​Bemerton HISTORY
preserving the past for the future
YOUR HOUSE
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Gramshaw Road
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At the time of the village sale in 1838 this area was a valuable enclosure of meadow land containing good quality brick earth. The area became a brickyard in the latter half of the 19th century and contained claypits on the west side and a kiln and worker's accommodation on the east side. These houses were built progressively between 1890 and 1900.
Who lived here?
East Side
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1 Gramshaw Road
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In 1891 Richard Greenleaf lived here with his wife Jane and daughter Phoebe. Richard, who was born in Portsmouth, had served as a gunner in the Royal Navy. By 1901 Richard was living here alone as a widower. In 1911 William and Emily Orman and their eight children were living in this house. William was employed as a grocery assistant while Henry, the oldest son, was employed as a gardener.
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3 Gramshaw Road
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In 1891 William Butler, a 28-year-old widower, lived here with his son, three daughters and a servant Mary Williams. William was a railway engine driver. In 1901 Henrietta Wiltshire, a widow, lived with them as a domestic servant. In 1911 William Butler was still here along with Henrietta; the children had by then left home.
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5 Gramshaw Road
In 1901 Mary Tanner, who was married and aged 33, was on her own at the time of the census. Her husband may have been away working elsewhere. By 1911 the house was occupied by James and Elizabeth Belbin and their two sons. James was a jobbing gardener, while one son Ernest was a boiler-smith on the railways and the other, Arthur, was an railway engine cleaner.
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7 Gramshaw Road
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John and Elizabeth Belbin, and their four sons, lived here in 1901. John was a platelayer on the railways while their eldest son William was a private in the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment, serving as a blacksmith. Ernest was a railway engine oiler and his brother Leonard was an errand boy. Arthur, the youngest, was still at school. In 1911, the Pink family lived in the house. Charles and Emily lived here with their five children, all of school age. Charles was a labourer working for a local builder.
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9 Gramshaw Road
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Robert and Harriet Vining were living in this house in 1901 with a 27-year old daughter, Katherine, who was unmarried and unemployed. Also here was their 11-year old son Ernest, who was still at school. Robert was employed as a Coachsmith. By 1911 Robert had been widowed and had moved across the road to 14 Gramshaw Road, where he was joined by his daughter Katherine and his aunt Maria, a retired prison matron. 1911 Robert Gurd lived here with his young daughter Bessie. Also living here was Robert's dad, who was also a widower, his sister Bessie East and his nephew Richard East.
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11 Gramshaw Road
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In 1901 Fred and Alice Handford and their baby son, also called Fred, were living here while Fred worked for the railways as an engine cleaner. In 1911 Fred and Mary Carlile live here with their six school-aged children. Fred was employed as a brakeman on the railways.
13 Gramshaw Road
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A map of 1881 shows this property as part of the brickyard located in this area of Gramshaw Road. Parallel to the railway siding, the building may have been an accommodation block for employees who worked in the brickyard. Neighbours say the building was originally a chapel built for the use of railwaymen and their families, but there is no evidence to confirm this. Between 1896 and 1898 the Rector of Bemerton, Canon Francis Warre, rented the building for use as a Parish Reading Room. This may have been the basis for the belief that the building was originally a chapel.
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In 1901 George Yarlett, a labourer, lived in this house with his wife Louisa and son, who was a greaser on the railways. Also living with them was Louisa's dad George, a pensioner, and two boarders: William Alder was also a greaser and William Jones was a railway porter.
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In 1911 William and Vivian Stone lived here with their one- year-old son and one-week-old daughter. The boy was also called William, but the baby girl had not yet been named. Staying with them was Vivian's sister Edith Scammell, who was single, and 9-year old Evelyn Scammell - another sister or Edith's illegitimate daughter. William Stone was a carpenter and Edith was a laundress.
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This property is currently known as The Railway Cottage.
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West Side
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2 Gramshaw Road
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Charles and Eleanor Gamble lived here in 1901 with their three young children. Charles was employed as a railway carriage examiner. By 1911 William and Ada Hearn and their six sons lived in this house. William was a railway guard, his eldest son was an ordinary seaman and his second eldest was a fishmonger's errand boy; the other four sons were still at school.
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4 Gramshaw Road
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In 1901 Frank and Agnes Deacon lived in this property with their two children Reginald and Winifred. Frank was a self-employed brickmaker. Also staying with them was Agnes's sister, Sarah - who was a dressmaker - and Frank's 17-year old nephew Allan Smith. In 1911 Annie Gibbs, a widow, lived in this house with her four children, who were all at school. Annie described her occupation as 'charring'. Maria Lake, a widow, rented a room in the house.
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6 Gramshaw Road
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Alfred and Ellen Brown and their daughter-in-law Ellen lived in the house in 1891. Alfred was employed as a builder. May Santon, and their two young children Fred and Fanny, lived here in 1901. Father Fred, who was 34-years old, was a railway engine driver. In 1911 Robert and Mary Gregory were here with their two year old daughter Marion Rose. Robert was a railway porter.
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8 Gramshaw Road
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Alfred and Louisa Wyatt and their four children were living in the house in 1891. At that time Alfred was a yard foreman in the local railway yard. George and Anne Shergold were living in this house in 1901. George, who was aged 65 and hailed from Elston in Wiltshire, was working as a gardener. By 1911 William and Annie Hunt were here at 5a when the house was apparently split into two. William was an unemployed labourer at the age of 69. At 5b were Jessie Stephens, a widow, and her son John who was a railway locomotive cleaner.
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10 Gramshaw Road
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John and Ellen Hiscocks and their daughter Tryphena lived in the house in 1891 when John was a railway signalman. John's sister Matilda was also living with them. William and Eliza Gale, and their young daughter Lillian, lived in this house in 1901. William was a bread baker. In 1911 John and Mary Pittman, and their two young children, lived here when John was a railway shunter.n 1901 John and Emily Cann, and their three children Reginald, Maud and Leonard, were living here when John was a railway engine driver. By 1925 George Lawes lived in the house and was still here in 1941.
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12 Gramshaw Road
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John and Mary Long and their son lived here in 1891 when John was employed as a joiner-carpenter. William and Eliza Gale, and their young daughter Lillian, lived in this house in 1901. William was a bread baker. In 1911 John and Mary Pittman, and their two young children, lived here when John was a railway shunter.
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14 Gramshaw Road
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James and Clara Garrett and their two children lived here in 1891 when James was a railway signalman. In 1901 Albert and Lily Porter, and their two young children, Winifred and Wilfred, lived here when Albert was a railway clerk. In 1911 Robert Vining, a widower, lived in this house with his daughter Katherine and his aunt Maria, both of whom were single. Robert was a coach-smith, Katherine was unemployed and Maria was a retired prison matron.
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16 Gramshaw Road
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Henry and Jane Tibble and their three daughters lived here in 1891 when Henry was working on the railways. Fred and Ada Moore and their baby daughter Hilda lived in this property in 1901 when Fred was employed as a railway labourer. Marian Earney, a widow and self-employed needle-worker, lived here in 1911.