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history: 1895
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Kellys Directory of Herefordshire for
1895 gives an insight into the people of the area. Most named
individuals are farmers. This is reflected in the 1891 and
1901 censuses where the greatest number of men are classed as
agricultural labourers. |
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The
clergy
The spiritual guidance of the population in the area was in
the hands of a small group of clergymen. These answered to the
deans of three separate rural deaneries.
In the north-east, in the rural deanery of Hereford, Rev
Thomas West was vicar of the parishes of Fownhope and
Brockhampton. He had held Fownhope since 1865 and was a
prebendary of Hereford.
In the south two parishes, Brampton Abbotts and How Caple were
in the deanery of Ross. The rector of Brampton Abbotts was Rev
Harry St Helier Evans, appointed 1890. At How Caple the rector
was from 1884 Rev Thomas Beville Paynter
, who also had charge
of the adjacent parish of Sollers Hope.
The other parishes were in the deanery of Archenfield. The
senior priest here, and indeed in any of our parishes was
Prebendary William Poole MA JP, rural dean of Archenfield, who
held Hentland and had been appointed in 1654. Poole also had a
chapel-at-ease at Hoarwithy, which he had been responsible for
rebuilding in its striking Italianate style.
The rector of Ballingham, with the attached chapel of
Bolstone, was Rev William Richard Jenkins, appointed 1883. The
vicar of Bridstow had been since 1892 by Rev Henry Blane
Porter. At Sellack, with the attached chapelry of Kings Caple
the vicar had been since 1887 Rev Augustin Ley. The vicar of
Holme Lacy was Rev Robert Elton Lee, appointed in 1892. At Foy
the vicarage had been held since 1862 by Rev Charles Turner
Wilton.
We do not know
the educational background of Harry
St Helier Evans of Brampton Abbots, but the others had all
attended Oxford. Henry Porter
and Charles Wilton were Exeter men;
William
Jenkins, Jesus; Thomas West, St Edmund Hall;
William Poole, Oriel; Robert Lee, Magdalen;
Thomas Paynter, Wadham and Augustin Ley, Christchurch.
Just to the north of Fownhope
there was a Cambridge man: The rectory of
Mordiford
had been held since 1894 by Rev Claud Hamilton Dallas Lighton
BA of Clare College. |
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The schools
Education was universal in 1895,
for both boys and girls, and there were schools for all the
children in the area. Most boys would become agricultural
labourers. At two schools the educational needs of the girls
was specifically met by teachers who taught them needlework. |
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Ballingham
National School (mixed) for 45 pupils: 34 average attendance -
Miss Julia Brisland, mistress. |
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Brampton
Abbotts National School (mixed) for 40 pupils: 36 average
attendance – Miss Alice Dowding, mistress. |
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Bridstow
National School for 110 pupils: 80 average attendance –
master’s house – master George A Driver; sewing mistress Mrs
Ada Driver. |
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Brockhampton Parish school (mixed) built in 1875 for 50:
children average attendance 43 – Mrs Amelia Blythe, mistress. |
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Fownhope
National School (mixed) built in 1868 for 144 children:
average attendance 94 - Joseph Booth Marshall master. |
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Foy
Parochial School (mixed) built 1872 for 60 children: average
attendance 42, William Lord, master. |
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Hentland
National School (mixed) built 1866 with master’s house, for
100 children: average attendance 70 – William J Threlfall,
master; Miss Elizabeth Wallen, needlework mistress. |
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Holme Lacy
National School (mixed), built with teacher’s residence
attached in 1860, for 60 children: average attendance 45 -
Miss Lucy March, mistress. |
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How Caple School -
'Here is a joint school for the children of this parish
and Sollershope, with accommodation for 40 children; average
attendance 27; built at the cost of the late rector and his
family connections' |
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Kings Caple
National School (mixed) erected in 1840 by public
subscription, for 50 children: average attendance 33: Miss
Bessie Vivian-Higham, mistress. |
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Sellack
Parish School (mixed) built in 1847 for 50 children: average
attendance 41 - Miss Fanny Susan Colcombe, mistress. |
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The sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses
In a literate age without telephones and email almost all
communication was by letter, and although there were some
telegraph offices these were used only on rare occasions.
There were post offices at both railway
stations, Fawley and Holme Lacy (Ballingham and Backney Halt
had yet to open), and at Backney, Brampton Abbotts, Carey,
Fownhope, Hoarwithy, How Caple, Picts Cross, St Owen's Cross,
Totnor and Wilton.
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The old post
office and Blacksmith's shop at Totnor |
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At the stations, the stationmasters were also the
sub-postmasters, Arthur Smith at Fawley and
Francis Hayes at Holme Lacy.
At Fownhope the sub-postmaster William Halford was a
shopkeeper as was Mrs Emma Peachey
at Wilton (more specifically 'grocer, corn-dealer and
builder'.
Five of the sub-postmaster were blacksmiths - William Davis at
St Owen's Cross, James Harris at How Caple, John Voyce at
Backney, William Tommy at Picts Cross and John Turner at
Brampton Abbotts. William Davis being a farmer as well as a
blacksmith.
In addition to the post offices, letters could be posted at a
number of wall letter boxes in the area - Ash Farm, Jenkin’s
Wall, Old Gore, Hole-in-the-Wall and Baysham. |
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the wall letter box at Ashe Farm,
Bridstow in June 2006 |
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Other occupations
Transport needs were met by a number
of trades - there were wheelwrights at
Brampton Abbots (William Phillips),
Sellack Marsh (Richard
Amies), Kings Caple (Thomas Brisland, carpenter & wheelwright)
and Fownhope (John
Bailey, wheelwright, blacksmith and beer retailer). Thomas
Bond was a saddler at Hoarwithy and
Philip Richard Vaughan was a
harness-maker (and beer retailer) at Fownhope.
At Holme Lacy,
John Seymour was a shoeing and general smith and agricultural
implement repairer. Apart from the five smiths who were
sub-postmasters, there were smiths at
Brockhampton (John
Griffiths, blacksmith and assistant overseer),
Kings Caple (Harry and Francis
Davis), Hoarwithy (Thomas Morris), Fownhope (William Taylor)
and Bridstow (Ann Davis).
At Bridstow, William
Dobbins, 'thrashing' machine owner, provided a mechaised
service the local farmers.
Building and maintenance work in the area
provided a number of jobs. At Fownhope William Ford and the
Stone brothers were builders. Edmund
John Jones was a mason who kept the Anchor Inn at Even Pits,
Fownhope, and Richard Preece was a stone mason at Sellack
Common where the carpenter George Herbert also lived. John
Jones was a carpenter at Fownhope. Finer work would have been
done by joiners such Samuel Jenkins at Bridstow.
Most communities had access to shops at
not too great a distance - few miles walk at most. Mrs
Ellen Baldwin kept a shop at
Wilton, Henry Winter at Brockhampton,
Mrs Jane Cotterel and Thomas Steele at Foy, Edwin Hall at
Kings Caple and Miss Mary Ozier at St Owen's Cross.
There were
butchers at Hoarwithy (Andrew
Mailes) and Fownhope (James Huff). The grocers usually sold
other goods. At Fownhope one grocer, George Hartland, was a
baker, corn merchant and agent for Alton Court ales and stout
while the other, Charles Henry Rowberry, was a draper. At
Hoarwithy, Slade & Co were grocers and general dealers and at
Holme Lacy, James Holdsworth Carlisle was also the coal
merchant.
There was a tailor at St Owen's Cross,
John Wesley Philpotts, and another,
John Wellington, at Ballingham. At Fownhope there were two
establishments of dressmakers - the Misses Jane and Emily
Marico and Miss Elizabeth Goodman. WilliamWilliams was a shoe
maker at Fownhope and William Nicholas a boot maker at Kings
Caple.
Only one person is listed as making his living directly from
the river - George Harris of
Kings Caple is described as a fisherman. James Cooper,
basketmaker at Wilton, presumably got his raw material from
the banks of the Wye there |
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