[Preamble] [Private Residents] [Commercial Residents]
BOSBURY is a village and parish on the river Leadon, 3½ miles 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, late vicar, in 1878: the chancel is separated from the nave by a fine oak screen, now [1909] being restored as a memorial to “Edna Lyall”; she 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, net yearly value £240, including six acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Hereford, and held since 1908 by the Rev. Thomas William Harvey M.A. of St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge. 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 mansion of red brick and stone in the Italian style, with balustrades and a portico; 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. 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.). Temple Court, the residence of Mr. Edward Ballard Thompson, farmer, was formerly occupied by the Knights Templars. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are lords of the manor of the whole parish. Willoughby B. Mynors esq., John Harford Pitt esq., William B. Wood-Roe 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 4,816 acres of land and 9 of water; rateable value, £6,339; the population in 1901 was 872.
Catley, half a mile north–west, Upleadon, 1 mile west-by-south, and Swinmore 3 miles are places in the parish.
 
Parish Clerk, John Turner.
 
Post, M. O. & T. Office.– Miss Fanny Kendrick, sub-postmistress. Letters are received through Ledbury at 7.20 a.m. & 1.20 p.m.; dispatched thereto at 11.20 a.m. & 5.30 p.m.; received on Sunday at 7.45 a.m.; dispatched 9.25 a.m..
Wall Letter Boxes.–Stanley Hill, cleared at 5 p.m. daily (except sunday); Broad Oak Cross roads at 8.45 a.m. & 4 p.m.; New house, 11.25 a.m. & 5.25 p.m.; Woodlow, 9.10 a.m. & 4.30 p.m.; Staplow, 11.35 a.m. & 5.45 p.m.; Sundays 9.40 a.m.; Swinmore, 8.10 a.m. & 4.30 p.m. week days only;

Police Station, Douglas Evans, officer in charge

Schools.

Free Grammar, built & endowed by Sir Rowland Morton in 1540 with lands now yielding yearly a rental of £132, for 60 boys; average attendance, 58; 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 Arrowsmith, mistress

Carriers to :–
Ledbury – Richard Preece, Charles Hickox, George Nutt, John Jones & Joseph Lewis, tues
Malvern – Joseph Lewis, mon. & fri
Returning same days

PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
Barret James, Staplow house.
Buck Mrs., Noverings
Curtis Rev. Henry Bailey (curate)
Harvey Rev. Thomas William M.A. (vicar) Vicarage
Manning James Parker, Stanley House.
Mynors Willoughby Baskerville D.L. J.P., Bosbury House.
Pritchard William, Swinmore
Willcox Samuel, The Grange.
Wood-Roe William Brookes, The Slatch.
 
COMMERCIAL.
Barrett James, farmer & landowner, Staplow house
Bettington Charles, carrier
Bishop Thomas, beer retailer, Staplow
Bosley Thomas Charles, farmer & hop grower, Lower Cold Green
Bosley Thomas Edwin, farmer, fruit grower, cider merchant, hop grower & landowner, Bentleys
Box W., farmer & hop grower, Woodlow
Bufton John, wheelwright
Bunn Alfred George, farmer & hop grower, Swinmore farm
John Cale, farmer, Old Country,
Collett William, grocer & provision dealer
Cosford Uriah Robert, grocer
Cotton Allan, wheelwright & smith
Cotton Geo., farmer, Paunceford Court
Cotton John, farmer & hop grower, The Hill
Davies Edwin, farmer, Stanley hill
Davies Francis, beer & cider retailer
Davies George, blacksmith
Edwards Edward, farmer, Riddings
Edwards John, farmer & landowner, Woodlow
Edwards Joseph, farmer & landowner, Broadcroft, Fox Hill
Fletcher Allen, machinist
Gardiner Ann (Mrs.), farmer, Northbridge
Gibbs Edwin, farmer, Stanley Hill
Green William, farmer & hop grower, Lower house
Green William, aparts., School house
Griffiths Sarah (Mrs.) shopkeeper
Harford Richard, farmer, Swinmore
Harris William, farmer & hop grower, Upleadon Court
Hickox Charles, blacksmith & carrier, Pow green
Hodgkiss John, farmer, Nelmes
Homes Herbert Inett, farmer, Upleadon farm
Homes William, farmer & hop grower, Gold hill
Jackson Joseph, farmer & hop grower, Orchards
Job John Knight, schoolmaster, teacher of music, organist & assistant overseer, The Firs
Jones John, carrier, Stanley hill
Lance Alexander, farmer & cider merchant, Nash End
Lane Edward Thomas, farmer & hop grower, Old Court
Lane William Sivell, farmer & hop & cider grower, The Farm
Lawrence Robert & Thomas, millers (water), Lower mill
Lewis Joseph, carrier
Mutlow George, farmer, Staplow
Orgee Alfred, farmer & hop grower, The Green farm & beer retailer, Old Country
Palmer James, farmer & miller (water), Upper mill
Parmee Alfred G., Crown Hotel
Parsons James, sawyer
Payne Thomas, farmer, Catley Cross & Merrings farm
Pember William, farmer & hop grower, Hill house & North farm
Philpotts Henry, shopkeeper
Powell William, farmer, Little Catley
Preece Ambrose, Bell inn
Preece Richard, farmer & carrier, Pow green
Price John, farmer, Catley Court
Pudge Henry James, farmer & hop grower, Note house
Pullen Jas. shopkeeper & carrier, Stanley hill
Shew Edmund George, farmer & hop grower, Cold green
Spencer Edward, farmer, Woodlow
Thompson Edward Ballard, farmer & hop & fruit grower, Temple Court
Turner John, farmer & bootmaker, Briercroft
Vobe Elizabeth (Mrs.), farmer, Hill park
Walters Thos. Chas., farmer, Dog farm

Source: Kelly’s Directory of Herefordshire. Published by Kelly’s Directories Ltd, London WC2, 1905.

Transcribed by Liz Keatley, Bosbury Chroniclers 2015.