14 ST MARY STREET

James Parnell and his family

In the 1840 Tithe Survey number 14 was part of Plot 164 occupied by James Parnell. 

James appeared to own a number of properties in Thornbury, presumably inherited from his father.  In his Will, James had allowed Hannah to live in their house until her death or until she re-married.  In September quarter 1864, Hannah married again and following this the properties he owned were sold off.  In 1865, the devisees of James Parnell arranged the sale of the house at The Coombe described as a substantial and well built dwelling house comprising parlour, kitchen, back kitchen, wash-house, cellar, pantry, 4 bedrooms, pigsty, stable, productive garden and paddock of arable land containing in the whole by estimation 3 roods 24 perches.  There is a good supply of hard and soft water.  Another property of James Parnell's in Chapel Street,  occupied by John Trayhurn, a tailor, was also put up for sale at the same time. 

Hannah married again in 1864 - her new husband was a widower, William Stephens, a master mariner and the son of Charles Stephens, a labourer.  It is interesting to note that in the same quarter Hannah's daughter, Frances, married William's son, Jonah.  Following her marriage Hannah moved out of The Coombe and settled in Ham Lane, Oldbury.  Hannah died aged 77 and was buried on 20th April 1877.  She was buried in the same grave as her first husband, James Parnell.

Of their children:

Ann - in 1846, Ann married Thomas Bevan in 1846 and her life is described in more detail elsewhere on the website - click here to read more

James Junior - the 1851 census shows James as an apprentice tailor aged 16.  In 1858 James was involved in some trouble in Bristol in which a sum of money was stolen from him.  Although he was the victim of a crime, the Bristol Mercury article dated 25th December 1858 shows James in a very bad light.  It gives the story the heading 'A Yokel' and refers to James as 'one of the dullest witnesses we ever remember have seen produced in court' and adds 'the wonder in court seemed to be, not that he had lost his money, but that he had not been denuded of his skin'.  It explains that James was a tailor from Thornbury who had recently come into a legacy paid largely in £5 notes.  He went into Bristol with his mother, brother and some others to make some purchases and after they went home he stayed in Bristol for the evening to 'see life'.  He went to the theatre and the following morning he went to the circus.  In the evening he 'enjoyed himself' and found himself in a coffee house where he remembers being pressed by a young lady to go upstairs and lie down on the bed.  He fell asleep and when he awoke next morning he found he had lost two £5 notes and some gold and silver.  Luckily for James, the police were able to arrest the lady and her accomplice and to trace the money stolen.

We cannot find James in the 1861 and 1871 censuses, possibly because he is away with the Army.  James was a Private in the 31st Regiment of Foot stationed in Gibraltar and he appointed his widowed sister, Frances Stephens, to handle his affairs regarding the property at 3 Bath Road which his father had owned.

On 1st June 1865 James Parnall (jnr) appears to have agreed the sale of the property at 3 Bath Road.  It was to be sold to Isaac Budgett for £80, with Thomas Facey assisting Isaac with the mortgage.  However, with only £55 paid by Isaac Budgett, it appears that the purchase was not completed.   In July 1873, Thomas Wilson paid James Parnell the outstanding £25 and paid £11 to Thomas Facey to and so acquired the property.  When he retired from soldiering he went back to being a tailor.  He must have spent the £80 that he made from the sale of his property. 

The grandson of the wealthy property owner and attorney seems to have had rather a dramatic decline in fortune as by 1880 he was in trouble.  An article in the Bristol Mercury dated 4th December 1880 reports that James, an army pensioner was charged with lodging in an outhouse belonging to Henry Honeyborne of Morton.  It was mentioned that James had been discharged from gaol about six weeks and during that time had only slept in a bed two nights.  He had been four times convicted of similar offences.  The magistrate thought he was an incorrigible rogue and expressed determination to commit him to the Quarter Session the next time he came before them.  He was sentenced to 3 months with hard labour.

The following year, 1881, he did end up in North Hamlet Prison in Gloucestershire.  The Petty Sessional Court shows that he had been charged with 'lodging in an outhouse at Upper Morton on 20th March 1881 having no visible means of subsistence and not giving a good account of himself.  He was discharged on this occasion with a 'promise of amendment'.  However a few weeks later he was back charged with being a 'rogue and vagabond wandering abroad and lodging in an outhouse at Thornbury on 1st April 1881'.  This time he was sentenced to three months hard labour.  The 1891 census shows James as a pauper inmate in Thornbury Union Workhouse described as an unmarried tailor aged 59.  James died on 23rd November 1899 aged 65.

Hugh - also got in trouble.  In 1855 he was charged with feloniously stealing 2 sovereigns, one half sovereign and 3 half-crowns and sentenced to 6 months in prison.  He was described as 'Thornbury labourer aged 23, height 5ft 2.5 inches, dark brown hair, grey eyes, oval face and fresh complexion with burns on right arm and back of right shoulder'.  In 1860 he was charged again - this time for stealing 19 shillings and sentenced to a further 6 months hard labour.  In 1881 he was up before the Petty Sessional Court.  The record shows Hugh was an inmate of the Union Workhouse when he was charged with refusing to perform "certain tasks of work suited to his age, strength and capacity to wit scouring pates, knives and forks in the Workhouse on 29th June 1881 when requested to do so.  Hugh pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 days hard labour.

Frances- born on 9th May 1843 and was a dressmaker in the 1861 census.  Frances married Jonah Stephens in the September quarter of 1864.  The 1861 Census shows that Jonah was then aged 22 and was the master of ship called the Blanche and was from Oldbury on Severn.  Jonah died on 5th January 1866 and was buried at Oldbury.  Frances remarried on 6 Aug 1878 at Westbury on Severn to a farmer - John Hopkins and lived at Westbury.