The Owners of The Priory

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

This photograph of The Priory in Castle Street Thornbury was taken about 1964 (hence the tiny "bubble cars" on the far right of the building).  The Priory is the right hand part of the building.  

Click here for a more detailed description of the building.

The earliest records that relate to the property indicate that it and the house next door (now known as Clematis Cottage) were once part of the same house.   Clematis Cottage was once known as the Green House and we believe that this is true of the Priory.  Until the house was owned by the heirs of John Crowther the history of The Priory is the same as of Clematis Cottage.  Click here to read their early history.

On 11th January 1808 John Crowther made a will in which he left his property to his wife for her life time and then after death it was to be divided.  Half was to go to his sister's daughter Betty Smith.  This property included a house and two gardens and a yard and closes of land that were in the occupation of Henry Baker.  

The Smith Family.  Betty Crowther, the sister of John Crowther, had married Thomas Tombs in 1741.  Their daughter Betty Tombs married Benjamin Smith.  They appear to have had at least five sons; Benjamin junior, Thomas, James, Alexander, and John. 

After the death of Betty and her husband Benjamin Smith the share of Betty's property that was in Thornbury was to pass to two of their sons Alexander and James Smith.  At some stage Alexander and James divided their inheritance into two shares and the Smith family may have literally divided the house (known as the Green House) into two halves.  One half became known as The Priory.  It was described as;

"All That messuage or tenement with the carpenter’s shop yard and garden and outbuildings thereto adjoining and belonging now in the occupation of Thomas Smith as tenant thereof.  And also all that stable adjoining thereto in the occupation of Charles Jones.  And also all that close piece or parcel of arable land formerly divided into two closes and called or known by the name of the upper and lower close containing three acres one rood and six perches (more or less) with the barn thereon standing and being in the occupation of Robert Olive which said messuage or tenement close of ground and other hereditaments yards" etc. 

Click here to read more about the Smith family.

Adrian Stokes.  We do not know why Adrian Stokes acquired The Priory.  He may have been mainly interested in the land that was acquired with it or he may have wanted the Priory either as a rental property or as a temporary home while Stokefield House itself was built.

By an indenture made the 5th day of April 1822  Adrian Stokes of Kington in the parish of Thornbury bought from James Smith of Almondsbury in the County of Gloucester carpenter for £605 ; 

"All that messuage or tenement with the carpenter’s shop yard and garden and outbuildings thereto adjoining and belonging now in the occupation of Thomas Smith as tenant thereof.  And also all that stable adjoining thereto in the occupation of Charles Jones, " ( the property now known as The Priory).

He also bought;

"all that close piece or parcel of arable land formerly divided into two closes and called or known by the name of the upper and lower close containing three acres one rood and six perches (more or less) with the barn thereon standing and being in the occupation of Robert Olive which said messuage or tenement close of ground and other hereditaments yards backsides outlets commons common of pasture common of turbary and other commonable Rights ways paths passages waters etc""

The Land Tax records from 1822 show that Adrian Stokes was paying 6/- land tax for property which appears to include The Priory and the land attached to it.

The Tithe Map that was drawn up  between 1837 and 1840 gives this property the tithe number 29.  The accompanying tithe apportionment shows that the property was  owned by Adrian Stokes of Stokefield House and occupied by Thomas Smith.  The property was described as a house, carpenter's shop and garden.  Adrian Stokes died on 21st April 1853.

Sir John Key.  On 24th December 1853 the heirs of Adrian Stokes, Thomas, Sarah, Adrian and Annis Stokes together with George Cole sold the property and the land associated with it (which latter was of considerably more importance than the house) to Sir John Key.  On the 9th June 1854 Sir John Key raised a mortgage of £1,000 on this property, including The Priory, from James Brandwood of Lancashire, Kingsmill Grove Key and George Marten, both of London.  On 30th February 1854 Sir John Key and those holding the mortgage sold to John Powell the house that is now called The Priory for £215.  When it was sold it was said to be a property in the occupation of Thomas Smith for many years then of George Nelmes the school master and now of John Powell or his under tenants.

John Powell was baptised on 28th May 1823.  He was the son of a mason called William Powell.  John Powell bought The Priory on 30th February 1854 and raised mortgages against this purchase in February 1855 and on December 18th 1861.  On September 14th 1859 John Powell sold to Eleanor Rodney the workshop and a small section of the land associated with this house.

 The thumbnail photograph on the left is taken from a plan of a sale agreement dated 29th March 1869.  It shows that at that time The Priory was still owned or at least occupied by J Powell.    We have no explanation as to why his name should appear on a plan of 1869 when it would appear that Caroline Lewis had bought it from John's brother Thomas.  Click here to read more about John Powell and his family.

Henry Craven St John.   We know that Henry Craven St John also came to own the Priory by 1876 and indeed a large tract of property and land in the Castle Street area.  We do not know specifically when the transfer of ownership of The Priory took place.  It is possible that he bought The Priory around the time he bought Clematis Cottage in 1869.

Herbert Hume-Spry.  The 1910 Rate Book shows that The Priory was owned by Catherine Dora St John, the widow of Henry Craven St John.  It had been occupied by Mrs Wilson but this was crossed through and  H C Hume-Spry was added as tenant. 

The 1911 Census shows that the house was called The Priory and that it was occupied by Herbert Charles Hume-Spry aged 57 and a retired tea planter who was born in Allahabad in India.  He and his wife Angela Caroline (nee Angela Russell Manners) had been married for 28 years and had three children, all still living. We believe that they may have married in India on January 1st 1882.  Only one of their children, Jered Rodney Hume Spry their 16 year old daughter lived with them.  Jered was born in Hutton in Somerset in 1895 and her birth was registered in Axbridge.  The family had two servants Dorothy Herridge aged 17, a house parlour maid, and Kate Seviour aged 19, a cook.

Herbert Charles Hume-Spry was born 15th December 1853.  He was the son of Arthur Browne Spry and his wife Matilda.  He served in the Second V.B Wiltshire Regiment.  We assume that because Herbert was in the army, he travelled considerably.  This may explain why in the 1901 Census Angela Hume- Spry was boarding in Tennyson Road Harpenden with her daughters, Jered aged 6 and Doris aged 17.

In 1917 Herbert Hume-Spry was made temporary Second Lieutenant of the Gloucestershire Volunteer Regiment.  Presumably as he was too old for active service he had become a volunteer at home.  By the 1925 Valuation List and 1926 Rate Book Herbert Hume-Spry had become the owner of The Priory.  He died in Thornbury on June 17th 1927.  The rest of the family seem to have left Thornbury soon after this time.  We feel that the entry in the 1931 Kelly's Trade Directory for H C Hume-Spry may be an error.  It seems more likely that Georgina Isabel Jenkinson bought the house in 1927 as her mother died in the same year that Herbert died.

The widowed Angela Caroline Hume-Spry died on 16th December 1947.   Her homes were described as 47 Bramham Gardens Earls Court in London and Twynax House Ford Lane Farnham in Surrey.  The executors of her will were the Westminster Bank and her daughter, Jered Rodney Manners Hume-Spry a spinster.

Children

Herbert Manners Hume-Spry.  In the 1901 Census Herbert Manners Hume-Spry the only son of  Herbert and Angela was a boarder at Marlborough.  He was born in India.  Herbert was married in Thornbury in 1926.  In the announcement of the wedding his address was described as Panitola Tea Estate, Assam.  Herbert married Grace Constance Clough the daughter of Colonel A H B Clough of Lisburne, Sandecotes Road, Parkstone in Dorset.   Grace died in 1943 and Herbert died in 1944, both in Surrey.  They were buried at Pirbright Church.

Angela Doris Manners Hume-Spry married Sir Claude Francis Barry 3rd Baronet on 16 December 1908.  They divorced in 1927.  Angela died in June 1960.

Jered Rodney Hume Spry.  We know nothing about Jered

Georgina Isabel Jenkinson.

Georgina Isabel Jenkinson was the next owner of The Priory.  She was born on 10th April 1899.  The 1901 Census shows that at that time Georgina was  living at Eastwood Park with her parents George and Madeline and their considerable household.

In 1920 The Times had a entry in the personal column; "the engagement is announced of Edward Guy second son of late Sir Edward Ripley of Bedstone court and Lady Ripley of Heath house Aston on Clun and Georgina second daughter of the late Sir George Banks Jenkinson Bt of Eastwood Falfield and of Lady Jenkinson, Clouds, Thornbury. "

The marriage of this pair seems not to have taken place but we do not know why.  In fact we believe that neither Georgina nor Edward Ripley ever married.

Georgina Jenkinson lived at Clouds with her mother after the death of her father.  After her mother’s death, she bought The Priory at 17 Castle Street.  The Trade Directories and Electoral Rolls show that she continued to live at The Priory until at least 1961.

The Gazette 12th March 1938 shows that Georgina I Jenkinson of the Priory was the director of a new Gloucester company called Broiderers (Gloucester) Ltd.  The firm was registered to take over the business of embroiderers carried on at 20 Westgate Street Gloucester.  We have no further information about this company.

In 1961 the electoral roll said the house was occupied by Georgina Jenkinson and Donald and Patricia Findlay.  We do not know who this couple were.

Georgina died on 3rd December 1977 aged 78.

In 1965 The Priory was occupied by Angela Mills.

1975 The Priory was occupied by Charles Gasson and Susan Fane de Salis, whose husband had died in 1973.

1980 the Electoral Roll shows that number 17 (The Priory) was occupied by Charles Gasson who had previously lived at Fairfield House, 58 Castle Street.

Click here to read about the tenants who lived in The Priory.

 

This page was last updated: 09/05/2012