Robert Nurse of Hanham (Born 1782)

3^rd Great Grandfather – FFFFF¹

Robert Nurse, my 3x great-grandfather was the son of Samuel Nurse and his wife Rachel Dolman. He was one of 5 boys to survive childhood. He was baptised at St. George, Hanham Abbots on 28^th July 1783.²

There is a record to a previous baptism on 15^th February 1780³ at St. Mary’s, Bitton, which I believe was an older brother who did not survive infancy. It was quite common to name the next child after a previously deceased child.

He married Sally Couch at Bitton Parish Church on the 15^th March 1803. ⁴ The marriage was witnessed by Robert Nurse, sen, who I believe was Robert’s uncle, and John Couch who was Sally’s brother.

Robert and Sally Nurse had seven children during their first 18 years of married life, one daughter, Rachel - the eldest child and six sons (see Figure 2). All of these children, except one - Silas, were baptised at Hanham Abbots Church, and all but William survived childhood and were married. William died in 1814, at the age of six and was buried in Bitton on 21^st August 1814.⁵

The naming of the children followed the custom of the day - Rachel the eldest (and only) daughter, being named after Robert’s mother; Jonathan Couch, the eldest son (and second child) being named after Salley’s father; Samuel, being named after Robert’s father, and Robert, the youngest being named after Robert’s grandfather (and uncle who had recently died).^6,7

Robert had inherited his father’s share of the family malting business when his father died in 1810 and when his uncle Robert died in 1819, he inherited the remaining share of the business, so from 1821 he is listed in the Land Tax returns as the owner/occupier of Wadmore,⁸ the name of the land associated with the malting house. According to my Aunt Nell’s notes (see Nurse 1953), Robert and Sally moved from Pickwick House in Hanham Mills, Robert’s father’s house, to Stratton’s at this time.

Like his uncle before him, Robert was involved in the parish church of St. George, Hanham Abbots.  He was overseer in 1824 and a chapel warden from 1826 to 1830.⁹

This generation of the family marked a period with the beginning of the industrial revolution where the children were more likely to move away from the family base, to find work. Five of the children were married in parishes in the City of Bristol.

Rachel, who married Edward Olds on 31st Dec 1827¹⁰ and Silas who married Hannah Flook on the 18^th May 1834¹¹ were married at St. James, Bristol, while Richmond, who married Eliza Smith on 19^th August 1833¹² and Jonathan who on 29^th September 1839 married a cousin - Sarah Nurse¹³ daughter of Jonathan’s uncle Joseph were both married at St. Stephen’s also in the City of Bristol.

In a previous article I mentioned Robert, the youngest’s marriage to Ann Jane Taylor in 1854 at St. Michael’s Two Mile Hill in the east of the City.

Most of the children returned to the Hanham area and were involved in some way in the malting/brewing business. Richmond, however, settled in the city of Bristol. He worked as a carpenter and is listed in Pigot’s 1844 Directory¹⁴ and the 1841 census¹⁵ as resident on Clark Street, St Paul’s. He died in 1846 and was buried at St. Anne, Oldland on 7^th June 1846.¹⁶

According to the 1841¹⁷ and 1851¹⁸ censuses, Silas Nurse settled in Longwell Green as a Shoemaker, although he later joined the other brothers as a brewer (1861 Census¹⁹) and eventually became a licensed publican (1871 Census²⁰). The 1863 Post Office Directory lists him as the licensee of the “Crown” Public House in Longwell Green.²¹

Sally was the first to die in 1843 at the age of 62 and was buried at St. Anne Oldland on 21^st January 1843²². Her husband outlived her by 11 years dying in 1854 at the age of 72. He was also buried at St Anne, Oldland on 10^th March 1854²³.  They were buried together with Robert’s uncle (see Figure 2).

In his will Robert Nurse left the malting/brewing business to his three sons, Jonathan, Samuel and Robert and to their heirs. When Jonathan died on 8^th August 1862²⁴ without an heir he left his share in the business to his two brothers.

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