STONEHOUSE, Gloucestershire - Extract from National Gazetteer, 1868

"STONEHOUSE, a parish and post town in the hundred of Lower Whitstone, county Gloucester, 3 miles W. of Stroud, and 9 from Gloucester. It is a station on the Great Western Union railway. It is situated on the Stroudwater canal, and comprehends the hamlets of Ebley and Hawardsfield, and part of the chapelry of Cain's Cross. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the manufacture of woollen goods. The soil is fertile, on a substratum of oolite. The principal residence is Stonehouse Court.

The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol, value £510, in the patronage of the Crown. The church, dedicated to St. Cyril, has a tower and six bells. It has a stained window, and has been rebuilt, with the exception of its tower. There is also a district church at Cain's Cross, the living of which is a perpetual curacy This latter was built in 1836. The parochial charities produce about £51 per annum, of which £47 go towards the support of the schools. There are National and British schools for both sexes. The Independents have a chapel. N. S. Marling, Esq., is lord of the manor and sole landowner. Fairs for cattle and pleasure are held on 1st May and 11th October."

"EBLEY, a village in the parish of Stonehouse, hundred of Whitstone, county Gloucester, 2 miles E. of Stroud, its post town. Woollen cloth is manufactured here, and there is a saw-mill, with steam-power. The Independents have a chapel, and there is a British school."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]