Care’s Alley

by Steve Goodchild
Cares from the High Street
Cares from the High StreetClick Image
 to Expand

Care’s Alley is unique in that it’s still there but no longer used as such. It is closed by doors at each end, and not claimed as a public right of way, so if it ever was an alley it isn’t now.

The Alley is named after William Care, baker, and the ‘Front House’ was a Care’s bakers until about 1844. It sold all manner of merchandise after that, even becoming a beer-house, the Foresters Arms, between about 1880 and 1917. It is now Halfords Butchers shop.

The alley is still intact and paved with blue bricks. It runs down to Red Lane, to a locked door between the old Healings Mill offices and L&L’s establishment.

By the nineteenth century there were no more than five houses occupied in the alley, though there had been more in earlier days. In 1874 four cottages and a ‘former cottage’ were sold at auction. That was the entire alley. Over the years there were the usual complaints about the condition of the cottages, and official notices to remedy them until in 1936 three cottages were offered for sale and almost at the same time recommended for demolition. This was completed by June 1936. The Alley now has only two, much improved, cottages.

Cares plan 1885
Cares plan 1885

There was a high turnover of occupants, which really isn’t surprising given the description of the Alley by John Rogers in 1905: “This is a very old alley and most of the houses are dark and wretched places to live in, but the rents are low and the poor people are very glad to get low-rented cottages because work is scarce and wages low.”

Looking at census records, few families stayed for ten years. A lot seemed to be young couples in their first homes. Francis and Ann Chapman, in their seventies, are described as paupers. The Daffurn family, in 1861, had seven children. Life must have been very trying in a small, dark cottage.

The Walkers stayed the longest. First recorded there in 1881, generations of Walkers lived in the Alley until the middle of the twentieth century. John Walker was a boatman, as many were in the area. He died in 1908, aged 76. The one blot on his character was being fined two shillings for using profane language. His grandson, also John, was a Sergeant in the Worcestershire Regiment and in 1916 was awarded the Croix de Guerre for distinguished service in the field. A month later, his six year old son was out playing, alone, and fell into the Mill Avon and drowned.

Cares from Red Lane
Cares from Red LaneClick Image
 to Expand

This wasn’t the only drowning tragedy in the Alley. In 1868 James Holland, another waterman, sent his thirteen year old son James to sleep on a barge, to make more space in the cottage,  but he fell unnoticed into the river and was not missed until the following morning. Such accidents were all too common in Tewkesbury.

In 1934, there was an evacuation of the cottages when the British Legion building in Quay Street, which backed onto the Alley, caught fire and was gutted. Luckily, there were no injuries and the fire was contained to the one building.

In 1892, after a complaint about the state of the Alley, the owners, Tewkesbury Brewery Company, asked the Council to pave it, claiming that they had paved other private alleys. The Surveyor denied this, and refused. Negotiations must have carried on, though, because in 1901 it was paved with blue bricks, the mark of a public right of way. In 1938 a complaint was made that a door had been fixed to the alley and the Town Clerk was instructed to order its removal. By 1949 there were four doors there and the owners were told that they were blocking a right of way and they were given fourteen days to take them down. This they must have done, because eight years later Mr Hill, who lived in the front house, complained that on dark winter evenings the alley was full of courting couples, who were creating a nuisance.  The Council approved fitting a door to the alley, and it has been closed off ever since.

The Alley’s neighbour on the north side was Johns’ Brewery. Mr Johns lived in 46 High Street (Now Subway) and the side passage led to the brewery, established there by 1770. After the death of the Thomas Johns, Master Brewer, in 1864 the enterprise was continued under the name of Tewkesbury Original Brewery until 1875, when brewing transferred to Quay Street and the buildings became stores. Several residents of the alley were Brewery Workers and the brewery became owner of all the Care’s Alley cottages. This would have ended in 1890 when the brewery closed and sold up.

It was always a quiet alley, and it remains closed off and secret. Almost everything else has gone.

Census Data 1841-1891

1841
Cares Alley
1841-a41110
Maria Lacey; Head; ; Female; 40; Chairwoman; ;y
Caroline Lacey; ; ; Female; 15; Stocking Maker; ;y
1841
Cares Alley
1841-a41111
John Starling; Head; ; Male; 25; Brick Maker; ;n
Sarah Starling; ?wife; ; Female; 20; ; ;y
Henry Starling; ; ; Male; 1; ; ;y
James Starling; ; ; Male; 4; ; ;y
1841
Cares Alley
1841-a41113
Margaret Ecklee; Head; ; Female; 20; ; ;scotland
Mary Duglass; ; ; Female; 55; Nurse; ;y
James Ecklee; ; ; Male; 4; ; ;y
Hannah Holbrook; ; ; Female; 40; Chairwoman; ;y
Mary Nicholls; ; ; Female; 30; Mangler; ;foreign
1841
Cares Alley
1841-a41114
Mary Taylor; Head; ; Female; 60; Ind; ;n
Laban Lister; ; ; Male; 45; Boatman; ;n
1851
Cares Alley
1851-a51120
Laben Lester; Head; Unmarried; Male; 57; Sail Maker; Broseby;shrops
Maria Lacey; Visitor; Unmarried; Female; 52; Charwoman; Tewkesbury;glos
Mary Taylor; Visitor; Widowed; Female; 64; Charwoman; Ripple;worcs
1851
Cares Alley
1851-a51122
George Daffurn; Head; Married; Male; 30; Stone Mason; Buckland;glos
Elizabeth Daffurn; Wife; Married; Female; 30; Laundress; Tewkesbury;glos
Elera Daffurn; Daughter; ; Female; 0; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Henry Daffurn; Son; ; Male; 7; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
Iram Daffurn; Son; ; Male; 2; ; Bredon;worcs
William Daffurn; Son; ; Male; 5; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Cares Alley
1851-a51123
Francis Chapman; Head; Married; Male; 73; Formerly Chair Maker, Pauper; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Cares Alley
1851-a51124
William Spiers; Head; Married; Male; 19; Waterman; Tewkesbury;glos
Rebecca Spiers; Wife; Married; Female; 20; ; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Cares Alley
1851-a51125
James Allen; Head; Married; Male; 37; Brewers Lab; Tewkesbury;glos
Harriet Allen; Wife; Married; Female; 36; ; Tewkesbury;glos
James Allen; Son; ; Male; 2; ; Tewkesbury;glos
1861
Cares Alley
1861-a61117
James Hallin; Head; Married; Male; 48; Brewers Labourer; Tewkesbury;glos
Harriet Hallin; Wife; Married; Female; 48; Laundress; Tewkesbury;glos
James Hallin; Son; Unmarried; Male; 12; Labourer; Tewkesbury;glos
1861
Cares Alley
1861-a61118
Charles Hamphlett; Head; Married; Male; 58; Ag Lab; Twyning;glos
Mary Hamphlett; Wife; Married; Female; 48; ; Twyning;glos
Comfort Hamphlett; Daughter; Unmarried; Female; 15; Worker In Silk Factory; Twyning;glos
Henry Hamphlett; Son; Unmarried; Male; 13; Ag Lab; Tewkesbury;glos
Mary Ann White; ?boarder; Unmarried; Female; 7; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
1861
Cares Alley
1861-a61119
Elizabeth Hodges; Head; Married; Female; 23; Wife Of Hodges Absent; Tewkesbury;glos
John Hodges; Son; Unmarried; Male; 5; ; Tewkesbury;glos
1861
Cares Alley
1861-a61120
George Daffurn; Head; Married; Male; 40; ... Labourer; Laverton;glos
Elizabeth Daffurn; Wife; Married; Female; 40; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Brian Daffurn; Son; Unmarried; Male; 2; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
Clara Daffurn; Daughter; Unmarried; Female; 10; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
Deborah Daffurn; Daughter; Unmarried; Female; 0; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Henry Daffurn; Son; Unmarried; Male; 17; ... Labourer; Tewkesbury;glos
Hiram Daffurn; Son; Unmarried; Male; 13; Shoe Maker; Bredon;worcs
Odessa Daffurn; Daughter; Unmarried; Female; 5; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
Orlando Daffurn; Son; Unmarried; Male; 7; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
1861
Cares Alley
1861-a61121
George Turner; Head; Married; Female; 37; Waterman; Tewkesbury;glos
1871
Cares Alley
1871-a71102
James Allen; Head; Married; Male; 62; Brewer's Labourer; Tewkesbury;glos
1871
Cares Alley
1871-a71103
George Roberts; Head; Married; Male; 21; Baker; Tewkesbury;glos
Annie Roberts; Wife; Married; Female; 24; ; Tewkesbury;glos
1871
Cares Alley
1871-a71104
Charles Mew; Head; Married; Male; 35; Waterman; Tewkesbury;glos
Emma Mew; Wife; Married; Female; 36; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Emma Mew; Daughter; Unmarried; Female; 17; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Jemima Mew; Daughter; ; Female; 4; ; Tewkesbury;glos
John Mew; Son; ; Male; 6; ; Tewkesbury;glos
1871
Cares Alley
1871-a71105
Sarah Green; Wife; Married; Female; 35; Ag Lab's Wife; Stroud;glos
Alice M M Green; Daughter; ; Female; 4; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Elizabeth M Green; Granddaughter; ; Male; 3; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Francis E Green; Son; ; Male; 2; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Infant Green; Son; ; Male; 0; ; Tewkesbury;glos
1881
Cares Alley
1881-a81093
William Hathaway; Head; Married; Male; 55; Innkeeper, Out Of Business; Tewkesbury;glos
1881
Cares Alley
1881-a81094
Charles Turberville; Head; Married; Male; 35; Labourer In Garden; Bushley;worcs
Emma Turberville; Wife; Married; Female; 42; ; Tewkesbury;glos
*emily Turberville; Daughter; ; Female; 6; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
Henry Turberville; Son; ; Male; 4; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
? Thomas Turberville; Son; ; Male; 8; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
? Thomas Turberville; Son; ; Male; 13; Labourer In Brickyard; Tewkesbury;glos
John Davis; Stepson; Unmarried; Male; 20; Labourer; Tewkesbury;glos
Charles Davis; Lodger; Unmarried; Male; 24; Labourer; Tewkesbury;glos
1881
Cares Alley
1881-a81095
John Walker; Head; Married; Male; 45; Builders Labourer; Bushley;worcs
Displaying the 20 property records. There are more, but the search output is limited (paging has not been developed).
Number of records found: 21


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