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Hunt & Co.’s Directory March 1849 - Transcription of the entry for Dursley, Gloucestershire Hunt & Co.’s Directory for the Cities of Gloucester and Bristol for March 1849 Transcription of the entry for Dursley and Berkeley, Gloucestershire Background The title page of Hunt & Co.’s Directory & Topography for the Cities of Gloucester and Bristol for March 1849 declares: HUNT & CO.'S DIRECTORY & TOPOGRAPHY FOR THE CITIES OF GLOUCESTER & BRISTOL, AND THE TOWNS OF BERKELEY, CIRENCESTER, COLEFORD, DURSLEY, LYDNEY, MINCHINHAMPTON, MITCHEL-DEAN, NEWENT, NEWNHAM, PAINSWICK, SODBURY, STROUD, TETBURY, THORNBURY, WICKWAR, WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE, &c. W1TH ABERAVON, ABERDARE, BRIDGEND, CAERLEON, CARDIFF, CHEPSTOW, COWBRIDCE, LLANTRISSAINT, MERTHYR, NEATH, NEWBRIDGE, NEWPORT, PORTHCAWL, PORT-TALBOT, RHYMNEY, TAIBACH, SWANSEA, &c. CONTAINING THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF The Nobility, Gentry, Clergy, PROFESSIONAL GENTLEMEN, TRADERS, &c. RESlDENT THEREIN. A Descriptive Account of each Place, POST-OFFICE INFORMATION, Copious Lists of the Public Buildings, Law and Public Officers - Particulars of Railroads, Coaches, Carriers, and Water Conveyances - Distance Tables, and other Useful Information. __________________________________________ MARCH 1849. ___________________________________________ Hunt & Co. produced several trade directories in the mid 1850s although the company was not prolific like Pigot and Kelly. The entry for Dursley and Berkeley, which also covered Cambridge, Uley and Newport, gave a comprehensive listing of the many trades people in the area together with a good gazetteer of what the town was like at that time. The entry for Dursley and Berkeley is found on pages 105-116. This transcription was carried out by Andrew Barton of Dursley in 2005. All punctuation and spelling of the original is retained. In addition the basic layout of the original work has been kept, although page breaks are likely to have fallen in different places. The transcription has been checked thoroughly but no guarantees are made as to its accuracy and reference should be made to the original work if in doubt. http://www.dursleyglos.org.uk Page 1 of 11 Hunt & Co.’s Directory March 1849 - Transcription of the entry for Dursley, Gloucestershire Transcription DURSLEY AND BERKELEY, WITH CAMBRIDGE, ULEY, AND NEWPORT DURSLEY is a parish, and market town in the union of Thornbury, and county of Gloucestershire, distant from the metropolis, 110 miles W. by N., and from Gloucester, 15 S.W. by W. This town is said to have derived its name from some powerful springs which rise near the churchyard and are the source of a diminutive stream called the Cam; and also from the rich grazing lands by which it is encompassed. This derivation appears to us a reasonable one, as we find the Cambrian language for water is dwr, and for pasture land lega or lea, hence Dwr lega or Dwr lea, since altered to the more harmonious term Dursley. It lies at the foot of a steep hill, which is mantled with stately beech trees, from the base to its summit. The government of the town is vested in the hands of a bailiff, and twelve aldermen; and the homage jury present three candidates for the office of bailiff, at the annual court leet, from which the lord of the manor selects one, who, when the period of appointment arrives, becomes one of the aldermen, should a vacancy in that body exist. In the reign of Edward I., we find Dursley among the number of boroughs returned by the sheriff of Gloucestershire. From it are now made the returns of representatives for the western division of the county. The manufacturing of woollen cloth was, at one time, carried on very extensively, and although the trade is materially diminished, it still affords employment to a large number of the inhabitants. In the neighbourhood are strata of the tophus, a soft, brittle stone, which, on exposure to the atmosphere, becomes hard and durable. Of this material the walls of Berkeley Castle are built, and though the crumbling hand of seven centuries has past over them, they betray no symptoms of decay. In the centre of the town is St. James’ Church - an elegant building - at the west end of which stands a tower, in the modern Gothic sty1e. The Independents and Wesleyans have places of worship here; and some extensive charities principally for the education of poor children, confer great benefits on the town. Edward Fox, bishop of Hereford, in the reign of Henry VIII. was born here. The markets are held on Thursday and Saturday; and the fairs, for cattle and horses, on the 6th of May and the 4th of December. In 1841 the parish contained 2931 inhabitants. The neighbourhood of Dursley is picturesque and beautiful, and the views obtainable from the surrounding heights are varied and extensive. From Stinchcombe Hill, on a clear day, objects may be seen in fourteen counties. BERKELEY is a parish and market town in the upper division of the hundred of its own name, union of Thornbury, and county of Gloucestershire; distant from London 114 miles N. by W., and from Gloucester 15 S.S.W. It is situated in the rich vale of Berkeley, on a gentle acclivity about two miles from the Bristol and Gloucester Railway and one from the river Severn, beside a tributary stream of that majestic river called Berkeley Pill, which is navigable to the town at spring tides for barges and small craft. The town is tolerably well built, and consists of four principal streets, with some intersecting minor ones. The trade, consisting chiefly in coals, timber, malt, and cheese, is greatly http://www.dursleyglos.org.uk Page 2 of 11 Hunt & Co.’s Directory March 1849 - Transcription of the entry for Dursley, Gloucestershire facilitated by the vicinity of the river Severn, and the Berkeley and Gloucester canal which latter is navigable for vessels, of 800 tons register, up to Gloucester, 16 miles distant. In the reign of Edward the First, this town was a borough but the charter has been annulled. At the White Hart Inn, are held petit sessions for the upper division of the hundred. Berkeley was the birth and burial place of Dr. Edward Jenner, who introduced the practice of vaccination. The town is of great antiquity, for it was a place of great importance during the Saxon era, and from Doomsday-book we learn that it was a free borough, and a. royal demesne. The manor embraces nearly thirty parishes, and is one of the most extensive in the kingdom. William the Norman granted it to Roger de Berkeley, who built a castle at the south east side of the town; but Henry II. deprived his successor of the title and estates for espousing the cause of Stephen, and conferred them upon Robert Fitz Harding, who assumed the title of Baron de Berkeley. In this castle, after experiencing all the indignities which triumph could conceive, or cruelty perpetrate, the unfortunate Edward II. was inhumanly murdered by his keepers - two fiends in human form - the lords Gournay and Montravers. Above the steps leading to the keep is an apartment called the dungeon, still containing its original furniture and is shown as having been the spot where the horrid deed was perpetrated. During the struggles between Charles the First and his parliament, the castle was garrisoned by royalists, who withstood a siege of nine days, when they were compelled to surrender. The noble building is now the residence of Earl Fitzhardinge, and presents to the eye, one of the finest and most perfect feudal fortresses in this kingdom, although it has experienced the repeated violence of angry elements for 700 years. Prior to the Conquest there existed here a religious house, which is mentioned in the acts of a Synod at Clovesho; it is doubtful. however, whether it consisted of Monks or Nuns. The parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a large, and ancient stone edifice, in the early English, or pointed style of architecture, having a detached tower of more recent erection. The Independents and Wesleyans have, also, their respective places of worship. In 1840, a school for boys was founded on the British plan, and one for girls in 1842. They are supported chiefly by voluntary subscriptions but the pupils contribute some trifle. The market is held on Tuesday, and fairs for cattle and pigs on the 14th of May, and the 1st of December. In 1841, the parish numbered 4405 inhabitants. About two miles S.E. of Berkeley. and on the high road from Gloucester to Bristol, stands the agreeable village of NEWPORT, which, previous to the opening of the Bristol and Birmingham Railway, was a place of considerable thoroughfare. CAMBRIDGE, or Cambridge Inn, is a village in the parish of Cam about four miles from Dursley, on the banks of the Cam, which, with the neighbouring bridge, gives the village its name. Here a memorable engagement occurred in the reign of Edward the First, between the Saxons and Danes, when the latter were completely routed. The parish lies low, but, from the occasional overflowing of the Severn, the land is materially fertilised; and the district is celebrated for the quantity and quality of its cheese. http://www.dursleyglos.org.uk Page 3 of 11 Hunt & Co.’s Directory March 1849 - Transcription of the entry for Dursley, Gloucestershire The parish church of St. George, is a vicarage in the presentation of the bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. In 1730, Mrs. Hopton founded and endowed a school here for the clothing and education of thirty six boys and girls. The population of the parish in 1841, was 1851. ULEY is: a village and parish in the hundred of Berkeley, situate about two miles east of Dursley. Its inhabitants are numerous, and, for a small place, it possesses considerable attraction.

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