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Hi Parkybe and all who replied.
My main research into the Beard(s) family was through my direct relative Daniel John Beard who was born in Gloucester in 1822 and died in Wolverhampton.

With regard to George Beard:
Pigotts trade directory of 1830 for Gloucester lists George and Mary Beard coal dealer and publican.  Duke of Gloucester, Quay Street.
The 1839 directory lists George Beard coal merchant and haulier of the Nags Head, The Island.
The 1842 edition lists George Beard of the Star Inn and coal dealer the Island.
The 1841 census gives George Beard 35 coal merchant, Elizabeth Beard 25 wife and children.

George Beard of The Star Inn, Quay died intestate following his suicide in 1846.
At Gloucester record centre I discovered a letter of administration to the consistory court with regard to George. Three people had made claims on George’s estate. Elizabeth Beard widow, Elizabeth Brainsford widow, and a Joseph Page.
The two widows is interesting, I subsequently found a marriage of George Beard and Elizabeth Drinkwater at Huntley on the 5th of October 1819 by bann.
I also found a marriage licence for George Beard and Elizabeth Brainsford at Cheltenham on 26th June 1832.
George was described as a widower of St Nicholas, Gloucester on the later licence.
A full obituary and description of the events around George’s death were published in the Gloucester Journal of the 6th of June 1846.

A memorial headstone at St Nicholas’s church reads “Sacred to the memory of George Beard of the Star Inn, Quay who died May 30th 1846 aged 43 years. George Edward Beard son of George and Elizabeth Beard of this parish innkeeper who died October 28th 1833 aged 5 months and five days.

The 1851 census for the Star Inn  finds Elizabeth Beard now a widow age 38 Inn Keeper and coal merchant, Ann 16 at home, Charles 13 a writing clerk, Daniel 12 a scholar and George B (Brainsford?) 6

I have consulted the will of John Beard Victualler and have assumed (!) over the years that he was George’s father. However I have not been able to prove the fact which was the reason for my original post looking for any further leads.

A few possible fragments pointing to John:

Knowing George was 45 when he died places his birth at 1801, I have a baptism for a George Beard at Stourport on the 3rd July 1803 (close) son of John and Mary Beard.
John had family connections and property at Stourport.

The listing of Freemen of the city of Gloucester 1641-1838 (on Ancestry) gives
1824 6th September Geo Beard, App of John Beard, coal merchant.

Regarding the Beard children the only info I have is from Wolverhampton where the online archives of parish records give the marriage of George Brainsford Beard, Timber merchants clerk of Waterloo Road (father George Beard a carrier) to Emma Eliza Blake on the 8th of March 1866.
Also sadly: George Brainsford Beards age 22 of Frederick Street buried 24th of May 1866.

Many years ago I photographed the rather beautiful frieze of grazing cows above the entrance to that architectural gem which was the Midland Counties Dairy on the Penn Road. Alas the site was ultimately to become yet another sad example of buildings lost to the homage to Ronald McDonald.
Would anyone know if the frieze survived the demolition process.

 Great work penbex86 , I have been trying to view this document for ages.

Chris

Hi Penny
Many thanks for posting the reply from Liz Young and Andrew Davidson at Shropshire Archives regarding Alderman Jones  Notebooks.
I fully understand the fragile nature and financial implications of conserving of the said document, however could we not have an overview of what is contained within it.
As a Beard researcher I would probably only be looking for names/dates of people or vessels and connections between them if these are contained within the book.
Maybe someone at Shropshire archives could go through the notebook and produce a brief description of its contents, I have no idea how extensive or useful it is as I have never seen it.
Also where does the link with Alderman Jones stem from? I understand the notebook is the observations and impressions of Thomas Beard.
Thanks
Chris