Nicholas Abbott of Uxbridge was a malster, while his son William Abbott (fl. 1677-84) was a victualler. Edward Powell of Uxbridge (fl 1791) was a carpenter who had 6 children.
The firm of Woodbridge and Sons, formerly Riches and Woodbridge, seems to have been, if not the sole firm of solicitors in Uxbridge in the 19th century, then certainly the most prominent, and many of the leading Uxbridge families are well represented in the collection. Riches and Woodbridge is listed in the Post Office Directory of 1847 as situated on the High Street, Uxbridge. By 1853 the solicitors is listed as Riches, Woodbridge and Son and by 1859 as Charles Woodbridge and Sons.
In Kelly's Directory of Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex of 1908 the important role of the family in local government is revealed. Woodbridge and Sons are listed as "solicitors, and solicitors to Uxbridge Permanent Building Society, 38 High Street". Charles Woodbridge is described as "solicitor, commissioner for oaths, clerk to the magistrates for Uxbridge division, clerk to the commissioners of taxes, to the Joint Hospital Board, Uxbridge Rural District Council, clerk to the guardians and assessment committee of Uxbridge Union and superintendent registrar of Uxbridge district and joint registrar of county court"; his son Algernon Rivers Woodbridge, is listed as a solicitor and deputy superintendent registrar of Uxbridge Union, while Francis Charles Woodbridge is a solicitor and clerk to Uxbridge United Charities and Thomas Hurry Riches Woodbridge is a solicitor and joint registrar of county court. Edgar Thomas Woodbridge is simply listed as 'solicitor'.
The business subsequently expanded. In the 1937 Kelly's Directory of Middlesex their offices are listed at 38 High Street, Uxbridge and 7 New Square, Lincoln's Inn, London. Algernon Rivers Woodbridge is described as a solicitor, clerk to the magistrates for Uxbridge division, clerk to commissioners of taxes and superintendent registrar of Uxbridge district; while Edgar Thomas Woodbridge is listed as deputy superintendent registrar and clerk to the Joint Hospital Board. Francis Charles Woodbridge is listed as clerk to the Uxbridge United Charities.
Although centred on Uxbridge, the firm's business spread over the neighbouring Middlesex and Buckinghamshire parishes, particularly Harlington, Hayes, Hillingdon and Denham.
The Manor of West Drayton was owned by Saint Paul's Cathedral from around 1000. It was leased out or farmed for the common benefit of the canons. Henry VIII acquired the manor in 1546 and granted it to Sir William Paget (1506-1568). It remained in the Paget family until 1786 when Henry Paget, the first Earl of Uxbridge (1744-1812) sold it to Fysh Coppinger, a London merchant. Coppinger assumed his wife's surname of de Burgh and the manor stayed in the de Burgh family until 1939.
Information from: 'Hillingdon, including Uxbridge: Manors and other estates', 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. 69-75 (available online).
The manorial rights of Twickenham Manor were granted to Queen Henrietta Maria as part of her jointure in 1629, and, having been sold by Parliament in 1652, were returned to her at the Restoration. In 1665 she granted the manor to the Earl of Clarendon. His son Laurence Hyde, who was created Earl of Rochester in 1682, was in possession in 1689.
From: 'Twickenham: 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. 147-150 (available online).
Saint Mary's oldest part is 12th century and the church was largely remodelled in the 13th century. Its octagonal font dates to c.1200. Other parts of the church date from the 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th century. It was extensively restored in 1862-3. St Mary's contains the tomb of Richard Cox (d.1845), a local brewer who was responsible for perfecting Cox's Orange Pippin at Colnbrook in the adjoining parish. The church has a tower with a cupola. The doorway is Norman and the interior varies between 13th and 16th centuries. Some of the pews are 16th century. All the brasses were stolen at the time of the restoration in the mid 19th century.
Chipping Barnet (also known as High Barnet) and South Mimms are situated in Hertfordshire, in a part which runs east, forming a sort of peninsula jutting into the former Middlesex.
Until 1841, the legal status of being a bankrupt was confined to traders owing more than £100 (this was reduced to £50 in 1842). Debtors who were not traders did not qualify to become bankrupt, but stayed as insolvent debtors, who were held responsible for their debts but unable to pay them, they remained subject to common law proceedings and indefinite imprisonment, if their creditors so wished. The legal definition of 'trader' came to include all those who made a living by buying and selling and included all those who bought materials, worked on them and then re-sold them. Those who wished to qualify as bankrupts, and thus avoid the awful fate of an insolvent debtor, sometimes gave a false or misleadingly general description of their occupations: "dealer and chapman" was very common.
The Bankruptcy Act of 1571 allowed commissioners of bankrupts to be appointed; so that a bankrupt could discharge his debts by sale of his assets, and then begin trading again with his debts cleared. The bankrupt's creditors would petition the Lord Chancellor to allow a commission of bankruptcy. These Commissioners were independent assessors who would decide whether the debtor was eligible for bankruptcy proceedings, and oversee the sale of his assets and repayment of his creditors. In 1832 the Court of Bankruptcy was established.
Source of information: The National Archives Research Guide "Legal Records Information 5: Bankrupts and Insolvent Debtors: 1710-1869" (available online).
James Milner left his estates in Tottenham to his grand-daughter Elizabeth who was married to Henry Sperling.
A manor in Tottenham known as the Rectory manor was held by Henry Piper Sperling from 1797.
The Barons Boston had their seat in Hedsor, Buckinghamshire. William Irby (1707-1775) the first Baron Boston, Frederick Irby (1749-1825) the second Baron and George Irby (1777-1856), the third Baron are all mentioned in the documents in this collection.
Grundey Hooper were a firm of solicitors operating in Middlesex.
A field club is for those interested in local natural history and wildlife.
A "recognizance" was a bond or obligation by which a person undertook before a court or magistrate to perform some act or observe some condition, in this case to appear at the next quarter sessions. A sum of money was usually paid if the conditions of the recognizance were not met.
The Commission of the Peace gave Justices of the Peace 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.
The cases which the justices originally dealt with were offences which could not be dealt with by the manorial court (i.e. misdemeanours), but which were less serious than those which went to the Assize Judges (i.e. felonies). Misdemeanours included breaches of the peace - assault, rioting, defamation, minor theft, vagrancy, lewd and disorderly behaviour, and offences against the licensing laws. In 1388 a statute laid down that the court sessions should meet four times a year (hence the name 'Quarter Sessions'): Epiphany, Easter, Trinity (midsummer) and Michaelmas (autumn) - two or more justices (one at least from the quorum) were to decide exactly where and when.
The judicial process began even before the sessions opened with examinations being taken by the magistrates once the crime had been reported by the constable, the injured party or a common informant. The accused could then be bailed to keep the peace or to appear at the next sessions, be remanded in gaol before a trial, or acquitted. Once the sessions had opened there was still an examination by a Grand Jury as to whether there was a case to answer, before the trial proper could get underway.
Richard Hassell was a Justice of the Peace for the Hundred of Edmonton.
Since 1361 the Justices of the Peace met in their court of Quarter Sessions to try offences, and also, from the mid Sixteenth Century to deal with county administration. It was from this latter date with the increase in their workload that Justices began to do some of their business (minor legal and specific administrative tasks) outside of the formal sessions, either singly or in small groups.
Over the next century meetings outside of sessions became more regular, and more matters were dealt with there which had previously been heard at full sessions. They were often carried out at the magistrates' own homes, sometimes at special session meetings in a local court house, tavern or other meeting place.
An order made by the Middlesex Quarter Sessions in 1705 that the "petty sessions" for the several divisions of the county should be held "at the known and usual place" indicates that their existence must have been well recognised by then. The divisional arrangement in the County was based to a large extent upon the old administrative area known as a 'hundred'. Ossulston was the largest, densely populated and further divided into several smaller parts from at least the 1680s - Holborn Division and Finsbury Division within it remained as petty sessional divisions until the late Twentieth Century. From 1828 all courts of Quarter Sessions were able to create districts or divisions specifically for petty sessions, either new areas or formalising any earlier informal divisions.
Oxgate Farm was part of the estates built up by the Roberts family in Willesden from 1295 onwards. Francis Roberts purchased Oxgate in 1587. The family sold Oxgate in 1700.
'Willesden: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 216-220 (available online).
The Court of Common Pleas was founded by King Henry II to hear common pleas (matters between subject and subject). It was the only Court where personal actions of account, covenant, debt and detinue could be heard. The Court also had jurisdiction to review and change the decisions of older courts. From 1187 the Court sat at Westminster. The Court was headed by a Chief Justice, working with a team of lesser justices (between three and eight in number at various times) and a large number of clerks. The Court was abolished in 1875.
The Court of King's Bench (or Queen's Bench, depending on the monarch) was founded circa 1200 to hear common pleas, although it came to specialise in pleas of special interest and concern to the king, such as those which involved his own property interests, or breach of his peace, or an error of judgment by another royal court. By 1675 the King's Bench was the highest court of common law in England and Wales, with jurisdiction over both civil and criminal actions. Civil business was conducted on the 'Plea Side' and criminal business on the 'Crown Side'. It was absorbed into the High Court in 1875 (source of information: The National Archives Research Guides "Legal Records Information 34" and "Legal Records Information 36").
The Court of Exchequer originated after the Norman Conquest as a financial committee of the Curia Regis (the King's Court). By the reign of Henry II it had become separate, and was responsible for the collection of the king's revenue as well as for judging cases affecting the revenue. By the 13th century the court proper and the exchequer or treasury began to separate. The court's jurisdiction over common pleas now steadily increased, to include, for example, money disputes between private litigants. A second Court of Exchequer Chamber was set up in 1585 to amend errors of the Court of the King's Bench. These were amalgamated in 1830 when a single Court of Exchequer emerged as a court of appeal intermediate between the common-law courts and the House of Lords. In 1875 the Court of Exchequer became, by the Judicature Act of 1873, part of the High Court of Justice, and in 1880 was combined with the Court of Common Pleas (source of information: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008).
The Lord Chancellor and his deputies sat in the Court of Chancery to hear disputes about inheritance and wills, lands, trusts, debts, marriage settlements, apprenticeships and so on. As an equity court, Chancery was not bound by the stricter rules of common law courts. Please see The National Archives Research Guides "Legal Records Information 22", "Legal Records Information 42" and "Legal Records Information 28" for more information (all available online).
In medieval times Saint Mary's was one of the most important churches in Middlesex. There is a twelfth-century tower with tall octagonal lead spires. The nave was re-built in the thirteenth-century when the rector was Elias de Dereham, the canon of Salisbury. Various additions and embellishments took place under John Byrkhead, rector from 1437 to 1468, then restored heavily in the nineteenth century. Many brasses including a small brass of John Lyons, founder of Harrow School.
The modern Arnos Grove originated in woods known as Arnolds which consisted of a house and 24 acres of land. In 1584 this was conveyed to Humphrey Weld (later knighted), a grocer from London. Weld added to the estates with 13 acres purchased from Robert Cecil in 1610. He died in 1611 and his son, Sir John Weld, bought a further 150 acres from William Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, in 1614, including the Minchenden woods in Southgate. John Weld died in 1623 and his widow Frances sold the property in 1645.
From: 'Edmonton: 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. 154-161 (available online).
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 Manor of Sunbury was held by John Alliston between 1825 and 1852. The estate was then sold to John Park, who died in 1887 leaving the manor to his widow. It was then left to their son C J Park who died in 1909, when the manor passed to the Chester family.
From: '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).
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 Volunteer Corps were predecessors of the modern Territorial Army. They were first formed in 1859 to counter French threats of invasion. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex volunteer battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).
No historical information has been traced for Richard Lowndes or his father William Lowndes.
The Commission (of the Peace) gave Justices of the Peace 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.
The Custos Rotulorum (Keeper of the Rolls) was responsible for the care of the county records. Appointed (since the fourteenth century) in the Commission of the Peace, he was a leading justice, unpaid and holding the post for life; and from the seventeenth century usually also holding the office of Lord Lieutenant of the county. His Deputy was the Clerk of the Peace who was in practice the actual keeper of the records, and who drew up, registered and oversaw the storage of the records.
The court case between the Duke of Westminster as Custos Rotulorum of the County of London and the Duke of Bedford as Custos Rotulorum of the County of Middlesex concerned the custody of quarter sessions records relating to those parts of Middlesex which were moved into the new County of London. The Local Government Act of 1888 had given the Middlesex Sessions House at Clerkenwell Green to the new County of London. As part of their vacating of the premises, the Middlesex Clerk of the Peace removed all court records to the Middlesex Guildhall in Westminster. The Duke of Westminster argued that the records should be divided between the two counties, so that records relating to those parts of Middlesex now in London should be handed over to the custody of London County Council. The judgement was that the records created in what was Middlesex at the time should stay in Middlesex, despite later changes of administrative boundary. A full report of the case and the reasoning behind the judgement can be found in The Times newspaper for December 19 1899.
The Manor of Harlesden was leased to Sir William Roberts from 1649, and presumably formed part of the Harlesden estate which was sold to Richard Taylor, a London vintner, from 1689. The lease was renewed by Richard's son John in 1717, by John's son, also John, in 1729 and 1760, and his son Richard in 1771. Richard died in 1835 and the lease expired and was taken up by John Belemore, a local gentleman.
In 1665 and 1671 Sir William Roberts also sold Richard Taylor 128 acres in Harlesden. Richard's great-grandson, also Richard, held the land in 1823. His daughter Emily sold parts of it in 1878-79, holding 76 acres in 1887. The remainder of the estate was sold off in 1925 by Frederick Gibbons, a relation.
From: 'Willesden: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 208-216 and 'Willesden: Other estates', pp. 216-220 (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 Volunteer Corps were predecessors of the modern Territorial Army. They were first formed in 1859 to counter French threats of invasion. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex volunteer battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).
The parish of Hillingdon lay in the north west of Middlesex, bordered by the river Colne, Harefield, Ickenham, Hayes, Harlington, West Drayton and Harmondsworth. Hillingdon, Uxbridge, and Cowley are very closely related; for example Uxbridge and, later, the manor of Hillingdon were included in Colham manor; while Uxbridge hamlet extended into Hillingdon parish and parts of Cowley village lay in Hillingdon. In 1841 Hillingdon parish, including the township of Uxbridge, contained 4,944 acres and Cowley parish 306 acres.
The Victoria County History of Middlesex notes that "by the time of the first parliamentary inclosure in 1795 approximately three-fifths of Hillingdon parish had already been inclosed. Inclosure of small parcels of waste probably proceeded steadily from the late medieval period onwards: some open-field land had been inclosed before 1636, and the process accelerated during the 17th and 18th centuries. Under the 1795 Act Cowley Field, comprising 331 acres in Hillingdon and Cowley parishes, was inclosed. A second Act, passed in 1812 and executed in 1825, inclosed a further 1,400 acres and completed the inclosure of open-field and waste land, save for 15 acres of Uxbridge Common which were reserved as an open space."
From: 'Hillingdon, including Uxbridge: 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. 55-69 (available online).
The Wolley family lived in Clifton, Bristol; although there was a branch at Hampton Court. The records reflect the concerns of family life: finances, legacies, marriages and family connections.
An apprenticeship indenture is a legal document, signed by the apprentice and their master, which laid out the terms and conditions of the apprenticeship. The length of service is usually specified; while sometimes the obligations of the master are mentioned (e.g. to provide food, shelter and lodging) and any premiums paid are noted.
The History of the County of Middlesex notes that George Buckton of Hornsey (who appears frequently in this collection) left £200 in stocks in his will of 1847 which was to be used to provide blankets and clothing for the poor of Hornsey.
From: 'Hornsey, including Highgate: Charities for the poor', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980), pp. 199-205.
In 1750 Samuel Wegg bought a house and a few acres of land in Acton. The house was known variously as 'the Paddocks', 'Acton House' and 'the Elms'. Samuel's wife Elizabeth Lehook added to their land when she inherited the Bank House and estate; while Samuel further increased the estate, purchasing the Daycroft estate from the Chapter of Saint Paul's cathedral in 1758 and leasing Acton Ponds from the Bishop of London from 1777.
Wegg died in 1802 and left his estates to his son George Samuel, who died in 1817. The estates passed to Samuel's daughters, one of whom, Sarah Prosser, was married. The other, Elizabeth, moved into the Elms and took up management of the estate. She continued to lease Acton Ponds, but sold Bank House in 1837. When she died in 1842 the estate comprised 169 acres.
The estates were left to a distant relative, Charles Gray Round of Birch Hall in Essex. The Rounds leased out the Elms, and sold Daycroft in 1889. They continued to lease Acton Ponds, buying the freehold in 1877. They sold the ponds to the Council in 1903, while other parts of the Elms estate were also sold off.
Source of information: 'Acton: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 16-23 (available online).
The licences were for one year, and were issued by the Commissioners of Stamps and Taxes in accordance with 50 Geo. III. c.41: the Hawkers Act 1810.
Licences for hawkers and pedlars were first introduced in 1697. They were managed by the Board of Commissioners of Hawkers, Pedlars and Petty Chapmen. In 1810 this Board was replaced by the Board of Hackney Coach Commissioners, and then in 1832 the licencing work was taken over by the Board of Stamps and Taxes.
The size of Finchley Common is unclear - it was between 500 acres and 1,600 acres in size. When it was enclosed it consisted of 900 acres.
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).
In 1086 South Mimms was held by Geoffrey de Mandeville as a berewick of the manor of Edmonton, and in the time of King Edward it had belonged to Ansgar the staller. The overlordship of South Mimms manor followed the descent of Enfield. The manor seems to have been subinfeudated in 1140-4, when Geoffrey de Mandeville, earl of Essex (d. 1144), granted half of it to Hugh of Eu. By 1210-12 the whole manor was in the hands of Ernulf de Mandeville, probably a descendant of Geoffrey's eldest son, Ernulf, who held it of the honor of Mandeville for one knight's fee. Ernulf seems to have been deprived of his holding, for in 1216 the manor was granted by King John to Henry the Teuton. Ernulf's son, another Ernulf, had regained possession by 1235-6 and from him it apparently passed to his brother Hugh. It was later in the possession of the Lewknor family, who seem to have been connected with the Mandevilles, for in 1268 Sir Roger Lewknor held a Suffolk manor of Hugh de Mandeville. Sir Roger was succeeded in 1295 by his son Thomas, whose heir Thomas secured a grant of free warren in South Mimms in 1313. The first recorded lease of the manor was by Thomas's son, Roger, to John de Byllyngdon in 1394 for 20 years. The manor remained in the Lewknor family until 1483, when Sir Thomas Lewknor was attainted and his lands granted to Robert Scrope. In 1484 Lewknor was pardoned and his lands were restored in 1485.
It is uncertain when the manor was transferred from the Lewknor family to the Windsors. In 1503 the manor court was held in the name of Edmund Dudley, and other feoffees, to the use of Dudley's brother-in-law Andrew Windsor, later Lord Windsor (d. 1543). In 1519, however, Roger Lewknor, who was said to be seised in fee of the manor, leased it to Sir Andrew and George Windsor, during the life of Sir Thomas West and others. In 1525 Sir Edward Neville, who was Sir Andrew's son-in-law and said to be the sole surviving trustee, released the manor to Roger Corbett and Henry Draper. In 1530 South Mimms was conveyed by Draper to Sir Edward Neville, William Windsor, and others. In 1542 it was claimed by Anne Knyvett, a daughter of Roger Lewknor, and her husband John Vaughan, from whom it was eventually conveyed in 1567 to Edward, Lord Windsor (d. 1575). The manor descended in the Windsor family until 1606 when Henry Howard, earl of Northampton, and other executors of Henry, Lord Windsor (d. 1605), sold it to Robert Cecil, earl of Salisbury (d. 1612). The manorial estate has remained largely intact in the hands of the Cecil family.
From: 'South Mimms: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 282-285 (available online).
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.
'Ealing and Brentford: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 123-128.
Joseph Corbetta and his brother Charles, jewellers, appear in the London 1851 census, at which time they were aged 43 and 40 respectively.
North Thames Gas Board (1949-1973): one of 12 Area Boards formed when the gas industry was nationalised in 1949, following the passing of the 1948 Gas Bill. Supplied area of 1,059 square miles stretching from Bracknell, Marlow and High Wycombe to the south east coast of Essex. When formed it was made up of a merger of 12 statutory gas undertakings: Ascot and District Gas and Electricity Company, Chertsey Gas Consumers Company; Commercial Gas Company; (Chartered) Gas Light and Coke Company; Hornsey Gas Company; Lea Bridge District Gas Company; North Middlesex Gas Company; Romford Gas Company; Slough Gas and Coke Company; Southend Corporation (Shoeburyness); Uxbridge Gas Consumers Company and Windsor Royal Gas Light Company. The North Thames Gas Board was dissolved in 1973 when it became a region of the British Gas Corporation. Note - Consumers Gas Companies were set up in consequence of dissatisfaction with the existing supplier.
Gas Light and Coke Company (1812-1949): founded in 1812, this was the first company to supply gas to London. The Company absorbed 27 smaller companies and several undertakings during its period of operation, including the Aldgate Gas Light and Coke Company (1819), the Brentford Gas Company (1926), the City of London Gas Light and Coke Company (1870), the Equitable Gas Light Company (1871), the Great Central Gas Consumer's Company (1870), Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company (1876), the Independent Gas Light and Coke Company (1876), the London Gas Light Company (1883), Pinner Gas Company (1930), Richmond Gas Company (1925), Southend-on-Sea and District Gas Company (1932), Victoria Docks Gas Company (1871) and Western Gas Light Company (1873). In May 1949, after the passing of the Gas Bill 1948, the Company handed over its assets to the North Thames Gas Board.
Brentford Gas Light Company (1821-1926): founded in 1821 at the instigation of Sir Felix Booth, the company had works at Brentford and retorts at Southall and covered a wide area including Hammersmith, Kensington, Southall, Twickenham and Richmond. Merged with the Gas Light and Coke Company in 1926.
Harrow and Stanmore Gas Company (1872-1924): Harrow Gas Works founded in 1855 by John Chapman and rebuilt in 1872 as the Harrow Gas Light and Coke Company Limited and became a statutory company as the Harrow District Gas Company in 1873. In 1894 it became the Harrow and Stanmore Gas Company. Merged with the Brentford Gas Company in 1924. Both merged with the Gas Light and Coke Company in 1926.
Pinner Gas Company (1868-1930): founded between 1868 and 1872, merged with Gas Light and Coke Company in 1926.
Hornsey Gas Company Limited (1857-1949): formed in 1857, became statutory in 1866, controlled by the South East Gas Corporation from 1939 and merged with the North Thames Gas Board in 1949.
Staines and Egham District Gas and Coke Company Limited (1833-1915): founded 1833, merged with Brentford Gas Company in 1915.
North Middlesex Gas Company (1862-1949): founded in 1862, with works at Mill Hill.
Uxbridge Gas Company (1841-1861): founded 1841 by T Stacey; faced competition from the new Uxbridge and Hillingdon Gas Consumers Company from 1854 onwards (the companies were known as the 'Old' Gas Company and the 'New' Gas Company). Amalgamated with The Uxbridge and Hillingdon Gas Consumers Company in 1861.
Uxbridge and Hillingdon Gas Consumers Company (1854-1949): formed in 1854 in competition with the Uxbridge Gas Company; became statutory in 1861; after 1918 expanded rapidly and purchased surrounding companies including the Beaconsfield Gas Company, Great Marlow Gas Company and Maidenhead Gas Company. Known as the Uxbridge, Wycombe and District Gas Company from 1921; the Uxbridge, Maidenhead, Wycombe and District Gas Company from 1925 and the South East Gas Corporation from 1936. It merged with the North Thames Gas Board in 1949.
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).
A militia force was raised from the civilian population of a county, in order to supplement the regular army in cases of emergency. In Middlesex they were called out at times of unrest. There were around 300 militiamen in Middlesex in 1802. During the Napoleonic Wars this number rose to over 2000 by 1808 and 12,000 by 1812. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex militia battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).
Lieutenant Colonel John Brettell was John Brettell, junior, Secretary of the Stamp Office. He lived in Muswell Hill. Muswell Hill, formerly Muswell Rise, was at one time known as Brettells' Hill.
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 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).
The firm of Crawter and Sons was founded in 1788 by Henry Crawter and still occupies the same premises at Turner's Hill, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Their activities as surveyors, valuers and estate agents and the extent of their business connections are shown in this collection. They seem to have been particularly concerned with the eastern part of Middlesex and Henry Crawter was an Enclosure Commissioner for Enfield. Crawter and Sons acted as receivers and managers for the Connop family estates in Middlesex and Hertfordshire.
According to "A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5", the manor of Durants Place, known also as Durants, was sold to Newell Connop of Penton in Crediton (Devon) in 1793. Newell Connop died in 1831, leaving the manor to his son Woodham (d. 1868), whose widow Emily was lady of the manor in 1874. Newell Connop greatly enlarged the Durants estate from 150 acres near the manor-house. In 1787 he bought 285 acres around Enfield Highway and Ponders End, which formerly had belonged to Eliab Breton of Forty Hall, and circa 1792 he bought 462 acres of common-field land in the same area from Charles Bowles. In 1804 he purchased 168 acres from John Blackburn of Bush Hill, Edmonton, bringing his total estate in Enfield to 1,226 acres, most of it in the south-east part of the parish. Later purchases included Bury farm, 149 acres, in 1818. On Newell Connop's death his estates were divided among his family and on Woodham's death many were sold, with the manor. The copyhold lands in the 18th and 19th centuries consisted of cottages and small parcels in the south of the parish, mostly near Ponders End.
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.
A bond was a deed, by which person A binds himself, his heirs, executors, or assigns to pay a certain sum of money to person B, or his heirs.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
Sir Charles Howard (1696-1765), army officer, was the second son of Charles Howard, third earl of Carlisle. He entered the army in 1715, joining the Coldstream Guards. By 1738 he was colonel of the 19th foot, which became known as the Green Howards in 1744. Howard saw action in Flanders, being wounded four times, and in the Jacobite uprising in 1745-46. He was made KB in May 1749. He attained the rank of general in March 1765, but died in August of that year. He was unmarried, however, his will made provision for a natural son, William, who was also in the Army.
It is probable that the General Sir Charles Howard of ACC/0657/002 is the same man; and that the daughter Eleanor of ACC/0657/001, 003 and 004 is another illegitimate child of his.
Biographical information from H. M. Chichester, 'Howard, Sir Charles (c.1696-1765)', rev. Jonathan Spain, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009.
The manor of Great Stanmore was owned by St Alban's Abbey at the time of the Norman Conquest. The manor was initially known as Stanmore-the first recorded division of Stanmore into "Great" and "Little" is in the Domesday Book. The Abbey leased the manor to various tenants until 1279 when Robert of Stanmore successfully claimed it. In 1362 it was acquired by the prior of St Bartholomew's, Smithfield, who already held the manor of Little Stanmore. The chief steward of St Bartholomew's, Geoffrey Chamber, leased the manor. He sold some of the property to Sir Pedro de Gamboa, a Spanish mercenary working for the royals. Chamber died in 1544, in heavy debt, and his estates were forfeited and granted to de Gamboa. However, he was murdered in 1550 and the manor was leased to Sir George Blage.
In 1604 the lordship was sold to Sir Thomas Lake, a secretary of state, and the owner of Little Stanmore. A fee farm rent was paid to the Crown, later granted to the chapter of Westminster. Later branches of the Lake family underwent much litigation relating to the ownership of the manor, and it subsequently went through several changes of owner and was subdivided. In 1715 the manor was once again united with Little Stanmore manor, this time under the Brydges family, earls of Carnarvon and dukes of Chandos. The manor was sold to James Hamilton, marquess (later duke) of Abercorn, and the owner of Bentley Priory. It was sold on to John Kelk, then in 1882 sold to Thomas Clutterbuck. The Clutterbuck family held the manor until 1936 when the manorial rights were extinguished.
Information from: 'Great Stanmore: Manor and 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. 96-99 (available online).
The Manor of Little Stanmore was also known as Canons. In 1086 the manor belonged to Roger de Rames and remained in his family, although gifts of land were made to St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, and to other churches; while parcels of land were sold, leased or transferred. By 1243 the Rames holding in Little Stanmore was divided between three tenants, leasing the land from St Bartholomew's. By 1353 the priory had increased its holdings to 957 and a half acres, the largest single estate of St Bartholomew's until the Dissolution. The priors leased out the manor house and gardens and portions of the estate, from 1501 referring to it as "Little Stanmore called Canons". St Bartholomew's surrendered to the Crown in 1539 and Little Stanmore was granted to Robert Fuller, the last prior. He died in 1540 and the manor reverted to the Crown, who granted it to Hugh Losse and his heirs.
In 1604 one of the Losse heirs sold the manor to Sir Thomas Lake. It remained in the Lake family until 1709 when it was sold to James Brydges, who became duke of Chandos in 1719. He rebuilt the mansion house of Canons in ostentatious style, including marbles, rare woods, ceiling paintings and tapestries. The grounds included canals, hothouses, an aviary and sculptures. His son Henry was forced by debts to break up the Canons estate, much of the furniture and collections of fine art were sold and the house was pulled down in 1753. The Brydges family (later the dukes of Buckingham and Chandos) retained the lordship of Little Stanmore and Great Stanmore, and kept a small amount of land in the area. William Hallett bought the Canons site and built a new, more modest villa. Canons then passed through various hands, with parcels of land sold off piecemeal, until 1929 when the mansion with 10 acres of land were bought by the North London Collegiate School, while part of the estate was purchased by Harrow Urban District Council to be used as a park.
Information from: 'Little Stanmore: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 113-117 (available online).
This school was founded mainly by the efforts of Mrs Priscilla Wakefield (a pioneer of the Savings Bank movement) and was originally known as the School of Industry. It was founded in 1792, in a building in the High Road, near Stoneley South. It was transferred to the new building in Somerset Road in 1863.
In its earlier years as a charity school about 40 girls were taught "reading, writing, knitting, sewing and a little arithmetic". Soon after its removal to Somerset Road 90 girls were taken, of whom thirty were clothed by the charity in the green clothing from which the school derived its name. On leaving school each girl received a guinea; at the end of each three years thereafter she received a further guinea if she had remained in the same employment - which was usually domestic service.
The charity was supported by voluntary subscriptions and aided by annual charity sermons. A small income was also derived from the girls' work. A schoolmistress was appointed by the subscribers and lived in the schoolhouse.