William Sheldon GOUNDREY (1827–1871)
His wife Mrs Caroline GOUNDREY, née Golding (1825–1893)
Their daughter Elizabeth Sarah (Bessie) GOUNDREY (1854–1901)
St Michael section: Row 6, Grave C47
Above: SACRED / TO THE MEMORY OF / WILLIAM SHELDON GOUNDREY
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE OCT. 11, 1871 AGED 44 YEARS
WATCH THEREFORE FOR YE KNOW NOT WHAT HOUR YOUR LORD DOTH COME
Other side: SACRED / TO THE MEMORY OF / CAROLINE / WIFE OF WILLIAM SHELDON GOUNDREY
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE, / FEB. 17, 1893 AGED 67 YEARS
YEA THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH I WILL FEAR NO EVIL FOR THOU ART WITH ME, THY /
ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME
William Sheldon Goundrey was born in Oxford on 29 May 1827, the son of John Goundrey and his wife Elizabeth Sheldon, who were married at St Michael’s Church on 14 April 1822. His father was a maltster who by 1823 was listed as the landlord of the Crown & Thistle pub in Jesus College Lane, later renamed Market Street.
William and his three siblings were all born at the Crown & Thistle and baptised at St Michael’s Church as follows: John on 26 July 1823, William Thomas on 18 February 1825 (buried there 10 March 1825), William Sheldon himself on 24 June 1827, and Sarah on 8 November 1829.
At the time of the 1841 census William Sheldon Goundrey (14) was living at Park End Street with his maternal grandfather William Sheldon, a maltster, and his aunt, Miss Frances Sheldon, and doubtless learning the trade of a maltster.
William’s father John Goundrey died at the age of 54 in 1846 and was buried at St Michael’s Church on 6 December. The next month his mother Elizabeth was granted the wine licence of the Crown & Thistle. On 27 February 1847 she inserted the following notice in Jackson’s Oxford Journal:
ELIZABETH GOUNDREY, (WIDOW OF THE LATE JOHN GOUNDREY),
CROWN and THISTLE, MARKET STREET,MOST respectfully returns her grateful thanks to the friends of her late husband for the favours conferred upon him for so many years, and begs to inform them that it is her intention to carry on the business as usual.
Genuine home-brewed BEER supplied to Families.
MALT, HOPS, &c.
In 1847 the original Crown & Thistle was demolished as part of a road-widening scheme, and on 29 May that year an advertisement appeared in Jackson’s Oxford Journal offering oak and deal beams, joists and rafters, floors, doors, sash and casement windows, shop front, closets, panelling, sheet lead, and lead piping, and also household furniture. The pub was rebuilt at 10 Market Street and remained in the hands of the Goundreys. (It was demolished again in 1959 to make way for a goods yard.)
William’s grandfather William Sheldon died in 1848 at the age of 71 and was buried at St Thomas’s Church on 8 October, and William Sheldon Goundrey appears to have taken over his business, as in 1851 William (23) was the maltster at Park End Street, and his sister Sarah (21) was acting as his housekeeper. Still living with him was his maternal great-aunt, Miss Frances Sheldon (77), and they had one servant. In about 1853, shortly before his wedding, William took over the Crown & Thistle pub from his mother, and moved back there.
Caroline Golding was born in St Aldate’s parish in 1825, the daughter of William Golding or Goulding, the common room man at Christ Church, and his second wife Sarah Jane James. Her father and his first wife Ann had three children baptised at St Aldate’s Church: an earlier Caroline (28 April 1812), Harriet (6 February 1814) and Henry (19 February 1816), but baby Henry and his mother both died and were buried together at St Aldate’s churchyard on 24 February 1816. Their daughter Caroline also died at the age of 4 years 11 months in January the following year.
William Golding married his second wife Sarah Jane James at St Aldate’s Church on 2 September 1817, and they had seven children baptised there: Mary Ann (7 April 1818), Henry (16 December 1821), James (8 September 1824), Caroline (9 November 1825), John (3 August 1829), Frederick (12 October 1831), and Sarah Jane (21 April 1841). At the time of the 1841 census her father and stepmother were living at Pembroke Street with James, Caroline, John, and baby Sarah, plus three independent young people and one servant. Their address was specified as 13 Pembroke Street in 1853.
On 20 September 1853 at St Aldate's Church, William Sheldon Goundrey (26) married Caroline Golding (27). (It was a double wedding: her brother James Golding, a college servant, married William’s sister Sarah Goundrey on the same day.) William and Caroline had the following children:
- Elizabeth Sarah Goundrey, known as Bessie (born at Market Street in 1854 and baptised at St Michael’s Church on 19 July)
- William Sheldon Goundrey junior (born at Market Street in 1857 and baptised at St Michael’s Church on 28 June)
- Carrie Maria Goundrey (born at Market Street in 1860 and baptised at St Michael’s Church on 6 May).
On 21 December 1853 William Sheldon Goundrey was granted a wine licence for the Crown & Thistle, and this was renewed every two years until 1871. At the time of the 1861 census William (33), who was still described as a maltster & brewer, was living at the pub with his wife Caroline (35) and their children Elizabeth (6), William junior (3), and Carry (1), as well as a barmaid, a brewer, and three house servants.
William’s mother Elizabeth Goundrey died at Park End Cottage, Park End Street in St Thomas's parish at the age of 63 on 30 April 1863, with her death announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal. She was buried on 6 May, probably with her husband in St Michael’s churchyard, as the burial is recorded in that register.
In January 1871 William Sheldon Goundrey’s wine licence for the Crown & Thistle was renewed for the last time. Within three months he had moved to 22 Park End Street to work just as a maltster, and at the time of the census that year was living there with his wife and their children Elizabeth (16) and Caroline (11), plus one servant; their son William Sheldon Goundrey junior (13) was boarding at William Hunt’s School at Littlemore.
William Sheldon Goundrey senior died about six months after moving to Park End Street:
† William Sheldon Goundrey died at 22 Park End Street in St Thomas’s parish at the age of 44 on 11 October 1871 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 14 October (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael’s Church).
His death notice in Jackson’s Oxford Journal read: “Oct. 11, at his residence, Park End-street, Oxford, William Sheldon Goundrey, in the 45th year of his age, deservedly esteemed by a large circle of friends.” His effects came to nearly £4,000, and his probate record described him as being a “Licensed Victualler and Maltster but late of 22 Park-End Street”. His executors were his widow Caroline and his brother John Goundrey, ironmonger of 108 High Street.
In 1881 his widow Caroline (55) was the head of the household at 22 Park End Street, and all three of her children were at home: Elizabeth (29); William junior (23), who was a shopman to an ironmonger; and Carrie (21)
Two of her children were married in the 1880s:
- On 15 August 1882 at St Peter-in-the-East Church, Carrie Maria Goundrey married Alfred John Hill, a Lay Clerk who lived at King Street (now part of Merton Street);
- On 14 August 1886 at St Giles's Church, William Sheldon Goundrey, ironmonger of 22 Park End Street, married Edith Ellen Townsend of Bevington Road.
At the time of the 1891 census Mrs Goundrey was living on her own means at 22 Walton Well Road with her daughter Elizabeth (Bessie) and her unmarried sister Harriet Golding, plus one servant.
Mrs Goundrey died early in 1893:
† Mrs Caroline Goundrey, née Golding died at 22 Walton Well Road at the age of 66 or 67 on 17 February 1893 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 21 February (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael’s Church).
Her effects came to £456 1s., and her sister Sarah Jane Golding and son William Sheldon Goundrey were her executors.
Her unmarried daughter Elizabeth (Bessie) Goundrey remained at 22 Walton Well Road, and can be seen there in the 1901 census with one servant. She died ten weeks after that census, just eight years after her mother:
† Miss Elizabeth Sarah (Bessie) Goundrey died at 22 Walton Well Road at the age of 47 on 19 June 1901 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 22 June (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael’s Church).
Her effects came to £1,000 13s. 11d., and her brother William was her executor.
Other surviving children of William and Caroline Goundrey
- William Sheldon Goundrey junior (born 1857) had in 1887 taken over his uncle’s ironmongery shop (which had moved to a new building at 109 High Street in the early 1870s when the old shop at No.108 was demolished to make way for King Edward Street). At the time of the 1891 census he was living at 47 Southmoor Road with his wife Edith and their children Hilda (3), Dora (1), and Frank (one month), plus a nurse and a servant. William took out the first lease on 7 Frenchay Road in 1898 and at the time of the 1901 census he was living there with his wife Caroline and one additional child, William John (6), and a servant. William Sheldon Goundrey junior died at the Radcliffe Infirmary on 2 April 1909, and his effects came to £3,067 19s. 11d. His ironmongery business was taken over by his son William John Goundrey, and it was latterly at 215 Banbury Road. (See William John Goundrey’s obituary in the Oxford Times of 8 May 1964, p.10d).
- Carrie Maria Goundrey (born 1860), Mrs Alfred John Hill, was living at 10 Walton Street in 1891 with her husband, who was a lay clerk at Christ Church Cathedral, and their children Rhoda Hill (7), Mildred Hill (5), Thomas Goundrey Hill (4), and Janet Hill (2), plus one servant. In 1900 her husband became the first leaseholder of 2 Frenchay Road, and they can be seen there in the 1901 census with their four children. They were still there in 1911 with just two of their children: Thomas Goundrey Hill (24), who was an architect and surveyor, and Janet (22). Carrie Hill died on 10 January 1912 and her effects came to £85 16s.
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