I have written before about George Short, who owned the house from 1801 to 1833. We have two plaques with his initials. The first commemorates his restoration of the workshop in 1793 – during his father’s ownership – and the second his own major restoration of the house in 1812.
George Short died in the house on Thursday 9 May 1833, aged 68, and was buried in a very prominent tomb at the entrance to Chipping Sodbury churchyard. He left the house and contents, his cordwainer’s business and some leasehold property in Yate but no will. His son, also George, applied for letters of administration and was required to submit an inventory of his father’s possessions. That inventory survives in the Gloucestershire Archives and has recently been published online at Ancestry.
Not only does the inventory give us a fascinating glimpse into George Short’s lifestyle, it also gives a description of each room, which we can compare to the house as it is today. That is what I intend to do in future blog posts.
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