In 2013, a rent ledger surfaced in a Stroud dealer's warehouse. The ledger had no identifying owner but the names - over 200 tenants - and places were all in Stroud. The dealer was a regular customer at a local pub and the landlord is interested in local history, so the ledger was given to Stroud Local History Society (thanks, Rodda). We asked around and worked out that the ledger might have come from the offices of a local builder father and sons called Beavis. They were based in Rodborough and the company ceased trading shortly after the death of Edward Beavis in 1950.
The property is mainly based around Rodborough Court, and allotments at Horns Road and Summer Street, but local houses and shops are listed here too. Because of the content we have assumed that all the properties listed belonged to Beavis. Or the ledger might have belonged to a rent collector; we do not know.
We tried to find the proper owner, without success (if you can help, do please get in touch). Since Gloucestershire Archives already holds a number of items relating to the Beavis Company, we donated the ledger to the collection there (it is catalogued as D13444). Lists like these are very interesting for family and social history researchers so first we photographed every page and typed a precis. Below are the names and the property they rented. If you want to see more, and cannot get to the Gloucester Archives, please go to the scanned accounts on our cloud storage here.
ANDERSON Mrs: Rodborough Court | ANGELL L G: Uphill | ARNHAM (?): Stanfields (see WAGER) | ARTHOE?: Hill St | ASH: Horns Rd allotments | Assam Frontier Tea Co: no location given | BABINGTON: Horns Rd allotments | BAGLIN: Stanfields [paid by F James] | BAKER: Rodborough Avenue allotments | BALLINGER L: Stanfields | BALMER A E: Enderley | BARNES F: Brick House | BARRATT: Rodborough Avenue allotments | BARSTOW G W: Stanfields | BARTLETT F: Summer St 80 | BARTLETT L: Summer St 77 | BARTLETT Mrs: Summer St 77 | BEARD: Horns Rd allotments | BEAVER: Middle Hill | Beavis & Son: Rodborough Court | BELCHER: Horns Rd allotments | BENDALL S: Brierley | BETTERTON: Summer St 78 | Billeting Officer: Gloucester St 8 | Billeting Officer: Parliament? 93 | Billeting Officer: Summer St 75 | BIRT: Rodborough Court | BIRT R J: Rodborough Court Flat 1 | BLANCH: Stanfields | BROOKES Mrs: Spillmans Pitch | BROWN John: no location given | BULLOCK: Court Bank | BULLOCK: Summer St 93 | BURFORD: Middle St 53 | BURNS: Summer St 62 | BURROWS Mrs: Summer St 93 | CARPENTER Mrs: Summer St 92 | CHAMBERS U C: Court Bank | CHANDLER: Court Bank | CHANDLER: Summer St 75 | CHAPMAN J W: Stanfields | CHAPMAN Mr: Stanfields [garden after Davis?] | CLARK P: Horns Rd allotments | CLARKE: Rodborough Avenue allotments | CLEMENTS G W: Horns Rd allotments | COOK D L: Stanfields | COOK R: Middle St 52 | COOK S: Rodborough Avenue allotments | Cotswold Players Rates: no location given | Coventry Gauge & Tool Co: no location given | COX A: Horns Rd allotments | COX R Junr: Horns Rd allotments | CRATCHLEY A: Stanfields | CRATCHLEY S: Horns Rd allotments | CRICK: Horns Rd allotments | CRITCHLEY: Rodborough Court Bungalow | CURRY: no location given | Daniels Ltd, Tithe: no location given | DAVIES: Summer St | DAVIES: Stanfield garden rent see 20/5 | DAVIES Mrs M: Summer St 67 | DAVIS Mrs McNaught: Summer St | DAVIS T: Horns Rd allotments | DAY Mrs: Butts | DIXON L H: Enderley | Dooars Tea Co: no location given | DOWNING W G: Craiglands | DUBILIER: Horns Rd allotments | DURN B: Summer St 80 | DYER: Court Bank | DYER: Middle Hill 3 | EDWARDS P: Summer St 94 | ESTOP: Cainscross Road Motor House | ESTOP A C: - | Face & Arkell: Hill St 9/10 | FIELD G: Horns Rd allotments | FLETCHER Mrs: Middle Hill 6/7 | FLETCHER R: Butts | FORD F: Rubblehole | FRANKLIN: Summer St 82 | FRIEND Mr (+Mrs): Rodborough Avenue allotments | GARDINER: Stanfields - Elmsleigh | Gardiner & Son: Service garage and lock-ups | GARDINER Mrs: Summer St 92 | GARDINER S C: Summer St 75 | GARDINER S C: Summer St 75 | GARDNER Mrs L: Field Road | Gas meters: Rodborough Court gas meters | GASS Mrs: Middle Hill 6/7 | GAY G B: Stanfields | GIBSON Mrs: no location given | GILES: Rodborough Avenue allotments | GRIFFITHS: Rodborough Avenue allotments | GUILDFORD: Horns Rd allotments | HABGOOD Mrs A: Stanfields | HALL: Rodborough Avenue allotments | HANDFORD: Horns Rd allotments | HARDING: Summer St 76 | HARDING: Horns Rd allotments | HARE H J: Rodborough Court | HATHAWAY S: Court Bank | HEFFERMAN: Summer St 83 (93?) | HEMMING: Rodborough Avenue allotments | HERBERT: Spillmans Pitch | HERBERT: Rodborough Avenue allotments | HERBERT J: Horns Rd allotments | HIND: see Morgan Hind | HOBURN: Summer St 62 | HOBURN: see BURNS | HODGES: Far Hill Lodge | HOLBOROUGH: Rodborough Avenue allotments | Horns Road Allotments: Horns Rd allotments sold May 1948 | HOWE Mr: Rodborough Court Gardens | HOWE Mr: Rodborough Court Villas | HUGHES: Rodborough Court Flat | HUGHES R J: Rodborough Court Villas | HUGHES R J: Rodborough Court Gardens | HUGHES R J: Rodborough Court Gardens (36/2) | HUNT: Horns Rd allotments | JAMES R [folio says F]: Stanfields | JEFFCOTT: Stanfields | KENWORTHY: St Mary's Cottage | KIBBLE: Summer St 92 | KILMINSTER: no location given | KIRBY: Horns Rd allotments | KIRBY Mrs: Summer St 93 | L M S Railway Co: Right of way to Capels Mill | Lambeth Building Soc: no location given | LANE: Summer St 92 | Lawson Miss: Rodborough Court garages | LONG: Middle Hill 4/5 | LONG L: Middle Hill 2 | MacFisheries: Gloucester St 16 | MacMILLAN: Gloucester St 8 | MARTIN Miss: Rodborough Court | MARTIN Miss: Rodborough Court | MATTHEWS C A: Summer St 69 | McKEE Mrs: Field Road | Melia's: Gloucester St 16 | MELLERS Mrs G: St Mary's Cottage | MERRY: Summer St 92 | MILES E: Ashcombe Avenue | MILLER: Stanfields | MILLER N: Rodborough Avenue allotments | MILLER S: Summers St 85 | MILLS Mr: Rodborough Court land | MITCHELL: Summer St 94 | MITCHELL Mrs: Rubblehole | MORGAN HIND Mrs: Summer St 75 | MORLEY J: Rodborough Court | MURRAY F(/): Court Bank | National Solus Sites Ltd: no location given | NEALE M E: Goldwick | NEWMAN: Far Hill | NOBLE E: Summer St 79 | NOBLE J Junr: Summer St 82 | ORGAN: Rodborough Court garage | PARNHAM: Sunnyside | PARTRIDGE: Rodborough Avenue allotments | PAYNE C: Rodborough Court | PEGLER: Summer St 67 | PHILLPOTTS: Summer St 91a | PHILLPOTTS: Rodborough Avenue allotments | PITTFIELD L? S: Horns Rd allotments | POPE: Horns Rd allotments | PORTER E: Horns Rd allotments | POULS S: Summer St 91a | POWELL: Horns Rd allotments | POWELL G: Summer St 68? See folio 81/B | POWELL Mrs R: Spillmans Pitch | PUTTOCK: Summer St 68 folio 75 but added to | RABY Mrs: Ashcombe | REDSTON H: Rodborough Avenue allotments | RIDLER A: Horns Rd allotments | RINE A: Rodborough Avenue allotments | Rodborough Avenue: Rodborough Avenue allotments | ROLT J: Summer St 91a | Ryeford Pan Mills: no location given | SCOTT Mrs: Horns Rd allotments | ShellMex Lrtd: Cainscross Rd | SHEPHERD Max: Gloucester St 16 (Sugar King) | SHIRLEY: Middle Hill 1 | SIMMONDS A: Summer St 75 | SKINNER A F: Stanfields | SMEE A E: Rodborough Avenue allotments | SMEE A E Esq: Tolcarne | SMITH: Brick House garage | SMITH H: Summer St 83 (93?) | SPENCER Mr: Rodborough Court | STAFFORD F: Summer St 81 | Stroud Div Labour Club: no location given | Stroud Electric Co: Wayleaves | Summer St allotments: Summer St allotments | SUTTON (late): see GARDINER | TANNER H G: Horns Rd allotments | TARRANT R: Rodborough Avenue allotments | TAYLOR P C: Horns Rd allotments | THOMAS: Field Road | TILEY: Far Hill right of way | TILEY: Rodborough Court land | TOWNSEND A: Rodborough Avenue allotments | TURNER: Rodborough Court | TURVEY: Horns Rd allotments | VAUGHAN: Stanfields | WAGER: Stanfields | WATSON W: S J (?) | WEARREN J: Horns Rd allotments | WEBB: Court Bank | WEBB G: Middle Hill | WEBB H S: Horns Rd allotments | WEBB W: Horns Rd allotments | West Glos Power Co: Wayleaves | WETSON: Horns Rd allotments | White & Higness: Cainscross Rd Motor Houses | WHITNEY H?: see BIRT | WHITNEY Mrs O: Rodborough Court Flat 9 | WICKS W O Esq: Annesley | WILLIAM V Powell: [1854 Randall & Payne] | WILLIS: Summer St 68 | WITNEY Mrs: no location given | WYATT PC (police constable?): Horns Rd allotments | WYMAN P: Middle St 73 | YOUNG: Hill St |
Stroud Local History Society's website contains many more articles and resources about local people and places.