census George Fewster who had been living in Bank Cottage in Castle Street in the 1841 Census had moved to Wigmore House where he was living alone, except for a servant and a groom.

George Fewster was living in Southampton Street, The Strand, Middlesex by 24th of May 1852 when he purchased Elizabeth’s half share of the “Lion House” in Castle Street for a further £95.  The next day George sold the “Lion House” to Charles Prewett of Thornbury, a tailor.

In 1871 George Fewster was lodging in Ilfracombe with Robert and Emily Saule a retired coastguard from Cornwall and his wife.

We have been unable to trace any further information about George Fewster.  Click here to read more about the Fewster family.

Sarah Beard.  Sarah Beard bought the house on 22nd November 1865.  By her will of 2nd January 1867 Sarah Beard left her "messuage or tenement garden and premises late in the occupation of Robert Jordan and then of Ruth Taylor situate in the High Street of the said Borough of Thornbury which she lately purchased of the Representatives of Elizabeth Fewster deceased unto and to the use of her said niece Ruth Taylor her heirs and assigns for ever."  Click here to read more about Sarah Beard.

Ruth Taylor.  In 1888 Ruth Taylor who had inherited the property on the death of Sarah Beard sold it to Emma Bartlett  Click here to read more about Ruth Taylor.

Emma Bartlett was baptised 14th July 1850 and was the daughter of Rhoda and Nathaniel Bartlett.  Click here to read more about the Bartlett family.

Lionel Williams.  By 1899 Lionel Williams owned the house and it was occupied by Maria Honeyborne.  Click here to read more about Lionel Williams.

We know from Mrs Riddiford, a resident of Castle Street that number 6 Castle Street, which was also known as Oriel Cottage,  was occupied by Edward and Joan Bryars from the 1940's to around 1980.  Mrs Riddiford said that Edward (Ted) Bryars was a butcher for Trayhurns a well known business on The Plain in Thornbury.  We understand that Mr and Mrs Bryars rented the property.   Click here to read more aboout Edward and Joan Bryars.

The house was bought by a chartered surveyor, Derek Hardwick, on 11th October 1983 and used as a commercial property.  

The house is presently owned by Mr and Mrs Nigel Green who are restoring it as a family home.

Click here to read about the occupiers of 6 Castle Street

This page was last updated: 29/01/2012