The Pocock family appear to have leased their estate from part of the lands of the manor of Isleworth Syon, which was held by the Crown.
The Swan Inn, Tottenham, is situated nearly opposite High Cross, at the corner of Philip Lane on the High Road from London to Edmonton. In 1890 it was described as a 'wine and spirit establishment', but it had been an inn since the medieval period. According to the 'History of the County of Middlesex', the Swan at High Cross was often illustrated in Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler as the 'sweet shady arbour' where Piscator took his friend Venator, although the author's 17th-century riverside haunts can no longer be identified.
'Feoffment' was an early form of conveyance involving a simple transfer of freehold land by deed followed by a ceremony called livery of seisin.
An 'indenture' was a deed or agreement between two or more parties. Two or more copies were written out, usually on one piece of parchment or paper, and then cut in a jagged or curvy line, so that when brought together again at any time, the two edges exactly matched and showed that they were parts of one and the same original document. A 'right hand indenture' is therefore the copy of the document which was on the right hand side when the parchment was cut in two.
A 'fine' was a fee, separate from the rent, paid by the tenant or vassal to the landlord on some alteration of the tenancy, or a sum of money paid for the granting of a lease or for admission to a copyhold tenement.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
A History of the County of Middlesex notes that "in 1853 Henry Merceron leased out no. 21 Victoria Park Square as a store for the Queen's Own Light Infantry Regiment of the Tower Hamlets militia. The site stretched to Globe Street and by the 1860s included a barracks".
From: 'Bethnal Green: Building and Social Conditions from 1837 to 1875', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11: Stepney, Bethnal Green (1998), pp. 120-126.
A marriage settlement was a legal agreement drawn up before a marriage by the two parties, setting out terms with respect to rights of property and succession.
Yeoveney Farm was a manor in Staines, formed in the 13th century. It comprised 200-300 acres situated east of Staines Moor. The land was usually farmed by tenants and the manorial rights lapsed soon after 1758. The land passed to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
The History of the County of Middlesex mentions a 'Batcher Field', comprising 63 acres, as situated east of Northolt village.
Source of information: 'Staines: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 18-20; and 'Northolt: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 109-113.
Francis J Kent was acting as a solicitor based on High Street, Hampton, by 1847. He was also the solicitor to and director of the Hampton Court Gas Company, founded in 1850 to supply gas to Hampton and the surrounding area. By 1855 Francis had been joined in the business by his sons and the name of the business was changed to Kent and Sons. In 1908 Kent and Sons was described as a 'solicitors and perpetual commissioners' run by Charles William Kent. The business was situated on High Street, Hampton, until at least 1937.
The manor of Ealing or Ealingbury was presumably the 10 hides at Ealing granted in 693 by Ethelred, king of Mercia, to the bishop of London for the augmentation of monastic life in London. The manor passed through various owners until 1906 when most or all of the land was sold to the Prudential Assurance Company.
The Middlesex Regiment originated in the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot, founded in 1755 and 1787. In 1782 and 1807 these regiments were designated the 57th West Middlesex Regiment and the 77th East Middlesex Regiment. In 1881 they were joined and given the name The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment); which was changed in 1921 to The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).
Information from Middlesex by Sir Clifford Radcliffe (2 editions, 1939 and 1954), LMA Library reference 97.09 MID.
A fine was a fee, separate from the rent, paid by the tenant or vassal to the landlord on some alteration of the tenancy, or a sum of money paid for the granting of a lease or for admission to a copyhold tenement.
Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).
Terrier refers to a register of landed property, formerly including lists of vassals and tenants, with particulars of their holdings, services, and rents. It can also refer to a rent-roll; or, in later use, a book in which the lands of a private person or corporation, are described by their site, boundaries, acreage, and so on. It can also mean an inventory of property or goods.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
In 1801 Harry Hart, then living in Princes Street in the parish of Saint James Westminster and described as a Pastry Cook, took a lease of a house in Arabella Row Pimlico for £335 but in 1803 he had evidently retired from his occupation of pastry cook and was now described in deeds as "gentleman" while his brother Robert who lived or carried on business in the Strand continued work as pastry cook and confectioner. For the next 23 years Harry Hart, sometimes alone and sometimes with his brother, leased a number of small properties in various parts of London to people of various descriptions.
In 1807 however, Robert Salmon, of Woburn, Bedfordshire, invented a truss for the treatment of rupture and requiring capital to market his invention he took into partnership Harry Hart and John Ody, previously a dyer. Salmon died in 1821 and in 1825 Hart sold his interest in the partnership to Ody in return for an annuity of £250 payable for 12 years In 1813 Hart was living in Flask Lane in the Parish of Saint George Hanover Square but in 1816 he had moved to Brixton Hill. Robert Hart married a Miss Norris.
Teddington Manor was originally part of Staines, but was independent by the 13th century. It was owned by Westminster Abbey who also owned Staines. In 1536 the Abbey swapped the manor with king Henry VIII for land at Berkshire; and Teddington was added to the honour of Hampton Court.
Both the Abbey and the Crown leased the manor out; it was taken by various families. The estate was sold in 1861 and all the copyhold land was enfranchised by 1874, after which the manor ceased to exist. The manor house had been pulled down by 1913.
'Teddington: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 69-71.
Highgrove House in Eastcote, Ruislip, was constructed in 1881 for to designs Sir Hugh and Lady Juliana Hume-Campbell after the existing house was ruined by fire. The house was designed by E S Prior in an early Georgian style. It is now Grade II listed. Winston Churchill is believed to have honeymooned there. The house was later used by the Middlesex County Council to accommodate homeless families.
The origins of the Justices of the Peace lie in the temporary appointments of 'conservators' or 'keepers' of the peace made at various times of unrest between the late twelfth century and the fourteenth century. In 1361 the 'Custodis Pacis' were merged with the Justices of Labourers, and given the title Justices of the Peace and a commission (see MJP). The Commission (of the Peace) gave them the power to try offences in their courts of Quarter Sessions, appointed them to conserve the peace within a stated area, and to enquire on the oaths of "good and lawfull men" into "all manner of poisonings, enchantments, forestallings, disturbances, abuses of weights and measures" and many other things, and to "chastise and punish" anyone who had offended against laws made in order to keep the peace.
During the sixteenth century the work of the Quarter Sessions and the justices was extended to include administrative functions for the counties. These were wide ranging and included maintenance of structures such as bridges, gaols and asylums; regulating weights, measures, prices and wages, and, probably one of their biggest tasks, enforcing the Poor Law. The bulk of the administrative work was carried out on one specific day during the court's sitting known as the County Day (see MJ/O, MJ/SP and MA). By the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was clear that the Quarter Session's structure was unable to cope with the administrative demands on it, and it lost a lot of functions to bodies set up specifically to deal with particular areas - the most important of these was the Poor Law, reformed in 1834. By the end of the century, when the Local Government Act of 1889 established county councils, the sessions had lost all their administrative functions. The judicial role of the Quarter Sessions continued until 1971, when with the Assize courts they were replaced by the Crown Courts.
According to the History of the County of Middlesex: "Small areas of the waste and village greens were inclosed from the early 16th century onwards. By 1700 there is evidence that the old pattern of open-field arable cultivation was being replaced by inclosure for pasture and hay farming. ... A further 700 acres were inclosed in 1835 under an Act of 1825, and the transition to large-scale hay farming continued slowly".
From: 'Northolt: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 109-113. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22426&strquery=clos. Date accessed: 25 August 2010.
The coronership is an ancient county office concerned originally with pleas of the crown within the county. By 1689 the Coroner's duties had been reduced to the holding of inquests in cases of death under circumstances of suspicion and committing to trial persons against whom verdicts of murder or manslaughter had been returned by the inquest jury. Coroners were also empowered to hold inquests over 'treasure trove' and wrecks.
Under an Act of 1752 (26 Geo II c29) coroners were paid 20/- for every inquisition held and 9d for every mile travelled to view a body. These fees were paid out of the County rates by order of the justices. Coroners returned accounts of inquests held, usually in the form of a list, giving also the mileage travelled and total sum due, which were approved for payment, in Middlesex, by an Accounts Committee. Sometimes inquisitions and witnesses' depositions were returned instead of or in addition to the account.
Coroners were elected by county freeholders (except in certain liberties) and held the office for life. By the Local Government Act 1888 the power to appoint Coroners was transferred to the new County Councils.
Counties were usually divided into districts with a Coroner assigned to each. Sometimes, however, Coroners did act in the district of another Coroner. Coroner's districts changed in size and extent over time, often due to increased population and changes in local government boundaries.
Middlesex: From the 18th century the ancient county of Middlesex was divided into two main Coroner's districts - the Western and the Eastern. There were in addition two liberties having their own Coroner: the City and Liberty of Westminster, and the Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster.
In 1862 a new district was formed, the Central District, by taking 23 parishes and liberties from the Western District. The Western District was further reduced in size in 1892, losing four parishes to the new County of London, and again in 1915 when six parishes were transferred to the Central District.
This Central District formed in 1862 was greatly reduced in size in 1892 by the transfer of most of its area to the new County of London. The situation was partly reversed in 1915 when it received six parishes from the Western District of Middlesex. The Central District vanished entirely in 1926 when it was amalgamated with the Eastern District of Middlesex.
The Eastern District of Middlesex remained intact until 1888 when it was divided into two separate districts - the South Eastern and the North Eastern Districts. Very shortly afterwards, in 1892, both districts were transferred to the new County of London, apart from the parishes of Wood Green and Tottenham. These were then formed into a new Eastern District of Middlesex which absorbed the Central District in 1926.
The City and Liberty of Westminster was a franchise Coroner's District and remained separate with its own Coroner until 1930, when it was merged with the Central District of the County of London.
The Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster was likewise a franchise Coroner's District with two parts in Middlesex: the Liberty of the Savoy, and Edmonton with Enfield. In 1889 the Liberty of the Savoy was transferred to the County of London where it joined the Duchy of Lancaster (Clapham) remaining as a franchise district until 1930 when Clapham was merged with the Southern District of the County of London, and the Savoy with Westminster in the Central District. The Edmonton and Enfield part of the Duchy of Lancaster in Middlesex remained separate until 1932 when it was merged with the Eastern District of Middlesex.
These Acts of Parliament were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the local history of London and Middlesex.
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Probate (also called proving a will) is the process of establishing the validity of a will, which was recorded in the grant of probate.
Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.
Source: British Records Association Guidelines 3: How to interpret deeds (available online).
The Wood family settled at Littleton in Middlesex c 1663 and remained there until 1873/4, when the original mansion (built by Edward Wood 1663-5) was largely burnt down and Thomas Wood built a new one at Gwernyfed, Brecon, Wales. The present mansion was partially rebuilt on the same site by Richard Burbidge, who purchased the property from the Wood family.
A manuscript Pedigree Book of the Wood family was drawn up in the nineteenth century and this traces the family back to the fifteenth century, when they were living in Fulbourne, Cambridgeshire. Sir John Wood (1536-1633) sold the family estates in Fulbourne and settled in Beeston, Yorkshire, while his brother Nicholas settled in Norfolk.
Nicholas' son, Edward Wood, (c 1604-1667), was born in Suffolk and moved to London some time before 1634. The baptisms of several children are recorded in the registers of St. Dunstan's in the East, but only Thomas (1641-1723) survived infancy. Edward Wood described himself as a "Citizen and Grocer", and it seems that he had a house in Thames Street. He moved to Littleton around 1663 and set up as a gentleman farmer, while continuing to run his London business through his agent John Pack. Collection ACC/0262 includes many letters from Edward Wood to his agents discussing business matters.
Edward's son Thomas Wood married Dorothy Dicer in June 1666 at Saint Dunstan's in the East, and moved into the house at Littleton. Edward Wood died in March, 1667 and was buried at St. Dunstan's in the East on March 20th. Thomas and Dorothy had two sons, Robert and Edward, who both went to Eton and Oxford.
When Thomas died in 1723 Robert took over the Littleton house. He extended the family land holdings in the area, but it was his son, Thomas, who finally purchased the Manor of Littleton itself from Gilbert Lambell in 1749. It then remained in the hands of the Wood family until 1873.
The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.
The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.
In 1800 the Manor of Hayes was sold to the executors of Robert Child's will and was therefore added to Osterley and passed to Lady Sarah Sophia Fane and her husband the Earl of Jersey. They sold the Manor in 1829 to Robert Willis Blencowe.
The Manors of Norwood and Southall were united in 1547. In 1754 they were sold to Agatha Child who left them to her son Francis Child. They were united with the Manor of Hayes and followed the same descent-passing to the Jersey family and then sold to Robert Willis Blencowe.
The Manor of Wick (or Wyke) was sold to the Earl of Jersey in 1802 and incorporated into the Osterley estates.
For more information about Osterley Park and Manor see 'Heston and Isleworth: Osterley Park', and 'Heston and Isleworth: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 100-111 (available online).
See also 'Hayes: Manors and other estates' and 'Norwood, including Southall: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 26-29 and pp. 43-45.
An estate in Mill Hill known as Belmont Farm was acquired by Peter Hammond between 1768 and 1792. He left the estate to his daughter, wife of Somerset Davies. Davies coveyed 83 acres to Robert Anderson in 1801, but when Anderson went bankrupt in 1803 the estate was bought by Captain Robert Williams. He conveyed the estate to David Prior in 1812. Prior's widow sold the estate to Sir Charles Flower in 1820. Flower was a mill owner and had been Lord Mayor of London. He purchased more land from Robert Finch and Michael Coomes in 1821 and 1826, so that by 1828 his estate comprised 441 acres and stretched from the Hale to the Totteridge boundary, including Lawrence Street, Uphill and Bittacy farms. Flower left the estate to his son James, who died in 1850. By 1889 the estate had been split up.
From: 'Hendon: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 21-23 (available online).
According to an entry in "Dickens's Dictionary of London", by Charles Dickens, Junior, (1879): "So many of the poorer among the working classes of London are absolutely compelled to live within easy distance of their work, that a serious problem is added to the many difficulties which arise when great metropolitan improvements are in contemplation. The destruction of whole quarters of the town, which house, however inadequately, many families, is not an enterprise to be undertaken without due regard being had to the requirements of those whose little homes are taken from them, and who, if matters are left to take their own course, have no choice but to seek refuge in the already over-crowded streets and alleys which remain untouched. Fortunately this is a question that early attracted the attention of practical philanthropists, and several associations now exist which have its solution for their object ... THE ARTIZANS, LABOURERS, AND GENERAL DWELLINGS COMPANY-In the words of its prospectus, "this company was established for the erection of improved dwellings near to the great centres of industry, but free from the annoyances arising from the proximity of manufactures." Large estates have been secured near Clapham Junction and the Harrow-road the former, called Shaftesbury-park, is now covered with about 1,150 houses whilst the partially developed Queen's-park Estate, Harrow-road, contains nearly 800 houses. The estates have been laid out with every regard to the latest sanitary improvements. The Shaftesbury-park Estate is readily accessible from Kensington, Victoria, Waterloo, Ludgate-hill, and London-bridge, at low fares; while the Westbourne-park Station on the Metropolitan District and Great Western Railways, and the Kensal-green Station on the Hampstead Junction and North London Railway, and the new station on the London and North-Western main line, with a good service of omnibuses, make the Queen's-park Estate at Harrow-road almost equally accessible. The sale of intoxicating liquor is altogether excluded. The company reserves the right to prohibit sub-letting, or to limit the number of lodgers. There is a co-operative store on the Shaftesbury-park Estate as well as a handsome hall for public gatherings and society meetings; and on both estates the School Board for London has provided ample school accommodation. The houses are divided into four classes, according to accommodation and position. The smallest - the fourth-class - contains five rooms on two floors. A third-class house has an additional bed-room. In the second-class house there is an extra parlour, making in all seven rooms; while a house of the first-class has eight rooms - a bath-room being the additional accommodation. The present weekly rental, which includes rates and taxes, except in the case of the first-class houses, is as follows:
an ordinary fourth-class house, 7s. 6d.
third-class, 8s. 6d.
second-class, 10s.
first-class, 10s. and 11s.
The shops, corner houses, those with larger gardens than ordinary, and some other exceptional houses, are subject to special arrangements both as to rental and purchase. The company is also prepared to sell the houses on lease for 99 years, and on easy terms, subject to a moderate ground-rent; the object being to encourage the personal acquisition of the house by payment of a slightly increased rental. All applications to rent or purchase houses must be made in the first instance to the sub-managers on the estates, and all letters must contain a stamped envelope for reply."
Source: http://www.victorianlondon.org/dickens/dickens-mus.htm (accessed July 2009).
Albion Lodge was a large house, constructed in 1815, and situated in what was once the rural outskirts of Tottenham parish. In 1861 the new Saint Ann's church, with its schools and model cottages, brought development to the area. The area is now known as Fortis Green and the Lodge has been converted into a residential care home for the elderly.
Mill Hill did not always have an Anglican church. Until the 1820s parishioners had to go to St Mary's Hendon to worship, some miles away, but in the 1820s it was clear that the district would require a chapel of ease. Local resident William Wilberforce, the anti-slavery campaigner, became the central benefactor in 1827. Saint Paul's was completed in 1830, and consecrated in 1833. It became a parish church in 1926.
Fysh Coppinger was a London merchant who married into the de Burgh family of West Drayton and took the surname of Burgh.
The Ashburnham family lived at Ashburnham Place, East Sussex, from the 12th century onwards. The family rose to a position of prominence during the reign of Charles I, and supported the monarchy in the Civil War. They lost their estates during the Interregnum but regained Ashburnham Place during the Restoration. John Ashburnham was made the 1st Baron Ashburnham in 1689. The line became extinct on the death of Thomas Ashburnham, the 6th Earl, and the estate was broken up and sold.
The family had extensive estates across England and Wales, including a house in Dean's Yard, Westminster, and at Dover Street, Piccadilly (both known as Ashburnham House), and property in Chiswick and Chelsea. The Dean's Yard property is now part of Westminster School. The Dover Street property was constructed by the 2nd Earl, John Ashburnham (1724-1812).
These papers were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the local history of Middlesex, rather than having a united provenance (that is, being produced by the same institution or business).
'Viscount Melbourne' is probably Peniston Lamb (1745-1828), a substantial landowner in Derbyshire and Hertfordshire, for many years an MP, and from 1770 an Irish peer as first Baron Melbourne (Viscount Melbourne from 1781). His son William Lamb became Prime Minister as the second Viscount Melborne.
A field club is for those interested in local natural history and wildlife.
These papers relating to cultural events were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the subject, rather than having a united provenance (that is, being produced by the same institution or business).
The old parish of Ickenham was situated between the River Pinn and the Yeading Brook, adjacent to Hillingdon parish. It covered around 1,458 acres. In 1937 the civil parish merged with Uxbridge and since 1965 the are has been part of the borough of Hillingdon. The parish comprised farmland and fields until the construction of the Metropolitan Line extension in 1904, which encouraged the construction of residential houses.
The Victoria County History of Middlesex notes: "at the inclosure of 1780 the open fields of Ickenham amounted to 683 acres. They began near the junction of Glebe and Austin lanes and covered the south of the parish. To the north of the Yeading Brook were Tipper Hill and Woe Acres. Two meadows in the parish were called Brook Mead. One was on the Ickenham bank of the Pinn near Beeton Wood, the other lay along the southern bank of the Yeading Brook where it entered the parish north of the modern airfield. Adjoining this Brook Mead was Ickenham Marsh. Middle Field and Bleak or Black Hill were inside the loop of the Yeading Brook on the banks of which were also Tottingworth Field, Swillingtons, Further Field, and Down Barnes Hill, which lay further to the south. Many of these fields are visible from the point where Western Avenue crosses the Yeading Brook. Bleak Hill, mentioned as early as 1367, rises gradually to about 8 feet above the level of the road and is topped by a clump of trees." From: 'Ickenham: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 100-102 (available online).
The Bedfont Road Act made provision for repairing the road from Powder Mills on Hounslow Heath to Twenty-milestone at Egham Hill, Surrey.
The Manor of Sunbury originated in a grant of land from King Edgar to his relative Earl Aelfheath, in 692. It was purchased from Aelfheath by St Dunstan, who gave it to Westminster Abbey. In 1222 it was transferred to the Bishop of London and remained in their control until 1559 when it passed to the Crown. It was leased by the Crown to Nicasius Yetswiert and was later leased to his widow.
In 1603 the Crown granted the manor to Robert Stratford, who conveyed it to Thomas Lake. Lake's son Lancelot sold it to George Bunyan in 1663. By 1674 it was held by Francis Phelips and then by his three daughters, one of whom was married to Sir John Tyrwhitt. Tyrwhitt is recorded as sole lord in 1693, but sold the manor to Isaac Guiquet St Eloy in 1698.
The manor was sold to Sir Roger Hudson in 1718, and was then held by his daughter Martha, married to Edmund Boehm. The Boehm family were lords until 1820. It changed hands several times between 1820 and 1909. In 1925 the manor virtually lapsed and the exact ownership was unknown in 1957.
Source of information: 'Sunbury: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 53-57 (available online).
In 1086 Stanwell Manor was held by William fitz Other and in the time of King Edward it had belonged to Azor. The estate recorded in Domesday Book probably comprises most of the ancient parish except the manor of West Bedfont, which was already separate. In 1796 there were 539 acres copyhold of the manor, nearly all lying east of Stanwellmoor. By 1844 the lord of the manor owned Hammonds farm, Merricks farm (later known as Southern farm), and Park farm (later Stanhope farm), as well as about 84 acres around his house and a few other small areas. The manorial rights, house, and lands were separated in 1933.
William fitz Other, the Domesday tenant, was constable of Windsor castle and his descendants took the name of Windsor. They held Stanwell of Windsor castle for over four centuries, together with lands principally in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. In 1485 Thomas Windsor left a widow, Elizabeth, who held Stanwell with her second husband Sir Robert Lytton. Thomas's son Andrew was summoned to parliament as Lord Windsor from 1529. The story of his loss of Stanwell has often been told: in spite of Windsor's previous favours from the Crown, Henry VIII compelled him in 1542 to surrender Stanwell in exchange for monastic lands in Gloucestershire and elsewhere. Sir Philip Hobby was made chief steward of the manor in 1545. Sir Thomas Paston was granted a 50-year lease during Edward VI's reign, and Edward Fitzgarret in 1588 secured a lease to run for 30 years from the end of Paston's term. In fact Fitzgarret was in possession when he died before 1590. His estate was much embarrassed and after litigation Stanwell passed to his son Garret subject to certain rent-charges to his daughter. In 1603 the freehold was granted to Sir Thomas Knyvett, who became Lord Knyvett in 1607. Knyvett and his wife both died in 1622, leaving their property to be shared between John Cary, the grandson of one of Knyvett's sisters, and Elizabeth Leigh, the granddaughter of another. Elizabeth married Sir Humphrey Tracy, and she and Cary held Stanwell jointly until her death. In 1678 the Knyvett estates were divided between Cary and Sir Francis Leigh, who was apparently Elizabeth's heir. Cary retained Stanwell, which he left to his great-niece Elizabeth Willoughby on condition that she married Lord Guildford; otherwise it was to pass to Lord Falkland. After Elizabeth's marriage to James Bertie she held the manor under a chancery decree until her death in 1715.
It then passed to Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland (d. 1730), who sold it in 1720 to John, Earl of Dunmore (d. 1752). His trustees sold it in 1754 to Sir John Gibbons. It descended in the Gibbons family with the baronetcy until 1933, when the manorial rights were sold to H. Scott Freeman, clerk of Staines urban district council, who still held them in 1956.
Source: 'Stanwell: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 36-41 (available online).
The manor of Ickenham was formed by joining two holdings, both described in the Domeday Book as "Ticheham", which were united under Earl Roger some time before 1094. The manor passed through various owners until 1334 when it was purchased by merchant John Charlton. He left the estate to his daughter Juette, wife of Nicholas Shorediche. The Shorediche family retained the manor until 1812 when it passed to George Robinson, probably after foreclosure on a mortgage debt. George Robinson's will was disputed and Chancery ordered that his property be sold in 1857. Ickenham was purchased by Thomas Truesdale Clarke and merged with his neighbouring manor of Swakeley's.
'Ickenham: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 102-104 (available online).
The manor of Shepperton was granted to Westminster Abbey by Edward the Confessor between 1051 and 1066. The Abbey later granted the manor to an undertenant but retained the overlordship until the Dissolution. In 1741 the manor was sold to the trustees of Penelope Stratford, who was then a minor. Penelope married Richard Geast, who later took the name of Dugdale. After his death she sold Shepperton in 1811 to Thomas Scott (d. 1816). The manor afterwards passed to his nephew James Scott (d. 1855). In 1856 it was purchased by W. S. Lindsay, a ship-owner and member of Parliament who wrote a history of merchant shipping as well as one of Shepperton, and was largely responsible for the construction of the Thames Valley Railway (d. 1878). He was succeeded by his grandson, W. H. Lindsay (d. 1949). In 1954 W. H. Lindsay's widow transferred the estate to her husband's nephew, Mr. P. A. R. Lindsay, who was the owner in 1958.
The manorial demesne contained 100 or more acres of arable in the 14th century and a good deal of meadow and pasture. There is no reliable information about its extent thereafter before 1843, when the estate belonging to the lord of the manor amounted to some 380 acres. This included the Manor Farm in Chertsey Road with which the bulk of the property was leased. By 1867 the estate comprised about 600 acres, but some of this has since been sold.
From: 'Shepperton: The hundred of Spelthorne (continued)', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 1-12 (available online).
The manor of Enfield is first recorded as held by Ansgar the staller in 1066. In 1086 it was owned by Geoffrey de Mandeville and stayed in his family until 1419 when it became the property of King Henry V. Subsequently it was assigned to various female members of the Royal family, including Margaret of Anjou; and was leased out by the Royals until the lease was acquired by the Duke of Chandos in 1742.
Source: "A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton, Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham", 1976, (available online).
Simon Dyot was a landowner in the parish of St Giles in the Fields, Holborn. He died some time before 1692 and his estates were inherited by his son Richard Dyot. The family had a street named after them (now George Street).
Thomas Skip Dyot Bucknell, MP for Hampton Court, inherited the estate. He died in 1815.
William Comyns of Lena Villa, Highgate Rise was a silversmith. He appears to have retired to Bromley, assigning his property to Charles Harling Comyns and Richard Henry Comyns of 41 Beak Street, silversmiths, presumably his sons. Charles and Richard traded as William Comyns and Sons, manufacturing silversmiths, from the Beak Street address.
The first Council of Social Service was founded in Hampstead in 1901 by Thomas Hancock Nunn (1859-1937) who laid the foundations of the London Council of Social Service. In 1910 the Social Welfare Association for London was inaugurated at a meeting at Mansion House: this body had the active support of both the Lord Mayor of London (Sir John Knill) and the chairman of the London County Council (Sir Melvill Beachcroft). The aim of the association was to "secure systematic co-operation between social, charitable and industrial undertakings throughout the metropolis, and the establishment of councils of social welfare in every metropolitan borough to give effect to these objects". In 1919 the association changed its name to the London Council of Social Service (LCSS). From 1979 onwards, the Council has been known as the London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC), and it is still the central co-ordinating body for social work organisations and activities throughout Greater London.
The LCSS was involved in many different aspects of social work and provided a number of key services to small and disparate organisations. Its core activity was the servicing, support and promotion of local Councils of Social Service in the metropolitan boroughs. In its early existence, the organisations belonging to Councils of Social Service (CSS) provided direct services which later became the responsibility of statutory bodies. Social service, however, developed a wider interpretation and now most members of CSS's are either self-help groups formed to alleviate distress caused by a particular disease or handicap, or community groups concerned with the improvement of the environment and the quality of life. The CSS's aim to provide the means for a partnership between the voluntary and the statutory services in existence at any one time. The LCSS was split up into various departments, each having an advisory committee. The Information Department worked to assimilate, assess and process all relevant information from general and specialist sources, making it available in concise form to social workers. From 1923, the LCSS produced a London Supplement, which was circulated with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) monthly bulletin. From 1965 the LCSS had its own independent monthly publication on the social services (see Information Bulletin, ACC/1888/267-283).
The London Churches Group, made up of representatives from all the major denominations, Greek Orthodox, Quaker, Salvation Army and Jewish Communities, provided a channel of the churches' thinking to the LCSS. The Community Development Department played an important role in the activities of the LCSS. In 1937 a committee was formed to consider methods of dealing with social problems on newly designed housing estates and to promote community associations and centres on such estates. In 1945 a full-time officer was appointed to keep in touch with the 120 community associations and advise local authorities on community development work.
Citizens' Advice Bureaux grew out of LCSS activities in London during the Second World War. After meeting the emergency need during wartime, the Citizens' Advice Bureaux Regional Advisory Committee continued its work in conjunction with the LCSS in looking to provide new Bureaux. LCSS confirmed thereafter to provide advice and support to local Bureaux and helped recruit staff.
An LCSS inquiry into facilities for overseas students in Paddington in 1954 formed the start of its concern on the issue of race relations. The Council sought to promote understanding between immigrants and the host community, and to define or alleviate problems of individual groups. The Immigrants Advisory Committee (IAC) was set up in 1959 to be a source of information and advice on immigrant problems. This body later became known as the Committee for Inter Racial Co-operation consisting of representatives of official bodies and minority ethnic groups. It aimed to promote racial harmony and eliminate discriminatory practices. In 1968 the LCSS took over responsibility for the Commonwealth Students' Children Society.
The Family Services Department was started in the early 1950's after the CAB's had reported a rise in the number of requests for help in the matter of domestic economy. Homemaking Advice Groups, now run by local authorities, were set up under the guidance of a team of specialists from the Institute of Housecraft and the Ministry of Education. The department also wished to provide more play facilities for the under fives, encourage domestic safety and locate accommodation for homeless families.
Other activities supported by the LCSS were the Greater London Standing Council of Voluntary Youth Organisations (GLSCVYO), which provided a forum for the discussion of common problems, and the Volunteers Advisory Service, which supports volunteer bureaux in London boroughs and aims to establish standards of practice in placement and training of volunteers. Much of the LCSS activity in the above departments was pioneering. It was held in high regard by local government, government and overseas groups. In addition it helped found schemes of national importance: for example, the Charity Christmas Card Council was formed after the LCSS information officer organised the first display of Christmas cards for good causes in 1958. In response to the expansion of London into Greater London it took on a forward-looking, strategic role through organisations such as the Greater London Arts Association, the Association of London Housing Estates and the Greater London Conference on Old People's Welfare. Many of its schemes were later copied by other CSS's throughout the country.
Along with LCSS material is a considerable quantity of material from the National Council of Social Services (NCSS). The NCSS was founded in 1919 by Thomas Hancock Nunn, organising vice-chairman of the original Social Welfare Association for London. It had close links with the LCSS, their offices being situated near to each other for most of their lives. Some staff worked in both offices: files were often passed from organisation to organisation.
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establih fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
The auctioneers were Goddand and Smith and the auction was held 14-17 July 1964 at the Piccadilly Hotel.
The Parliamentary constituency of Ealing existed from 1885 to 1945. After this date the area was divided into smaller constituencies, Ealing East and Ealing West (both abolished 1950), Ealing South (1950-1974) and Ealing North (1950-1997).
The London Grosvenor Building Society was established in 1878 and latterly had offices at 5 Old Brompton Road, London SW7. It was taken over by the Woolwich Building Society.
Between 1950 and 1983 the society took over a number of other building societies based in the London area, including the Middlesex Building Society and the Metropole Building Society.
Etchingham Park School, Finchley, was constructed in 1903.
The tax was raised as part of an assessment levied on the County of Middlesex by order of the Lord General Cromwell 'towards the maintenance of the Armies and Navies of this Commonwealth', 9 Nov 1653.
Francis Sanders was probably the General-Receiver for Middlesex appointed by the assessment commissioners.
Frank Smallwood taught for 44 years (1911-1955) at Sir Walter St John's School, Battersea. When he retired, he was invited to write a history of the school, which was founded in 1700. He collected much information about the school over the period 1955-1970 but then his interests moved away from the school to the St John family and the local history of Battersea.
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
Probate (also called proving a will) is the process of establishing the validity of a will, which was recorded in the grant of probate.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
The Kodak Company - a subsidiary of the US-based Eastman Kodak Company - opened its first UK offices in Soho Square, London in 1885. It subsequently moved to Harrow.
Crews Hill Golf Club was founded in 1916 in parkland near Enfield. Charles Whitcombe was their professional golfer between 1925 and 1950. He still holds the course record, set in June 1937.
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
An assignment of term, or assignment to attend the inheritance, was an assignment of the remaining term of years in a mortgage to a trustee after the mortgage itself has been redeemed. An assignment of a lease is the transfer of the rights laid out in the lease to another party, usually for a consideration (a sum of money).
Probate (also called proving a will) is the process of establishing the validity of a will, which was recorded in the grant of probate.
Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".