Chapter 7: WILLIAM THE GAMEKEEPER

Thomas and Ann Thornhill's sixth child was William. He was born in Slimbridge in 1844 and worked as an agricultural labourer before leaving home, and until at least 1869. By 1871 however he was working as a gamekeeper. At that time he was living at Shepherds Patch, along side the canal in Slimbridge. In the late 1880's the family briefly moved a short distance away to Ashmead, Coaley, where William still worked as a keeper on the Berkeley estate. There is however no record of William ever holding a gamekeepers licence.

By 1891 he was again working as a labourer indicating that he was a keepers assistant rather than head keeper. At that time he had moved to Kingston, a small group of cottages around Kingston Farm, half way between Shepherds Patch and Slimbridge village. He was a general labourer at that time. Ten years later he was working as a cattleman and living at Shepherds Patch. He then worked as a farm labourer until at least 1920, by which time he was 76 years old. It is known that William went to America for a time, probably staying with his sister, but soon returned.

According to a family story William was a 'hard' man. He used to tell how he had injured an eye, and had it removed without anaesthetic. Considering that anaesthetics were only introduced in 1846 this is quite possible. A local physician who may have treated William was Henry Jenner of Berkeley, son or grandson of Edward Jenner (1749-1823) who pioneered vaccination for smallpox.

William’s' wife was Hannah. Her father was James Hicks, a shepherd who worked on the New Grounds. He was from Purton in Wiltshire. Hannah had siblings living in Berkeley and Cambridge. When William and Hannah married in Slimbridge in 1869 she was only 20 years old. She was already a widow with the married name of Jones. Four years before her marriage to William she had a son, Charles, by her first husband. William was literate enough to sign his name on the occasion of their marriage. It is said that William frequently assaulted Hannah. This carried on until he was confronted by one of his grown sons who threatened to take his own revenge if the beatings didn't stop.

William and Hannah

The couple’s first children were twins Amos and Louisa. Their half-brother Charles shared their childhood years. Amos left home before he was 21. He first worked as a railway engine stoker then a railway engine cleaner at which time he lived in Far Green, Coaley, with his wife Florence. At least three of their seven children were born in Coaley, but Mildred Florence was born in Berkeley. In later years Amos was a fireman in the oil mills. Amos died, at 147 Tredworth Road in Gloucester, in 1951, leaving his estate to his children.

Coaley

Louisa was in service in Bristol before she married agricultural labourer Edward Woolford on 7 August 1799 in Slimbridge Parish Church by the same vicar who had baptised her 37 years earlier. Edward was one of at least seven children born to Joseph, a husbandman (tenant farmer), and Charlotte Woolford in Slimbridge. Louise had two children, Ethel Nellie and Eileen.

Louisa

The family lived in the end cottage of a row of four, behind the 'Red Lion' in Cambridge. Edward was roadman working for the County Council. Louisa died on 8 February 1954 in Elmsleigh Cottage, Cambridge, of heart disease at 84 years old. Edward had died three years earlier.

Ethel married Coaley born Thomas (known as Tom) Veale in Gloucester Registry Office in the summer of 1925. They moved back to Leicester where Tom was working for the LMS Railway Company. They had three children, John Edward, Michael Thomas and Patrick Henry. John and Patrick were both born in Leicestershire, but Ethel returned home to her parents at Elmsleigh Cottage for the birth of Michael. Michael became a bank manager and Patrick a schoolmaster. Tom was to die of leukaemia in Leicester Royal Infirmary in 1938.

Ethel’s sister Eileen was a schoolteacher. She married Wilfred Weaver and had two children, Robert and Diane, but died relatively young.

Eighteen months after the twins Hannah and William had another child, Lewis. Like his older brother Lewis left home to work on the railway. He started aged 17 as a messenger boy. He was immediately warned of the dangers of the railway environment by being shown the body of his predecessor who had been killed the day before! Lewis soon became a signalman and progressed through busier and busier signal-boxes, eventually manning a 70 lever main-line box which saw up to 324 train movements during his eight hour shift. At the rate of a 'bob(5p) a lever' he was earning £3 10s (£3.50) a week when he retired. He moved progressively northwards via the North Midlands and the West Riding of Yorkshire during his career, but returned to Slimbridge on retired. His wife Annie had only one child, a daughter who died at birth. He retired to The Forge in Slimbridge. Situated opposite the church, the cottage with its small orchard still stands. Following Annie's death in 1952 Lewis was cared for by his widowed niece Ethel Veale, who lived-in at The Forge. Lewis was an active gardener well in to old age. He died in Berkeley Hospital in 1963 aged 92, leaving his estate to his niece.

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Annie and Lewis.............................................................................................Lewis aged 90

Lewis' home - The Forge, Slimbridge

After serving an apprenticeship as a baker under Duncan Preston of Norton, to the northeast of Gloucester, Lewis's younger brother Ernest followed his older brothers onto the railway. Shortly after marrying North Nibley born Fanny Wyatt in 1897, Ernest's work as a signalman took him to Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire. From there he moved to Aston, Birmingham where he took up baking for a short time just after the turn of the century. By 1908 the growing family had moved to Penrhiwcieba in Glamorgan, where once again Ernest worked as railway signalman, a profession he remained in until his death in 1938, by when he was living in Whitchurch, Cardiff. For a time after moving to Penrhiwcieba and whilst still working on the railway, Ernest ran an undertakers, a business that he later gave-up. Ernest must have learned some country skills from gamekeeper father, for there is a photograph of him in old age carrying a number of freshly killed rabbits. He is remembered as spending his holidays and other spare time shooting.

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....................................Fanny and Ernest.................................................. ...........................Ernest after a days 'rabbiting'

Frank (chapter 9) became a baker’s assistant and moved with his employer and partner to Birmingham.

Beatrice had an illegitimate son, Viv. One version of her story is that following Viv's birth she took the name of Walton without ever marrying. All that remains of Beatrice’s cottage at the Patch is the ‘privy’ (outside toilet), in the garden of a newer house. Viv died in 1987 leaving a widow, Marjorie, and children, Godfrey, Trevor and Patricia. Viv and Marjorie lived in Draycot, Cam.

Beatrice’s younger sister, Gertrude, married Ferdinand James Cornock, a Bristolian, in Slimbridge in 1908. The couple lived in Bristol, where three sons were born, before Ferdinand’s death in March 1919. Eighteen months later Gertrude married Ferdinand James’s ‘brother’, Harold Malpass Cornock. There is a family story that remembers Harold Malpass being adopted, officially or otherwise, by Ferdinand’s parents. Harold Malpass was apparently so grateful for the Cornock’s having brought him up as their own child, that he felt duty bound to marry Gertrude and look after Ferdinand James’s young family. Whatever the relationship, Harold Malpass raised the boys as his own, along with the two daughters that Gertrude bore him. The family lived at 280 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol.

Gertrude and Ferdinand Cornock’s family

William and Hannah's last child, Evi (chapter 8) was born in 1891. He became a garage proprietor and haulage contractor.

In the 1870's William and Hannah moved to Prices Court in Slimbridge. This had previously been the home of William's sister, Ellan. Her son, William Cuff, stayed on at Prices Court living with his uncle and aunt. An E W Cuff was described as a cousin of Evi’s daughter in 1946. He was possibly a son of William Cuff. Hannah died in April 1924, William nearly five years later.

William died after suffering a stroke. Both are buried in Slimbridge Churchyard.

4 . . . . . . William THORNHILL b.1844 d.1929 m.Anna\Hannah HICKS (chapter 11)
5 . . . . . . . Amos THORNHILL b.1869 d.1951 m.Florence L. –
6 . . . . . . . . .Lewis THORNHILL b.1895 d.1963
6 . . . . . . . . .Elsie Amelia THORNHILL b.1897 m.Ernest Albert MICHAEL
6 . . . . . . . . .Mildred Florence THORNHILL b.1898 m.William A. GARDNER
6 . . . . . . . . .Jesse William\William Jesse THORNHILL b.1899 d.1977 m.Ivy M. MICHAEL
7 . . . . . . . . . . Doreen I. M. THORNHILL m.Harold S. THOMPSON
7 . . . . . . . . . . Jean C. J. THORNHILL m.Dennis E. STERRY
6 . . . . . . . . .Dennis THORNHILL b.1901 d.1983 m.Elsie L. SLIM
6 . . . . . . . . .Linley (aka Lyn) THORNHILL b.1904 m.Doris M. COLEMAN
7 . . . . . . . . . . Ronald J. THORNHILL m.Silvana FUROLO
8 . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Anastasia THORNHILL
6 . . . . . . . . .Leslie THORNHILL d.<1996 m.Edith V. HOPSON
7 . . . . . . . . . . Graham L. THORNHILL m.- -
8 . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa THORNHILL
7 . . . . . . . . . . Martin A. THORNHILL
7 . . . . . . . . . . Richard Michael THORNHILL m.Mary Christine THOMAS (AKA DI TOMMASSO)
8 . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Lorraine (aka Viki) THORNHILL m.Neil CARLILE
9 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Natalie CARLILE
8 . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Vincent THORNHILL m.Lesley COSTELLO
9 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jamie Richard THORNHILL
5 . . . . . . . Louisa THORNHILL b.1869 d.1954 m.Edward WOOLFORD
6 . . . . . . . . .Ethel Nellie WOOLFORD b.1900 d.1983 m.Thomas(Tom) VEALE
7 . . . . . . . . . . John Edward VEALE
7 . . . . . . . . . . Michael (Mike) Thomas VEALE m.Janet Mary Henderson HEARN
8 . . . . . . . . . . . Samantha Jane VEALE
7 . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Henry (aka Pat) VEALE
6 . . . . . . . . .Eileen Gertrude WOOLFORD b.1905 d.1967 m.Gilfred WEAVER
7 . . . . . . . . . . Diane WEAVER
7 . . . . . . . . . . Robert WEAVER
5 . . . . . . . Lewis\Louis THORNHILL b.1871 d.1963 m.Annie DOE
6 . . . . . . . . .female THORNHILL
5 . . . . . . . Ernest THORNHILL b.1874 d.1938 m.Fanny Wyatt
6 . . . . . . . . .Ernest Evi THORNHILL b.1897 d.1897
6 . . . . . . . . .Winifred Edith THORNHILL m.Robert George COLES
7 . . . . . . . . . . Jean COLES m.Gareth Lyn CASSAM
8 . . . . . . . . . . . Judith Lyn CASSAM
8 . . . . . . . . . . . Trevor George CASSAM
9 . . . . . . . . . . . . .James Christopher CASSAM
9 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mariah Louise CASSAM
8 . . . . . . . . . . . David John CASSAM
6 . . . . . . . . .Lawrence Emrys THORNHILL m.Elsie Smith
7 . . . . . . . . . . five children THORNHILL
6 . . . . . . . . .child THORNHILL
6 . . . . . . . . .child THORNHILL
5 . . . . . . . Frank THORNHILL (chapter 9) b.1876 d.1952 m.Nellie Ruth TYLER
5 . . . . . . . Den(n)is THORNHILL b.1879 d.1880
5 . . . . . . . Beatrice THORNHILL b.1882 d.1939 m.- -
6 . . . . . . . . .Viv (adptd to WALTON) d.1987 m.Marjorie -
7 . . . . . . . . . . Godfrey WALTON m.- -
7 . . . . . . . . . . Patricia (aka Pat) WALTON m.- -
7 . . . . . . . . . . Trevor WALTON m.- -
5 . . . . . . . Gertrude THORNHILL b.1887 d.1962 m.#1 Ferdinand (aka Fern) James CORNOCK #2 Harold Malpass CORNOCK
6 . . . . . . . . .#1 Herbert Ferdinand Leslie CORNOCK
6 . . . . . . . . .#1 Lewis Reginald CORNOCK
6 . . . . . . . . .#1 Harold George CORNOCK
6 . . . . . . . . .#2 Hilda Gertude Susan CORNOCK
6 . . . . . . . . .#2 Lilian Beatrice Ethel CORNOCK
5 . . . . . . . Evi THORNHILL (chapter 8) b.1891 d.1960 m.Elizabeth Violet (aka Bessie) HAINES