Church Cottage
In the early 1800s the piece of land where Church Cottage now stands was Plot No 354, a garden of 9 perches opposite the church gates, and there was no building on the site. The garden plot was owned by John Allen who also occupied Plot No 350, now High House.
Extract from the 1807 Inclosure Act map for Norton
High House and it's extended garden was to be sold by John Allen at auction at the New Inn, Longford, on 23 March 1812 when it was described as; "a brick, sashed, dwelling house, with a large garden planted with choice fruit trees, and a small piece of land adjoining, in quantity about a quarter of an acre. The Premises, which are freehold, adjoin the churchyard, at Norton, and maybe entered upon at Ladyday next". At the time of the sale John Allen was living at Chaxhill, near Westbury on Severn, and there wvs no house here at that time.
It is not known when the cottage was first built but it does appear on the 1st Edition OS 25” Map, 1844-1888, at Plot No 242.
1st Edition OS 25” Map, 1844-1888
The cottage was also present in 1838 when a ‘terrier and valuation of the messuages, lands, and other hereditaments liable to poor rate in the parish of Norton’ tells us that it was a cottage and garden of 9 perches owned by John Weston and occupied by William Bartlett.
There was a William Bartlett, yeoman, living at Norton in 1827 but it is not known where he was residing. A William Bartlett died later in 1838 and in 1841 there was an Ann Bartlett, aged 40, living alone at Priors Norton, so possibly this was a relative living at Church Cottage.
For many years, the property doesn’t appear to have been named and it has proved impossible to follow its owners and occupiers through the nineteenth century with any degree of certainty.
The extended Freeman family had lived in a number of properties at Priors Norton throughout the nineteenth century. A James Freeman had been born at Norton in 1850, son of Joseph Freeman and Elizabeth nee Davis. The family originally lived at Church Hill, perhaps Church Cottage, and later in Marlpit Lane, at what I believe is now High View. After marriage James never lived at Priors Norton but later became a builder and was responsible for constructing the porch around the entrance to St Mary's in 1889. By the turn of the twentieth century he was living at Longford where he was the publican at the New Inn and it was here that he died in 1909. He must have acquired several properties at Priors Norton from the family and his death caused them to be put up for auction;
“ Lot 3 – Church Cottage, Norton, within 4 miles of Gloucester, a detached house in an elevated position close to the church, with garden and good supply of water, let to Mr Chambers at £6 10s a year. Tenants pay rates.”.
In the 1880s a cousin of James Freeman, another James, was living ‘near the church’ and this could well have been Church Cottage with the property staying in the family. By 1900 the second James had moved to Little Benges where his family remained till the late 1950s.
In 1901 we find Charles Jones, a blacksmith, living at Church Cottage with wife Anne and three young children, all born at Norton. From the ages of their children they were at Norton from at least 1898. In 1897 a Henry Jones first appears on the electoral rolls qualifying through a ‘dwelling house, near the church’ and he is still here in 1901 living with his family, employed as a blacksmith, near the church but not at Church Cottage. A Jesse Jones appears in the electoral rolls at this time as well also qualifying through a ‘dwelling house, near the church’ but not appearing in the census. 1904 is the last time the Jones family appear on the electoral rolls and they were definitely gone prior to 1910 when Church Cottage was occupied by the second of the James Freemans referred to earlier.
In 1912 George William and Clara Collins were here when their daughter Margaret Ellen was baptised at St Mary's, Norton.
In 1915 Francis Roberts was in residence.
In 1921 Leonard and Sarah Bird were living in a four roomed cottage here [this may have been High House with the cottage that adjoined it also being known as Church Cottage]. The Birds had three children and Leonard employed as a contractors foreman working for Hobrough & Co, ferro-concrete specialists. Leonard Hobrough Bird was born in 1883 at Alcester, Warks, and in 1911 he was living at Wandsworth, London, employed as a builders foreman. In his household was Cecilia Sarah, recorded as his wife, and three children. Leonard appears to have actually married Sarah Cecilia Penney, originally from Ireland, in 1916 at Gloucester. The Birds appear to have lived at Church Cottage and High House between 1920 and 1929, or maybe several years later. A report in the Gloucester Citizen newspaper of 15 September 1928 stated; “Two Norton dog owners, Leonard Bird, of Church Cottage, Norton, and S W Freeman, of Little Benges Farm, Norton, were each fined 7s 6d for keeping a dog without a licence on August 25th”. Their son Alan Leonard Bird married Winifred Lilian Taylor in 1931 at the Independent Chapel, Tewkesbury. Their daughter Eileen Muriel married Edwin Thomas South at Twigworth in 1934. In 1939 Leonard and Sarah were living with their daughter in Cheltenham. Sarah died in 1949 and Leonard in 1956, both at Birmingham.
Between at least 1921 and 1966, the Gardiner family were in residence at a four roomed Church Cottage. George William Gardiner, a general farm labourer for Mr Archer at Green Farm and later a labourer on the Norton Court Estate, had married Cynthia Dowding Mustoe at St Mary’s, Norton, in 1913 and they had five children; Enid, Leslie, Jesse, Leonard and Victor between 1913 and 1922. Cynthia’s family had lived in one of a pair of cottages near W House on the Tewkesbury Road that burnt down in 1912 at which time George Gardiner had been lodging with them. Cynthia died, aged just 30 years, in 1927.
Church Cottage was put up for auction again on Saturday 3rd March 1928 at The Bell Hotel, Gloucester, at the same time as High House which was Lot 1 and suggests that the two properties may still have had the same owner. The following is an extract from the Bruton, Knowles & Co auction leaflet that gives a detailed description of how the property would have been constituted at that time; “LOT 2 – CHURCH COTTAGE. A detached cottage situate near to Lot 1 and constructed of brick with slate roof. It contains two rooms and kitchen with furnace on the ground floor and there are two bedrooms. There is a good garden. This Lot is let to Mr W Gardner at a rent amounting to £8 8s 0d a year”.
At this time it is remembered that there were two tiny adjoined cottages here, presumably just the small cottage loosely divided into two. With the Gardiner family living in the one part, the following people would have been living in the other.
Between at least 1924 and 1936 Gertrude Beach was here, in 1936 Tom Bowen Kinsley and his wife Dorothy Primrose were here.
From 1936 Lilian E Goode was living in one part of the cottage with her daughter Gwendoline. Lilian Emily was born at Overton, Maisemore, Gloucester, in 1892, to Benjamin Goode, a farm carter, and Mary Ann nee Wood. Gwendoline Regina was born in 1929 at Gloucester to Lilian Goode and given her father’s surname of Stratton. In 1948 Gwen Stratton married Colin Walter Gordon Miles at Gloucester Register Office, by license. Lilian Emily Goode was here between at least 1936 and 1949 and died at Gloucester in 1954. In 1960 Gwen Miles/Stratton remarried Henry Christopher Hook at Gloucester Register Office and they lived at Bibury Road, Gloucester. Gwen Hook died in 1996 at Gloucester.
In 1938 Arthur Nind was also recorded at Church Cottage. Arthur Martin Nind was born at Tewkesbury in 1913 and may have remained here until he married Doris Baldrey at Tewkesbury Abbey in 1941.
The electoral list for Norton through the 1940s also indicates that Church Cottage may have been loosely split into two residences then; Nos 1 and 2 Church Cottages. Bill Gardiner remained at No 1 and Leonard John and Mildred Martha Cocks were at No 2 in 1948.
In 1954 Gwendoline R Miles, who had earlier been here with her mother Lilian Goode, was listed at No 1 Church Cottage as was William Gardiner and No 2 isn't recorded, and isn't recorded again after this date so the cottage must have returned to a single residence.
William Gardiner was still here in 1966 and he died in 1968 possibly whilst still in residence.
Around this time I believe there was large scale renovation work carried out and when completed Harry and Leah Dorward lived here.
Harry was born Henry James Dorward in 1913 but hasn’t been identified until 1939 when he was living in lodgings at Luton, employed as a time study engineer and in the ARP Gas Detection Branch. At this time Harry played cricket for the Vauxhall club so presumably was employed at their car factory in Luton. Harry was still at Luton when he married Leah in 1950 at Barnet, Herts. Leah Hephzibah Prince was born in 1913 at Barnet, daughter of William Prince and Hephzibah nee Slade. In 1939 Leah was living with her widowed mother and siblings at Moxon Street, Barnet, where she was employed as an upholstress and maker of curtains, a skill that would serve her well during their later time at Norton. Harry remained in lodgings at Luton after they married but the couple returned to Barnet where they lived at West End Lane between at least 1963 and 1966. Harry and Leah were definitely at Church Cottage in 1970, probably taking on the cottage after William Gardiner's death in 1968. In 1970/71, Leah, along with Vi Sparrow of Priors Cottage, were responsible for making a set of curtains and frontals for the altar at St Mary’s. Leah kept a sewing area at the back of the cottage and as well as seeing to her own needs made curtains etc for many of the nighbours.
The Dorwards left Church Cottage in 1981 when they sold to Maurice and Lorraine Clayton. The Dorwards moved to live at Frayzers Court, Barton Street, Tewkesbury, where Harry died in 1990. Leah later went to Faithfull House, Suffolk Square, Cheltenham, where she was still living in 2005 and where she is believed to have died a few years later.
Possibly Harry Dorward sat and Leah stood outside the back door to Church Cottage in approximately 1973. The other 2 ladies have not been identified.
In 1981 Maurice J D and Lorraine Clayton were at Church Cottage and were still here in 2024.
2021
