The Plain

Number 14

The two photographs above show the building that is now 14 The Plain in Thornbury at different periods in its history.  In each case number 14 is the middle building.  The one on the left was taken in the early 1900s and the one on the right in 2010.  We don't know when the house was built or anything about its early history.  Our earliest source is the 1840 Tithe Survey which shows that the house was Plot 262, a house and garden owned by John Birt and occupied by Henry Allen.  Click here to read about the OCCUPANTS of the property

John Birt - John Birt was born about 1769.  On 7th April 1799 John married Elizabeth Shill.  Elizabeth was born on 20th January 1776, the daughter of Isaac and Martha Shill.  John and Elizabeth had two daughters: Eliza born on 20th October 1801 and Anna born on 4th March 1805.

John is listed in the 1800 Land Tax record when he was renting a property in the High Street.  The 1809 Land Tax record shows that he had now acquired the same property and the Rent Roll for the same year shows that the property was the Crown Inn in the High Street.  By 1814 he had moved to a different unidentified property.

In his will dated 3rd July 1834 it says John was a shopkeeper.  He left his two messuages in the High Street (an old name for Castle Street) for the use of his wife during her lifetime.  The 1840 Tithe Survey shows John owned two plots (262 and 263) which were adjoining houses and garden just off The Plain at the top of Castle Street.   The same survey shows John Birt was living in one of the houses later known as 2 - 12 Pullins Green.  After the death of his wife John's two houses were then to be given to his two daughters, Eliza and Anna, who had married George Powell on 19th January 1828.  He made bequests of £200 each to his brothers, James and William and to his brother-in-law George Powell.  Elizabeth his wife died on 12th January 1837 aged 61 and his daughter, Eliza, died on 14th June 1838 aged 36.   As a result of these deaths, John wrote a codicil to his will dated 31st January 1840 in which he referred to the deaths and directed that his brother William should sell off his property following his death.  John died on 3rd February 1840 aged 71.  There is an entry in the Manor Court records showing that William Birt, of Milbury Heath was to pay a fine of years value on his admittance to two messuages and gardens in Thornbury on the death of his brother, John Birt.

We don't have any documentary evidence yet of what happened to number 14 The Plain, but because the next owner that we know of was the husband of John Birt's grand-daughter, we assume that the property was retained by the family and passed on down the generations, to his daughter Anna Powell and then her daughter, Emma who married Ebenezer Vaughan Jenkins.

George and Anna Powell - the 1859 Rate Book shows that George owned 14 The Plain and the adjoining property, 15 The Plain.  We assume that they acquired these properties in some way following the death of Anna's father, John Birt in 1840. 

George was born in Compton in Gloucestershire about 1794.  On 19th January 1828 George married Anna Birt.  George was a tailor and in the 1840 Tithe Survey and the 1841 census he and Anna were living in a property next to the Crown Inn in the High Street.  They had a daughter, Emma, living with them aged 8.  We haven't traced Emma's baptism record, but when she married she used the name 'Emma Birt Powell'.  They had also had two other children, Edwin who died in 1830 aged 9 months and Anna who died in 1832 aged 15 months. 

In 1851 they were living in 14 The Plain -  George was a tailor employing 7 men, aged 57, Anna was aged 46 and Emma was 'At home' aged 16.

Emma married Ebenezer Vaughan Jenkins on 27th March 1855.  George's wife Anna died on 31st December 1855 aged 55.  Her address was then Wellington Place, Ashley Road, Bristol which is where George was living in the 1861 census.  He was described in the census as a retired tailor aged 67.  In 1871 George was living with his daughter, Emma and her husband at Down House, Alveston.  He died on 2nd April 1874 aged 81.  Both George and Anna were buried in  St Mary's Churchyard in Thornbury.

Ebenezer Vaughan Jenkins - the Rate Books from 1876 through to 1894 show the house was owned by 'E.V. Jenkins'.  We believe this to be Ebenezer Vaughan Jenkins.  Ebenezer was born in Newport, Monmouthshire about 1820.  He was the son of Richard Jenkins, a merchant. 

The Trade Directories for Monmouthshire for 1840-42 show Ebenezer Vaughan Jenkins was a chemist in Commercial Street in Newport.

On 27th March 1855 Ebenezer Vaughan Jenkins married Emma Birt Powell, the daughter of George Powell, a draper and his wife, Anna (nee Birt).  The marriage record shows Ebenezer as a 'Gentleman' living at Christchurch, Monmouthshire.  We can't trace Ebenezer in early censuses and it is possible that he was abroad.  An Ebenezer Jenkins of the right age sailed from Bristol to New York in 1848 aboard the ship 'Cosmo'.

We don't think that Ebenezer and Emma lived on The Plain.  In 1861 Ebenezer and Emma were living in Isca Villa at Christchurch in Monmouthshire.  Ebenezer was described as a proprietor of houses and land aged 41.  Living with them was their daughter Emily Vaughan aged 5.   By 1871 they had moved and they were now living at Down House, Alveston.  This census describes Ebenezer a retired chemist.  The 1881 census shows they had moved again - this time they were living at Landour, Shrubbery Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare.  By 1891 they had moved yet again  to 38 St Margaret's Road, Oxford and they were still there in the 1901 census.  Ebenezer died in 1903 aged 83.  Emma died in 1905 aged 72.

John Allen - the 1899 Rate Book shows John Allen was the owner and occupier of the house.  The 1901  census shows John was a bootmaker's foreman aged 59 born in Tortworth.  He was living with his wife, Elizabeth was aged 55 born in Thornbury and their children: Edith M a Board School Teacher aged 27, William J, a solicitor's clerk aged 24, Amy, a mother's helper aged 20 and Arthur a tailor aged 20 and widowed mother-in-law, Mary Liddiatt who was living on her own means aged 78 and born in Thornbury.  John Allen died on June 14th 1911 and was buried in Thornbury Cemetery.  His wife Elizabeth who died the following year was buried there with him.  We note that William John Allen continued to be listed as living in Castle Street in the electoral registers up to and including 1921 so we assume that he took over his parents' house.  Click here to read more about the Allens

Alfred George and Edith Gladys Excell - we believe that Alfred and Edith were the next owners.  They moved to Thornbury in 1923.  We are fortunate to have notes taken of an interview with their son, George, given to the Thornbury Oral History Society.  We have based our history of the family on these notes, supplemented by information taken from other sources.  Click here to read more

The next occupants who we know anything about was Alfred's son, George Excell.

George Excell - moved into the shop in the early 1940's.  He had been invalided out of the Forces in 1942 and was in hospital for a long time.  He fancied the idea of his own electrical business and as the shop was empty, he took the opportunity to have a go.  He was just building the business up when his health packed up as a result of his injuries sustained in the War.  He sold the business to Cranbrook Radio who went on to have a thriving radio and television business in the High Street for many years.   In 1947 George and his wife, Joan moved to 18 Gloucester Road.  Click here to read more about George 

We are not sure who owned the property after the Excells.  We understand that Ted Bryer, the butcher operated and lived for a short time before moving further down Castle Street.  During the period in the late 1950's when part of the property was rented by Lionel Dearing, the owner was Sidney Gayner.  In the 1960's it was owned by S. M. Turrell who traded as 'The Pet Shop' for many years and the Turrell family continue to own to the property.  

Click here to read about the various OCCUPANTS of the property

This page was last updated: 17/11/2011