RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Staffordshire => Topic started by: Treefan on Tuesday 01 December 09 09:56 GMT (UK)
-
:)
Hi, I am trying to find out about the history of the village of Fradley, Staffordshire & would welcome any help please.
I have several generations of Jones ancestors who were farmers in Fradley throughout the 1700's & 1800's & indeed into the 1900's too. Rye Croft Farm was the name of one of the family farms.
One of my Jones ancestors was a the village wheelwright & the family also owned a threshing machine which was hired out for the use by other farmers.
Another Jones ancestor became the landlord of the Bell Inn beerhouse in the village & I would welcome any info about the Bell Inn please.
Should anyone have any pictures too I would be very grateful please & I would willingly pay for any costs involved.
With many thanks,
Treefan.
-
Not a lot of help really, but I did find Fradley mentioned in Harrod & Company's Directory of 1870 - page 853 via www.historicaldirectories.org. There doesn't appear to be anything in the 1890s or 1850's directories on this site. There's certainly only one public house there now, at Fradley Junction on the canal, and that is The Swan.
If you get really stuck, I could go and have a look around - I only live in Tamworth, not very far away - if that would help.
BumbleB
-
Hello,
I don't know if the following is from a post of yours, but if not it might be of help.
http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php?p=331185
Handm
-
Hi BumbleB,
That's a very kind offer but I don't want you to put yourself out like that, I just thought that there may be someone out there who might know something due to living there or perhaps through having ancestors from there themselves.
Thank again,
Treefan.
-
Hi Handm,
Well spotted! ~ thank you for letting me know,
Treefan.
-
Hi,
I am from Manchester but I spend a lot of time around Fradley & Alrewas as my partner lives very close by & we love to go walking around the area.
Fradley Village & Fradley Junction are a little way apart, Alrewas is just down the road.
As BumbleB says the only Pub in the area of Fradley Junction now is the Swann.
I have been trying to think if there is another pub in the proximity but I cant think of any, the only ones I can think of are along the canal path, and I think they are all 'canal' linked names if I remember right.
I will ask Rob later for you, he has lived there all his life, as have his family, he may have a better idea than I have.
Gaille
-
:)
Many thanks Gaille, that would be very kind of you. I know that the beerhouse used to be in the village & not along the canal side but I'm not sure exactly where. From directories, I know that it was still in existence until at least the mid 1940's.
Thanks again,
Treefan.
-
Can't help much treefan but at least you're not alone as I have Fradley beerhouse problems too! My gt gt gt grandfather was a blacksmith and keeper of the William IV beerhouse in the 1830's. There are two smithys on the first series OS maps but no public houses although there is a William IV pub at Alrewas and the two villages are pretty much joined at the hip.
Good luck!
Paul
-
Hi Paul, it certainly tests out our little grey cells doesn't it!!
If I ever spot anything which I think will help you out I shall let you know.
Good luck,
Treefan.
-
1842
Isaac fisher - Bell
John Paskin - Bulls Head
Thomas Leicester - Crown
Joseph Radford - Swan
-
Hi,
I used to live in Alrewas, the village very close to Fradley, back in early 80's and frequented the area alot back
then. I do'nt recall a pub in the actual village but there was The Swan (locals called this The Mucky Duck!) at Fradley Junction (not actually in the village) I am pretty sure this would not have ever been called The Bell as a
relative was the lock keeper here back in early 1900's- so know this quite well. I do however remember a pub
that was very close to the village itself which was actually closed down in my era, it was a brick building and looked to be very old. They actually built the A38 (Lichfield to Burton on trent) alongside it, but I do not remember what became of it ......... possibly converted to residential or demolished. Also there was another pub situated on the other side of the road (A38) which I think was demolished. Sorry I cannot recall the names of these two but you will understand I'm going back 30yrs!
You could try old maps of the area, I think this would be your best bet of finding The Bell.
-
Hello alyson123, many thanks for your message.
Someone has just told me that they think that the Bell Inn may have been one of the buidings that was demolished in the 50's to make way for the widening of the A38 which seems to be what you have suggested too. I shall look into this further.
Thanks again,
Treefan.
-
Hi again Treefan,
After my recent post to you, low and behold I found one of my relatives in Fradley and are buried
in the churchyard!! ........ anyway in my research of this ancester I came across The Bell Inn in
Whites Gazeteer 1834 desc. "Isaac Fisher, Bell beerhouse, Dunstall Bridge Fradley" - Thought this
might be a further clue as to its location.
Regards
Alyson
-
;D
That's a brilliant spot Alyson ~ thank you so much. As you say, every little clue all helps.
Thanks again,
Treefan.
-
The Bell Inn was a very old square brick building that was demolished back in the late 1950s, along with the humped bridge it stood on, for the widening of the A38
The Bell was on the left side of the main road coming from Lichfield, near to the Fradley South housing estate and close to Dunstall Cottage and the old derelict garage that used to be Boggis's garage.
Historically it was a beerhouse rather than a pub, the difference between a pub & a beerhouse being that a pub could sell both spirits and beer.
The Jones and Fisher families, who were related, kept The Bell for many decades during the second half of the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s.
Courtesy of the author on a forthcoming book about the village
Regards
-
;D
JPG, many thanks for your wonderfully informative message which I was very grateful to receive.
I am most interested to learn more about the book to which you refer ~ perhaps you could explain more details to me please.
My Jones family were farmers in & around Fradley for many generations going back to the early 1700's at least & so I am very keen to learn more about the village & it's history.
I only knew of Thomas Jones's connection to the Bell Inn beerhouse ~ he was the brother of my great grandfather. Thomas married the widow of the Fisher family who ran the beerhouse & it seems that he then gave up farming on Rye Croft Farm to become landlord of the beerhouse when he married. The farm was then left in the hands of his brother who had previously served an apprenticeship as a wheelwright.
I have been struggling to learn information regarding my Jones ancestors so I would be very interested to read the book when it is published to hopefully gain more knowledge of Fradley & perhaps my family too.
I am hoping that I may have some luck somewhere along the line & hopefully obtain an old photo of the beerhouse & farm.
Many Thanks,
Treefan.
-
Well done JPG! ....... that has put this one to bed!
Do'nt suppose it mentions any of my Lea ancesters in the book circa 1800's??
Regards
Alyson
-
I am just now putting my Virtue/Richards/Norton family tree onto Ancestry's family tree maker and was searching for possible scenes from Fradley around the 1850's plus, particularly the Bulls Head Inn and Dunstall Farm. My 3 x great-grandfather John Paskin was a farmer and prop. of the Bulls Head in the 1851 census, cannot find him 1861 census, but 1871 census he is Farmer of 52 acres, Fradley. His son Thomas 1881/1891 census was prop. Bulls Head. In 1901 Thomas was Farmer, Dunstall Farm. John Paskin's wife Hannah's maiden name was Fisher, born abt 1809, Alrewas. I really don't know where I'm going with this but maybe there is a connection out there with Isaac Fisher and the Bell Inn.
-
Hi DollyB, I know of Isaac Fisher through his connection when he married into my Jones family but to be honest with you I have never really looked in any further depth into the Fisher family at all. Should I come across anything that may help you though I will let you know.
Treefan.
-
Hi Treefan, Just out of curiosity ..... where are you located (live).
-
See https://groups.google.com/group/midlands-pubs/msg/d4f71dcc88bfdce7?hl=en&pli=1
-
May be of interest
www.fradleyvillage.com/history.php
The bottom bit may be your family did they own a threshing buisness?
Sue
-
See https://groups.google.com/group/midlands-pubs/msg/d4f71dcc88bfdce7?hl=en&pli=1
Good spot! Thank you, it's much appreciated.
-
May be of interest
www.fradleyvillage.com/history.php
The bottom bit may be your family did they own a threshing buisness?
Sue
Thanks Sue ~ yes, my family did own their own threshing business.
Thank you very much.
Treefan.
-
yes there was a bulls head fradley.i grew up there! knocked down yonks ago.i remember the bell as well !hope this helps.fred
-
Great necro-post Fred, do you happen to recall any Uptons in the area? My lot were the village blacksmiths (the smithy is still standing as you enter the village from the A38) and also became involved with various pubs in Lichfield.
Paul
-
I don't recall any Uptons.A George Mallabar who ran a scrap dealears,behind some cottages,long gone I bet.The garth family,a johnny harding,the Woods family who lived next door. I was born in The Scales in lichfield.The Robin Hood was nearby,there were 3 pubs on market st,the wolsey bros farmed nr us---cant picture the smithy!!!!was long time ago.
-
hello does anybody remember the poplars farm in fradley village
-
:)
hello does anybody remember the poplars farm in fradley village
and a miss johnson also marsh farm fradley any info my relatives :)
-
Great necro-post Fred, do you happen to recall any Uptons in the area? My lot were the village blacksmiths (the smithy is still standing as you enter the village from the A38) and also became involved with various pubs in Lichfield.
Paul
I have Upton family members in my tree who were connected to both the Dolman and Wait families, my maternal ancestors. David
-
Have only just seen this post. I lived at Crown Farm in Fradley (on A38) and the pub next door was called the Bull's Head (Coates and Rollitt families lived there when I was about). The pub was pulled down around the 60's and a garage was built on the site. I remember the threshing machine visits! Mr Jones (was it Bill?) would come and there was always great excitement - it being the culmination of our harvest time. Harvest festivals in the church - St Stephen's - (accompanied by a very 'wheezy' organ) were well attended, as was the Harvest supper in the village hall. There were other 'Jones'es in the village. Betty was a hairdresser and Richard a vet, who joined the Lichfield practice of Alastair Steele-Bodger, though I can't remember whether they were related. Archie Elson and the Woolley brothers were also farmers there. Dr Platt was the local GP and the Hardy family ran the Post Office. Further up the main road - towards Lichfield - there were other farmers (the Collins family) in the building that is now the Fradley Arms, At the turn off for Whittington - just before Boggis's garage - stood Mr Collingwood's Farm and this was also the Slaughterhouse. Miss Wright operated the gates over The Roddidge level crossing. Far too many memories of the place to detail here, but happy to give any more information you may consider useful.
-
thats lovely information yes it was john jones and betty was his daughter and richard his son...do you remember the poplars farm and miss johnson or have any old pics i love history
-
ha doctot platt he gave my parents a pram that belonged to his children a beautiful silver cross my mother adored it
-
Can remember the farm, but not the family. Sorry I haven't got any old photos of the area.
-
Re The Poplars in Fradley, Do you mean Miss Johnston the house keeper for the owner ? If so she was my great aunt