Avenbury, Herefordshire Family History Guide
Avenbury is an Ancient Parish in the county of Herefordshire.
Other places included in the parish: Munderfield Row
Parish church: St Mary
Parish registers begin: 1661
Nonconformists include: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Parishes adjacent to Avenbury
Historical Descriptions
Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales Circa 1870
Avenbury, a parish in Bromyard district, Hereford; on the river Frome, 1 ½ mile SSE of Bromyard, and 7 ½ E of Dinmore r. station. It includes a detached tract, situated near Bridenbury; and its post-town is Bromyard under Worcester. Acres, 3,233. Real property, £4,155. Pop., 371. Houses, 74. The property is divided among a few. Limestone occurs. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Hereford. Value, £80. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is good. There was anciently a small priory.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850
Avenbury, 1 mile S.E. Bromyard. P. 382.
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850.
Directories
Avenbury Littlebury’s Worcestershire Directory 1879
Avenbury is a parish in Herefordshire, pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Froome, and intersected by the Bromyard and Ledbury turnpike road. It is distant 1 ½ miles S.E. of Bromyard, 11 N. of Ledbury, and 14 N.E. of Hereford; is in Broxash hundred, Bromyard union, county court district, polling district, and petty sessional division. The population in 1861 was 371; in 1871, 395; inhabited houses, 78; families or separate occupiers, 79; area of parish, 3,233 acres; annual rateable value, £3,982; soil, clayey; subsoil, red sandstone; chief crops, wheat, beans, hops, and apples. The representatives of the late Dean of St. Asaph are lords of the manor, and the trustees of the Worcester charities, William Barneby, Esq., Mrs. Best (of Suckley), and Rev. F. B. Hooper, are the principal landowners. The living is a vicarage in the diocese and archdeaconry of Hereford and rural deanery of North Froome; value, £100, with residence and 8 acres of glebe; patron, Rev. Arthur Childe-Freeman, vicar, Rev. John Wilson, M.A., Trinity College, Dublin, who was instituted in 1877.
The church of St. Mary is an ancient Gothic structure, with nave, chancel, porch, and low square tower containing three bells. It underwent considerable repair and improvement in 1876. The tower, “a splendid specimen of those massive square buildings, with deeply-splayed windows, which date from about the thirteenth century,” has been cleaned and pointed, and the roof carefully repaired. Seven new lancet windows have been inserted in the north and south walls of the church, and one in the tower. An east window, of three lights, has been recently put in. various improvements have also been made in the interior of the church, the chief of them being the removal of the gallery, and the throwing open of the fine tower arch and window beyond. There is a massive circular Norman font, and a long slab of sandstone in the chancel, on which is incised the figure of a knight in mail, cross-legged, but without any inscription. The earliest register is dated 1661. A school board has been recently formed for this parish, and a new school has been erected at Munderfield row, to accommodate 50 children. There are a few small charities. Birchy Field, the residence of the Hon. Beauchamp Mowbray St. John, J.P., is a freestone mansion in the modern English style, commanding a delightful view of the surrounding country. There is a detached part of Avenbury joining the parish of Bredenbury. Munderfield Row is a hamlet on the Ledbury road, about 1 ¾ miles S.W.
Postal Regulations. – Letters are received from Worcester via Bromyard, and arrive by messenger from the latter place about 8 a.m. Bromyard is the nearest money-order and telegraph office. Letters should be addressed – Avenbury, Bromyard, Worcester.
Parish Church (St. Mary’s). – Rev. John Wilson, M.A., Vicar; Messrs. Richard Allies and Frederick J. Cook, Churchwardens; Henry Partridge, Parish Clerk.
Avenbury School Board. – Mr. Joseph Burrow Weeks, Bromyard, Clerk.
Board School (boys and girls), Munderfield row. – Miss Thomas, Mistress.
Private Residents.
St. John Hon. Beauchamp Mowbray, J.P., Birchy field
Wilson Rev. J., M.A. (vicar), The Vicarage
Agricultural & Commercial.
Allies Richard, farmer, Little Froome
Birchley J., fmr. & hop gwr., The Heath
Chapple Rev. J. (Wesleyan), Northfields
Cook Fredk. J., fmr & hop gwr., Brook ho.
Corbett Joseph, farmer, hop grower, and cattle dealer, The Noakes farm
Corbett Richd., farmer, Rough Mintridge
Dennis Thos., cider retlr., Munderfield row
Green Mrs. Sarah, cot. Farmer, Wigghall
Gurney Thomas, wheelwright, carpenter, and shopkeeper, Munderfield row
Hayling Richard, farmer, Stocks farm
Holloway Benjn., farmer, Upper Hopton fm.
Lane Tracey, farmer, Cusop
Oliver R., fmr & hop gwr., Avenbury crt.
Page Miss Harriet, farmer, Northfields
Partridge Henry, miller, Froome mill
Perry Jas., fmr. & hop gwr., Sawbery hill
Philpott S., fmr. & dlr., Up. Venn farm
Thomas Henry, farmer and hop grower, Munderfield row
Thomas Miss, schoolmst., Munderfield row
Todd Benjn., fmr., hop gwr., brick & drain pipe manufr., Burgess & Greeve farms
Watkins Jas., blacksmith, Munderfield row
Watkins Rd., blacksmith, Munderfield row
Weeks Joseph Burrow, farmer & hop grower, The Kilns; res., Bromyard.
Williams Mrs. Jane, farmer, Goodships
Yates George, farmer, Lower Venn
Source: Littlebury, Littlebury’s Directory and Gazetteer of Worcester & District, Third Edition. Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co. 1879.
Avenbury Kellys Herefordshire Directory 1863
Avenbury is a parish, 2½ miles south-east from Bromyard (its post town), 11 north from Ledbury, 13 north-east from Hereford railway station, and 153 from London, in Broxash hundred, Bromyard union and county court district. Frome deanery, Hereford archdeaconry, and Hereford bishopric; it is pleasantly situated on the Bromyard and Ledbury turnpike road; the river Frome runs through it. The church of St. Mary is an old stone building in the Gothic style, pleasantly situated on the banks of the Frome, with small square tower and 3 bells; the interior of the church consists of nave, chancel and a porch. The register dates from 1661. The living is a stipendiary vicarage, worth £80 yearly, with residence and 2 acres of glebe land, in the gilt of the Lord Chancellor; the Rev. John Shepherd, M.A., of Trinity College, Dublin, is the incumbent. Birchy Field, the residence of Mrs. Kempson, is a finely built structure of freestone, in the Modern English style, commanding an extensive and prospective view of the surrounding country. The population in 1801 was 371; the acreage is 3,048. The soil is clayey; subsoil, red sandstone. The representatives of the late Dean of St. Asaph are lords of the manor; Edmund Higginson, Esq., James Sanders, Esq., and John Freeman, Esq., are the chief landowners. The chief crops are wheat, beans, hops, and apples. There are charities of 40s. yearly value. Near Bridenbury is a detached part of the parish, which in 1861 contained 34 persons.
Munderfield Row, a hamlet, is about 1 mile and three-quarters south-west.
Parish Clerk, William Vernell.
Avenbury.
Kempson Mrs. Birchy field
Shepherd Rev. John, M.A. Vicarage
COMMERCIAL.
Allies Richard, farmer, Little Frome
Allies Thomas, farmer, Avenbury court
Bevan William, farmer, Stocks
Clark James, farmer, Heath farm
Davenport Jane (Mrs.), farmer, Lower Venn
Corbett Joseph, farmer, Noaks
Gilmour Patrick, farmer, Hackley
Hill James, farmer, Cusop
Holloway Benj. farmer, Upper Hopton
Leake William, farmer, Burgess
Leake Wm. jun. farmer, Upper Venn
Nott James, miller, Frome mill
Parlour John, farmer, Sawby hill
Philpott Stephen, farmer, Brook house
Williams Ann (Mrs.), farmer, Goodshop
Munderfleld Row.
Gurney John, wheelwright
Gurney Thomas, carpenter
Philpott Frederick, farmer
Pitt Peter, cider retailer
Watkins James, blacksmith
Watkins James, blacksmith
Letters are received through Bromyard, which is the nearest money order office.
Source: Post Office Directory of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and the City of Bristol, Printed and Published by Kelly and Co., Old Boswell Court, St. Clement’s, Strand, London. 1863.
Avenbury Cassey Herefordshire Directory 1858
Avenbury is a parish, 2 ½ miles south-east from Bromyard (its post town), 11 north from Ledbury, 13 north-east from Hereford railway station, and 153 from London; it is in Broxash Hundred, Bromyard Union, Frome deanery, Hereford archdeaconry, and Hereford bishopric. It is pleasantly situated on the Bromyard and Ledbury turnpike road; the river Frome runs through it, and the church, which is an old stone building in the Gothic style, with small square tower and three bells, is pleasantly situated on the banks of it; the interior of the church consists of nave, chancel, and porch. The living is a stipendiary vicarage, worth £80 yearly, with residence and two acres of glebe land, in the gift of the Lord Chancellor; the Rev. James Archibald is the incumbent. Birchy Field, the residence of Mrs. Kempson, is a structure finely built of freestone, commanding an extensive and prospective view of the surrounding country, in the modern English style. The population, in 1851, was 354, and the acreage is 3,048. The soil is clayey; subsoil, red sandstone. The representatives of the late Dean of St. Asaph, are lords of the manor. Edmund Higginson, Esq., James Sanders, Esq., and John Freeman, Esq., are the chief landowners. The chief crops are wheat, beans, hops, and apples. There are charities of 40s. yearly value.
Near Bridenbury is a detached part of the parish, which, in 1851, contained 21 persons.
Munderfield Row, a hamlet, is about 1 ¾ miles south-west.
Letters are received through Bromyard, which is also the nearest money order office.
Avenbury
Archibald Rev. James, Vicarage
Grape Richard, Esq., Wiggall
Kempson Mrs., Birchy field
Maund Miss, North fields
Nott James, miller, Frome mill
Farmers
Devenport Henry, Lower Venn
Fidoe Mrs. Mary, Stocks
Gillam William, Sawby hill
Gilmour Patrick, Hackley
Green William, Noaks
Hill Daniel, Cusop
Hill William, Avenbury court
Holloway Benjamin, Upper Hopton
Leake Wm., Burgess
Leake William, junr., Upper Venn
Morris Wm., Rough Mintridge
Nott John, Little Frome
Pearson James, Heath farm
Philpott Stephen, (& cattle dealer), Brook ho
Williams Edward, Goodshop
Munderfield Row
Dent Robert, farmer
Gurney John, Wheelwright
Gurney Thomas, carpenter and shopkeeper
Jones James, blacksmith
Pitt Peter, cider retailer
Watkins James, blacksmith
Source: Edward Cassey & Co.: History, Topography, and Directory of Herefordshire. Printed by William Bailey, 107, Fishergate 1858.
Bankrupts
Below is a list of people that were declared bankrupt between 1820 and 1843 extracted from The Bankrupt Directory; George Elwick; London; Simpkin, Marshall and Co.; 1843.
Hancocks Richard, Avenbury, Herefordshire, dealer in horses, April 27, 1825.
West Edward. Little Froome, Avenbury, Herefordshire, miller, Oct. 18, 1823.
Yapp Richard and George Hopton, Avenbury, cattle dealers, Sept. 24, 1830.
Family History Links
Maps
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Administration
- County: Herefordshire
- Civil Registration District: Bromyard
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop of Hereford (Episcopal Consistory)
- Diocese: Hereford
- Rural Deanery: Frome
- Poor Law Union: Bromyard
- Hundred: Broxash
- Province: Canterbury