[Preamble] [Private Residents] [Commercial Residents]
BOSBURY is a village and parish on the river Leadon, 3½ miles north from Ledbury railway station, on the Hereford and Worcester section of the Great Western railway and 14 east from Hereford, in the Southern division of the county, Radlow hundred, Ledbury union, county court district and petty sessional division, rural deanery of Ledbury and archdeaconry and diocese of Hereford. The church of the Holy Trinity is an ancient building of stone in the Transition Norman style, consisting of chancel, nave of six bays, with clerestory, aisles, south porch. of open timberwork, and a massive detached embattled tower of the 13th century, situated about 60 feet south of the church, and containing 6 bells: a clock was presented by the Rev. John Edmund Cheese, a former vicar, in 1878: the chancel is separated from the nave by a fine oak screen, two panels of which were carved in 1909 as a memorial to “Edna Lyall,” who died in 1903 and is buried near the churchyard cross: at the east end of the south aisle is the chantry chapel of Sir Rowland Morton, a beautiful specimen of Late Pointed architecture: there are monuments with recumbent figures on each side of the chancel to John Harford, ob. 1573, and to his son, Richard Harford, and his wife, dated 1578: the stained east window is a joint memorial to Lieut. Arthur Clinton Baskerville Mynors, who died at Natal in 1879, and Charles Baskerville Mynors, d. 1863, and there are other stained windows: the font is a work of the 12th century, and there is a still older one, probably of Saxon origin, of which now only the bowl remains: the pulpit is of finely carved oak: a handsome brass eagle lectern was presented to the church in 1894: in the porch are the remains of a holy-water stoup: the restoration of the chancel and repewing of the nave was completed in 1871, at a cost of £3,000, under the superintendence of Mr. Ewan Christian, architect, of London: there are sittings for 450 persons: the churchyard contains a well-preserved village cross. The register dates from the year 1558.

The living is a vicarage, average tithe rent-charge £298, gross yearly value £320, including 6 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Hereford, and held since 1879 by the Rev. Samuel Bentley M.A. of St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, surrogate. There is a Wesleyan chapel at Stanley Hill, erected in 1863, and a Primitive Methodist chapel at Swinmore, also a meeting house for Plymouth Brethren.  Bosbury House, the seat of Willoughby Baskerville Mynors esq. D.L., J.P. is a structure of red brick and stone in the Italian style, with balustrades and a portico; it contains a fine collection of curiosities, ancient and modern. Old Court, now a farm, was formerly a palace of the bishops of Hereford; the refectory is used as a cider cellar, but the doorway and wicket are still perfect. Temple Court, the residence of John Pitt Harford esq. was formerly occupied by the Knights Templars. In the Crown Inn, formerly the mansion of the Harford family, there is an ancient panelled room, with the date 1571: over the fireplace are four shields with the arms of John Skipp, bishop of Hereford 1539-53; of William Paulet, first Marquess of Winchester K.G. who died 1572, with the garter and coronet; Wrottesley, of Wrottesley; Scrope, of Castle Combe, Wilts; and Fox of Bromfield; the room is now used as the lodge room of the Bishop Swinfield Lodge of Oddfellows (M.U.). The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are lords of the manor of the whole parish.  Willoughby Baskerville Mynors, John Harford Pitt esq. and Charles Henry Crane esq. of Tettenhall, Wolverhampton are the principal landowners. The soil is heavy; subsoil, clay. This is a cider and hop district. The chief crops are wheat, beans, hops and barley. The area is 4,734 acres; rateable value, £6,928 the population in 1891 was 916.
Catley, half a mile north-west and Upleadon, 1 mile west-by-south are places in the parish.
 
Parish Clerk, Charles Bettington.
 
Post, M. O. & T. & O., S. B. Express Delivery & Annuity & Insurance Office.– Mrs Sarah Kendrick, sub-postmistress. Letters are received through Ledbury at 7.20 a.m.; dispatched thereto at 5.30 p.m.
Wall Letter Box, Stanley Hill, cleared at 5 p.m. daily except sundays

Police Station, William W. Jones, officer in charge

Schools.

Free Grammar, built & endowed by Sir Rowland Morton in 1540 with lands now yielding yearly a rental of £108, for 60 boys; average attendance, 53; John Knight Job, master
Public Elementary (girls & infants), built in 1848 & enlarged in 1883, & again in 1894, for 120 girls; average attendance, 82; Miss Mary Ann Arrowsmith, mistress

Carriers to :–

Ledbury – Jas. Pullen, Alfred Hall & Sarah Cartwright, tues
Worcester – James Pullen, sat
Hereford – Thomas Payne, wed. & sat
Malvern – Sarah Cartwright, mon. & fri
Returning same days

PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
Barrett James, Staplow house
Bentley Rev. Samuel M.A. (vicar & surrogate) Vicarage
Manning James Parker, Stanley house
Mynors Willoughby Baskerville D.L J.P. Bosbury house
Pitt John Harford, Temple court
Pritchard Mrs. Swinmore
Willcox Samuel, The Grange
 
COMMERCIAL.
Barrett James, farmer & landowner, Staplow house
Bettington Caroline (Mrs.), farmer, The Brook
Bosley Thomas Edwin, farmer & landowner, Bentleys
Box W. farmr. & hop growr. Woodlow
Brazier James Herbert, Crown inn
Buck (Mrs.), convalescent home for nurses, Holly mount
Bunn George, farmer & hop grower, Swinmore
Cale John, carpenter, Old country
Collett Jane (Mrs.), grocer & provision dealer, goods equal to store prices
Cotton Allan, wheelwright & smith
Cotton Rt. farmr. & hop grower, The Hill
Davies Edwin, blacksmith, Stanley hill
Davis James, butcher
Davies William, farmer, Sugarcroft
Edwards Joseph, farmer & landowner, Broadcroft, Fox hill
Edwards William, farmer & landowner, Woodlow
Foxwell Francis, farmer & hop grower & landowner, Catley Cross
Gardiner Ann (Mrs.), farmr. Northbridge
Gardiner Thomas, farmer & hop grower, Townend
Gibbs Edwin, farmer, Stanley hill
Green William, farmer & hop grower, Lower House & Great Catley
Hall Alfred, farmer, Long acre
Hamilton Frederick J. V. farmer & hop grower, Nelmes
Harford Richard, farmer, Swinmore
Harris William, farmer & hop grower, Upleadon court
Hart Alfred William, farm bailiff to E.J. Webb esq. Cold green
Hawkins John, farmer, Holly mount
Hawkins Thomas, farmer, The Verne, Swinmore
Hickox Charles, blacksmith, Pow Green
Hoar William, farmer, Little Noverings
Homes William, farmer & hop grower, Gold Hill
Innes Frederick, farmer & hop grower, Catley court
Jackson Joseph, farmer & hop grower, Orchards
Jackson Wm. frmr & hop grwr. Noverings
Jelf David, Bell inn
Jenkins James, haulier, White house
Job John Knight, schoolmaster, organist & assistant overseer, Nash end
Kendrick James, farmer & hop grower, Hill house
Lane Edward Thomas, farmer & hop grower, Old Court
Lane William Sivell, farmer & hop & cider grower, The Farm
Layton Albert, farmer, Old country
Lawrence Robert & Thomas, millers (water), Lower mill
Malins Thomas, baker & shopkeeper
Matthews Jas. beer retailer, The Brook
Mutlow Richard, farmer, Shiloe
Oram Frederick, farm bailiff to Mrs. Robt. B. Mynors, & hop grow. Ailscrft
Orgee Alfred, farmer & hop grower, The Green farm
Palmer Mary Ann (Mrs), frmr. Dog farm
Palmer William, farmer & miller (water), Upper mill
Parsons James, sawyer
Parsons William, farmer & beer retailer, Old country
Payne Thomas, carrier, Merrings farm
Pember William, farmer & hop grower, North farm
Philpotts Henry, shopkeeper
Pitt John Harford, landowner, hop grower & cider merchant, Temple crt
Preece Richard, farmer, Pow Green
Pudge Henry James, farmer & hop grower, Note house
Pugh James, beer retailer
Pullen Jas. shopkpr. & carrier, Stanley h(il)l
Sirrell George, farm bailiff to Frederick Innes esq
Spencer Edward, farmer, Woodlow
Thomas Charles, farm bailiff to W. B. Wood-Roe esq. Slatch farm
Townsend Allen John, butcher & coal dealer, Staplow
Townsend James, blacksmith
Townsend William, beer retailer & blacksmith, Staplow
Turner John, farmer & boot maker, Briercroft
Vobe William, farmer, Hill park

Source: Kelly: Directory of Herefordshire, 1895.