Ancestry

We knew just where we wanted to be today and that was Bradford on Avon, not very far away in fact we could have walked it (10 miles) on the Kennet and Avon canal - maybe if we hadn’t walked quite so much yesterday!

Since our last visit a couple of years ago we have learned mire about Chris’ great great grandfather who was born here courtesy of our friend A who us a big user of the online records. Thank you A.

Born in 1850 in Morgan’s Hill, Bradford on Avon, now St Margaret’s Hill, Frederick is shown as the youngest son of Joseph a post carrier. He had moved by the 1861 census to Pippet Street (now Market Street) and Joseph is shown as as well as a postie he had a green grocery shop in Pippet Buildings seen in the blip. This building was restored by The Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust in 1982. There is an old picture on line taken before the restoration where it is pretty much boarded up but on the slightly lighter patch in the middle of the building it says, Fish and Fruit Stores. 
In the 1861 census Frederick is an errand boy, presumably a delivery boy by the age of 11!
In the next census, 1871 he is still at Pippet Street but is now listed as a boot and shoe maker.

We’ve always known of the Bfd on Avon link but it’s great to see the exact places. What we will never know is why he then moved to West Yorkshire. Thackley nr Bradford. The answer could be the Wool trade common to both cities but he’s still listed as a shoe maker but we also know he was a policemen! 

More history as we went to nearby Norton St Philip for lunch to one of the oldest pubs in England, The George Inn. My ex hairdresser told me about this place as she’d visited when staying in a nearby tree house - as you do. We had a very nice lunch sitting overlooking the church. A shared Ploughman’s lunch and skin on chips. 

It has been very warm and muggy today and I felt a bit woozy this afternoon ( maybe it was the half of cider) so I dint think I gave my best to our visit to Frome before returning to Bath. It was very nice but so are lots of places around here. It was on local TV that it had been voted one of the best places to live in the country, the downside was that this had pushed house prices up and people couldn’t afford to live there. Lots of high house prices around everywhere and I did notice a lot of empty shops so again not much different to everywhere else.

Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to Grace and John