William Thomas Drew and Family
William was born in Malvern 1873 and his parents were Henry and Emily Drew who lived in Bellars Lane. Henry married Emily Lowe in 1854 and the marriage was registered in Worcester district.
Henry’s father Thomas and also his grandfather and great grandfather were all born in the village of Horsley in Gloucestershire. They all had the same occupation has William which was a plasterer. Other members of this large family were also plasterers, builder and tilers. One member is listed in a census as a pargeter. This is a skilled plasterer who applied ornamental work to buildings especially on timber frame houses.
William married Mary Ann Foster at Christchurch, Malvern on 25th August, 1902. John Henry Tandy was one of their witnesses along with Mary’s sister Ada Foster. He moved into Horsley, Barber’s Hill after his marriage and in the 1911 census he is shown with his wife Mary (born in1876) and their daughter Dorothy Drew of 10 months old. Later in 1915 they had a son named Henry R. Drew. Dorothy was born on 8th June 1910 and was baptised at the local parish church of Christchurch in Avenue Road. Henry Richard Drew was also baptised at the same parish church on 7th March 1915.
A few years later, in mid 1918 William’s best man and brother-in-law was to be killed in action at Flanders in World War One.
Mary Ann Foster was born at Hook Common near Upton on Severn and was the eldest daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Foster. Richard’s occupation was a carter and was widowed when his wife died in 1881.
William’s occupation was a journeyman plasterer. Who knows he could have worked for F.W Hayes, the builder of some of houses in Barber’s Hill. The detached house (now No 8) has a plaque on its front wall saying that it was built in 1901. Above the front door to this fine house is the name Horsley.
The Drew family according to the Gloucestershire parish records have been living in Horsley, Gloucestershire for the past two and half centuries so it is very fitting that the house should be named Horsley.
Contributed by Alan Stone