ECONOMIC HISTORY
AGRICULTURE
In 1086 there were 4 servi and 2 ploughs on the demesne of
Stonehouse manor. There was also a vineyard of
c. 1 a.; (fn. 30) in the 16th century a close on the demesne
was called the Vineyards, (fn. 31) and c. 1730 an area on the
north of the manor-house was known as the Wine
Court. (fn. 32) In 1299 the demesne comprised 246 a. of
arable, 10 a. of meadow, and 8 a. of pasture. (fn. 33) In
1567 it included 68 a. in pasture closes, 29 a. of
meadow including a several meadow of 10 a. called
the Borneham south-west of the manor-house, and
119 a. of arable, in five closes including the Great
Berryfield (38 a.) east of the church. Most of this
land lay in closes lying around the manor-house and
park and extending to Oldend Lane on the north
and west; additional demesne arable lying scattered
in the early 18th century was not included in the
16th century survey, and was probably leased at the
time to a member of the Fowler family. (fn. 34) In 1678 and
1682 swarms of bees which had arrived in the manor
were presented as belonging to the lord. (fn. 35)
The tenants in 1086 were 21 villani and 9 bordars
with 20 ploughs. (fn. 36) In 1299 there were 8 free tenants,
42 customary tenants — about a third of whom held
½ yardlands, a third fardels, and a third mondaylands
— and 3 cottagers. The half-yardlanders owed 10
bedrips and 126 works: from October to July they
did 2 days work a week and ploughed ½ a. every
second week, and in August and September they
worked 5 days a week. The majority of those who
held fardels did 6 bedrips and 120 works, working 5
days every second week from October to July and
2½ days each week in August and September. A
few holders of fardels did only 6 works and paid 3s.
rent, presumably for works commuted, and the
holders of mondaylands did 6 works and paid 1s.
rent. (fn. 37) In 1497 there were at least 7 free tenants on
the manor, (fn. 38) and in 1510 the rent of customary
tenants amounted to £21 10s. (fn. 39) In 1542 a mill,
leased for three lives, had to provide a horseman to
serve in war under the Earl of Arundel, lord of the
manor, when required. (fn. 40)
In 1567 there were 15 free tenants and 24 copyholders holding for up to three lives. The copyholds ranged from one of c. 60 a. described as 3
messuages and 3 yardlands, to ten of under 10 a. (fn. 41)
In the late 17th century 11 tenants of the manor were
described as copyholders, but some of them had
leases; six owed cash heriots and-one paid a heriot in
kind. One estate still owed a labour-service of two
days' work at harvest. There were also four leaseholders for terms of years and lives, one of whom
owed a heriot. Apart from the 43 a. held by the
Beard family of Oldend, (fn. 42) the copyholds and leaseholds in the late 17th century each comprised no
more than a house and one or two acres. (fn. 43) The
Selwyn estate at the time had 10 tenants at Stonehouse holding for lives. One of the holdings was the
Bridgend cloth-mill, and two others were estates of
44 a. and 18 a. (fn. 44)
Four fields were mentioned in the late 14th
century; Halles field, Hyetts field, Ellemore field,
and Ebley field. A holding of 5 a. lay then in 6
different furlongs, and each selion contained c. 1/6a. (fn. 45)
In 1567 the open fields of the parish were: Hyetts
field, later Haywards field, (fn. 46) south of Hayward's
End; Great Doverow field, a large field on the north
of Doverow wood; Little Doverow field, south of
the wood; Foxmoor field, north of Ebley; Clayfield, or Claycroft, and Eastington field on the
western boundary of the parish; the Riding field,
west of the main street of Stonehouse and north of
Oldend Lane; (fn. 47) and Randwick Ridge in the northeast of the parish. (fn. 48) Kingley field north-east of
Ebley was mentioned in 1615, and Pidgemore field,
near-by, in 1616. (fn. 49)
In the late 16th century it was said that the whole
of Stonehouse Ham, the common meadow which
lay between the two branches of the river and
extended from Bridgend to beyond Ryeford, (fn. 50) had
previously been arable and was marked by cultivation ridges, (fn. 51) a statement that appears to be borne
out by the name Corneham Mill given in the early
16th century to the Sandfords' mill on the north of
the Ham. (fn. 52) Stonehouse Ham, also known as the
Broadham, covered 100 a. in the late 16th century.
It was shared with the neighbouring parishes of
King's Stanley which had 16 a. and Leonard's
Stanley which had 4 a.; on several occasions from
the late 15th to the early 17th century rights of
common in the Ham after the hay harvest were
disputed between the men of Stonehouse and King's
Stanley. In 1631 27 inhabitants of Stonehouse had
parcels of meadow in the Ham, ranging in size
from 8 a. owned by the lord of the manor to ½ a. (fn. 53)
There was also a common meadow called the
Ebridge lying by the river south of the church. (fn. 54)
There was apparently a common sheep pasture in
the manor in 1495, (fn. 55) but later references to common
all relate to rights in the open fields and common
meadows. A stint of 14 cattle and 2 horses to the
yardland in 1533 apparently applied to common in
the open fields, (fn. 56) and the disputes with King's
Stanley stressed the importance of the common of
pasture provided by Stonehouse Ham. In 1616 a
stint of 2 cattle and 4 sheep in the Ham, and 2 sheep
in the corn-fields, was agreed. (fn. 57)
The parish was inclosed piecemeal between the
15th and 19th centuries. In 1496 several men were
presented for inclosing their arable, and two men
were appointed by the court to supervise inclosures. (fn. 58) Inclosure of the Ebridge meadow was
probably taking place in 1614 when lands were
exchanged there, (fn. 59) and other common meadow was
inclosed in 1627. (fn. 60) The whole of the Ebridge was
apparently inclosed in 1717, (fn. 61) and Stonehouse Ham
was completely inclosed by the late 18th century. (fn. 62)
Between 1616 and 1668 many inclosures in the
open fields were ordered by the manor court,
including parts of Great Doverow field in 1615 and
1621, part of Hyetts field in 1623, a piece of the
Riding field c. 1630, and part of Little Doverow
field in 1661. (fn. 63) Parts of Claycroft were inclosed by
the early 17th century, (fn. 64) and further inclosure took
place in Hyetts field c. 1770. (fn. 65) By 1804 most of the
parish was inclosed. The considerable number of
fields called Tynings recorded at the time evidently
represented land taken out of the open fields: there
were four in Great Doverow field ranging from 5 a.
to 9 a. Parts of Great Doverow field, Foxmoor
field, the Riding field, and Claycroft and other parts
of the parish remained uninclosed. Foxmoor field
included 13 parcels of land, all but four of which
were under 1 a. The size of ridges remained small:
7 lands in the Riding field amounted to c. 1½ a., and
8 lands in Great Doverow field to c. ½ a. Some
holdings of uninclosed land were still widely
scattered and one amounting to 5 a. had been lost.
The inclosed fields were mostly small: one farm had
83 a. of pasture lying in over 20 fields, and 33 a. of
arable in 7 fields of between 2 a. and 8 a. (fn. 66) In 1844
c. 50 a. in Kingley and Pidgemore fields were
inclosed by Act of Parliament. (fn. 67)
In the early 18th century, when some tenants
were apparently following a three-course and others a
four-course rotation, barley, wheat, and beans were
the chief crops grown. (fn. 68) About 1775, when the
parish was said to consist mainly of pasture, grain,
cheese, and cider were being produced. (fn. 69) In the
early 19th century there was a large number of
orchards in the south of the parish. In 1804 there
were 334 a. of arable out of a total of 1,520 a. Most
of the farms had about a third of their acreage in
arable, but one of 74 a. had no arable; the manor
farm with 202 a. was the largest farm and only two
others were over 100 a. (fn. 70) In 1839 the largest farms,
which were all predominantly pasture, were the
manor farm, Westrip farm with 126 a., (fn. 71) and
another farm of 116 a., and 106 a. in the parish
belonged to Horsemarling farm in Moreton Valence;
four farms, including Humphries End farm, Oldend
farm, and 76 a. belonging to the Plough Inn at
Stonehouse, (fn. 72) had between 40 a. and 90 a., and there
were five or six small pasture farms of c. 20 a. (fn. 73)
In 1879 the farms in the parish included the
manor farm, Plough farm, Oldend farm, Westrip
farm, and one each at Ebley and Cainscross, (fn. 74) and
the eight farms mentioned in 1906 included Bridgend farm and four at Westrip. (fn. 75) The farms probably
remained predominantly pasture; a dairyman was
mentioned at Stonehouse in the later 19th century
and hay and straw dealers at Cainscross and Ebley, (fn. 76)
and the Stonehouse fairs were largely given over to
cattle-dealing. (fn. 77) In 1901 about one eighth of the
reduced area of Stonehouse parish was arable. (fn. 78)
Cider continued to be produced: there was a cidermerchant in Ebley village between 1889 and 1939, (fn. 79)
and a firm at Westrip made cider commercially
until the early 1960s. (fn. 80)
MILLS AND THE CLOTH INDUSTRY
From the 16th
to the early 20th century the manufacture of
woollen cloth was the main source of employment
for the inhabitants of Stonehouse. The earliest
mention found of a fulling-mill in the parish was in
1469, three were working there by 1517, four in the
late 16th century, and seven in the 18th century; the
history of the nine separate mills that have been
found recorded is traced below. Weavers were
recorded in the parish from 1540. (fn. 81) In 1608 29
people employed in the cloth trade were enumerated
as against 17 employed in other trades and 10 in
agriculture: they included 6 clothiers, 12 weavers,
7 fullers, and 4 dyers. (fn. 82) During the 18th century over
20 clothiers were recorded at Stonehouse, (fn. 83) and
10 weavers of broad cloth there took parish apprentices between 1724 and 1785. (fn. 84) Among those employed at the mills, shearmen were mentioned in
1709 (fn. 85) and 1788, (fn. 86) and a wool-scribbler in 1772. (fn. 87)
A dyer lived at Westrip in 1767. (fn. 88)
In the first half of the 19th century the rebuilding
and reorganization of some of the cloth-mills of the
parish and the adaptation of the remainder to other
purposes reflected the change to a factory system in
the industry. In 1833 it was said that the bulk of the
weaving in the area was carried on in factories, (fn. 89) and
in 1839 only one mill, the Oil Mill which apparently
ceased cloth production soon afterwards, still
depended entirely on outdoor weavers. (fn. 90) The
distress among the weavers, that was attendant on
the changes, was said to have been considerable,
but in 1839 their condition was found to be better
than in neighbouring parishes, with constant employment at good wages obtainable at the mills. The
remaining outdoor weavers, whose average earnings were higher than in most of the other clothing
parishes, were then mainly master-weavers usually
with two looms. (fn. 91) Two weaving-shops in Stonehouse village and one adjoining the Spa Inn at Oldend
were mentioned in 1840; (fn. 92) there are said to have still
been several, some of them attached to farm buildings, in the parish c. 1870. (fn. 93) Cloth production in the
parish during the later 19th century was carried on
by three firms, at Ebley Mill, Stonehouse Upper and
Lower Mills, and Bond's Mill, (fn. 94) and the industry
continued to give employment to a large proportion
of the inhabitants until the early 20th century.
Between 1827 and 1861 41 cloth-workers were
admitted to membership of a Stonehouse dissenting
chapel. (fn. 95) Those employed in dependent trades of the
industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries
included shear-manufacturers at Ebley and Cainscross mentioned in 1820, (fn. 96) firms of millwrights at
Ebley until 1931 and at Stonehouse between 1879
and 1894, a wool-broker at Stonehouse in 1863, a
firm of teasel-merchants at Ebley until 1894, and a
mill-furnisher at Ebley between 1914 and 1919. (fn. 97) A
firm of wool-merchants and -sorters was established
at Stonehouse from c. 1920 to 1930. (fn. 98)
There was a mill at Ebley, near the later Ebley
Mill, in 1393. (fn. 99) In 1403 a moiety of it passed to
John Deerhurst, (fn. 1) and in 1426 Thomas Deerhurst and
Lawrence Maldon each held a moiety. (fn. 2) Perhaps at
that time it already comprised a corn-mill and a
fulling-mill on the same site for in 1469 John
Deerhurst of Hardwicke held a corn-mill called
Deerhurst's Mill and a fulling-mill called Maldon's
Mill. Maldon's Mill was leased by John Deerhurst to
a fuller, Thomas Kynne, (fn. 3) and Robert Kynne owned
it in 1491. (fn. 4) After 1511 Maldon's Mill was leased
from the Kynnes and later the Cookes to the
Bennett family of clothiers, (fn. 5) who from 1505 also
leased the corn-mill, Deerhurst's Mill, from the
Deerhursts and later the Barrows. (fn. 6) John Bennett
held the mills in the early 16th century, (fn. 7) and his son
William after 1536. (fn. 8) He or a later William was
working the fulling-mill in 1578, (fn. 9) and his son
Thomas in 1580. (fn. 10) Thomas, who built Ebley Court
in 1587, (fn. 11) died c. 1598, (fn. 12) and his son Leonard in
1621, when the mill comprised three fulling-stocks
and a corn-mill. (fn. 13) In 1621 the Bennetts' mill,
usually known as Ebley Mill, (fn. 14) passed by marriage
to the Selwyn family. (fn. 15) From the late 17th century
the Selwyns leased it to the Turner family of
clothiers: John Turner held it in 1681, (fn. 16) Thomas
Turner between 1710 and 1721, (fn. 17) and another
Thomas in 1779 and until 1788 when he became
bankrupt. (fn. 18) A new corn-mill was built at the mill
in the early 18th century. (fn. 19)
Figure 11:
Lower Stroudwater Valley c. 1965
In 1800 Ebley Mill, which then stood on the
north side of the Stroudwater Canal, (fn. 20) was acquired
by Stephen Clissold (fn. 21) who built a large new mill
south of the canal c. 1820. The new mill was not
used, however, until c. 1825 when it was bought by
Robson & Severs who abandoned the old mill and
destroyed its mill-stream, and made a large reservoir by the new mill. (fn. 22) Before 1839 the mill was
leased to John Figgins Marling, (fn. 23) and in 1840 it was
bought by his brothers Thomas and Samuel
Stephens Marling. (fn. 24) In 1839 there were 71 handlooms at the mill, although only 42 were working,
employing 72 workers, including 30 children; (fn. 25)
power was provided by five water-wheels. (fn. 26) In
1870 the mill was said to employ c. 800 workers. (fn. 27)
In 1967 Ebley Mill was owned by Marling & Evans
Ltd., and housed the carding and spinning processes for the firm's factory at Stanley Mill. (fn. 28) The
main part of the mill comprises a long stone block
of four stories and attics with grouped segmentalheaded windows, (fn. 29) apparently the building of c.
1820, and adjoining it on the north-east a tower and
a square five-story block with larger windows,
designed by G. F. Bodley and built c. 1862. (fn. 30)
Another building to the west of similar type and
date as the older part of the main block was sold
c. 1908, and in the 1940s was used by a hosiery
yarn spinner. (fn. 31) A third block of similar type was
demolished in 1965. (fn. 32)
The two mills in Stonehouse manor mentioned
in 1086 (fn. 33) were probably the mill to the east of
Bridgend, later known as Stonehouse Upper Mill,
which had been granted away from the manor in
1085, (fn. 34) and the mill to the west of Bridgend, later
known as Stonehouse Lower Mill, which remained
in the possession of the lords of the manor until the 17th century. The manor mill included a fullingmill with two stocks in 1496 when it was granted to
William Bence on condition that he built there two
new mill-heads, a river-gate, and a rack. (fn. 35) After
1507 the mill was held by Robert Collier, (fn. 36) and by
1533 it had passed to the clothier Richard Fowler (fn. 37)
who took a further lease of the mill, then known as
New Mill, and ½ yardland in 1542. (fn. 38) Richard died
in 1560, (fn. 39) and his son William, who had bought
Stonehouse manor jointly with William Sandford in
1558, (fn. 40) received the mill at the partition of the
manor in 1567. It then comprised three fulling stocks and a corn-mill. (fn. 41) Neither William Fowler's
son Daniel nor his grandson Stephen (fn. 42) appears to
have been a clothier, and the manor mill was being
worked by John Jessor in 1647 and 1655. (fn. 43) Members
of the Fowler family, however, were clothiers at
Stonehouse until the late 18th century: Stephen's
brother Nathaniel was mentioned as a clothier in
1622 (fn. 44) and 1655, (fn. 45) and Stephen Fowler, a clothier
and probably Nathaniel's son, died at Stonehouse in
1717; (fn. 46) a later Nathaniel Fowler, who was at one
time in partnership with one of the Nash family
of Bridgend, died at his house in Stonehouse in
1781, (fn. 47) The manor mill had been sold away from the
manor by 1697 when it was owned by the Lye
family who sold it in 1701 to the clothier John
Arundel. (fn. 48) He was recorded as working it between
1710 and 1736, (fn. 49) and the mill was known as Arundel's
Mill in 1755. (fn. 50) In 1764 John Arundel's son William
sold it to William Hill (fn. 51) who died in 1784 having
acquired a considerable fortune in the clothing
trade. (fn. 52) The mill passed to Edward Hill who owned
and worked it until at least 1805. (fn. 53) Lower Mill was
rebuilt c. 1810 as a large building of five stories
which included weaving shops. In 1812 it was
occupied by Thomas and Richard Cooper, and
before 1819 by the firm of Cooper and Wathen. (fn. 54) Its
later history is given below.
Stonehouse Upper Mill, known as Corneham Mill
in the 16th century (fn. 55) and Sandford's in the 18th, (fn. 56)
was granted by William of Eu in 1085 to Gloucester
Abbey; (fn. 57) the abbey's mill-stream running westwards from Ryeford was mentioned c. 1340. (fn. 58)
Richard Mill was the miller between 1507 (fn. 59) and
1517 when Corneham Mill, comprising a fullingmill and a corn-mill, was leased by the abbey to
Henry Betts. (fn. 60) From 1525 the mill was leased to
John Sandford; (fn. 61) he purchased the freehold in 1544
from Gloucester Corporation, which had acquired
the mill with other possessions of Gloucester Abbey
in 1542. (fn. 62) John Sandford became one of the most
prosperous Gloucestershire clothiers of his time;
he exported cloth to Germany and had an agency at
Frankfurt-on-Main. In 1549 he bought Leonard
Stanley Priory. Later he moved to Gloucester, (fn. 63) and
in 1554 granted Corneham Mill to his son William, (fn. 64)
who bought Stonehouse manor jointly with William
Fowler in 1558. The mill then descended with the
Sandford's estate at Stonehouse, (fn. 65) and the family
probably continued to work the mill as clothiers (fn. 66)
until its sale by William Sandford in 1731. The
mill then comprised three stocks and a corn-mill. (fn. 67)
By 1765 the mill was being worked by Ambrose
Reddall (fn. 68) who still occupied it in 1776. (fn. 69) Afterwards it was worked by Messrs. Eycott, perhaps of
the family that later owned Bond's Mill, and then
by Nathaniel Watts who went bankrupt in 1798
when the mill was assigned to his creditors William
Tanner and John Brown. (fn. 70) It was probably the mill
being worked in 1804 by John Brown and Sons. (fn. 71)
By 1839 both Stonehouse Upper Mill and Stonehouse Lower Mill had been acquired by the firm of
R. S. Davies which had 18 handlooms at work in
them. (fn. 72) The mills apparently ceased cloth production
when sold by the firm in 1904. (fn. 73) At the sale waterwheels were advertised with both mills as an additional source of power to steam. (fn. 74) The main block of
Upper Mill, built of brick with three stories and
attics and a central tower apparently dates from a
rebuilding of 1875. (fn. 75) Adjoining the mill on the east,
presumably on the site of the old house of the Sandfords, (fn. 76) is a stone house of c. 1800, which had a
classical portico. Formerly known as the Rookery,
the house was occupied by R. S. Davies in the mid
19th century (fn. 77) but in the later 19th century was
apparently used as offices, (fn. 78) which purpose it
served in 1967. The buildings of Lower Mill were
once far more extensive than the two brick-built
blocks of the earlier 19th century which survive; (fn. 79)
in 1812 they included a mansion with 15 rooms. (fn. 80)
Another fulling-mill at Bridgend, called Nashes
Mill in the 18th century (fn. 81) and later Bridgend Mill,
was owned by Humphrey Osborne in 1567; (fn. 82) it
stood south-east of the road near the bridge. (fn. 83)
Osborne leased it to William Nicholson a clothier in
1579, (fn. 84) and in 1588 sold it to Jasper Selwyn. (fn. 85)
During the 17th and 18th centuries the mill was
worked by the Nash clothing family: it was probably the mill of Giles Nash mentioned in 1637, (fn. 86) and
a Giles Nash was leasing it from the Selwyns c.
1680. (fn. 87) The second Giles died in 1699, Giles son of
John Nash in 1719, and another Giles Nash in 1729. (fn. 88)
A later Giles Nash (d. 1767), who was said to have
made a fortune in the clothing trade, gained a wide
reputation as a dyer in scarlet; (fn. 89) scarlet-dyeing at
Bridgend was mentioned in 1773, (fn. 90) and 'Nash's
scarlets' became famous. (fn. 91) The Nashes lived in a
house near the mill; it was described as an old house
in 1773, (fn. 92) and was presumably the Nash Court
mentioned in 1838. (fn. 93) In 1773 the house and mill
were apparently owned by a Mr. Elliot, (fn. 94) and in
1804 the clothier John Dimock (d. 1808) was leasing
the mill from the Elliot family. (fn. 95) Dimock's grandson John Dimock (fn. 96) and a Mr. Hitch were working
it in 1819. (fn. 97) Later it was occupied by Sir Paul
Baghott who went bankrupt in 1837, (fn. 98) and in 1840
Aaron Evans was leasing the mill from George
Elliot. (fn. 99) In the later 19th century it apparently
functioned only as a large dyeworks. (fn. 1) The dyeworks
there were owned with Upper and Lower Mills by
the Davies family, but from 1856 or earlier until
they closed c. 1900 they were worked by the firm of
Joseph Gainer. (fn. 2)
Bond's Mill, the lowest mill in the parish, was
first mentioned in 1714. (fn. 3) In 1724 it was sold to four
clothiers by John Ball, lord of Stonehouse manor, (fn. 4)
whose family may have worked the mill for some
time earlier; his father, also John Ball, was a cloth
factor of Blackwell Hall; (fn. 5) a Samuel Ball, clothier, of
Stonehouse, died c. 1654 (fn. 6) and John Ball a clothier,
perhaps Samuel's son, in 1668. (fn. 7) By 1750 Bond's Mill
was being worked by Richard Pitt, who purchased it
soon afterwards, (fn. 8) and Mrs. Pitt, a widow, put the
mill up for sale in 1774. (fn. 9) In 1787 when it comprised
four pairs of fulling-stocks it was being worked by
Messrs. Eycott; (fn. 10) Henry Eycott was leasing it to
William Wood in 1832, (fn. 11) and Frederick Eycott to
William Wise in 1840. (fn. 12) A power-loom was installed
at the mill in 1837. (fn. 13) Bond's Mill was occupied by
Charles Warner in 1863, (fn. 14) but by 1870 it had been
acquired by the Eastington firm of Charles Hooper,
which apparently rebuilt it in 1887 (fn. 15) and continued
to produce cloth there until 1934. (fn. 16)
In 1721 William Adderley, a mercer of Stroud,
acquired land at Ebley and built a new mill, (fn. 17) later
known as the Oil Mill. In 1723 it was being used to
produce rape and linseed oil, (fn. 18) and in 1725 John
Adderley was making oil there. (fn. 19) When put up for
sale in 1727 it was said to be adaptable as a fullingmill, (fn. 20) and it was perhaps in use as such by 1751
when it was owned by the Rimmington family. (fn. 21)
In 1764 the Oil Mill, described as a fulling-mill of
four stocks and two gig-mills, belonged to Mr.
Rimmington of Woodchester, (fn. 22) and it was apparently
the mill at which the partnership of Thomas Pettat
of Stanley Park, John Rimmington, and Richard
Flight were making cloth when they went bankrupt in 1786; the owner was then Samuel Rimmington. (fn. 23) The Oil Mill was acquired in 1791 or 1792 by
James Lewis, (fn. 24) who worked it until his death in
1826; his sons continued the business until at least
1840. (fn. 25) In 1833 the mill gave employment to c. 200
people, including the outdoor weavers. (fn. 26) It had
ceased to be a cloth-mill in 1856 when it was
probably the corn-mill worked by William Hall. (fn. 27)
In 1885 it was driven by both water-power and
steam, (fn. 28) and when sold in 1892 it had two steamengines, eight pairs of stones, and two water-wheels. (fn. 29)
The Oil Mill remained a corn-mill in 1967.
The corn-mill built c. 1500 by John Gibbs on a
piece of land inclosed out of Stonehouse Ham was
apparently at Ryeford; (fn. 30) his son Richard Gibbs
held it in 1539. (fn. 31) It had perhaps been adapted as a
fulling-mill by 1608 when two members of the
Gibbs family were clothiers. (fn. 32) By 1710 Ryeford Mill
was owned by the clothier Giles Phillips, (fn. 33) who
settled it on the marriage of his son Thomas in
1717; it then comprised three fulling-stocks and a
gig-mill. On his death in 1757 Thomas Phillips
devised it to his nephew Halliday Phillips (d. 1780). (fn. 34)
In 1798 and 1804 the mill was being worked by the
clothiers Nathaniel Miles and William Taylor. (fn. 35)
In 1819 it was owned by Saul Lusty, who sold it to
Reuben Hyde in 1828. (fn. 36) John King owned it in
1840, (fn. 37) and in 1853 it was being worked as a cornmill by the firm of Ford & King; it was then powered
by two water-wheels and had six pairs of stones. (fn. 38)
It remained a corn-mill until c. 1880, the building
and site later being used as a saw-mill and timberyard. (fn. 39)
Another small mill was built west of the Oil Mill
c. 1810; it was later called Hogg's Mill (fn. 40) and the
builder was perhaps James Hogg, an Ebley clothier. (fn. 41)
It was owned by Stephen Clissold c. 1837. (fn. 42) The
mill was described as ruinous in 1840 when it was
owned by, Ann Stephens. (fn. 43) The building was
occupied as a cottage when sold in 1861, (fn. 44) and had
been destroyed along with its mill-stream by 1882. (fn. 45)
A mill on the Ruscombe brook at Cainscross south
of the Stroud road was regarded as in Stonehouse
parish in 1840 when it was owned and occupied by
William Copner. (fn. 46) It was working as a corn-mill in
1882, (fn. 47) and was apparently the mill at Cainscross
worked by the firm of Butt & Skurray between
1863 and 1889. (fn. 48)
OTHER INDUSTRY AND TRADE
In 1299 a smith,
carpenter, cooper, and shoemaker were tenants at
Stonehouse. (fn. 49) A smith was mentioned in 1499, (fn. 50)
and there were three in the parish in 1608. (fn. 51) In
1840 there were two blacksmiths' shops near
the Woolpack Inn in Stonehouse village, and one
at Cainscross. (fn. 52) Ebley had a blacksmith in 1856. (fn. 53)
In 1879 there were three smiths at Stonehouse, (fn. 54)
and in 1906 one at Cainscross, two at Ebley, and
one at Stonehouse. (fn. 55) In the later 19th century
there was a tinman and brazier at Cainscross,
a wire-worker at Ebley, and a tinplate-worker
at Stonehouse. (fn. 56) There were two carpenters in
the parish in 1608, (fn. 57) and one was mentioned in
1662. (fn. 58) A wooden instrument used for thistledrawing was being made at Stonehouse in 1807. (fn. 59) In
1840 there were two carpenters at Ebley, a cooper
and a wheelwright at Stonehouse village, and a
wheelwright at Oldend. (fn. 60) Cainscross had two
carpenters and a cabinet-maker in 1856. (fn. 61) In 1879 a
joiner and a wheelwright were working at Cainscross, a carpenter at Ebley, and a wheelwright and a
carpenter at Stonehouse village. (fn. 62) In 1906 there were
two carpenters at Cainscross and one at Cashe's
Green, a cooper at Ebley, and a wheelwright and a
cabinet-maker at Stonehouse. (fn. 63) There were two
shoemakers in the parish in 1608, (fn. 64) and others
were mentioned in 1641, (fn. 65) 1658, (fn. 66) and 1743. (fn. 67) In
1856 three were working at Cainscross, one at Ebley,
and four at Stonehouse village, (fn. 68) and in 1906 there
were two at Cainscross, one at Ebley, and two at
Stonehouse. (fn. 69) There was a saddler at Cainscross in
1820. (fn. 70) In 1939 blacksmiths were still working at
Cainscross, Ebley, and Stonehouse, and carpenters
and shoemakers at Cainscross and Stonehouse. (fn. 71)
There was a thatcher in the parish in 1491, (fn. 72) and
another was mentioned in 1843. (fn. 73) There were two
masons at Stonehouse in 1608, (fn. 74) and a local mason
worked on the rebuilding of the church in 1854. (fn. 75)
Withies for basket-making were grown in several
places in the parish in 1840, (fn. 76) and there were basketmakers at Ebley until c. 1885 and Stonehouse until
c. 1906. (fn. 77) There were candle-makers at Stonehouse
and Cainscross in 1840, (fn. 78) and a cork-maker at
Cainscross from 1885. (fn. 79) Three tailors were mentioned in the parish in 1608, (fn. 80) a mercer in 1714, (fn. 81)
and a draper in 1728. (fn. 82) There were two watchmakers and a clockmaker at Stonehouse village in
1856. (fn. 83) A surgeon was living at Westrip in the mid
18th century. (fn. 84)
There was a butcher at Stonehouse in 1491, (fn. 85) and
another was presented in 1572 for selling meat
during service time. (fn. 86) Two butchers and three
bakers were mentioned in 1608. (fn. 87) There were several
brewers in the parish in the late 15th century, (fn. 88)
and five were mentioned in 1534. (fn. 89) There was a
maltster at Stonehouse in 1747. (fn. 90) There were four
malt-houses in the parish in 1840: two stood in the
main street of Stonehouse village; two others, one
at Ebley and one at Cainscross, (fn. 91) were still working
in 1856. (fn. 92) Carpenter's brewery was established at
Cainscross by 1840, when there was also a brewery
at Stonehouse. (fn. 93) Another brewery at Hamwell
Leaze north of Cainscross was working by 1894. (fn. 94)
In 1906 a former malt-house at Apsley House in
Stonehouse village was bought by a dairy company
which designed new types of cheeses and hoped to
promote the eating of cheese as a substitute for
meat. (fn. 95)
The soil of the parish is suitable for brick-making,
which was also encouraged by the opening of the
canal in 1779. (fn. 96) By 1840 a piece of land near Bond's
Mill and another at Haywardsend were named
from brick-kilns, (fn. 97) and there was a brick-maker at
Stonehouse in 1856. (fn. 98) Brick-works on the south of
Doverow Hill were in production by 1870, (fn. 99) and the
Stonehouse Brick and Tile Works, which also made
pottery and terra-cotta, were established on the
south-west of the hill in 1891, (fn. 1) and were said to be
employing a large number in 1895. (fn. 2) Deposits of
gravel in the south of the parish (fn. 3) were exploited
from at least 1627, (fn. 4) and in 1651 gravel was being
dug on a demesne close of the manor near Oldend. (fn. 5) In 1840 there were also gravel-pits on the
north of Bond's Mill and west of Ebley. (fn. 6) Stone was
being quarried on Doverow Hill in 1746 when it was
used for building locally. (fn. 7) By 1882 there was
another quarry with a lime-kiln at Westrip, (fn. 8) and
there was a lime-merchant at Ebley in 1885. (fn. 9) By
the early 19th century the building of the canal had
encouraged several coal and timber merchants to
set up near it; (fn. 10) there were saw-mills at Ebley and
Stonehouse from 1856, (fn. 11) and at Ryeford from the
later 19th century. (fn. 12)
From the early 20th century several light manufacturing works were established in the parish
using the labour released by the decline of the cloth
industry, which was, however, said to be the main
employer of labour in Stonehouse village until the
closure of Bond's Mill in 1934. (fn. 13) Some firms took
over old cloth-mills: Lower Mill was occupied by
a firm of mattress-makers in 1914, (fn. 14) and from c. 1927
one part of the mill has been a paper-factory (fn. 15) and
another part an engineering works; (fn. 16) a brush-works
had been established at Upper Mill by 1914; (fn. 17) and
Bond's Mill was sold to Sperry Gyroscope Ltd., a
precision engineering firm, in 1939. (fn. 18) By 1946 the
large Hoffman engineering works had been built in
Oldend Lane and there was also a preserve factory
at Stonehouse. (fn. 19) In the early 1960s, by which time
several other small factories were established, it was
said that the last 20 years had transformed Stonehouse from a rural village to a small industrial town. (fn. 20)
There was a firm of furniture-makers at Ebley and a
firm making sports equipment at Cashe's Green in
1927. (fn. 21) In 1967 there was a small engineering works
at Ebley, and a printing-works in part of Ebley Mill.
FAIRS
In 1683 Thomas Smith, lord of the manor,
was granted the right to hold two fairs on Stonehouse green for three days each from 20 April and
29 September. (fn. 22) A fair-house was mentioned in
1742 (fn. 23) and was perhaps the building which stood
on the main part of the green opposite Oldend Lane
in 1803. (fn. 24) By 1765, as a result of the change in the
calendar, the fairs were being held on 1 May and
10 October and cattle and cheese were the main
items sold; (fn. 25) the profits were leased with the manor
in 1781. (fn. 26) The fairs were mainly cattle-sales and
pleasure-fairs during the later 19th century, and
were solely pleasure-fairs from c. 1897. (fn. 27)