​Bemerton HISTORY
preserving the past for the future
YOUR HOUSE
Who lived here?
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1 Church Lane
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In 1901 Henry and Sarah Barrett, together with their daughter Annie, lived here. Henry was a stone mason and Annie was a dressmaker. In 1911 Tom Blake occupied the property with his wife, three children and one grandchild. Tom was a farm labourer and his son, Luis, was a brickmaker’s labourer. Luis continued to live in the property for the remainder of his life until the 1970s.
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3 Church Lane
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In 1901 George and Mary Swash lived in this house with their young son and daughter. Tom Palmer, a labourer in a timber yard, was boarding with them. George was a foreman labourer in a general contractor’s business. Later, in 1909, Mr Witham operated an engraving business from the house.
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5 Church Lane
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In 1901 Joseph Watt, an engineer, lived in the cottage with his wife Sarah and daughter Winifred. William and Mary Gray lived here in 1911 together with their young daughter and a widowed boarder William Morris. William Gray was a carpenter and joiner, while his boarder William was living on his old age pension.
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7 Church Lane
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In 1901 Margaret Knight lived here with her married daughter Sara Maidment and her son-in-law Charles and their son Bertram. Charles was a postman. Margaret’s husband James, a farm labourer, was not present at the time of the 1901 census but was here with Margaret in 1911. By then, James had retired, and Sara and her family had moved next door. In 1925, a Mr Forder, who was a bricklayer, also lived here with his family.
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9 Church Lane
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In 1901 William Vining and his wife Margaret lived here with their two baby daughters. William was a layman at Salisbury Cathedral but later became a cricket umpire with the MCC. They subsequently moved to Skew Bridge Road. Charles and Sarah Maidment, who previously lived next door at 7 Church Lane (then 5 New Buildings), lived in the property in 1911 with five more children, making six in all. Ten years later, Charles was still a postman, while his family lived in the house until the 1960s.
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11 Church Lane
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In 1901 John and Mary Smith lived here with their four children. John was a stonemason and their eldest child was 16-year-old Horace who was employed as a bricklayer.
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15 Church Lane
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Rose Snook, who was only 33-years old, lived alone in the cottage in 1901 with her five children, all under the age of nine. Rose’s husband Robert was a railway signalman and was presumably at work on the night of the census. In 1911 Harry and Annie Maple lived at this property with their three young children, and they were still here in 1940. Harry was a railway labourer.
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17 Church Lane
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Edward and Eliza Diaper lived here in 1901 with their two sons and two daughters. Edward was a bricklayer. One of the teenage boys was a house painter and the other a carter on a farm. A carter was someone who pushed or pulled a cart. Fred Gregory boarded with them while he worked as a baker. By 1911 the two boys had moved away and one of the daughters was a dressmaker while the other was a dressmaker’s apprentice. They also had two boarders: Herbert Ewance, who was a farm labourer, and a widow called Alice Coombs. Eliza was still here in 1940.
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19 Church Lane
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In 1901, William Dear, a railway platelayer, and his wife Mary occupied the cottage. A platelayer was responsible for inspecting and repairing railway tracks, including the rails, sleepers, fishplates, and bolts. His duties would have included greasing points and generally watching for wear and tear. The property was unoccupied at the time of the 1911 census.
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21 Church Lane
Alfred Peckham and his wife Charlotte and their baby son William lived in the cottage in 1901. Alfred was employed as a handloom rug weaver. By 1911 Ernest and Bertha Trowbridge were living in the cottage. Ernest was a railway shunter.
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23 Church Lane
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Dorcas Wakem lived here in 1901 before moving to 37 Church Lane. Fred and Annie Yates were resident in 1911; Fred was a general labourer. Fred and Annie lived here until the 1960s.
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25 Church Lane
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In 1901 William Staples, a general labourer, lived here with his wife Bertha and their two boys. William was a boot repairer and his son Percy was a gentleman’s servant.
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27 Church Lane
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By 1901 Charles was a widower, his daughter was a dressmaker and his son a railway engine cleaner. Ernie Churchill, a rug weaver, and his wife Bessie Churchill and their daughter Luisa lived here in 1901. In 1911 George Cossons, a 28-year-old widower, lived alone in the cottage. George was a private enquiry agent.
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29 Church Lane
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In 1891 Marian Earney, a needlewoman, lived in the house with her two sons, one of whom was later to join the fledgling RAF. By 1901 the Arney family had moved in. Charles was a general labourer, his wife Edith was a dressmaker, and their son also called Charles was a railway engine cleaner.
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31 Church Lane
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By 1911 Tom and Agnes Smart and their two children were here. Tom was a domestic gardener employed by one of the big houses. This cottage currently displays the name Bay Tree Cottage.
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33 Church Lane
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1911 George and Mabel Clem were present. George was a railway engine stoker.
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35 Church Lane
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In 1911 Frank and Elizabeth Alsford and their two children lived in the cottage. Frank was a motor fitter. By 1915 Mrs Matilda Chalke and her daughter Vera were living here, when Matilda had set up working from home as a milliner. Members of the Chalke family were still here until the 1980s.
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37 Church Lane
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George Peasy, a general labourer, was here with his family in 1901. Dorcas Wakem, a widow, and her three children were present in 1911 having earlier lived in 23 Church Lane. Dorcas was a dressmaker and one of her sons was a railway fireman and the other a fitter in the Scout motor works. Her daughter was a domestic parlour maid. Originally known as 10 Church Lane, the property became 3 Herbert Villas before acquiring its present address.
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39 Church Lane
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In 1891 Robert Manfield was employed as a butler to the Rector and lived here with his wife Priscilla and their two sons. This house originally formed part of a larger property, known as East Villa, which included 41 Church Lane. Later Robert Manfield moved with his family into Rectory Cottages, following which the large property was divided into two cottages. In 1911 Celestina Stockmar, a teacher of German and French, lived here. Celestina was German by birth and described herself as Frauline Stockmar when she previously lived in Gorringe Road.
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The property currently displays a plaque bearing the Gaelic term Cead Mile Failte, which means a hundred thousand welcomes.
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41 Church Lane
This property, along with 39 Church Lane, had formed a large extension to the original terrace of houses which made up the lower part of Church Lane. In 1911 Mrs Elizabeth Pern, a widow, lived in this part of the property alone, having downsized from her previous property at 9 Montgomery Terrace (now 19 Lower Road).
43 Church Lane
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As the latest addition to Church Lane, this property is known as West Wing and forms part of the original Lower Road property, Riversfield House. When the latter was divided up into separate properties, West Wing was known as 161 Lower Road, but access was reconfigured to allow direct access to West Wing, via Church Lane. Group Captain and Mrs Collins were the first occupants of West Wing. Reggie Collins had been an accountant in the RAF and he and his wife Kitty lived here in 1966 along with David Jones.
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