Jason Howes 1784 - 1869
Jason left one of his sons Charles in charge at the Siston warrener's house. The Howes family was now able to serve the two great South Gloucestershire hatting centres of the early 1800s: Cloister's for Watley's End and Frampton Cotterell, and Siston for Oldland Common and the scattered factories in Mangotsfield. It was through Jason's family that the direct involvement in the hatting industry began. It was to find employment for another 30 members of the Howes family, plus many more from relations by marriage.
Jason's warrener's cottage was on the bend of Cloister's Road that leads to Warren Farm. It was stone built, two-roomed, with large outbuildings; in 1997 it became dangerous and was reduced to a pile of rubble. Jason was kept on his mettle. In 1823, William Francombe, son of the foreman of George Vaughan's Watley's End hat factory, was convicted at Gloucester Petty Sessions for using two dogs to poach coneys. William was a married hatter with three young children so this was no childish prank; perhaps meat rather than fur was the objective. Being the only major warren within easy distance of Francombe's factory and, therefore the almost certain supplier of Francombe's rabbit skins, this offence by William would certainly have caused some tension. Jason decided to push for a conviction so he felt he had a point to make. Perhaps it was no wonder that William was described in the court record as 'late of Winterbourne'.
The boot was on the other foot five years later when Robert Howes, Jason's son and a feltmaker and fur cutter, was convicted of illegally using a gun and dogs to take game at Ivory Hill, Westerleigh, occupied by Jeffery Matthews, a Frampton Cotterell farmer. Robert was caught by Job Luton, the gamekeeper. He was fined £5, half to go to an informer, John Smart, and the rest to the poor of Hawkesbury.
Jason's warrener's cottage was on the bend of Cloister's Road that leads to Warren Farm. It was stone built, two-roomed, with large outbuildings; in 1997 it became dangerous and was reduced to a pile of rubble. Jason was kept on his mettle. In 1823, William Francombe, son of the foreman of George Vaughan's Watley's End hat factory, was convicted at Gloucester Petty Sessions for using two dogs to poach coneys. William was a married hatter with three young children so this was no childish prank; perhaps meat rather than fur was the objective. Being the only major warren within easy distance of Francombe's factory and, therefore the almost certain supplier of Francombe's rabbit skins, this offence by William would certainly have caused some tension. Jason decided to push for a conviction so he felt he had a point to make. Perhaps it was no wonder that William was described in the court record as 'late of Winterbourne'.
The boot was on the other foot five years later when Robert Howes, Jason's son and a feltmaker and fur cutter, was convicted of illegally using a gun and dogs to take game at Ivory Hill, Westerleigh, occupied by Jeffery Matthews, a Frampton Cotterell farmer. Robert was caught by Job Luton, the gamekeeper. He was fined £5, half to go to an informer, John Smart, and the rest to the poor of Hawkesbury.
It was George, son of Jason, who, about 1823, laid the foundations for the famous Bristol hatting firm. While he was doing so, Jason bought the local Watley's End Brewery and began a long family and work association with the Flooks. Joseph Flook came from Stapleton to Winterbourne in the early 1800s bringing his hatting skills with him. Over time, other members of the extended family followed and they integrated into the Methodist community at Watley's End, worshipping at the Salem Wesleyan Chapel. One of Joseph's sons, Abraham, had the good sense to marry Jason's daughter, Mary Howes. By 1851, Abraham and Mary were established as the beer retailers at the brewery. It is not clear when Jason started his interest there or even whether the interest and ownership were synonymous. The 1832 Land Tax returns says Jason was then the owner with Thomas Hibbs as the occupant. Jason's son, Thomas, was the brewer from 1831 to 1837 when he moved to Brockridge, Frampton Cotterell, to become the local furrier. By 1840, Jason was the tenant and an auction that year at Winterbourne's George and Dragon Inn saw the freehold brewery for sale. The 1842 tithe suggests the purchaser was William Pearce and that Alice Flook, Abraham's daughter was running affairs, which does not make much sense. Alice was not born until 1860 and, as this entry was written into the record by a different hand than the main document, it does suggest a much later amendment.
Altogether, there were some interesting Watley's End lots in the 1840 auction: a house with hatter's shops and garden occupied by George England; a house and garden rented by a Flook; another house and garden adjoining the Flook house, occupied by Jason's son George Howes; and 'all those newly-erected and substantial built premises called Watley's End Brewery, consisting of a commodious taproom, spacious clubroom, bar, sitting room, two bedrooms, a very convenient brewhouse, excellent underground cellars, garden' rented by Jason Howes. Fixtures were offered at the brewery on valuation and there was an income of £2 12s 'paid by the owner of the adjoining property in respect of water drawn from the premises'.
The report of a clubhouse has significance. The Waterloo Fund of Winterbourne had its patriotic formation sometime after June 1815. It probably functioned mainly as a friendly society; there would certainly have been need of a clubroom. Little is known of its background, but it was the cause of a significant strike in London in 1831. Reports of the strike claimed that a West Country body of makers, 300 strong, began their club 'some eleven or twelve years past...for maintaining their sick and other purposes'. West Country in this instance meant Watley's End and Frampton Cotterell. John Lang, a London hatter and secretary of the Fair Trade Union, convicted of unlawful combination in 1820, claimed there were, by then, hatters' societies or clubs in 'almost every town in England'. Giving evidence at a Parliamentary Select Committee, he said the 'club as we call it, is merely the treating of strangers, and paying attention to one another; relieving the sick, and burying the dead’.
There is another report of the clubhouse in a visit to Winterbourne in 1830 by an itinerant hatter. He recalled that 'though business was not in a prosperous condition, the men were in a fair state of employment. During my sojourn I spent the evening in the Turnhouse, a large building, and as the host had got his head into Hymen’s noose that morning, all went merry as a 'marriage bell'. The men were having a free jollification, and every part of the house was packed. During the two hours I was among them I witnessed a good many scenes, some of which were amusing and others of a ludicrous character. Among the frolics of the evening was that of a half-witted fellow who was made to run the gauntlet of all the men in the house while in a state of nudity, and rudely indelicate as the affair was, he evidently enjoyed it.'
Abraham Flook stayed at the brewery until his death in 1864 when his second wife, Phoebe, took over and stayed as publican until 1887, combining some furrier work. At last, then, Alice Flook did take over, sometimes using her stepfather's surname of Scuse. Alice never married and became a Watley's End institution, dying in 1949. She was reputed to have held 56 licenses and to walk to Bristol to bank her takings with the money hidden under her skirts.
During Alice's tenure the Watley's End Brewery, and an orchard across the road, (See picture above.) was sold for £500 to The Bristol United Breweries in 1895 immediately on their mother's death by George Howes's two sons, Gilbert and George (by then the established owners of Howes Brothers).
Census
1841 - Cloisters. Furrier
1851 - Winterbourne. Furrier
1861 - Cloisters. Furrier
Census images here
Click here to follow the Howes Brother's trail
Click here to continue our direct family trail
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The report of a clubhouse has significance. The Waterloo Fund of Winterbourne had its patriotic formation sometime after June 1815. It probably functioned mainly as a friendly society; there would certainly have been need of a clubroom. Little is known of its background, but it was the cause of a significant strike in London in 1831. Reports of the strike claimed that a West Country body of makers, 300 strong, began their club 'some eleven or twelve years past...for maintaining their sick and other purposes'. West Country in this instance meant Watley's End and Frampton Cotterell. John Lang, a London hatter and secretary of the Fair Trade Union, convicted of unlawful combination in 1820, claimed there were, by then, hatters' societies or clubs in 'almost every town in England'. Giving evidence at a Parliamentary Select Committee, he said the 'club as we call it, is merely the treating of strangers, and paying attention to one another; relieving the sick, and burying the dead’.
There is another report of the clubhouse in a visit to Winterbourne in 1830 by an itinerant hatter. He recalled that 'though business was not in a prosperous condition, the men were in a fair state of employment. During my sojourn I spent the evening in the Turnhouse, a large building, and as the host had got his head into Hymen’s noose that morning, all went merry as a 'marriage bell'. The men were having a free jollification, and every part of the house was packed. During the two hours I was among them I witnessed a good many scenes, some of which were amusing and others of a ludicrous character. Among the frolics of the evening was that of a half-witted fellow who was made to run the gauntlet of all the men in the house while in a state of nudity, and rudely indelicate as the affair was, he evidently enjoyed it.'
Abraham Flook stayed at the brewery until his death in 1864 when his second wife, Phoebe, took over and stayed as publican until 1887, combining some furrier work. At last, then, Alice Flook did take over, sometimes using her stepfather's surname of Scuse. Alice never married and became a Watley's End institution, dying in 1949. She was reputed to have held 56 licenses and to walk to Bristol to bank her takings with the money hidden under her skirts.
During Alice's tenure the Watley's End Brewery, and an orchard across the road, (See picture above.) was sold for £500 to The Bristol United Breweries in 1895 immediately on their mother's death by George Howes's two sons, Gilbert and George (by then the established owners of Howes Brothers).
Census
1841 - Cloisters. Furrier
1851 - Winterbourne. Furrier
1861 - Cloisters. Furrier
Census images here
Click here to follow the Howes Brother's trail
Click here to continue our direct family trail
Return to main menu