AWRE is an entensive parish in Westbury-on-Severn union, comprising the tythings of BLAKENEY, BLEDISLOE, ETLOE, ETLOE DUCHY, and HAGLOE, containing, by the census of 1861, 1526, and in 1871, 1345 inhabitants, and 4098 acres; in the northern division of the deanery of the Forest, archdeanconry of Gloucester, diocese of Gloucester and Bristol, hundred of Bledisloe, West Gloucestershire; 8 miles south-east from Newnham, 6 south from Westbury-on-Severn, 15 south-west from Gloucester, and 120 from London, on the South Wales section of the Great Western Railway, which has a station here 1 1/4 miles from the village, and on the west bank of the river Severn. The vicarage, in the incumbency of the Rev. Joseph Henry Malpas, M.A., is valued at £500 per annum, with residence, and is in the patronage of the Haberdashers' Company, who are also improprietors of the rectorial tithes. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an ancient edifice, originally erected about the 12th century, consisting of nave, chancel, north aisle, and porch, with tower containing six bells. It has lately been thoroughly restored, principally by the munificence of Henry Crawshay, Esq., of Oaklands Park, who gave £2200 towards the expenses, donations having also been given by the Haberdashers' Company, the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, Sir Thomas Rich's Charity Trustees, and the Diocesan Society. The plaster ceilings of the nave and north aisle have been removed, and vaulted roofs put in their place, but preserving the carved work and enrichments. The walls and stone arches have been thoroughly cleansed from whitewash, and now appear in their original state. Open benches of pitch pine have been substituted for the old fashioned pews, and a new pulpit and reading desk have been supplied, which are placed near the chancel screen. The floors have been relaid in concrete, and the communion floor paved with Godwin's encaustic tiles. A new American organ has been added. In pulling down the chancel an old stone staircase was discovered, which had been formerly been used as a secret communication. The church was re-opened by the Bishop of the diocese, assisted by the venerable vicar, who is 87 years of age, and has held the living 49 years. In the Parish Register, which was used from 1588 until 1812, the following entry occurs:- "Let it be remembered, for the honour of this parish, that from it first sounded out the Psalms of David in English metre by Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins; the former lived in an estate near Blakeney, called the Hay-field; and the latter in an estate in the Tything of Awre, called the Wood-end. And in the house of the said John Hopkins there is now to be seen the arms of the Tudor family, being painted upon the wall of it; and on both sides is written, in Saxon characters, the former part of the 18th chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, which was done at that time, 'In perpetuam rei, sive operis, memoriam." There is a National School for children of both sexes. The poor have charitable bequests producing about £16 10s per annum.

BLAKENEY is an extensive village and tything of this parish, which was formed into a seperate Ecclesiastical district in 1858, in the same jurisdictions as Awre; 1 and a half mile south-west from the Railway Station 3 and a half south from Newnham, 6 and a half south-west from Westbury, 12 north-east from Chepstow, 15 south-west from Gloucester, on the road between those places, and 120 from London, with a branch of the Great Western, called the Central Forest Railway, passing through to Moseley Green, which has a station here, but is only used for goods and mineral traffic. The vicarage, in the incumbency of the Rev. Alexander David Pringle, M.A., is valued at 290 pounds per annum, and is in the patronage of the Haberdashers' Company. The church is a modern edifice, dedicated to All Saints, consisting of nave and porch, with belfry and one bell. There is also a Mission room on Blakeney Hill, in the township of East Dean, in connection with this church, in which divine service is celebrated every Sunday. The Baptists and Independents have places of worship here; the chapel of the Baptists was restored in 1874, and is a neat building, capable of holding about 350 persons. There are British and National Schools for children of both sexes, new schools for the former having been erected in 1873, and for the latter in 1874. The Queen is lady of the manor. Cattle fairs are held annually on the 12th May and the 12th November. The rateable value of this parish is £12,556.

BLEDISLOE is a tything containing 896 acres.

ETLOE is also a tything containing 412 acres, and ETLOE DUCHY contains 292 acres.

HAGLOE is a tything and manor, containing 752 acres. Her Majesty is lady of the manor.

These tythings take their names from lows, or barrows, which are still in existence.

 

AWRE

Clergy and Gentry

CRAWSHAY Henry, Esq., J.P., Oaklands park

MALPAS Rev. Joseph Henry, M.A., vicar, The Vicarage

WAIT Mrs. Emily, New house

 

Trades and Professions

AWRE Charles, "Red Hart" inn

AWRE Henry, farmer, Upper House farm

BAKER Francis, farmer, Box farm

BOWEN John Thomas, stationmaster, Railway Station

CADLE Cornelius, farmer, The Hall

CADOGAN Thos., fisherman, sub-postmaster, and parish clerk

CADOGAN Walter, farmer and fisherman

COPE George, master mariner

DALBY John, shopkeeper

HATTON George Lewis, farmer, Northington farm

HEWLETT Henry, farmer, Brays Court farm

HOOPER Robert Prestbury, farmer, Field House farm

PHELPS Charles, farmer, Yew Tree villa

PHELPS James, farmer, New House farm

PRICE William, shopkeeper

ROBERTS George, shopkeeper

SMITH John, master mariner

TURLEY William, blacksmith

VIRGO George, gardener, Shepherdine house

WILLSON James, miller, Awre hill

Post Office - Thomas Cadogan, sub-postmaster. Letters through Newnham delivered at 8 a.m.; dispatched at 6.40 p.m. on week days only. Newnham is the nearest money order and telegraph office.

Local Board - Wilkinson Smith, chairman; Alfred Butler, Walter Charley, John Smith, Charles Hadley, Henry Awre, Charles Phelps, Stephen White

Clerk - Maurice F. Carter

Medical Officer - Francis T. Bond

Surveyor and Collector - Charles Griffiths

Sanitary Inspector - William Spence

The Board meets at the Swan Hotel, Blakeney, the third Thursday in each month.

National School - Miss Elizabeth Bennett, mistress

Great Western Railway Station (South Wales Section) - John Thomas Bowen, stationmaster and goods manager.

 

BLAKENEY

Clergy, Gentry, and Private Residents

BOLTON Mrs. Colonel, The Hawfield

CHARLEY Mr. James, Cold Brook cottage

GLOVER Rev. William (Congregational)

HEWLETT Mrs. Lois, West End house

HOLMES Simeon, Esq., Old Street house

JAMES Miss Ann

JAMES Rev. Thomas (Baptist), Llewellyn cottage

JENNINGS Miss Ann

JONES Mrs. Edward Owen, Underdean

MORSE Mr. Charles

PRINGLE Rev. Alexander David, M.A., vicar

TAYLOR Mrs. Elizabeth, Nibley cottage

WEBB John, Esq.

WHITE Mrs. Margaret, Chapel house

WHITE Mrs. Maria

WOOD Mrs. Mary Elizabeth, Bledisloe

 

Trades and Professions

ADAMS John, baker and corn dealer

BARRINGTON Mrs. Elizabeth, shopkeeper

BULWER Turold, clerk

BUTLER Alfred, linen and woollen draper, silk mercer, family grocer, and agent for W. and A. Gilbey's wines and spirits, Sydenham house

CHARLEY Samuel, grocer, draper, and wine merchant

CHARLEY Walter, butcher and farmer

CLAYFIELD Henry, draper and grocer

COLLINS Thomas, beer retailer and shopkeeper, Ayleford

CRESSWELL Robert, police sergeant

DAVIS James, farmer, Hewler's farm

DAVIS Miss Jane, farmer

DAVIS Thomas, "Cock" inn, Nibley

DYER William and Son, bakers, grocers, corn and provision factors, Old Post office

DYER Richard Thomas (firm of William Dyer and Son)

DYER William (firm of William Dyer and Son)

EARLE George, civil engineer

EVANS Edward, "King's Head" inn, and posting house

EVANS Joseph, shoemaker

FISHER Wm., painter, plumber, and glazier

FORD AND HARRIS, builders and contractors, drapers, grocers, and general dealers

GODWIN James, shoemaker

GOOLD Henry, farm bailiff

GRIFFITHS Charles, mason, "Yew Tree" inn

GRIFFITHS John, farmer, Hayes farm

HADDON James, stonemason

HOLDER Thomas, cooper, Ovillo

HOLDER William, shoemaker, Ovillo

HOPKINS Robert, shoemaker

HULIN Caleb & Son, blacksmiths and ironmongers

HULIN Caleb (firm of Caleb Hulin & Son); h. 2 Brook Villas

HULIN Charles (firm of Caleb Hulin & Son); h. 1 Brook Villas

INMAN Martin, carpenter

JENNINGS William, farmer, Nether Hall and Hagloe farms

JONES William, wheelwright

KELSEY Miss Frances, milliner and fancy draper

MARSDEN William Henry, commercial traveller, Hill house

MINCHEN Miss Emma Sophia, grocer, stationer, ironmonger, and sub-postmistress

MOORE John, tailor and draper

NEWMAN David, shopkeeper

PARSONS Mrs. Mary, Bird-in-Hand" inn

PENN Richard Morse, carpenter and wheelwright, Awre road

PHELPS Thomas, farmer, Nibley farm

PHILPOTTS Joseph, chemist, druggist, and stamp distributor

PITT Alfred, butcher

RUDGE Emmanuel, watchmaker; and at Berkeley

SAUNDERS Miss Eliza, dressmaker

SHIPTON Thomas Francis, farmer, Upper Viney farm

SIMS Miss Ann, dressmaker

SMALLWOOD Mrs. Elizabeth, boot and shoe dealer

SMITH Wilkinson, ale and porter brewer, Forest of Dean Steam brewery; h. Highmead villa

STEWARD Frederick, farmer, Brain's green

TAYLOR Mrs. Martha, farmer and haulier, Lower Viney farm

THOMAS Mrs. Sarah, farmer

TURNER Henry, saddler

VERRENDER William, commercial traveller

VIRGO James, farmer, Loiter pin

VIRGO William, farmer

WEBB John, surgeon

WHITE Stephen A., miller and corn factor, Blakeney Steam mills; h. Nibley house

WILLETTS Walter, mason and farmer

WILLIAMS Mrs. Ann, "Swan" inn

WILLIAMS Thomas M., tailor and draper

Post Office and Postal Telegraph Office - Miss Emma Sophia Minchin, postmistress. Letters from Newnham delivered at 8 a.m.; dispatched at 6.20 p.m.; on Sundays at 10.50 a.m. Money orders granted and paid, savings bank, insurance, and annuity business transacted, and dog and gun licenses issued from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays until 8 p.m.

Postal Telegraph Office - Open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sundays from 8 to 10 a.m.

Gas Light and Coke Company - Samuel Charley, secretary

Police Station - Robert Cresswell, sergeant

Stamp Office - Joseph Philpotts, sub-distributor

British School - Walter Feltham, master

National School - Miss Sarah Ann Bennett, infant's mistress

Central Forest Railway Station - (for Goods traffic only) - William Arundel, stationmaster

 

BLEDISLOE

Trades and Professions

BEAMAN Joseph, farmer, Bledisloe farm

HADLEY Chas. H., farmer, New Barn farm

WARNER Thomas Taylor, farmer, Hickman's court

 

ETLOE DUCHY

Trades and Professions

BARBER James, farmer, Upper Etloe

FRYER Thomas, carpenter, wheelwright, and blacksmith

INMAN Richard, fisherman

POCKET Mrs. Emma, baker

WARNER Henry, farmer, Etloe house

 

ETLOE and HAGLOE

GOOLD Arthur, Esq., J.P., Hagloe Park

Trades and Professions

ARUNDEL William, stationmaster on Central Forest Railway, Poulton

CLARKE Thomas, farmer, The Ledge

HIGGS James, Jun., fruit dealer and beer retailer

HEWLETT Mrs. Hannah, farmer, Oatfield farm

JONES George, farmer, Poulton court

SHAW Charles, shopkeeper, Gatcombe

SHAW Mrs. Sarah, lessee of Salmon Fisheries, Gatcombe

SMITH James, farmer, Lower Box farm

SMITH John, farmer, Poulton farm

WARE John, farm bailiff, Upper Hagloe

WIGGELL Mrs. Martha, "Sloop" inn, Gatcombe

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