Bosbury in
Kelly’s Directory of Herefordshire 1917

[Preamble] [Private Residents] [Commercial Residents]
BOSBURY is a village and parish on the river Leadon, 3½ miles north from Ledbury railway station, on the Hereford and Worcester section of the Great Western railway and 14 east from Hereford, in the Southern division of the county, Radlow hundred, Ledbury union, county court district and petty sessional division, rural deanery of Ledbury and archdeaconry and diocese of Hereford. The church of the Holy Trinity is an ancient building of stone in the Transition Norman style, consisting of chancel, nave of six bays, with clerestory, aisles, south porch of open timberwork, and a massive detached embattled tower of the 13th century, situated about 60 feet south of the church, and containing 6 bells: a clock was presented by the Rev. John Edmund Cheese, a former vicar, in 1878: the chancel is separated from the nave by a fine oak screen, two panels of which were carved in 1909 as a memorial to “Edna Lyall,” who died in 1903 and is buried near the churchyard cross: at the east end of the south aisle is the chantry chapel of Sir Rowland Morton, a beautiful specimen of Late Pointed architecture: there are monuments with recumbent figures on each side of the chancel to John Harford, ob. 1573, and to his son, Richard Harford, and his wife, dated 1578: the stained east window is a joint memorial to Lieut. Arthur Clinton Baskerville Mynors, who died at Natal in 1879, and Charles Baskerville Mynors, d. 1863, and there are other stained windows: the font is a work of the 12th century, and there is a still older one, probably of Saxon origin, of which now only the bowl remains: the pulpit is of finely carved oak: a handsome brass eagle lectern was presented to the church in 1894: in the porch are the remains of a holy-water stoup: the restoration of the chancel and repewing of the nave was completed in 1871, at a cost of £3,000, under the superintendence of Mr. Ewan Christian, architect, of London: there are sittings for 450 persons: the churchyard contains a well-preserved village cross. The register dates from the year 1558.

The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £240, including 6 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Hereford, and held since 1917 by the Rev. Harold Edward Grindley M.A. of Trinity College, Oxford. There is a Wesleyan chapel at Stanley Hill, erected in 1863, and a Primitive Methodist chapel at Swinmore, also a meeting house for Plymouth Brethren.  Bosbury House, the seat of Robert Buchanan esq. is a mansion of red brick and stone in the Italian style, with balustrades and a portico. Old Court, now a farm, was formerly a palace of the bishops of Hereford; the refectory is used as a cider cellar, but the doorway and wicket are still perfect. In the Crown Inn, formerly the mansion of the Harford family, there is an ancient panelled room, with the date 1571: over the fireplace are three shields with the arms of William Paulet, first Marquess of Winchester K.G. who died 1572, with the garter and coronet; Wrottesley, of Wrottesley; Scrope, of Castle Combe, Wilts; and Fox of Bromfield; the room is now used as the lodge room of the Bishop Swinfield Lodge of Oddfellows (M.U.). Temple Court, the residence of Mr. Edward Ballard Thompson, farmer, was formerly occupied by the Knights Templars. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are lords of the manor of the whole parish. R. Buchanan esq. John Harford Pitt esq. Charles Henry Crane esq. and Mrs. Buck are the principal landowners. The soil is heavy; subsoil, clay. This is a cider and hop district. The chief crops are wheat, beans, hops and barley. The area is 4,816 acres of land and 9 of water; rateable value, £6,450; the population in 1911 was 852.
Catley, half a mile north–west, Upleadon, 1 mile west-by-south, and Swinmore, 3 miles, are places in the parish.
 
Parish Clerk, John Turner.
 
Post, M. O. & T. & Telephonic Express Delivery Office.– Mrs Fanny Drew, sub-postmistress. Letters are received through Ledbury.

Police Station, Henry Vincent Campion, officer in charge

Schools.

Free Grammar, built & endowed by Sir Rowland Morton in 1540 with lands now yielding yearly a rental of £132, for 60 boys; John Knight Job, master
Public Elementary (girls & infants), built in 1848 & enlarged in 1883, & again in 1894, for 120 girls; average attendance, 82; Mrs H. Anderson, mistress

Carriers to :–
Ledbury – Richard Preece, Charles Hickox, John Jones & Ernest Thomas Goodchap, tues
Malvern – Charles Hickox, wed. & sat
Worcester – John Jones, sat
Returning same days

PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
Barrett James, Staplow house
Buchanan Robert J.P. Bosbury house
Buck Mrs. Noverings
Gibbs Miss, Stanley House
Grindley Rev. Harold Edward M.A. (vicar) Vicarage
Kempson Miss, Harbour hill
Ockley Mrs. Rosemount, Stanley Hill
Pritchard William, Swinmore
Willcox Samuel, The Grange
 
COMMERCIAL.
Ancient Order of Oddfellows (Bishop Swinfield lodge) (Wm. Green, sec)
Barrett James, farmer, Staplow house
Beaumont James, farmer, Town End
Bettington Charles, farmer
Bishop Thomas, beer retailer, Staplow
Bishop William, beer retailer, Old Country inn, & farmer, Old country
Blandford Richard E. farm bailiff to H.K.Hayter esq. Upleadon court
Bosley James, farmer, Noverings
Bosley Thomas Charles, farmer & hop grower, Note house
Bosley Thomas Edwin, farmer, Catley cross & Bentleys
Box W. farmr. & hop growr. Woodlow
Brant Francis John, blacksmith
Bridges William, farmer, Woodlow
Bufton John, wheelwright
Bunn Alfred George, farmer & hop grower, Swinmore farm
Burrows Henry, Bell inn
Cale John, farmer, Palace, Bradleys & Wobdings [sic] farms, Old country
Collett William, grocer
Cosford Uriah Robert, grocer
Cotton Alan, wheelwright
Cotton Geo. farmer, Paunceford crt
Cotton John, farmer & hop grower, The Hill
Dyke Eliza (Mrs.), Ye Olde Crown htl
Edwards Joseph, farmer, Broadcroft, Fox hill
Fletcher Allen, machinist
Gardiner Ann (Mrs.), frmr. Northbridge
Gibbs Olivia (Mrs.), frmr. Stanley H(il)l
Gifford James, farmer, Hill park
Goodchap Ernest Thomas, farmer, Little Catley
Green William, farmer, Lower House, Brook & Paddles farms
Green William, aparts. School house
Griffiths Charles, farmer, Upper mill
Harford George, farmer, Swinmore
Harris William, farmer & hop grower, Upleadon court
Hickox Chas. blacksmith, Pow Green
Hill Thomas, farmer, Gospel yew
Hodgkiss John, farmer, Nelmes
Homes Herbert Inett, farmer, Upleadon farm
Homes Wm. James, farmer, Gold Hill
Humphreys Albert James, farmer, Green farm
Job J[oh]n Knight, schoolmaster, teacher of music, organist & assistant overseer, The Firs
Jones George, bailiff to S. Willcox esq. Grange
Jones John, carrier, Stanley hill
Karslake Wm. Reginald, frmr. Riddings
Lane Edward Thomas, farmer & hop grower, Old Court
Lane Sivel, farmer, Staplow
Lane William Sivel, farmer & hop & cider grower, The Farm
Manning Mary (Miss), laundry
Palmer Walter, butcher
Parmee Alfd. G. Ye Olde Crowne htl
Payne Thomas , farmer & hop grower, Merrings Farm
Pember William, farmer & hop grower, Hill house & North farm
Philpotts Henry, shopkeeper
Preece Richard, farmer, Pow Green
Price John, farmer, Catley court
Pullen Jas. shopkeeper, Stanley Hill
Pullen Walt. farmer, Little Noverings
Reynolds Edward, beer ret. The Brook
Shew Edmund George, farmer & hop grower, Cold Green and Lower Cold gn
Smith Jn. Rd. farmer, Great Catley
Spencer Edward, farmer, Woodlow
Thompson Edward Ballard, farmer & hop & fruit grower, Temple court
Turner John, farmer & boot maker, Briercroft
Turner Robert, farmer, Holly mount
Warner Henry, beer retailer

Source: Kelly’s Directory of Herefordshire. Published by Kelly’s Directories Ltd, London WC2, 1917.