The Osborne family

of Kyneton House

Kyneton House in Kington was the family home of the Osborne family from the early 1700's to the early 1800's.  It then descended to the Maclaines as a result of the marriage of Martha Osborne and Hector Maclaine.  Both these families were major landowners in and around Thornbury.

John Osborne - we are grateful to Meg Wise of Thornbury Museum for sharing her notes on the history of the Osborne and Maclaines.  Meg can't be sure but she feels that John Osborne may have come from Wotton Under Edge because the Thornbury parish records show a baptism of a William Osborne in 1697 whose father was John Osborne of Wotton Under Edge. 

Meg believes that the Osbornes first became associated with the area when John Osborne married Sarah Tayer (or Thayer).  We haven't traced the marriage record, but the IGI has a marriage in Bristol on 3rd August 1696 of a John Osborne of Wotton Under Edge to a Sarah TAYLOR and this could this be a misreading of Tayer.  Sarah Tayer was the daughter of a wealthy Thornbury family who owned the small farmhouse which became Kyneton House as well as owning lots of other properties in the area of Kington, Morton and Thornbury.  John Tayer had a son, Thomas and three daughters, Hester, Elizabeth and Sarah. 

Following John Tayer's death in 1703 his property was left to his son, Thomas, but following his death in 1730 there was a major dispute between his sisters which had to be settled by the Court.  By that time Elizabeth had married Walter Tyler, Hester was a widow, her husband William Raymond having died in 1729, and Sarah was also a widow having been married to John Osborne.  The documents describing the court case show that the property was divided between them and identify which parts were to be given to each daughter - that is to say that Sarah Osborne was given The Farm (the old name for Kyneton House) and various closes nearby, Elizabeth was given various closes at Mumbleys and Hester was given the Vine House and closes including Wellfield.  We believe that the Vine House was the old name for the old property in the high Street, now number 8 the Moghul Indian Restaurant.

Sarah died on 27th February 1749 aged 71 and is buried in the same grave as her parents inside St Mary's Church.   Her grandson, William Osborne claimed her property.

William Osborne (1697 - 1743) William was born in 1697 and married Martha Manning at Thornbury on 20th November 1729.  They had at least five children: William who, based on his age at death, was born about 1732, Hester who based on her age at death was also born about 1732 and she married a widowed cooper Benjamin Addis in 1763, Mary baptised on 29th January 1735 who died on 24th April 1764 aged 28, Martha baptised on 24th June 1740 and married William Cullimore on 3rd April 1766 and Thomas baptised on 25th June 1740 and who died on 18th December 1756 aged 16. 

We know from the Kington land tax records that at some time between 1727 and 1737 William had bought the property now known as The Close House and adjoining closes of land.  In the records then the property was identified as being 'late Greenfields'.

William died intestate on 5th November 1743 aged 46 and was buried in St Mary's Church.  We know from court records and other documents that Martha became the owner of The Close House and it was noted that she spent some time living at The Close House during her widowhood.  By 1776 she had moved elsewhere and her daughter was noted as being the occupant of the Close House.  Martha died aged 87 and was buried on 20th January 1787 with other members of the Tayer family inside St Mary's Church.

William Osborne (about 1732 - 1808) - in 1750 William inherited the property of his grandmother, Sarah (nee Tayer).  This gave William Kyneton House and the closes around there. 

William's first wife was Elizabeth Stokes, daughter of Edward Wall Stokes of Almondsbury, whom he married in 1757.  We are not sure when Elizabeth died, but it must have been before 1789 when William married again.

William and Elizabeth had at least four children but they all died relatively young and unmarried.  The last of their children to survive was Elizabeth who inherited a lot of property around Almondsbury and Olveston from her mother (connected to the Stokes, Champneys and Hollester families).  When Elizabeth, the daughter, died in 1802, much of this property was left to her father, William Osborne.

In 1765 following the death of Hester Raymond, his grandmother's sister, William claimed the Vine House and associated lands.

There is an agreement dated 15th July 1776 relating to the barn situated on the opposite side of the footpath adjoining The Close House, just off the High Street.  George Rolph Senior, the owner of land adjoining the barn agreed to allow William Osborne, or his workmen, to enter his garden to repair or rebuild the barn.  At the time of this agreement, The Close House was owned by William's mother and occupied by William's widowed sister, Martha Cullimore.   Martha had married William Cullimore on 3rd April 1766.  They had at least two children: William born on 3rd December 1766 and Martha born on 9th January 1770.   William died of smallpox aged 39.  He was buried on 18th December 1773. In his will dated 10th December 1773, William made several bequests including £1500 to be paid with interest to his daughter, Martha, when she reached the age of 21.  The rest was left to his son, William when he became of age.  William who was a tanner living at Mitchelldean finally received £1435 2s 6d.

When Martha died in 1787 William Osborne claimed The Close House and the associated lands. William's daughter, Elizabeth, is known to have lived there for several years after Martha Cullimore and she continued there until her death in 1802.

In 1789 William married his second wife Grace Watts at Olveston.  She was the widow of James Watts and her maiden name may have been Boulton; she seems to have had only one son also called James Watts.  William and Grace had one daughter, Martha Osborne, born on 2nd May 1793 and baptised on 4 September 1793.

William was Mayor of Thornbury in 1791/92.  William died aged 75 and was buried on 27th September 1807.  He was buried at Quaker Burial Ground at Lower Hazel, Alveston.  According to his last will he said "I wish to be interred in the South West corner of the Burial Ground belonging to the Society of Quakers at Hazel in Gloucestershire, near the spot where the family tomb stood which was sometime since taken down and is now lying against the wall there".

In his will, William left his property to his wife, Grace, during her life or widowhood, and after her decease or re-marriage it was left to their daughter, Martha. 

Grace died at some time around 1822.

In 1816 Martha married Hector Maclaine and the estate passed to the Maclaine family.  Click here to read about the Maclaines

 This page was last updated: 18/05/2012