WILLIAM BRAIN my great grandfather born abt 1867 at Crofts End, Deep Pit, St. George, Bristol; died Abt. 1919 at 25 Speedwell Road, St. George, Bristol. He was the son of MOSES BRAIN and SARAH BRAIN (nee HAYNES). He married ALICE BANFIELD May 30th 1887 at St. Mary's, Bitton, Gloucestershire. William Brain was a collier and later an Insurance Agent he died about 1919 aged abt 52 years of the Miners lung disease after a long illness. He was a great local Character in the Speedwell area. He spent his days after he was unable to work out side his home by the window at 25 Speedwell Road watching the world go by. He was a keen supporter of the Crofts End Mission.

1 WILLIAM BRAIN b: Abt. 1867 in St George, Gloucestershire d: Abt. 1919 in Speedwell Road, St George, Bristol
.. +ALICE BANFIELD b: 04 Apr 1868 in Hopewell Hill, Kingswood, Gloucestershire d: 17 Mar 1950 in 25 Speedwell Road, St George,
.. 2 BLANCHE ELIZABETH BRAIN b: 29 Oct 1899 in Deep Pit, Crofts End, St George, Bristol d: 1962 in Bristol
....... +EDWIN CREESE b: 16 Feb 1896 in 50 Thrissell St, Easton, Bristol d: 1948 in Seamills, Bristol
...... 3 JOAN MARGARET CREESE b: 18 Jan 1931 in Bristol d: 09 Sep 1974 in Bristol
........... +NORMAN SIDNEY TAYLOR b: 30 Dec 1926 in Bristol d: 25 Nov 1980 in Keynsham, Bristol
........... 4 PAUL b: 01 Aug 1963 in Bristol

1871 Census 61 Crofts End, St George, Gloucestershire, England Moses Brain Head M 44 Coal Miner ................ Gloucestershire, Mangotsfield Sarah Brain Wife M 40 .................................................. Gloucestershire, Oldland Sarah J Brain Dau S 16 Cotton Weaver ................ Gloucestershre, St George George Brain Son S 13 Coal Miner ....................... Gloucestershire, St George Alice Brain Dau 11 Scholar ....................................... Gloucestershire St George James Brain Son 8 Scholar ..................................... Gloucestershire, St George Martha Brain Dau 6 Scholar ..................................... Gloucestershire, St George WILLIAM BRAIN Son 3 .............................................. Gloucestershire, St George ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RG10; Piece: 2555; Folio: 10; Page: 12; GSU roll: 835264

1881 Census Crofts End,Bristol St George, Gloucester, England Moses BRAIN Head M Male 55 Coal Miner.................... Mangotsfield, Gloucester Sarah BRAIN Wife M Female 50 ................................................... Bitton, Gloucester James BRAIN Son U Male 18 Coal Miner ................................... Bitton, Gloucester Martha BRAIN Daur Female 16 Cotton Weaver ........................ Bitton, Gloucester WILLIAM BRAIN Son Male 14 , Coal Miner ......................... St George, Gloucester Samuel F. BRAIN Son Male 7 , Scholar ............................... St George, Gloucester --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Family History Library Film 1341600 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 2492 / 129 page Number 29

ALICE BANFIELD my great grandmother born April 4th 1868 at Hopewell Hill, Kingswood,
Gloucestershire; died March 17th 1950 at 25 Speedwell Road, St. George, Bristol. She was the daughter of
ALFRED BANFIELD and MARY ANN BANFIELD (nee BATEMAN) her father was a collier and her mother Mary ann
at the time of her marriage appears to have been working down the mines too!.



Gt grandmother Alice Brain (nee Banfield) 1868-1950

My father and mother knew her well. Her son in law (Mr Collier) who lived with her and his family at her home
25 Speedwell Road related that she was a typical straight laced Victorian very fond of The Crofts End Mission which
was just round the corner. Alice out lived at least three of her children and several sons in law, including my grandfather
Edwin Creese who died in 1948. My mother (and father) knew Alice well.

A grandson wrote

Alice Brain suffered a stroke during 1937,that left her paralyised below the waist on the right hand side.Her right leg was completely useless.
After the stroke Gran moved into the parlour (that was what the front room was called in those days). I never EVER saw her outside of the parlour. She spent most of her time in bed,her bed was across the room just inside the window so that when she was sat up in bed she could watch what was going on outside on Speedwell Road. She could move about the room by hopping on her left foot while steadying herself against the walls with her hands. My mother took her meals in to her,for toilet she used a commode. Alice was a Christian,very much so but she kept it private,she never talked about dying,she always talked about going to be with William.I was custodian of the fireplace,as soon as I got up each morning I had to clean out her firegrate,then lay and light her fire,then make sure that it was burning well before going to school, then also tend the fire when I came home from school. Alice is buried at Avon View cemetry,I do not know the plot number.

Crofts End Mission was very important to the Brain family, to understand why you have to know the history.In Alice Brains time the area
had several coal mines,Speedwell pit was about 1/2 mile up the road,The Deep Pit (always pronounced D pit) only about 1/4 of a mile
behind the house,most of the Brain family were miners,as you often find with people employed in a dangerous occupation,they were a close knit
community.Only 7 houses away in No11 lived a miner named George Brown, George felt that he received a call from god to teach the message
of the bible to the miners and their families. He started by running bible classes in the front room of a house in a street of houses now known
as freestone rank.( When I was a boy it was called Friezestone Rank for a very good reason.During the 18th and 19th centuries many of
the grand houses had sculptured friezes made from limestone, the stone masons always called limestone, friezestone. The terraced houses 491 to 531 Whitehall Road are all built from limestone blocks,hence friezestone rank. During the bible lessons the miners decided to build their own church,at each meeting those present were asked to donate either a penny or a brick,in those days bricks were made right alongside The Crofts End Mission site.(The clay quarry and the brick kilns existed up until the 1950s when John Somers bought the site for a timber yard.)
The people of the Crofts End community actually built the church with their own hands.Then George became the full time minister. All of the Brain family attended the Mission.