Curbridge One-Place Study

Curbridge is a Hamlet approximately 2 miles south west of Witney. It is the Hamlet where my Great Grandfather Frederick Edwin SMITH lived, as did his family for many generations before him. When Fred immigrated to Australia in 1907, his attachment to the town continued with him naming his home in Brisbane, Queensland, ‘Curbridge’. This continued through the generations with one of his grandsons also naming his home ‘Curbridge’. The strong connection to Curbridge, that Fred passed on to his children resulting in that connection having a strong influence on me and has been a large part of my Family History journey.

Curbridge covers an area of about 2,983 acres. In 1801 Curbridge had a population of 353. There was a Union Workhouse in operation in Curbridge throughout the later part of the 19th century. The population during the later half of the 19th century were predominantly farm Labourers.

I hope with this study to look at the various people who were living in Curbridge, Oxfordshire, and the way the families were connected through marriage. Starting with my own family, I hope to develop over time family lineages for those families living in Curbridge.

Image is of Lord Kitchener Public House, Curbridge, formerly The Herd Of Swine. © Barbara Bordicott (nee Lord)