of Porch House

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
Stokefield Cottages
The Hatch
Thornbury Cottage 
Thornbury House

The 1878 Gas Book shows John and Charlotte Buckley were already living in Porch House in Thornbury.  They did not own the house, neither did Mrs Wickham who occupied the smaller property on the site, which we now know to be 13 Castle Street.  The owner's name J C Gwynn is crossed out, which indicates a recent change of ownership.  By 1880 Admiral Henry Craven St John owned both properties. 

The 1881 Census shows that John and Charlotte Buckley occupied Porch House and gives us further details.  In the Census John was a grocer employing four men.

John Buckley was born about 1840 in Congleton in Cheshire.  In the 1871 Census a young lady called Charlotte Morley was in Sandbach.  The Census shows that she was visiting a solicitor from Lincolnshire and his family.  Also described as a visitor in that household was Mary Ann Buckley aged 48. 

We do not know what this connection was between the Buckley and Morley families but John Buckley married Charlotte Morley, the daughter of a surgeon, John Morley, and his wife  Elizabeth in Glandford Brigg in Lincolnshire in 1874.  John and Charlotte's first daughter, Hannah Mary Buckley, was born in Congleton in the June Quarter of 1875.  Their second daughter Helen Morley Buckley was also born in Congleton in the June Quarter of 1876. 

By 1878 they had moved to Porch House in Thornbury.  The 1880 Rate Book shows that he was still in Porch House, but that he had also renting the shop in the High Street (now known as 11 High Street) which was owned, and previously run by, Edwin Boyes Lonnen.  The 1885 and 1890 Rate Books show that he was still renting the shop in the High Street, but they had moved across the road to live in the  house now called Epworth House at 12 Castle Street.  Epworth House was owned by the executors of the late S H Applegate.  The 1890 Rate Book shows John was also renting the shop now known as 2 High Street, but by 1894 he had given this up.

The 1891 Census confirms that they were living in Epworth House.  By this time Charlotte Buckley was 45 and the couple now had five children; Hannah 15, Helen aged 14, Charlotte 12, Marion 10,  Lucy 8 and Edith aged 5.  John Thomas Buckley was described as a grocer and corn merchant.  He had two apprentices in the house Charles Saville aged 17 from Essex and Roland Wilkins aged 15 from Woodborough in Somerset.

In a Trade Directory of  1895 J T Buckley was trading at Britannia House but the 1896 Voters List still shows his address as Castle Street.  By 1901 they had moved to Worcester.

Click here to read more about the history of Porch House.

This page was last updated: 09/05/2012