Churches of Glewstone

Buildings in Glewstone

• Glewstone Court History

  This is certainly not the biggest or most impressive of the old country houses in Herefordshire, but it does have a certain charm. Dating from the early 19th century, and lying a few miles south of Ross on Wye, it had a succession of owners until the present day where it has gone the way of many other such houses, and is now a hotel.

  Originally, Glewstone Court was known as Glewstone House and in 1830 the owner at the time was preparing to leave the neighbourhood, and put all of his furniture and goods up for sale. Rugs, carpets and curtains were in the auction too, along with feather and straw mattresses and all manner of dairy equipment as well as cutlery and china……….in fact it really did seem to be ALL his possessions apart from his clothes. I have searched and searched but so far his name has eluded me – I could of course resort to Wikipedia but I don’t trust what is written in there one iota.

  Glewstone House household and servants 1841 census

  Still known as Glewstone House, and pre the addition of the two wings which turned it into a slighter grander affair.
  The household consisted of William Street, a farmer born 1815 and his wife Mary Elizabeth born 1822, plus their one year old son John. There were four other residents but it is unclear whether they were workers, servants or visitors.
  Ann Symon aged 20
  Charles Symon aged 17
  Thomas Symon aged 15
  Hannah Willes aged 15
  1856
  Johnstone Browne in residence – he was Chairman of the London Society for Converting Jews

  Basil Jackson Lt. Col.

  One of the long term owners of Glewstone Court was Basil Jackson; born in 1795 in Glasgow he became a lieutenant in the army in 1813 and served during the battle of Waterloo, as well as in Canada. He became Lieutenant Colonel in 1840, before retiring to live in Herefordshire.

  Glewstone Court Household and Servants 1861 cenus

  Basil Jackson	65	Retired Lt. Colonel in H.M. Army b. Scotland
  Frances Jackson	52	Wife b. Rochester, Kent
  Henry B. Jackson	21	Son, Ensign H.M. 17th Foot, b. West Wickham, Kent
  Mary Jackson	25	Daughter b. Croydon, Surrey
  Emily Jackson	19	Daughter b. West Wickham, Kent
  Charlotte M. Jackson	17	Daughter b. Croydon, Surrey
  Catherine K. Jackson	15	Daughter b. Croydon, Surrey
  Herbert P. Drummond	14	Visitor b. Brighton, Sussex
  Emma Bevan	22	Parlourmaid b. Clyro, Radnorshire
  Mary Caseley	24	Cook b. Salop
  Mary Ann Jones	19	Housemaid b. Whitchurch, Herefordshire

   

  Glewstone Court household and servants 1871 census

   

  Basil Jackson	75	Retired Lt. Colonel b. Scotland
  Frances Jackson	62	Wife b. in Kent
  Fanny A. Marone (Macrone?)	37	Married daughter
  Henry B. Jackson	31	Late Lt. in Army b. West Wickham, Kent
  Emily Jackson	29	Daughter b. West Wickham, Kent
  Emma James	21	Cook b. Herefordshire
  Louisa Barford	26	Housemaid, b. Herefordshire
  Hannah Biggs	19	Parlour Maid b. Herefordshire
  Emily Jones	13	Kitchenmaid b. Herefordshire
  Elizabeth Jeffries	52	Nurse b. Worcestershire

   

  By 1881, Basil’s wife had died and he had left Glewstone Court to live at nearby Hillsborough. He died in 1889 and left nearly £30,000 in his will – a massive amount for those days.

  Charles Henry Harrison Lt. Col.

  Charles Henry Harrison and his wife Sara Maria Ballinger moved into Glewstone Court, but at the time of the 1881 census they were visiting in London and they didn’t stay at Glewstone for long. He was born in India in 1836 and fought in the Indian Army attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel. Sara was born in Devon in 1841.

  Charles Lee Campbell

  The next resident was Charles Lee Campbell, a wealthy farmer who was born in Liverpool in 1833

   

  Glewstone Court household and servants 1891 census

  Charles Lee Campbell		b. Liverpool
  Elizabeth Campbell	63	Wife b. Albury, Surrey
  Constance Campbell	32	Daughter b. Lancashire
  Hannah Riley	31	Cook b. Warwickshire Castle
  Emily Phillips	23	Housemaid b. Ledbury, Herefordshire
  Ada Cook	17	Kitchenmaid b. Bishopstone, Herefordshire

  Charles had an impressive stock of sheep and cattle, but life was not without its problems and in 1893 he had a serious outbreak of Anthrax , which necessitated burning the affected carcasses and leaving the pasture ungrazed for a month. Hmm, not sure that alone would eradicate the disease! Maybe the area was also treated with lime or similar, because there were no reports of further cases.
  The sheep too were not always as healthy as they could be, and in 1896 Charles was fined heavily for sending animals infected with sheep scab to Hereford market. He defended himself by saying that he thought they just had ticks! Still, his breeding programme was good and he regularly won at local shows and at those further afield – at Monmouth for example out of six classes, he won five firsts and one second. He also bred very successful hunters and won many prizes with his youngsters.
  Charles Campbell took pride in the grounds too, and employed a superb head gardener Mr. S.T Wright FRHS, who was a leading authority on fruit trees. However, in 1895 Mr. Wright accepted a position as Manager of the Royal Horticultural Gardens at Chiswick, and his place at Glewstone was taken by Mr. A Bayford who had been learning his trade at nearby Madresfield Court. Clearly the orchards didn’t suffer under the new head gardener, because Charles Campbell’s prize winning fruit orchards went from strength to strength, and were renowned countrywide. Charles was clearly passionate about the science of fruit growing, and wrote an article on hardy fruit culture in 1895 in which he talked about eleven years of problems, ranging from insect attack to too much rain or not enough and the possible solutions for the future.
  Charles left Glewstone Court in 1898, leaving a legacy of magnificent fruit plantations that were the envy of fruit growers everywhere.
  Lt. Col Lawrence Corban with his wife Myra Mary Frances Barrow were the next inhabitants , although in 1901 they were away from the Court and just the household staff were left behind:

  Glewstone Court household and servants 1901 census

  Thomas Phillip Jones	33	Butler b. Hereford
  Annie H. Meek	38	Cook b. Gloucester
  Tryphena (?) A. Lodge	24	Housemaid b. Lydbrook, Gloucestershire
  Mabel Frances Broben	19	Housemaid b. Ross on Wye, Herefordshire
  James Briscoe

   

  Glewstone Court household and servants 1911 census

   

  James Briscoe	55	Retired Merchant b. Ireland
  Linda Sybyl Briscoe	50	Wife b. Bideford, Devon
  Kathleen Winifred Briscoe	15	Daughter
  Joan Kerr	13	Niece, b. Chelsea, London
  Matilda Pine-Coffin	67	Mother in Law
  Hilda Crondace	23	Governess b. Flintshire
  Gladys Laura Mary Bellamy	30	Sick Nurse b. Ross on Wye, Herefordshire
  Frank Corley	29	Manservant, b. Gloucester
  Catherine Liddell	40	Cook b. Bannockburn, Stirlingshire
  Ada Bourn	38	Housemaid, b. Gloucester
  May Halford	25	Under Housemaid, b. Gloucester

   

  In 1918 the Court was sold to Mr. G. Jackson of Birmingham
  1922 Glewstone Court sold once again.

  Sir Percy Densham

  By 1928 Sir Percy Densham was in residence – he was chairman and head of H. Densham & Son Ltd., Tanners of Redcross Street, Bristol and was an active leader in the tanning industry. He was a director of British Tanners Ltd, London; P & S Evans & Co. Ltd., Bristol, Bristol Manufacturers Ltd., Pierpoint & Bryant, Warrington, and the Mimosa Bark Association, London. Just before his death aged 67 in November 1933 he had been devoting much time to William Mortimer & Co. Ltd., the Orford Tannery Warrington of which he was chairman.
  During the war he was awarded the KBE for his valuable knowledge of the tanning industry, and was also give an oil painting of himself by the War Office.
  1936 – W. W. Bailey living at the Court – a noted shot and salmon fisherman who regularly rode with the Ledbury Hunt, and who successfully owned, trained and ran racehorses. In 1936 he won the National Hunt Steeplechase at Cheltenham on his horse Pukka Belle. Only six out of 21 completed the course

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
  1939 – WF Jackson in residence – labour MP and also on the Hereford council; after the war was a fruit merchant and enjoyed the extensive fruit plantation at glewstone court

   

  Glewstone Court Household – 1921

  George Jackson	b. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 1863	Fruit Merchant, Smith Fruit Market, Birmingham, Employer
  Minnie Jackson	b. Birmingham, Staffordshire 1869	Wife, Home duties
  William Frederick Jackson	b. Birmingham, Staffordshire 1893	Son, Poultry Keeping, own account
  Nora Kathleen Jackson	b. Birmingham, Staffordshire 1902	Daughter, Home duties
  Margaret Joy Jackson	b. Birmingham, Staffordshire 1910	Daughter, Home duties
  Gertrude Annie Phelps	b. Gloucestershire 1896	General Domestic Servant
  Ellen Elizabeth Blake	b. Bridstow, Herefordshire 1892	Housemaid
  Kate Jordan	b. Gloucestershire 1895	Cook
  Lavinia Kornick	b. Birmingham 1871	Visitor

  1924 sold again, with acreage reduced to 46

  Read More >

News from the Past Glewstone

• Glewstone News from the Past

  Early RSPCA case and many drownings

  1854 – RSPCA charge Glewstone Farmer with Cruelty

  Thomas Barnett a farmer of Glewstone was brought to court by the RSPCA for having knowingly caused the suffering and ill treatment of horses. He was a respected Deacon in the Baptist Church.

  Thomas pleaded not guilty, but Mr. Forster acting for the RSPCA was less than impressed, and gave evidence of long term neglect and starvation which had resulted in the horses becoming emaciated and terrified.

  Mr. Blossett, superintendent of the Ross district Police went with Henry Mabe to examine the horses at work – four in a field and three in a chaff cutting machine.  He found them all to be in a deplorable state, with five so weak that they could barely stand.  They had raw wounds all over their bodies and were crawling with lice as well as suffering from mange.

  Mr. Forster and Mr. Blossett seized the horses, and had great difficulty in coaxing them along the three miles to Ross on Wye.

  When labourers in the employ of Barnett were interviewed, they said that they had repeatedly asked for salve to rub on the wounds, and to be allowed to ease the collars on the horses, but to no avail.

  For the defence, Mr. Pritchard complained about exaggeration, and said that it was well known that horse fodder was in short supply this year and horses had suffered because of it, but there was no need for imputing to the defendant “any wanton neglect of his brutes”.

  The horses were brought to the Court for inspection by the Magistrates, and on their return said that it required no more than a swift glance at the horses to see that gross neglect and cruelty was proved against the defendant, and Barnett was fined the highest possible penaly, i.e £5 plus costs – not quite the prison sentence that  Mr. Forster hoped for.

  It would seem that this was one of the first court cases of its kind brought by the RSPCA, and the Bench said that it was a “significant instance of usefulness” – the Town Hall was completely packed throughout the four hour proceedings.

  1864 – Discarded Pipe causes Disastrous Fire

  A thatcher was employed at the farm of Charles Kearsey, a renowned breeder of Cotswold sheep and a dedicated farmer – the farm as a whole was said to be one of the best in the County.

  The thatcher was in the rickyard near to the other farm buildings, and was happily puffing on his pipe;  he briefly put the pipe down (still lit) into one of the lancet holes of the barn and before too long a fire was raging.

  There had been a long drought and everything was tinder dry so the flames spread rapidly from one building to another in spite of attempts by other workmen to quench the flames.

  All the crops grown at Glewstone which had been safely brought under cover were destroyed, as well as all the stock and buildings.

  Mr. Kearsey was only partly insured.

  1866 – Ferryman Drowns in the Wye

  Allan Price aged about 20, son of Mrs. Price of the Glewstone Boat Inn, was preparing to ferry two women over the river.

  One woman climbed into the boat and the other was about to follow suit – Allan was leaning on the pole in order to steady the boat when the pole snapped and sent him sprawling into the water.  He immediately sank and didn’t resurface.

  Meanwhile, the boat with the two screaming women aboard, floated off down the river until a chap named Thomas Jenkins got into another boat and set off after the women, but on spying  Allan’s hat in the water he made a grab for it thinking it might be Allan himself beneath it……sadly he too fell overboard!

  However, whilst in the water he made several dives to see if he could find Allan’s body, but had no luck and eventually he gave up and swam to shore where he secured the boats.

  Some three weeks later, Allan’s body was found about a quarter of a mile down river – strangely, the corpse was not decomposed in any way.

  Even more strange was the fact that Allan’s sister drowned in a similar accident some 18 years earlier, and her body too was not found for 21 days either……..she was found in the same spot as Allan.

  1891 – Drowning at Glewstone

  On Friday 23rd October 1891, several young men were returning from a ploughing match at Hom Farm…..they had to cross the River Wye by boat, but when nearing the Glewstone bank their boat was caught by the current and they were carried some 12 yards downstream.

  One man named Hopkins jumped out of the boat which caused it to rock violently, and Thomas Carter and Leonard Price were thrown out and were drowned in the fast flowing water.

  Thomas Carter’s body was quickly found but of Leonard Price there was no sign.

  1893 – Anthrax Outbreak

  Anthrax was rearing its ugly head around the Ross on Wye Area of Herefordshire.

  In August concern was expressed at the fact that Mr. C. Lee Campbell of Glewstone Court had Anthrax on his farm, and that an adjoining meadow with 20 cows had had its first case confirmed.

  The treatment was burning of carcases, followed by the closure of the meadow for a month, but Veterinary Surgeron, Mr. Barling, suggested also using sulphuric acid.

  1893 – Another Drowning in the Wye

  George Williams, 31, lived at Glewstone and had served in the army in the Egyptian campaign, as well as in India where he had suffered severe heatstroke.

  When he came home from India it was noticed that he often behaved rather oddly, which everyone thought was because of the sunstroke episode.

  One Saturday evening he left home and was not seen until Tuesday morning when he called at the Albion Inn rather drunk;   then he called at a house in Walford where resided James Sims,  to ask for some cider.  After he left, James heard a shout and when he ran to the river saw a man in the water who was being carried downstream.

  It seems that George Williams had said that he was going to swim across the river for a bet, but nobody took him seriously.

  George died on his birthday.

  1899 – Cider Mill Destroyed by Fire

  The Ross Fire Brigade was summoned to a property at Glewstone owned by Mr. Matthews when fire broke out early one morning.

  When they arrived it was too late, a cider mill and a pig sty had burnt down.

  The property was insured.

  Read More >

Originally, Glewstone Court was known as Glewstone House and in 1830 the owner at the time was preparing to leave the neighbourhood, and put all of his furniture and goods up for sale. Rugs, carpets and curtains were in the auction too, along with feather and straw mattresses and all manner of dairy equipment as well as cutlery and china……….in fact it really did seem to be ALL his possessions apart from his clothes. I have searched and searched but so far his name has eluded me – I could of course resort to Wikipedia but I don’t trust what is written in there one iota.

Glewstone House household and servants 1841 census

Still known as Glewstone House, and pre the addition of the two wings which turned it into a slighter grander affair.
The household consisted of William Street, a farmer born 1815 and his wife Mary Elizabeth born 1822, plus their one year old son John. There were four other residents but it is unclear whether they were workers, servants or visitors.
Ann Symon aged 20
Charles Symon aged 17
Thomas Symon aged 15
Hannah Willes aged 15
1856
Johnstone Browne in residence – he was Chairman of the London Society for Converting Jews

Basil Jackson Lt. Col.

One of the long term owners of Glewstone Court was Basil Jackson; born in 1795 in Glasgow he became a lieutenant in the army in 1813 and served during the battle of Waterloo, as well as in Canada. He became Lieutenant Colonel in 1840, before retiring to live in Herefordshire.

Glewstone Court Household and Servants 1861 cenus

Glewstone Court household and servants 1871 census

By 1881, Basil’s wife had died and he had left Glewstone Court to live at nearby Hillsborough. He died in 1889 and left nearly £30,000 in his will – a massive amount for those days.

Charles Henry Harrison Lt. Col.

Charles Henry Harrison and his wife Sara Maria Ballinger moved into Glewstone Court, but at the time of the 1881 census they were visiting in London and they didn’t stay at Glewstone for long. He was born in India in 1836 and fought in the Indian Army attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel. Sara was born in Devon in 1841.

Charles Lee Campbell

The next resident was Charles Lee Campbell, a wealthy farmer who was born in Liverpool in 1833

Glewstone Court household and servants 1891 census

Charles had an impressive stock of sheep and cattle, but life was not without its problems and in 1893 he had a serious outbreak of Anthrax , which necessitated burning the affected carcasses and leaving the pasture ungrazed for a month. Hmm, not sure that alone would eradicate the disease! Maybe the area was also treated with lime or similar, because there were no reports of further cases.
The sheep too were not always as healthy as they could be, and in 1896 Charles was fined heavily for sending animals infected with sheep scab to Hereford market. He defended himself by saying that he thought they just had ticks! Still, his breeding programme was good and he regularly won at local shows and at those further afield – at Monmouth for example out of six classes, he won five firsts and one second. He also bred very successful hunters and won many prizes with his youngsters.
Charles Campbell took pride in the grounds too, and employed a superb head gardener Mr. S.T Wright FRHS, who was a leading authority on fruit trees. However, in 1895 Mr. Wright accepted a position as Manager of the Royal Horticultural Gardens at Chiswick, and his place at Glewstone was taken by Mr. A Bayford who had been learning his trade at nearby Madresfield Court. Clearly the orchards didn’t suffer under the new head gardener, because Charles Campbell’s prize winning fruit orchards went from strength to strength, and were renowned countrywide. Charles was clearly passionate about the science of fruit growing, and wrote an article on hardy fruit culture in 1895 in which he talked about eleven years of problems, ranging from insect attack to too much rain or not enough and the possible solutions for the future.
Charles left Glewstone Court in 1898, leaving a legacy of magnificent fruit plantations that were the envy of fruit growers everywhere.
Lt. Col Lawrence Corban with his wife Myra Mary Frances Barrow were the next inhabitants , although in 1901 they were away from the Court and just the household staff were left behind:

Glewstone Court household and servants 1901 census

Glewstone Court household and servants 1911 census

In 1918 the Court was sold to Mr. G. Jackson of Birmingham
1922 Glewstone Court sold once again.

Sir Percy Densham

By 1928 Sir Percy Densham was in residence – he was chairman and head of H. Densham & Son Ltd., Tanners of Redcross Street, Bristol and was an active leader in the tanning industry. He was a director of British Tanners Ltd, London; P & S Evans & Co. Ltd., Bristol, Bristol Manufacturers Ltd., Pierpoint & Bryant, Warrington, and the Mimosa Bark Association, London. Just before his death aged 67 in November 1933 he had been devoting much time to William Mortimer & Co. Ltd., the Orford Tannery Warrington of which he was chairman.
During the war he was awarded the KBE for his valuable knowledge of the tanning industry, and was also give an oil painting of himself by the War Office.
1936 – W. W. Bailey living at the Court – a noted shot and salmon fisherman who regularly rode with the Ledbury Hunt, and who successfully owned, trained and ran racehorses. In 1936 he won the National Hunt Steeplechase at Cheltenham on his horse Pukka Belle. Only six out of 21 completed the course

 
1939 – WF Jackson in residence – labour MP and also on the Hereford council; after the war was a fruit merchant and enjoyed the extensive fruit plantation at glewstone court

Glewstone Court Household – 1921

1924 sold again, with acreage reduced to 46

1854 – RSPCA charge Glewstone Farmer with Cruelty

Thomas Barnett a farmer of Glewstone was brought to court by the RSPCA for having knowingly caused the suffering and ill treatment of horses. He was a respected Deacon in the Baptist Church.

Thomas pleaded not guilty, but Mr. Forster acting for the RSPCA was less than impressed, and gave evidence of long term neglect and starvation which had resulted in the horses becoming emaciated and terrified.

Mr. Blossett, superintendent of the Ross district Police went with Henry Mabe to examine the horses at work – four in a field and three in a chaff cutting machine.  He found them all to be in a deplorable state, with five so weak that they could barely stand.  They had raw wounds all over their bodies and were crawling with lice as well as suffering from mange.

Mr. Forster and Mr. Blossett seized the horses, and had great difficulty in coaxing them along the three miles to Ross on Wye.

When labourers in the employ of Barnett were interviewed, they said that they had repeatedly asked for salve to rub on the wounds, and to be allowed to ease the collars on the horses, but to no avail.

For the defence, Mr. Pritchard complained about exaggeration, and said that it was well known that horse fodder was in short supply this year and horses had suffered because of it, but there was no need for imputing to the defendant “any wanton neglect of his brutes”.

The horses were brought to the Court for inspection by the Magistrates, and on their return said that it required no more than a swift glance at the horses to see that gross neglect and cruelty was proved against the defendant, and Barnett was fined the highest possible penaly, i.e £5 plus costs – not quite the prison sentence that  Mr. Forster hoped for.

It would seem that this was one of the first court cases of its kind brought by the RSPCA, and the Bench said that it was a “significant instance of usefulness” – the Town Hall was completely packed throughout the four hour proceedings.

1864 – Discarded Pipe causes Disastrous Fire

A thatcher was employed at the farm of Charles Kearsey, a renowned breeder of Cotswold sheep and a dedicated farmer – the farm as a whole was said to be one of the best in the County.

The thatcher was in the rickyard near to the other farm buildings, and was happily puffing on his pipe;  he briefly put the pipe down (still lit) into one of the lancet holes of the barn and before too long a fire was raging.

There had been a long drought and everything was tinder dry so the flames spread rapidly from one building to another in spite of attempts by other workmen to quench the flames.

All the crops grown at Glewstone which had been safely brought under cover were destroyed, as well as all the stock and buildings.

Mr. Kearsey was only partly insured.

1866 – Ferryman Drowns in the Wye

Allan Price aged about 20, son of Mrs. Price of the Glewstone Boat Inn, was preparing to ferry two women over the river.

One woman climbed into the boat and the other was about to follow suit – Allan was leaning on the pole in order to steady the boat when the pole snapped and sent him sprawling into the water.  He immediately sank and didn’t resurface.

Meanwhile, the boat with the two screaming women aboard, floated off down the river until a chap named Thomas Jenkins got into another boat and set off after the women, but on spying  Allan’s hat in the water he made a grab for it thinking it might be Allan himself beneath it……sadly he too fell overboard!

However, whilst in the water he made several dives to see if he could find Allan’s body, but had no luck and eventually he gave up and swam to shore where he secured the boats.

Some three weeks later, Allan’s body was found about a quarter of a mile down river – strangely, the corpse was not decomposed in any way.

Even more strange was the fact that Allan’s sister drowned in a similar accident some 18 years earlier, and her body too was not found for 21 days either……..she was found in the same spot as Allan.

1891 – Drowning at Glewstone

On Friday 23rd October 1891, several young men were returning from a ploughing match at Hom Farm…..they had to cross the River Wye by boat, but when nearing the Glewstone bank their boat was caught by the current and they were carried some 12 yards downstream.

One man named Hopkins jumped out of the boat which caused it to rock violently, and Thomas Carter and Leonard Price were thrown out and were drowned in the fast flowing water.

Thomas Carter’s body was quickly found but of Leonard Price there was no sign.

1893 – Anthrax Outbreak

Anthrax was rearing its ugly head around the Ross on Wye Area of Herefordshire.

In August concern was expressed at the fact that Mr. C. Lee Campbell of Glewstone Court had Anthrax on his farm, and that an adjoining meadow with 20 cows had had its first case confirmed.

The treatment was burning of carcases, followed by the closure of the meadow for a month, but Veterinary Surgeron, Mr. Barling, suggested also using sulphuric acid.

1893 – Another Drowning in the Wye

George Williams, 31, lived at Glewstone and had served in the army in the Egyptian campaign, as well as in India where he had suffered severe heatstroke.

When he came home from India it was noticed that he often behaved rather oddly, which everyone thought was because of the sunstroke episode.

One Saturday evening he left home and was not seen until Tuesday morning when he called at the Albion Inn rather drunk;   then he called at a house in Walford where resided James Sims,  to ask for some cider.  After he left, James heard a shout and when he ran to the river saw a man in the water who was being carried downstream.

It seems that George Williams had said that he was going to swim across the river for a bet, but nobody took him seriously.

George died on his birthday.

1899 – Cider Mill Destroyed by Fire

The Ross Fire Brigade was summoned to a property at Glewstone owned by Mr. Matthews when fire broke out early one morning.

When they arrived it was too late, a cider mill and a pig sty had burnt down.

The property was insured.