Langside Cottage, Hounds Green

Langside, from Spoke to Backwater – by Trudy Chinn

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

From an important spoke in the wheel of village life to a quiet backwater. The following history of Langside will walk you through just some of the moments in time that this cottage and occupants have witnessed.

The current residents of Langside Cottage Janet and Paul Bartlett kindly gave the Stinchcombe History Society access to some old documents they hold regarding the history of their property. Using these documents and information the history society already holds, the following gives a flavour of some of the history and past occupants of Langside, Hounds Green, Stinchcombe.

Langside Address

When the Bartletts moved to Langside in 2003 the property was not registered with Land Registry. This is quite common with older properties. The Land Registry advised of the need of a full address as the property lacked a house number or name and suggested naming the property. The name Langside was decided upon as this was the name of a property known to Paul previously which had family connections.

Langside, along with three other properties around it, sits within an area known as Hounds Green. This name forms part of their postal address. There is also a terraced row of four properties a little further along the lane. These lie in different area called Northfields.

Age and Construction

The cottage can be dated at least to the 1700s by using information gleaned by the history society from documents held at Gloucestershire archives. The oldest part of Langside Cottage is built of local stone like many of the other older properties in the village. The stone would have been hauled from one of the local quarries. One of which was just a couple of fields away from Langside.

On the 1766 map shown below you can just about see in the Hounds Green area three buildings along with a collection of small outbuildings.

The Cottage now has a later modern 1980s built extension. This extends out toward the garden area and gives it its present L shape. Old maps suggest there was once a building of some description where the modern extension stands now.

Old Ways & New Ways

A further c1800 map shown below shows an Old Road running from The Street alongside Langside and onward toward the quarry area on Tait’s Hill exiting approximately where the entrance to Vale Vets can be found.

The Avenue as we now know it was not yet in place and was likely added during the road improvement turnpike era to give a more direct and suitable trade route from Wotton through to Dursley.

The following is an excerpt from an old sale document dated 29 March 1833. It confirms the use of the Old Road shown on this map and refers to it as “The Ancient Road”.

Of this date 13 January 1833 made between William Tyndall of Cam, Yeoman, a Batchelor, of the first part and John Mabbett of Stinchcombe in the same county of the second part.

And reciting that the said William Tyndall agreed with Mr John Mabbett for the absolute sale to him of the said cottages or tenements with their appurtenances for the price of £80.00.

All those three cottages or tenements being at Stinchcombe aforesaid joining to the North field there and bounded on one side by The Ancient Road leading from Stinchcombe to Cam and on the other side by the way of leading from Stinchcombe Hill towards Berkeley.

Also the Blacksmiths shop, outhouses, backside and garden ground and all other appurtenances to the said cottages or tenements which were formerly in the occupation of, Thomas Greening, George Woodward and Thomas Stephens and were then in the occupation of William Savage, Frederick Cullimore and the said Thomas Stephens.

The map below dated 1898 shows that the afore mentioned Ancient Road along Langside is now foreshortened. This remaining piece now forms part of Langside’s present day garden. At the end of this slip of garden is a well and the remains of a stone building all of which is now completely overgrown. The remainder of this ancient road has now become just a boundary line between two fields.

This map also shows The Avenue in place as we know it now.

Occupants

The names of long past residents who lived in this type of workers cottage are often difficult to pin down to a particular property from census and other records. These workers cottages rarely had an address and were invariably described just as Cottage, Cottage top of, cottage near or Cottage below etc.

There are occasionally some clues to past residents, and, in this case, it seems that some past Hounds Green and highly likely Langside residents were Blacksmiths.

Three documents found at Gloucestershire archives dated 1780 – 1799 mention a “Thomas Bayly Blacksmith from Stinchcombe in a cottage adjoining Northfield Stinchcombe”.

A document dated 1799 names John Pearce late of Stinchcombe (Blacksmith deceased) sale to Thomas Rose of Cam a cottage (wherein Thomas Bayly, Blacksmith lately dwelt) in Stinchcombe together with a pew in the same church for a consideration of £47. The National Archive currency converter shows this amount to have buying power of its time of around £4500.00 in today’s money.

In another Thomas Rose appears to then sell the cottage adjoining Northfield (minus the church pew) lately occupied by Thomas Bayly to John Rose of Nympsfield (maltster) for 10 shillings! So, the ownership of a church pew was obviously a highly sought after, awfully expensive, and apparently worthwhile acquisition.

The last document is to Thomas Rose of Cam for a consideration of £30.00 mortgage on cottage, shop, outhouses, and garden now occupied by Thomas Bayly (Blacksmith) adjoining the Northfield

The 1841 Stinchcombe census records a Thomas Stephens, Blacksmith age 46 and he continued to be recorded as a Stinchcombe Blacksmith in 1851, 1861 and 1871 but then disappears from the Stinchcombe census. There is no record of him being buried in Stinchcombe Churchyard, but as his place of birth was Alvestone (Alveston) maybe he returned or was returned to his home ground.

Thomas Stephens can be fairly confidently placed at Langside / Hounds Green as the following sale record from 1833 shows.

And also the Blacksmiths shop, outhouses, backside and garden ground and all other appurtenances to the said cottages or tenements which were formerly in the occupation of, Thomas Greening, George Woodward and Thomas Stephens and were then in the occupation of William Savage, Frederick Cullimore and the said Thomas Stephens.

The mention of past and present neighbouring tenants at the time of the above sale record of this cluster of cottages are also the names of those who were close neighbours on future census records.

The Blacksmiths of Stinchcombe

Blacksmiths were a particularly important part of village life not only for shoeing but also for supplying the many other iron ware items that were required for general workaday life.

Hounds Green was in a particularly good position for a Blacksmith’s shop not only for shoeing domestic horses and Oxen but also those Oxen that pulled the carts carriages up to the top of Stinchcombe Hill where the horses were hitched once again to their load to carry on their way across the top of the hill and on toward Tetbury.

The list of items that would have been made by these craftsmen is endless and would have ranged from all types of tools, household goods, agricultural items, railings both for field and decorative use, wheels for carriages and carts, plus all manner of repairs and of course in earlier times for weapons of war. The Blacksmiths of the past were highly respected individuals and much needed members of the community.

1780

Thomas Bayly Blacksmith cottage adjoining Northfield Stinchcombe (taken from a document found at Gloucester Archives)
John Pearce, Blacksmith

1841 Census

Thomas Stevens, Age 46 (Probably Langside)
Robert Nichols Age 28.

1851 Census

John Edwards, Farrier, age 61,
Robert Nicholls age 38
William Avery, age 26,
Thomas Stevens age 55. (Probably Langside)

1861 Census

Robert Nicholls age 48
Robert Nicholls age 21 (son)
Thomas Stephens age 64 (Probably Langside)

1871 Census

Robert Nicholls age 58
Robert Nicholls age 31(son)
Thomas Stevens age 76 (Probably Langside)

1881 Census

Robert Nicholls age 68
Robert Nicholl age 41(son) Address Clingre Rd

1891 Census

Robert Spurrier age 25, Shoeing & general Blacksmith, Near Yew Tree (possibly the forge on Taits Hill)

1901 Census

Francis Woodward age 17 Blacksmith (striker)
Robert Spurrier age 35 general B/Smith, Address, Cottage and Forge (possibly the forge on Taits Hill)

1911 Census

Edgar Jellyman age 19, General B/Smith, Address, Rose Cottage (possibly Taits Hill)
Robert Spurrier age 46 General B/Smith, Address, The Forge (possibly Taits Hill)

A Langside residents story

A document that the Bartletts hold gives reference to a past Langside resident, a Mrs Emma Davies, an excerpt from the document as follows.

In 1914 Mrs Emma Davies took out a mortgage for two cottages, gardens and premises situated at Stinchcombe for £100.00 with interest thereon at the rate of £5.00 per cent per annum half yearly, payments due on the 10 July and 10 January

Emma Davies wife of Thomas Davies (painter) for that tenement or cottage with garden ground and appurtenances at Stinchcombe, for many years in the occupation of William Savage but now in the occupation of Emma Davies.

And secondly that cottage with garden ground and appurtenances belonging situate and adjoining first mentioned before formerly in the occupation of David Cole but now of Mr Hooper which said premises contain 17 perches” (converts to 514 square yards).

The following further research continues Emma and her family’s story at Langside.

Emma Davies died 13/1/1915 age 56 and the image below shows probate with an interesting WW11 related item

An excerpt from the will of Emma Davies made 21/12/1914 and who died 13/1/1915

I give the brooch which I have pointed out to my husband, my earrings, and my pink china to my sister Eliza Ann Stratham.
I give my other brooch and my old china to my sister Edith Louisa Savage.
I give my dinner service and my father’s chain to my brother George Savage
All my real and personal property not already mentioned to my husband Thomas George Davies.

The families Davies and Savage were interconnected as shown in this 1911 Census.

All the following living in one property with 5 rooms, the address given is Top of New Road Stinchcombe.
Thomas Davies, Head, age 49, Painter
Emma Davies Wife, age 52
Annie Davies Sister, age 47, single
Jane Savage, Sister-in-law, age 53, single, Born feeble minded.

The 1901 Census shows that the above Emma Davies and Jane Savage were the daughters of William Savage

The New Road

The address given “New Road” must have been the local name for The Avenue which as previously mentioned was possibly constructed during Turnpike road improvement times, New Road and Top of New Road appears in other old Census records and documents and tallies with addresses given of some of those identified as living in the Hounds Green area.

1939 Register

The 1939 register shows Thomas Davies, Emma’s husband still living there but his occupation has changed to retired Blacksmith so maybe he learned this new skill in his later years. Thomas George Davies died 29/6/1949

Thomas G Davies’s last will dated 4/9/1943 gave assent of both cottages to Mrs Beatrice Emily Annie Cole of New Rd, wife of Alfred William Cole.

The 1939 Register also shows Beatrice Emily Annie Cole and Alfred William Cole living at Top of New Road

And on to the Present Day

In 1953 Beatrice Emily Annie Cole sold one of her cottages to Terence Grother

The 1954 Electoral Register shows Terrence Grother living in Hadley Road Cam but by the 1956 and 57 electoral register he is living at Egmont, top of New Road Stinchcombe so I assume that Egmont is the name he gave to the cottage he bought from Beatrice (possibly now Kenilworth Cottage).

The 1957 electoral register shows Beatrice and Alfred still living Top of New Road. Beatrice Emily Annie Cole died 12/4/1980

Mr and Mrs Hayward became the next owners of Langside in 1980 followed by Janet and Paul Bartlett in 2003.

To be continued

Hopefully, future residents and maybe families of past residents of Langside will read this and maybe add to its history in years to come. If anyone has stories or information regarding the properties of Stinchcombe please advise Roger Batty.