Stove Rack,14 Church Street, Bradford on Avon

As a layman, I can see that the stonework on the front between the Glebe cottages, formerly nos 9 and 10 (1905 numbers) appears to be integral. There are quoin stones on the west corner and on the east front, where it joins the cottage, formerly no 11. The cottage, formerly no 10, has a date stone on the front. See plate 4 below. The cottage, formerly no 13, also has quoin stones on the east and west. There are none on the east end of the cottage, formerly no 12, which suggests that it was built sometime after 1704. It does have quoin stones on its western front, where it adjoins the narrower cottage, formerly no 11, which is sixteen feet wide. This suggests that it was infilled after no12. In the Methuen records at the WSRO, there is an indenture of lease, dated 23rd May 1707 between Anthony Methuen of Bradford in the County of Wilts, Clothier, and William Dicke of Bradford, aforesaid, Carpenter. This related to a barn and a plot of ground adjoining, 66ft in length and 50 ft in breadth, in the Close of the said Anthony Methuen, called Coombes Close in Bradford aforesaid. (Later it was also called Pigeon House Close and was bounded on the west by Barton Steps and on the east by Rosemary Lane and Steps). Reserved to Anthony Methuen was the stream of water or watercourse running through the said Close and premises demised and the way leading out of and from the house, called Coombes House into the Close. William Dicke had to maintain the wall between the said barn and the Old Chappell and shall not or will not divert or otherwise hinder the watercourse from running into the house called Coombes House. The yearly rent was 50 shillings. It was also agreed by the parties that if at any future time, the way through the Church Yard of Bradford to the said barn and premises for carriages and otherwise was in dispute (or access denied), the lease would be null and void. William Dicke had married Anne Fry at Holy Trinity on 16th April 1699. The index of baptisms shows their children to be William 1700, Thomas 1701 (he was paying rent on the barn in the Methuen rent roll of 1744), Anne 1703, Edward 1705, Joseph 1706 and Charles 1709.

1754 Prebend Map with Glebe Cottages to the right of the Church

1811 Church Rates

1837 Ashmead Map using different numbers to those of the 1841Tithe Map

Map numbers, Name, Age, Occupation 444 Ezekiel Edmonds 52 Clothier Mary Edmonds 34 Frederick Edmonds 7 Mary Edmonds 5 Anne Edmonds P/2 Four servants 446[Part of SaxonChurch] William Slugg 65 Weaver Sarah Slugg 55 509 John Scrine 48 Cloth worker Enos Scrine 17 Sarah Scrine 15 four other children 447 James Grist 56 Master free school Sarah Grist 47 School mistress Martha Grist 19 Dressmaker Julie Grist 7 448 Samuel Bartlett 42 Dyer Hester Bartlett 43 Lydia Bartlett 20 Amelia Bartlett 18 Mary Bartlett 12 Grace Bollen 72 Caroline Bollen 8 Samuel Bartlett lived in no 14 (448) for over 30 years. In 1866, he was appointed, with eight others, to be a trustee of the Independent Chapel buildings.

1864 Ashmead Map using Tithe Numbers

The Town Survey of 1864 shows: 8 Church Street(150) Thomas Hawkins Rev Jones Vicar of Bradford 9 Church Street(150) David Stratford Rev Jones Vicar of Bradford 10 Church Street(150) Bradford Reading rooms Rev Jones Vicar of 11 Church Street(150) Hannah Hole (Howell) Rev Jones Vicar 12 Church Street(150) MA Portch Rev Jones Vicar of Bradford 13 Church Street(150) Ann Aston Rev Jones Vicar of Bradford Rope Walk (142) Edward Taylor Edmunds Yard, stable and garden (143)William Dew Edmunds Large garden let out inparts (151) Edmunds Edmunds 14 Church Street Bartlett Edmunds

The Inland Revenue records at the WSRO (ref L8 101) for 1910 show that the Vicar did not then own Orpin's House, 8 Church Street. Details are shown below( House No. Occupier, Owner). 8 Frederick Holbrook Treasurer National School 9 Arthur Williams Rev A S Merewether 10 George A Ashley Rev A S Merewether 11 Sarah Ann Tanner Rev A S Merewether 12Fred James Moore Rev A S Merewether 13 Sarah Ann Moore Rev A S Merewether 14 Gilbert Burton Tom Moore's Executors

The Electoral roll for 1927 shows: 8 Thomas Henry & Jessie Beatrice Clement 9 Esther Ellen Johnson 10 Sarah Ann Tanner andFrancis John and Eliza Blake 11 Jemima Harding and Mary Sims 12 Alice Selina Moore, Juror 13 Sarah Annie Moore 14 Howard Ernest & Winifred Lucy Moore

Charles Edmund Palmer had purchased 14 Church Street in 1935. He lived in Bath, but during the blitz, when their home was destroyed, in the Second World War, he and his family moved into that cottage in 1942. above is a photograph of the stone teddy bears that he used to make during his retirement. Many people in Bradford and, many miles around, visited their home to see the garden full of teddy bears, portraying Headmaster and Mistress and Schoolchildren bears.

1955- CE Palmer and Harriet Isabelle Palmer living in 14 Church St.