Lechlade, Gloucestershire Family History Guide
Lechlade is an Ancient Parish and a market town in the county of Gloucestershire.
Other places in the parish include: Butler’s Court, Great Lemhills Farm, Lemhill, Thornhill, Manor Farm, St John’s Bridge, and Lemhill Farm.
Alternative names: Leachdale
Parish church: St. Laurence
Parish registers begin: 1686
Nonconformists include: Baptist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Independent/Congregational.
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Inglesham, Wiltshire
- Eaton Hastings, Berkshire
- Kempsford
- Southrop
- Kelmscot, Oxfordshire
- Hatherop
- Fairford
- Buscot, Berkshire
- Langford, Oxfordshire
Parish History
Lechlade
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
LECHLADE, a small town and a parish in the district of Faringdon and county of Gloucester. The town stands on the river Thames, and on the Thames and Severn canal, at the boundary with Berks, and near the lower part of the river Leach at the boundary with Oxford, a short distance W of the railway northward from the Great Western to Chipping-Norton, and 5½ miles NW by N of Faringdon.
It has been supposed, from the discovery of a hypocaust and tesselated pavements in a meadow near it, to occupy the site of a Roman station; had a black priory from the time of Henry III. till that of Edward IV.; enjoyed, till recently, important traffic on the Thames.
It consists chiefly of two long wide streets, crossing at right angles; and has a post office under Swindon, a good inn, a handsome bridge, a church, Baptist and Primitive Methodist chapels, a national school, and charities £109. The church is of the time of Henry VII.; had once a chantry; and comprises nave and chancel, with tower and spire. A small market is held on Friday; and a fair, on 9 Sept. Coxeter, the antiquary, was a native.
The parish includes St. John’s Bridge, Lemhill, Thornhill, ManorFarm, and Butler’s Court. Acres, 3, 542. Real property, £8, 016. Pop., 1, 328. Houses, 295.
The manor belonged, at Domesday, to Henry de Ferrars; passed to the Mortimers, Richard Earl of Cornwall, the Talbots, the Despencers, Queen Catherine of Arragon, and others; went afterwards to the Wheates; and belongs now to G. Milward, Esq. The manor house stands at the E end of the town, and is a plain building of the early part of the 16th century. Clayhill House is the seat of G. A. Robbins, Esq. There is a mineral spring.
The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. Value, £710. Patron, Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Topographical Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland 1833
Lechlade, co. Gloucester.
London 78 m. W b N. Pop. 1154. M. D. Tues. Fairs, Aug. 5 and 12, for cattle and toys; and Sept. 9, for cheese and cattle.
A small market-town in the hundred of Brightwell’s Barrow, situated at the confluence of the little river Leach with the Isis or Thames, and near the point of junction of the counties of Gloucester, Berks, and Oxford.
It consists principally of one long and wide street of well-built houses; and here is a bridge over the Thames, called St. John’s Bridge, up to which the river is navigable for vessels not exceeding eighty tons burden.
The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry and diocese of Gloucester; valued in K. B. 12l. 13s. 4d.; patron (1829) Mr. Morton. The church, dedicated to St. Laurence, is a handsome structure, with a tower and spire at the west end. In a meadow near St. John’s Bridge, an hospital, dedicated to St. Nicholas, was founded in the reign of Henry III., by Lady Isabella Ferrars, but the establishment falling into decay, the revenues were appropriated to the support of a chantry in the parish church, which, at the Reformation, became the property of the Crown.
Here is a Sunday school, as also a place of worship for Baptists. A court-leet, under the authority of the lord of the manor, is held once in three years, when a constable and tithing-man are chosen for the government of the town.
The market is become inconsiderable, but an extensive transit trade is carried on here, cheese, butter, and other articles being brought to the wharfs at this place, to be conveyed by the Thames to London. Coal also is brought hither by the Thames and Severn Canal, which here terminates in the river Isis or Thames.
Lechlade is supposed by some antiquaries to have been a Roman station; and in a meadow near the town were discovered, several years ago, the remains of tessellated pavements, and the foundation of a building which appears to have been an ancient hypocaust or Roman bath. Thomas Coxeter, a bibliographer and antiquarian of some eminence, was born at Lechlade in 1689; he died in 1747.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland by John Gorton. The Irish and Welsh articles by G. N. Wright; Vol. II; London; Chapman and Hall, 186, Strand; 1833.
Great and Little Lenhill
Topographical Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland 1833
Lenhill, Great, and Little, cos. Gloucester and Oxford.
P. T. Lechlade (70) 2 m. N. Pop. with Pa.
Two hamlets partly in the parish of Broughton Pogges and partly in that of Lechlade, and partly in the hundred of Brightwell’s Barrow, county of Gloucester, and partly in the hundred of Bampton, county of Oxford.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland by John Gorton. The Irish and Welsh articles by G. N. Wright; Vol. II; London; Chapman and Hall, 186, Strand; 1833.
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.
Pinniger Jacob, Lechdale, Gloucestershire, wool merchant., Jan. 8, 1822.
Sheppard James, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, baker, Oct. 21, 1831.
Yeatman Henry, Leachdale, Gloucestershire, chemist, March 28, 1843.
Parish Registers
Marriage Licences and Allegations
London Marriage Licences and Allegations 1521 to 1869
The following have been extracted from London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869.
Abbreviations. — B. Bishop of London’s Office; D. Dean and Chapter of Westminster; F. Faculty Office of Archbishop of Canterbury; V. Registry of the Vicar-General of Canterbury.
Cutler, Thomas, of Stanborough, co. York, esq., bachelor, 28, and Dame Susanna Fettiplace, of Letchlad, co. Gloucester, widow — at Letchlad aforesaid or … . 14 Oct. 1675. F.
Source: London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869; Edited by Joseph Foster; London 1887
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Directories
Kellys Gloucestershire Directory 1863
LECHLADE is a parish and market town, in the hundred of Brightwells Barrow, Farringdon union and county court district, rural deanery of Fairford, archdeaconry of Bristol, and Gloucester and Bristol bishopric, 12 miles from Farringdon road station, 22 south east from Cheltenham, and 75 west by north from London, at the confluence of the river Leach with the Thames, which is navigable up to St John’s bridge for vessels not exceeding 80 tons burden. The Thames and Severn canal intersects the parish.
LEMHILL, Thorn Hill, Manor Farm, Butler’s Court, and St John’s Bridge are other places
Parish Clerk Jacob Walklett
Cole Misses
Cornwall Charles esq
Edwards Mr William
Gearing Misses
Hawker Mrs
Herbert Mr Thomas
Milward George, esq. J.P., Lechlade manor
Parker Mr Henry
Powell Alfred M.D.
Robbins George Augustus esq Clay Hill house
Turner Mrs
Walker Mrs Louisa
Walsh Rev Andrew Baptist
Whitby Rev Richard Vernon BD vicar Vicarage
COMMERCIAL
Beak Charles Geo farmer Lemhill frm
Bidmead George engineer & whlwrght
Boyce John shopkeeper
Bryan John plumber & painter
Busson Richard sen farmer
Cadell Frederick plasterer
Carter Jas stonemason & beer retailer
Chapman Ann Mrs china & glass dlr
Church Edmund farmer Thorn Hill frm
Clack George boot & shoe maker
Clutterbuck James farmer
Cockhill Daniel carpntr & wheelwrght
Constable Isaac shopkeeper
Cornwall Charles surgeon
Darter William saddler
Day Warren boot & shoe maker
Deacon George cattle dealer
Edmonds Matthew farmer & land owner Butler’s court
Fitchew Charles beer retailer
Fletcher Robert beer retailer
George Charles brazier
Giles William farmer miller & landowner
Gills Win cattle dealer & butcher
Godwin Isaac baker & bacon curer
Hall Thomas grocer & draper
Hawkins George beer retailer
Hicks Matthew coal merchant Wharf
Hiett William New inn & farmer
Higgs Thomas tailor
Hosier Jolin Raven
James Edward Red Lion
Jones John baker
Jones Thomas miller
Kinch William baker
Lane Thomas stonemason
Lane Wm stonemason & beer retailer
Lane William sen Bell
Lock Henry grocer & butcher
Lockwood John Chas wine merchant
Matthews Simon chemist & druggist & actuary to savings bank
Miles William grocer & coal merchant
Miller Robert cattle dealer
Mitchell James carpenter joiner & ironmonger
Parker Henry farmer & landowner
Perry Sarah Ann Mrs linen draper
Phipp Thomas coal merchant
Phipp Mary Mrs beer retailer
Pinniger Joseph P farmer Warrens cross
Pinnock James cooper
Pinnock William cattle dealer
Powell Alfred MD surgeon
Price Fredk stationer & bookseller &c
Raven Emma Mrs day school
Robins Jasper tailor
Ryman George beer retailer
Ryman Thomas beer retailer
Simpson Thomas farmer Manor farm
Slatter George butcher
Sparks Nathaniel boot & shoe maker
Spicer Francis coal dealer
Spicer James carpenter
Stevens Charles tailor
Thomas Sarah Mrs dressmaker
Tovey Edward gardener & seedsman
Walker Frederick farmer
Walker Walker Isaac miller & mealman
Walker Richard farmer & landowner
Walklett Isaac carpenter & wheelwright
Walklett Jacob carpenter
Walklett Thos sawyer & hurdle maker
Walsh Andrew day school
Wheeler Edward blacksmith
Willesdon Jas. Trout, St John’s brdg
Williams Adin carpenter
Willis Sarah & Son grocers & drapers
Withers William farmer
Yates Charles blacksmith
Yates Frederick beer retailer
Post Office & Post Office Savings Bank – John Charles Lockwood, postmaster. Letters from London Arrive at 4.30 am & 2.45 pml dispatched at 9.50 am & 9.26 pm. The letter box closes before each dispatch; letters received till 9.20 by affixing an extra stamp. Messengers leave for all the neighbouring villages at 6 am & return in time for the evening dispatch. Office open from 7 am in summer & 7.30 am in winter. On sundays the office closes at 10 am. Money orders are granted & at this office. The night mail cart through Swindon; the day mail coach from Farringdon
INSURANCE AGENTS:-
Hailstorm, John Charles Lockwood
Imperial Fire & Life Thomas Hall
Norwich Union John Charles Lockwood
Phoenix Alfred Powell & Simon Matthews
Royal Exchange John Charles Lockwood
National School Frederick Price master Miss Emma Thomas mistress
CONVEYANCE The Royal Mail from Fairford, stops at the New inn at 9.30 am for the Farringdon road station, for the conveyance of passengers & small parcels returning at 3 pm
CARRIER Emanuel Edwards, to Cirencester, on monday & friday; to Highworth on Wednesday; to Whitney on thursday
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.
Leachlade (Lechlade) 1791
Leachlade is bounded by lands of Fairford, which is four miles distant; Hatherope, Gloucestershire, six; Southrope, Gloucestershire, three; Little Farringdon, Berks, one; divided by the river Isis from Eaton Hastings, Berks, near Helmscott, Oxon, two; Buscott, Berks, one; Inglesham, Berks and Wilts, two; by the river Isis, and by lands of Kelmsford, Gloucestershire, five miles.
The church is a handsome structure; the living, a vicarage endowed: Lawrence Bathurst, Esq. in the year 1672, gave the great tithes to the vicarage for ever, which, with the house and premises, are worth upwards of three hundred pounds per annum, and have been let for four hundred.
Leachlade is governed by a constable; is seventy-six miles from London; a post-town; and the turnpike-road from London to Gloucester and Bristol lies through it.
A mail-coach from Oxford to Bristol, down at Leachlade every morning at nine o’clock, and up every evening at six. Two other coaches from Stroud-water, Tetbury, Wotton-Underedge, &c. to and from London three times a week.
Many wagons pass through this town every week, with divers sorts of merchandise, to and from Monmouth, Hereford, and Gloucester; and many others from the Gloucestershire clothing-country with cloth for London.
Great quantities of cheese and other goods are brought to the wharfs here, and conveyed thence to London, &c. down the rivers Isis and Thames, in barges of from thirty to seventy tons burthen.
A communication between the Severn and Thames by a canal is lately completed, which joins the river Isis near this town, by which large quantities of coal are brought here, and the country for many miles round is supplied from hence with that necessary article, which, before the opening of the said canal, was sold at thirty-two shillings per ton home, but now sold at the wharfs at twenty-four shillings per ton. Many vessels ply (between this place and Brimscomb port) on the said canal, and great quantities of corn sent thither for Bristol, Stourport, Worcester, &c.
Lechlade is six miles distance from Farringdon, Berks; six from Highworth, Wilts; thirteen from Cirencester, and twelve from Northleach, both in Gloucestershire; nine from Burford, and twelve from Witney, both in Oxfordshire; all good market-towns. It is probable, that it was anciently a Roman town upon the Thames; for a very plain Roman road runs from hence to Cirencester. The river Lech, which rises near North Lech in this county, discharges itself into the Thames a little below St. John’s Bridge in this parish, and thereby gives name to the town.
Friday is the market-day, but no great deal of business is done on it. Here is one good fair in the year, held on the 9th of September, for neat cattle, horses, cheese, &c. &c. this fair was usually kept in a meadow near St. John’s bridge; but owing to a flood in the year 1774, it was then removed to the town of Leachlade, where it has been held ever since. In a meadow near St. John’s Bridge there formerly stood a priory, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the foundations of which have been often discovered by digging.
Vessels are freighted at Lechlade with barley for Worcester throughout in one bottom. Tin, copper, lead, and heavy ironmongery-goods, from Bristol, Stourport, Bewdley, or Worcester, to London, pay 1l 17s. per ton, including every expence, the same from London to any of the above places, by Grazebrook, &c.
The post comes in and goes out daily.
The principal inns are the New inn, the Crown, and the Swan. – The following is a list of the principal inhabitants:
Gentry, &c.
Ayling Mrs. Eliza
Hayes Mrs.
Hughes Mrs. Catherine
Loder Charles, Esq. (F.)
Locket James, Gent. (F.)
Oatridge Mrs.
Powell Mrs. Susannah
Sandford Mrs. Jane
Woolford Robert, Gent. (F.)
Clergy.
Lifely Rev. john
Loder Rev. John
Wheate Rev. Sir John Thomas, Bart. (F.) Vicar
Physic.
Bedwell William, (F.) Surgeon
Myers John Dinely, Surgeon
Law.
Myers Launcelot, Attorney
Traders, &c.
Bayley Thomas, (F.) Grazier and Butcher
Barr John, (F.) Chandler and Grocer
Burden Henry, Wharfinger
Berry William, Carpenter
Davis Thomas, (F.) Ironmonger
Gearing Richard, Coal & Corn-merchant
Galloway Francis, (F.) Slater
Hall William, Shopkeeper
Hughes John, Baker
Hughes William, Miller
Hughes Susannah, Butcher
Hooper Thomas, (F.) Barge-master
Hendrie Charles, Corn-factor
Lifely William, (F.) Roper
Monk John, Carpenter
Parker Mary, Grazier
Preston John, Baker
Pinfold Richard, (F.) Butcher
Radway Mrs. Hatter
Smith John, (F.) Shopkeeper
Spicer Francis, (F.) Carpenter
Tombs James, Dairy-man
Walklet John, Carpenter
Walker John, (F.) Baker
Wells William, (F.) New Inn
Wells William Gosely, Coal and Corn Merchant
Wells Wm. Innkeeper, St. John’s-bridge
Wentworth Edward, Grazier
Woolford Henry, Innkeeper, (Swan)
About a mile and a half from Buscott, and three from Leachlade, is a noble mansion, called Buscott Park, lately erected by Edward Loveden Loveden, Esq. member for Abingdon, Berks.
Source: Universal British Directory 1791
Administration
- County: Gloucestershire
- Civil Registration District: Faringdon
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop of Gloucester (Episcopal Consistory)
- Diocese: Post 1835 – Gloucester and Bristol, Pre 1836 – Gloucester
- Rural Deanery: Fairford
- Poor Law Union: Faringdon
- Hundred: Brightwells Barrow
- Province: Canterbury