There is a house called The Cherries in The Common (GL15 6SG). Could this have once been the Cherry Tree cider house?
Wednesday 11th April 1860 – The Saint Briavel’s Murder:
Joseph Webb was charged at Gloucester assizes with the wilful murder of an old man named John Hughes, under circumstances of extraordinary brutality, oh the 4th January last.
Prisoner is a labourer, who had been working for Mr. William Kear, a timber-merchant, cider-dealer and small farmer, and who also retailed cider at a house called the Cherry Tree, at the Lower Mynde, in the parish of St. Briavel’s, Gloucestershire. About six o’clock on the morning of the 4th January prisoner went to his work as usual, and about nine o’clock George Hughes came, and announced that he was sufficiently recovered to go on with his work. He went out about three o’clock in the afternoon to see a calf in an outhouse about 300 yards from the house, Mr. Kear accompanying him, and prisoner remained in the kitchen.
What then occurred may best be gathered from the evidence of Richard Kear, an intelligent boy of thirteen. He said: I was sitting on the settle in the kitchen, and prisoner snatched from me some bread and meat which I was eating. I said if he was so greedy as that he might have it. He began teasing me, pulling my hair, pinching me, and bumping my head against the wall. I called out, and my sister Eliza came out of the other room. She told him if he did not leave me alone she would strike him with a stick she had in her hand. He continued, and she struck him with the stick on the head. He took the stick from her. My grandfather then came into the kitchen, and he helped my sister to get prisoner away from me. He struck my sister down in the settle after that, with his fist. Esther came out of the parlour, and he immediately struck her down over the handle of the settle. I told Esther to go after my father, and prisoner struck me then.
John Hughes, the deceased, was sitting on a chair by the fire, and the prisoner came round by him and struck him down. I fetched a spade and said if he struck my grandfather again I would strike him with the spade. He did strike him again, as he was sitting on the settle, and I struck prisoner on the head with the spade. I ran out, prisoner following. I dropped the spade outside the house, and my grandfather picked it up. He was going to throw it away, but prisoner wrenched it from his hand, and knocked him down with his fist. John Hughes came out with his hat on, and was going away, when prisoner ran after him and struck him on the head with the spade. Prisoner next struck my grandfather down with the spade, and kicked him. Grandfather’s left arm was broken, and my sister Eliza said prisoner had killed grandfather, and he struck her down with his fist. She got up and ran away, and he followed her nine or ten yards, then turned back and struck Hughes with the spade on the head as he was lying on the ground. There was blood on Hughes’s head. He was quiet, and I thought him insensible. Grandfather had got up, and was standing by the door, and prisoner again knocked him down with the spade in the door-way. I then ran up to the prisoner and kicked him. He tried to hit me with the spade, but I avoided the blow. I got grandfather in the house, and locked the door. Prisoner came and struck the door with the spade. I went out by another door into the orchard, which is on higher ground than the house. I then saw my father coming up from the fold yard, going towards where John Hughes was lying. Prisoner then threw a stone at my father, which did not hit him. I threw a stone at the prisoner, which hit him and knocked him down. I then went off for the police. Prisoner was not drunk.
Several witnesses corroborated this evidence, and agreed in saying that the prisoner was sober at the time.
Mr. Hatton and Mr. Reed, surgeons, gave evidence as to the state of the deceased, whose skull was fractured in three places, the bone being driven into the brain, this being the immediate cause of death. Prisoner had sustained injuries on each side of the head. He was calm and quite sober when the surgeons saw him at midnight.
The jury found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter, and the Judge sentenced him to penal servitude for life.
Gloucester Journal, 1st June 1872:
William Kear, William Maddocks, John Hughes, Thomas Williams, Henry Davis, Thomas Davis, William Bullock, Edwin Taylor, William Taylor, William Richards and Charles Kear were charged by Supt. Chipp, with being at the Cherry Tree Inn, St Briavels, drinking after hours. Fined 2s.6d. and costs.