Bosbury in
Kelly’s Directory of Herefordshire 1937

[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, four 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, brother[?] of Cardinal Archbishop 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, the pulpit contains carved panels, probably of 15th. century Flemish workmanship: 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: in 1917 part of the roof was destroyed by fire and much damage done to the west end: a thorough structural restoration at an approximate cost of £2,500 was completed in 1921 under the supervision of W.D.Caroe esq.: gifts were added to the value of £1,000, a new vestry with oak screen by Mrs. Buck and Miss Beith, and an inner porch, new window and panelled baptistery and pulpit by Miss J. Kempson: panels from the remains of the old pews were placed across the west wall to carry the names of the men who fell in the Great War, 1914-18: the Ecclesiastical Commissioners undertook the restoration of the walls and foundations of the chancel: there are sittings for 350 persons: the churchyard contains a well-preserved village cross. The register dates from the year 1558.

The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £382, including six acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Hereford, and held since 1927 by the Rev. Hugh Kynaston Lee Matthews B.A. of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. There is a Wesleyan chapel at Stanley Hill, erected in 1863, and a Primitive Methodist chapel at Swinmore, and also a Free Church hall.  Bosbury House, the seat of Mrs. Buchanan, 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; a fine oak ceiling remains in one of the rooms of the house; the entrance gateway and guardroom have been adapted to farm uses. 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 three shields with the arms 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. Mr.John Weyman Jones was formerly occupied by the Knights Templars. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are lords of the manor of the whole parish. Mrs. Buchanan, John Harford Pitt esq., Charles Henry Crane esq. and Mrs. Buck 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 4,827 acres of land and inland water; the population in 1931 was 811.
Catley, half a mile north–west, Upleadon, 1 mile west-by-south, and Swinmore 3 miles are places in the parish.
 
Post, M. O., T. & T. E. D. Office.– Mrs Fanny Drew, sub-postmistress. Letters are received through Ledbury

Police Station

(For T.N’s see list of Private residents at end of book)
PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
Bowdillon [Bourdillon] Miss, Harbour hill
Buchanan Mrs., Bosbury house
Buck Mrs., Noverings
Dawe Gilbert Maurice, New house, Swinmore
Foster Charles Nicholas, Windsordine
Gibbs Miss, Stanley house
Golland Alfred, Holly Mount
Hawkins Jasper, The Old vicarage
Jackson Miss, Harbour hill
Job John K., The Firs
Jones John Weyman, Temple court
Jones Norman, Nashend
Matthews Rev. Hugh Kynaston Lee, B.A. (Vicar) Vicarage
Priday Charles, Rosemount, Stanley hill
 
Marked thus ° farm 150 acres or over.
COMMERCIAL.
Ancient Order of Oddfellows (Bishop Swinfield Lodge) (Stephen Turner, sec)
Andrews Frederick Thomas, farmer, Townend. TN 212
Aubrey Donald, farmer & hop grower, Merrings farm
Barrett Walter, farmer, Staplow house
Beighton Edward, farmer, Woodlow
Bennett Arthur Elliott, farmer, The Slatch TN 226
Bettington Eliz. (Mrs.), farmer
Bishop William Herbert, beer retailer, Staplow
Bosley Jasper, farmer, Catley Cross
°Bosley Thomas Edwin, farmer, Catley Cross & Bentleys
Box Leonard Edwards, farmer & hop grower, Note house
Brant Francis John, blacksmith
Broome George Henry, farmer, Norbridge cottage
Bunn James, farmer, Norbrings [Noverings, see 1941] farm
°Cale Kate (Mrs). farmer, Palace, Bradleys & Woodings farms, Old country
Carter John Charles, farmer, Birchwood cottage
Chadd William Albert, draper
Clayton Henry, smallholder, Fox hill
Collett William, grocer
Colley Arth., beer retailer, the Brook
Cooper William, water diviner
Cotton Mary Ann (Miss),farmer & hop grower
Cridland C. Elliott, beer retailer, Old Country inn
°Davies Arthur James, farmer, Lower house
Fletcher Frederick, smallholder,Fox Hill
Fletcher James, farmer, Nashend
Fletcher Percy, farmer, Orchards farm house
Gibbs Edwin H., farmer, Stanley Hill TN 208
Gibbs Miss, boarding house, Stanley house
Goddard Messrs. E.& H. general grocery, drapery, petrol & oils, newsagents & tobacconists, The General Stores,. TN 233
Goodchap Charles, farmer, Gospel Yew
Goodchap Ernest Thomas, farmer, Little Catley
Gough Thomas Harold, farmer, Hill House farm
Green Thomas William, farmer & hop grower, Paddals & Broad Oak farms
Hickox Charles, blacksmith, Pow green
Hill William, farm bailiff to W.L.Pritchett esq. The Grange
Homes Herbert Inett, farmer, Upleadon farm
°Homes Martin V., farmer & hop grower, Upleadon Court, Trumpet 36
Homes William James, farmer & hop grower, Gold hill
Howe Jesse Joshua, baker
Innes William J., farmer, Woodlow
Jenkins Arthur George, farmer, The Aurals
Job John Knight, rating, assistant registrar officer & bailiff of the manor, The Firs
°Jones John Weyman, farmer & hop grower, Temple court, TN 209
°Lane Herbert E., farmer & hop grower, Old court
Layton Albert, farmer, Hill park
Layton Andrew, farmer, Broadcroft, Fox Hill
Lloyd Edward James, farmer, Swinmore
Millichamp Philip Blashill, farm manager to T.J.Hawkins esq. The Farm TN 210
Millington William, farmer, Swinmore
Mosley Willie C., butcher TN 217
Parker Walter Francis, farmer, The Riddings
Pearman George Edwin, public house,teas & light refreshments, Bell inn
Powell Eliz. Jane (Mrs.), district nurse, Maycroft
Powell George Frederick, farmer, Beacon hill
Price Clara,(Mrs.) farmer, Briercroft
Shew Edmund George, farmer & hop grower, Cold green & Lower Cold Green
Shuck William D., farmer, Brook house
Smith Charles Henry, farmer, The North
Turner Edward S. & Alfred Bertram, farmers, Great Catley
Turner Robert James, farmer, Catley court
Turner Stephen, farmer, Pow Green
Walkers Jim, farmer, Sugar croft
Wargent & Sons, agricultural implement repairs
Warren Arthur Samuel, smallholder, Upper House
Webster William M.B. Ch.B.Glas., F.R.C.S.Edin. physician. & surgeon (surgery)
Wilkins Thomas, farmer, Green farm
Williams Jessie Mary (Mrs.) farmer, Shilloe
Ye Old Crown Hotel (Frank Rawson, propr.)

Source: Kelly’s Directory of Herefordshire. Published by Kelly’s Directories Ltd, London WC2, 1937.

Transcribed by Liz Keatley, Bosbury Chroniclers 2015.