People & Places
Explore the stories behind some of Corsham’s historic buildings and the people who lived there…
Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted lies in a pauper’s grave in the churchyard of St Bartholomew’s, an ignominious end for the historian of the County of Kent. Fortunately, on the North Wall of the church is a plaque to commemorate his worth to the historical record. Born in 1732 of good...
Robert Gordon-Farleigh
Robert Gordon-Farleigh moved from Bath to Corsham in 1935 when he purchased the ‘Wine Lodge’ in the High Street. (Now occupied by estate agents Allen & Harris). Previously Mr & Mrs Baines had run it as a wine merchants. Robert and his wife Elsie (both pictured...
Frank Gerrish
Frank Gerrish was born in 1883 at Priory Lane Corsham, son of William and Elizabeth. William was a ‘slater’ (tiler). Frank, aged 8, appears on the 1891 census as living at 53 Priory Road (pictured, c.1904) but in 1901 he is shown as living at Ashford Cottages, Priory...
John Fowler
John Fowler was the third son of Henry & Lucy Fowler, born in 1826, and lived at Elm Grove Gastard. He attended school in Corsham, probably at the Quaker run school at Pickwick. During his journeys from Gastard to Corsham to attend school, his attention was...
Marjorie Eagles
Marjorie Lilian was born in 1918 at New Farm, Corsham to Harry & Lilian Pocock who owned and ran the farm. She had an older brother Philip, and a younger sister Joan. Her education began at home, with a governess called Miss Boyce, then later she attended the...
Sir Henry Danvers
A long-standing feud in the 1590’s between the families of Danvers and Long, resulted in Sir Henry Danvers murdering Sir Henry Long at a house in Corsham in 1594. Henry Danvers was accompanied by his brother Charles, when about seventeen others are reputed to have...
H. B. Coates
The Coates family seemed to be well established in Corsham in the mid 1800’s. Herbert Bishop Coates was born in Corsham in 1844, his wife Emma, born in Biddestone two years later. They had a large family of 10 children – 6 girls, and 4 boys. Unfortunately, 3 were to...
Lt. Daniel Clutterbuck
There is a grave at the rear of St Bartholomew’s churchyard, where lies a man who took part in the Crimean War, and the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ on the 25th October 1854. He was slightly wounded in the right foot during that battle, but was able to remain in...
The Cawte Family
First identified in around 1820 there was a Thomas Cawte, a dairyman, born in Fareham in 1820. With his wife Emma, (b.1830), they raised a son George (b.1856), who also married an Emma (b.1855). Together they had 3 children, Charles George (b.abt.1876), Isobel...