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Lady Cooper, born Isabella Ball Franks, of a rich Jewish business family, married William Henry Cooper, clerk and baronet (as he is frequently described). She inherited a considerable amount of money from her father Moses Franks and her mother's father Aaron Franks. Her considerable property she inherited from her aunt Priscilla (see Franks family tree), both the estate at Isleworth, and several West Indies Plantations.

On the death of her only son, William Henry, without issue (1835) the estate was settled on her eldest surviving daughter, Lady Mary Anne Honywood, who in her will provided that on her death, or that of her mother, if she should survive her (which she did) the estate should be sold and the proceeds divided among her own children, By Lady Cooper's will, apart from numerous pecuniary legacies, she leaves her estate of Chilton Lodge in Berks/Wilts to Lady Honywood's son William.

The sugar plantation of Dukinfield Hall, Jamaica fell into Franks' hands in payment of a mortgage debt and by 1822 belonged to Priscilla who bequeathed it along with her other property to Isabella, one of the original third part shares having belonged to Isabella's father Moses. There is no record at all of any of the owners ever visiting the plantation. It was left by Lady Cooper's will in trust for Mrs. Dawkins and was eventually sold in 1877. Under its earlier owners it was heavily mortgaged, and soon after it passed to Lady Cooper slavery was abolished, so it is unlikely that the family ever derived any great profit from it.

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. They came to be supplemented by volunteer forces, such as those raised by the 1794 Bill for "encouraging and disciplining such corps and companies of men as shall voluntarily enrol for the defence of their counties, towns and coasts or for the general defence of the Kingdom during the Present War [with France]".

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. More volunteer corps were raised in 1859, again in response to threat of French invasion. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex militia and volunteer battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).

A bargain and sale was an early form of conveyance often used by executors to convey land. The bargainee or person to whom the land was bargained and sold, became seised of the land.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

Members of the Emanuel family mentioned in this collection include Morris Emanuel and Henry Joel Emanuel.

In 1086 Twickenham was part of the manor of Isleworth Syon. It is not mentioned as a separate manor until 1445 when it was held by the York family. It was sold in 1538 to Edward Seymour, later the Lord Protector, who later swapped it with the Crown for other lands. It was granted to Queen Henrietta Maria in 1629. The Crown leased out the manor houses and lands, and finally sold the manorial rights in 1836. By 1909 the manorial rights had lapsed.

Source of information: '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).

The manor of Little Stanmore was also referred to as the Manor of Canons. In 1709 the manor was purchased by James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, who built a luxurious house filled with exotic collectibles. The Duke's son inherited the estate but had to sell it and much of the collection and even architectural elements of the house. The land passed through various owners until 1860, when it was bought by Dr David Begg. On his death the estate stretched from Whitchurch Lane north beyond London Road, and from Edgware Road westward to Marsh Lane. Apart from the mansion it contained the farm-house which had belonged to Marsh farm, North and South lodges, at the Edgware gates, and Stone Grove House, Lodge, and Cottage, along Edgware Road; there were also four 'superior' houses at the corner of Dennis Lane and London Road and fields at the corner of Marsh Lane and London Road.

After Dr Begg's death a Morris Jenks bought the entire estate, amounting to some 479 acres, and sold it in 1896 to the Canons Park Estate Company, which in 1898 issued a prospectus of its plans for development. Arthur du Cros, founder of the Dunlop Rubber Co. and later a baronet, bought the mansion but in 1905 sold part of the estate. In 1919 he formed a trust, the Pards Estate, and in 1920 Canons itself was offered for sale, with lands that had been greatly reduced in the north, west, and south-east. Canons Park, formerly Marsh, farm-house and the other houses had been sold and 150 acres remained, almost corresponding to the present open space but still stretching eastward, along the north of the avenue, to reach as far as Edgware Road. In 1926 George Cross bought 85 acres and in 1928 the remainder was bought by Canons Limited and, on the west, by Harrow Urban District Council as a park. The mansion and 10 acres were sold in 1929 to the North London Collegiate school. More land was acquired by the school in 1936 and by the county council for playing fields, which were lent to the school.

Canons Park Estate is a housing estate built in the 1920s and 1930s. The housing estate incorporates 340 houses, gardens, open spaces and ponds.

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.

The Willis family were involved in the legal profession: the documents mention Richard Willis of Tokenhouse Yard, solicitor; James Willis of Lincoln's Inn, barrister-at-law; and George Willis, 449 West Strand.

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 Manor of Little Stanmore was also known as Canons.

In 1709 Little Stanmore, and in 1715 Great Stanmore, were 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 family retained the lordship of the manors and kept a small amount of land in the area.

The third and last Duke of Chandos was James Brydges, son of Henry. His daughter, Lady Anna Elizabeth (1780-1836), was married to Richard Temple Nugent Grenville, (1776-1839), known as Earl Temple, the son of the Marquess of Buckingham. Richard adopted the surname Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville and was made 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos in 1822. Their son Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville sold the manor of Great Stanmore in 1840.

Information from: 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).

Colham manor was in 1086 assessed at 8 hides, 6 of which were in demesne. Part of the manor lands was probably granted away in the mid-13th century to form the basis of the sub-manor later known as Cowley Hall. At some time before 1594, however, Hillingdon manor was incorporated in that of Colham. The location of the manor lands before the assimilation of Hillingdon manor is uncertain. Fourteenth-century surveys of Colham include land in Great Whatworth Field, Hanger Field, and Strode Field, a warren on Uxbridge Common, and woodland at Highseat in the north-west. By 1636, however, Colham and Hillingdon manors had been consolidated, so that the lands of Colham then covered approximately two-thirds of Hillingdon parish. At this date the outer boundaries of Colham appear to have substantially respected those of the parish, except in the north-east where the manor boundary followed the Pinn southward from Ickenham Bridge to Hercies Lane and then ran south-eastward to rejoin the parish boundary south of Pole Hill Farm. Insulated within the lands of Colham lay the 'three little manors' of Cowley Hall, Colham Garden, and Cowley Peachey, and freehold estates belonging to a number of manors in other parishes, including Swakeleys in Ickenham.

The manor passed through several owners before, in 1787, John Dodd sold the whole manor to Fysh de Burgh, lord of the manor of West Drayton. Fysh de Burgh died in 1800 leaving Colham, subject to the life interest of his widow Easter (d. 1823), in trust for his daughter Catherine (d. 1809), wife of James G. Lill who assumed the name of De Burgh, with remainder to their son Hubert. The manor passed to Hubert de Burgh in 1832 and he immediately mortgaged the estate. Hubert retained actual possession of the property, which was seldom if ever during this period unencumbered by mortgages, until his death in 1872.

From "A History of the County of Middlesex", available online.

Church End Finchley is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, popularly known as Finchley Central. Hendon Lane runs from Ballards Lane to Finchley Lane.

A bargain and sale was an early form of conveyance often used by executors to convey land. The bargainee, or person to whom the land was bargained and sold, took possession, often refered to as becoming 'seised' of the land.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

The Connop family is a large one, but the dominant figure in the collection is the first Newell Connop. His date of birth is unknown; his father, Richard Connop, married the daughter of George Newell (hence Newell's unusual Christian name) evidently a man of some substance, since Newell and his sister Susanna inherited 12 houses in the Mile End Road through their mother (ACC/0801/0951). Newell himself married in 1775, Sarah the daughter and heiress of John Woodham, a wealthy distiller whose business, with which Newell also seems to have connections, was in Shadwell, but who owned substantial lands in the Enfield area.

Newell and Sarah had eight children; none of their three daughters Sarah, Emma and Ann married, and of their sons, John the eldest went into the Church, and married Katherine Stewart the god-daughter and heiress of Stephen Wilson. She inherited from him Bradfield Hall and other property in Berkshire, and in Hatfield, Herts, which in due course descended to their only child Emma Wilson Connop (ACC/0801/1054-1080). Richard and Henry both entered the army and were successful, Richard becoming a general and Henry a lieutenant-colonel; the former as far as we know never married but Henry had three children by his marriage to Mary Lucas.

Newell junior had no children, but Woodham, the last brother, and his wife Emily Burgess had 2 sons and 5 daughters, the eldest son William Woodham becoming the senior member of the next generation. His brother, the third Newell, married Ann Yarde Ball whose marriage settlement and related papers form part of the collection (ACC/0801/1140-0055) and had 10 children, including boys with the names Richard, Henry, Woodham and Newell. This repetition of family names does not always make it very easy to disentangle the generations. As mentioned before, a certain amount of Connop land found its way into their hands through marriage or inheritance; thus Newell's uncle John Connop married Elizabeth Bridges, niece and heir of John Dell; his namesake, Newell's son married Stephen Wilson's heiress, and John's brother Woodham married Emily Burgess whom one must assume to be John Burgess' heir, since the Burgess property is not sold to the Connops. In 1830, before his death Newell transferred a good deal of his property to his children, the deeds forming a group in collection (ACC/0801/1081-1125). His own affairs form the preceding group, much concerned with his property, but also including the affairs of people whose executor he was (ACC/0801/0950-1053). The last group concerns the miscellaneous affairs of his children and grand-children (ACC/0801/1126-1225).

On the outbreak of war with Germany in 1914, some 50,000 Germans, Austrians, Hungarians and Turks living in Britain were arrested and detained in internment camps for 'male enemy aliens of military age'. Entertainments venue Alexandra Palace in North London was converted into a camp housing around 3,000 men, sleeping in rows in the Great Hall. The inmates formed various clubs including a football club, gardening society and amateur theatrical society as well as the concert society.

Haringey Park Estate, Hornsey, had been laid out by 1855, with 15 large houses in 1861 and 25 in 1871. It was situated near Crouch Hill, which runs between Stroud Green and Crouch End.

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. However, the Brydges family did retain the lordship of Little Stanmore and Great Stanmore and still owned a small amount of land in the area. William Hallett bought the site and built a new, more modest villa. By 1838 Canons was added to the neighbouring estate owned by the Plumers. In 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).

The firm originates from the partnership of Randolph Horne and John Engall which formed and developed throughout the latter nineteenth century. Harry Scott Freeman became a partner in the firm around 1900. Mr. Engall retired about 1910, Mr. Horne having retired some twenty years earlier.

The firm or one of its members acted as clerk to many public bodies, including the Staines-Hampton and the Bedfont-Bagshot Turnpike Trusts, the Staines Bridge Commission, the Cranford Sewer Authority, the Staines Local Board, and the local Tax Commissioners. They were also clerk to private companies and institutions, including Staines Independent Chapel, Staines and Egham Gas and Coke Company, the Staines Scientific and Literary Society and the Spelthorne Militia. Mr. Scott Freeman served as Deputy Acting Returning Officer for the Spelthorne Division in the 1918 and 1922 General Elections.

Horne and Engall were both stewards of local manors, and it is no doubt due to this fact that these archives first came to include court rolls, court books, surveys, and a large number of copies of court rolls for the manors of Staines, Ashford, Stanwell, and Hammonds and Milton in Surrey. However, Mr. Engall acquired the lordship of the manor of Ashford in 1890, and Mr. Scott Freeman subsequently became lord of all the Middlesex manors just mentioned, thus becoming owner of the relevant manorial documents.

The 1962 series Bucknell's House showed a 39-week BBC project led by Barry Bucknell, DIY presenter, to renovate a derelict house in Ealing.

The manor of Worcesters was formed in 1298 by John of Enfield. The manor was named for the owner in 1470, John, earl of Worcester. In 1550 it was granted to Princess Elizabeth. As queen she granted it to Robert Cecil, although it was later sold and passed through various owners. The house and land were purchased by the Enfield Urban District Council in 1951.

Source of information: 'Enfield: 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. 224-229.

Weir Hall was an estate and house situated at the west end of Silver Street, Edmonton. It was well established by 1349. In 1609 Sir John Leake sold the Hall to George Huxley, a haberdasher from London, and the Hall stayed in the Huxley family until 1743, when Thomas Huxley died, dividing the estate between his daughters Meliora Shaw and Sarah Huxley (see ACC/0815/004 for various claimaints to the estate of Sarah Huxley).

Sarah Huxley received the Weir Hall portion of the estate. In 1801 her estate was divided between 5 cousins, but in 1814 four-fifths were reunited by James George Tatem. Tatem's son (of the same name, James George) died in 1895, leaving the estate to his nieces Ellen Anna and Elizabeth Margaret Harman. The other fifth of the estate passed to the Parrotts, then to Richard Booth Smith and his son and then to Edward C Roberts.

In 1887 the estate, comprising some 306 acres, was put up for sale, but only 57 acres were sold. For many years the Harman sisters refused to sell despite pressure from the Smiths and Roberts. However, from 1898 they began to sell off portions to builders, and by 1930 the estate had been developed.

The Leake family had a mansion house, substantially renovated in 1611 and described as spacious. The Huxleys lived there but by the time James George Tatem inherited the building was dilapidated and was demolished in 1818. The site was used as a market garden.

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).

In Highgate the education of the poor was served by Sir Roger Cholmley's free school, founded in 1565, which catered for 40 local boys. From 1829 Cholmley's school was allowed to charge for extra subjects, so Saint Michael's National school was built near by in compensation, and it soon absorbed the girls' charity school. In 1835 the new school took 98 pupils.

From: 'Hornsey, including Highgate: Education', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980), pp. 189-199.

According to a report in The Times (Tuesday, Sep 29, 1840; pg. 5; Issue 17475; col A), Reverend David Garrow of Monken Hadley died in 1805 aged 90 (see ACC/0820/001a-d). His son Sir William Garrow was born in April 1760 and pursued a legal career, serving as Solicitor and Attorney General to George IV. He was also MP for Callington and Eye. In 1817 he was nominated to a barony in the Exchequer. He retired in 1831 and died in 1840. He had one son, Reverend Dr David Wiliam Garrow who died in 1827, and one daughter, Eliza, who married Dr Lettsem of Camberwell.

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.

Worton House, Worton Cottage and freehold and copyhold lands in the parish of Isleworth and in the manors of Isleworth Syon, Twickenham and Hounslow were the inheritance of Elizabeth Anne Ramsay nee Robinson.

Richard Robinson bequeathed money to the parish of Isleworth in his will of 1763. The money was to be used for various purposes: to provide bread for the poor on the anniversary of his funeral; to pay the vicar to preach an annual sermon on charity, for a lecturer to read lessons at this sermon, and for the children at the Isleworth charity school to be present; and for the preservation and repair of his tomb.

The Castle Bar Estate in Ealing was established in 1423 by Richard Barenger. In 1650 it was purchased by Sir William Bateman, who held other land in Ealing, and left to his descendants. William Bateman (d 1797) and his children William (d 1820) and Mary (d 1833) were all lunatics and the estate was disputed among Mary's heirs. The estate was bought by Francis Swinden in 1854. A three-storey mansion, called Castlebar House, stood on Castlebar Hill. It was built around 1641, but was dilapidated by 1855 when it was demolished. Tenants included Isabella Cunningham, countess of Glencairn; Lt-Gen Sir Frederick Augustus Wetherall (1754-1842) in 1818, and Sir Jonathan Miles in 1819.

From: 'Ealing and Brentford: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 128-131 (available online).

Charles Bowles and his wife Mary lived in Ratcliffe. By 1792 they had moved to East Sheen, Surrey. Charles died before 1798.

Sir Edward Gould lived in Highgate with his wife Lady Frances. He died in 1728 leaving his estate to his closest male relative, his great nephew Edward Gould. Edward married Mary Thoroton and their son Edward Thoroton Gould later came into the Highgate estates.

An abstract of title shows how title (proof of ownership) to the land passed to the current owner; such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months.

Cambridge Road, Oxford Road and Chichester Road are all situated near Kilburn Park tube station.

A conveyance is a type of deed recording transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance included feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

According to a trade journal of 1938, the Lorival Manufacturing Company Limited were based at 50 - 51 Lime Street, London, EC, with their manufacturing taking place at Norwood Works, Southall. They made fine mouldings in synthetic resin, urea-formaldehyde and cellulose acetate materials; and a large variety of mouldings in special materials for aircraft components.

The Chloride Electrical Storage Company Limited purchased Lorival in 1927, and purchased United Ebonite Manufacturers Limited in 1934. In 1939 United Ebonite acquired the assets of Lorival and the name was changed to United Ebonite and Lorival Limited.

In Domesday the manor of Hendon was assessed at 20 hides, 10 of which were in demesne. In 1312 the abbot of Barking took the manor into his own hands, and thereafter Hendon manor was retained by the abbey until the Dissolution, although it was leased in 1422 and 1505. In 1541 the king granted the manor to Thomas Thirlby, bishop of Westminster. With the suppression of the bishopric it reverted to the Crown but was granted in 1550 first to Thomas, Lord Wentworth, and afterwards to Sir William Herbert, created earl of Pembroke in 1551. In 1757 the manor and estate was purchased by James Clutterbuck, who conveyed it in 1765 to his friend David Garrick, the actor. Garrick died in 1779, leaving the manor in trust for his nephew Carrington Garrick, later vicar of Hendon. It was sold in 1825 to Samuel Dendy, who was succeeded in 1845 by his son Arthur Hyde Dendy. In 1889 it was held by Arthur Dendy's widow, Eliza, on whose death it was conveyed to Sir John Carteret Hyde Seale, Mrs. Russell Simpson, and Major H. Dendy, who were joint lords in 1923.

From: 'Hendon: 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. 16-20. Available online.

A conveyance is a type of deed, used to transfer land from one party to another, usually for money (when you sell your house a conveyance is involved). Early forms of conveyance included feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

A conveyance is a type of deed, used to transfer land from one party to another, usually for money (when you sell your house a conveyance is involved). Early forms of conveyance included feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

Copyhold land was land that belonged to a Manor and was, notionally, property of the Lord of the Manor. Gradually copyhold land was enfranchised until the Law of Property Act 1922 abolished copyhold status, converting all such land into freehold. Enfranchisement was the process by which a copyhold title was changed to a freehold.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

In Domesday the manor of Hendon was assessed at 20 hides, 10 of which were in demesne. In 1312 the abbot of Barking took the manor into his own hands, and thereafter Hendon manor was retained by the abbey until the Dissolution, although it was leased in 1422 and 1505. In 1541 the king granted the manor to Thomas Thirlby, bishop of Westminster. With the suppression of the bishopric it reverted to the Crown but was granted in 1550 first to Thomas, Lord Wentworth, and afterwards to Sir William Herbert, created earl of Pembroke in 1551. In 1757 the manor and estate was purchased by James Clutterbuck, who conveyed it in 1765 to his friend David Garrick, the actor. Garrick died in 1779, leaving the manor in trust for his nephew Carrington Garrick, later vicar of Hendon. It was sold in 1825 to Samuel Dendy, who was succeeded in 1845 by his son Arthur Hyde Dendy. In 1889 it was held by Arthur Dendy's widow, Eliza, on whose death it was conveyed to Sir John Carteret Hyde Seale, Mrs. Russell Simpson, and Major H. Dendy, who were joint lords in 1923.

The manor of Little Stanmore was also referred to as the Manor of Canons. In 1709 the manor was purchased by James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, who built a luxurious house filled with exotic collectibles. The Duke's son inherited the estate but had to sell it and much of the collection and even architectural elements of the house. The land passed through various owners until 1860, when it was bought by Dr David Begg. After Dr Begg's death a Morris Jenks bought the entire estate, amounting to some 479 acres, and sold it in 1896 to the Canons Park Estate Company, which in 1898 issued a prospectus of its plans for development. Arthur du Cros, founder of the Dunlop Rubber Co. and later a baronet, bought the mansion but in 1905 sold part of the estate. In 1919 he formed a trust, the Pards Estate, and in 1920 Canons itself was offered for sale, with lands that had been greatly reduced in the north, west, and south-east. Canons Park, formerly Marsh, farm-house and the other houses had been sold and 150 acres remained, almost corresponding to the present open space but still stretching eastward, along the north of the avenue, to reach as far as Edgware Road. In 1926 George Cross bought 85 acres and in 1928 the remainder was bought by Canons Limited and, on the west, by Harrow Urban District Council as a park. The mansion and 10 acres were sold in 1929 to the North London Collegiate school. More land was acquired by the school in 1936 and by the county council for playing fields, which were lent to the school.

From: 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.

Edward Wood was a merchant living in the City of London. Around 1663 he purchased an estate at Littleton in Middlesex, which passed on to his son Thomas. Thomas Wood's son Edward did much to extend the family holdings in the Littleton area, purchasing, for example, the Chantry House and the Malthouse in Littleton. His son, Thomas, was the one 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, 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 Woods were substantial landowners with property in a number of counties. The Middleham estate in Yorkshire was purchased in the seventeenth century and the estate at Gwernyfed was acquired in 1776 upon the marriage of Thomas Wood to Mary, daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Williams of Langoid Castle. In Middlesex the lordships of Astlam and Littleton were held by the family, and Captain Thomas Wood was lord of the manor of Littleton in 1906 (The Victoria History of the County of Middlesex, Vol. 2., 1911). The Littleton estate, comprising over 1250 acres in Littleton, Shepperton, Ashford and Laleham, was broken up and sold from 1892, although Captain Thomas Wood still owned much of the land in Littleton parish in the early twentieth century.

Members of the family followed careers, for the most part, in law, government, and the armed forces. The first Thomas Wood to live at Littleton (d 1723) continued his father's merchant business and held the appointment of Ranger of Hampton Court. His son Robert was a scholar and Doctor of Laws and, in the next generation, Thomas (1708-99) was Treasurer of the Inner Temple. His descendants entered the government, at home and overseas, often preceding this by military careers. Colonel Thomas Wood (1777-1860), Member of Parliament for Brecon for forty years, commanded the Royal East Middlesex Regiment of Militia for fifty six years and encamped with them at Aldershot in his eightieth year. His son Thomas (1804-72) commanded the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards in the early stages of the Crimean War, Prior to this he represented the County of Middlesex in Parliament, Thomas his son (b.1853) followed his father into the Grenadiers and saw action in the Sudan. Upon leaving the regular army he became a colonel in the Brecknockshire Rifle Volunteers and entered local government. Famous soldiers in the family include Charles Wood (1790-1877) who fought in the Peninsula, and at Waterloo, and his nephew General Sir David Wood (1812-94) an officer in the Crimean campaign and the Indian Mutiny.

Throughout the nineteenth century the family consolidated its position among the landed gentry by contracting alliances with the aristocracy. In successive generations three Thomas Woods married, respectively, the daughter of 1st Marquess of Londonderry, the grand-daughter of 4th Duke of Grafton, and the daughter of 1st. Lord Tollemache. Colonel Thomas Wood and his wife enjoyed the friendship of William IV and Queen Adelaide and the King nominated Wood to be one of his executors. Colonel Wood was host to George IV at Gwernyfed, and members of the royal family visited Littleton.

Willliam Condell was a linen draper based on Bond Street, with a country house at Greenford, then outside London in Middlesex.

Colham manor was in 1086 assessed at 8 hides, 6 of which were in demesne. Part of the manor lands was probably granted away in the mid-13th century to form the basis of the sub-manor later known as Cowley Hall. At some time before 1594, however, Hillingdon manor was incorporated in that of Colham. Insulated within the lands of Colham lay the 'three little manors' of Cowley Hall, Colham Garden, and Cowley Peachey, and freehold estates belonging to a number of manors in other parishes, including Swakeleys in Ickenham.

The manor passed through several owners before, in 1787, John Dodd sold the whole manor to Fysh de Burgh, lord of the manor of West Drayton. Fysh de Burgh died in 1800 leaving Colham, subject to the life interest of his widow Easter (d. 1823), in trust for his daughter Catherine (d. 1809), wife of James G. Lill who assumed the name of De Burgh, with remainder to their son Hubert. The manor passed to Hubert de Burgh in 1832 and he immediately mortgaged the estate. Hubert retained actual possession of the property, which was seldom if ever during this period unencumbered by mortgages, until his death in 1872.

In the 12th century the dean and chapter claimed that ten manse at West Drayton had been given by Athelstan to the cathedral church of Saint Paul, and the date 939 has been given for this grant. Though both the transcribed grant and the date are suspect, Saint Paul's appears to have been in possession by about 1000. Various tenants farmed the estate on behalf of Saint Paul's until the lease was acquired in 1537 by William Paget (c. 1506-63), secretary to Jane Seymour. In 1546 Henry VIII, having 'by the diligence and industry' of Paget acquired the manor with all appurtenances, granted it to him in fee, and the interest of the chapter ceased.

From 1546 to 1786 the manor descended with the other Paget honors and estates, apart from a brief period at the end of the 16th century. In 1786 Henry Paget (1744-1812), 1st Earl of Uxbridge, sold the manor and estate to Fysh Coppinger, a London merchant, who assumed his wife's name de Burgh. His widow, Easter de Burgh, owned the manor in 1800. She died in 1823 and it passed to her grandson Hubert de Burgh, who died in 1872. The next heir, Francis (d. 1874), devised it jointly to his daughters, Minna Edith Elizabeth, and Eva Elizabeth, who was sole owner when she died unmarried in 1939.

From: 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) and 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) (available online).

A History of the County of Middlesex notes that "in the Middle Ages most of [Stanwell] lay in open fields, but nearly all the land west of Stanwellmoor and that around Hammonds Farm was inclosed by the mid-18th century. Borough Field, to the north and west of the manor-house, and another small field nearby were inclosed in 1771 by the lord of the manor, when he diverted a footpath across them away from his house. Most of the area south of Stanwell and West Bedfont villages remained open until 1792. ... The remaining open fields and commons were inclosed in 1792, and orchards and marketgardens began to spread over the parish in the second half of the 19th century".

From: 'Stanwell: Introduction', 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. 33-36. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22238&strquery=clos Date accessed: 25 August 2010.

"Lawrence and Carlill", sugar refiners, are listed in various trade directories of 1817-1819 as being based at Lehman Street and Rupert Street, Goodman's Fields. By the 1820s the entries list Richard Henshaw Lawrence and Morton William Lawrence, sugar refiners, at the same addresses. They appear to have been in business until the 1840s.

It is unclear what improvement to the refining process Lawrence invented. He is mentioned in the book "Abridgements of Patents for Inventions relating to Sugar, 1663-1866" (Commissioners of Patents, 1871) with the note "No Specification enrolled".

The manor of Uxendon in Harrow parish was first recorded in 1373. In 1516 the manor was inherited by Mabel, the wife of Richard Bellamy. In 1603 their descendant, also Richard Bellamy, conveyed the estate to Joan Mudge and William Mascall. By 1608 the manor belonged to Joan Mudge's son-in-law, Richard Page. In 1629 a portion of the estate in Kenton was alienated to Robert and Thomas Walter, but the Uxendon part of the manor remained with the Page family. In 1817 it comprised 413 acres of enclosed land and 202 acres allotted in lieu of open-field land. In the 1820s Henry Page, who had inherited the manor from his brothers, was known to be of weak intellect and a drunkard. In 1825 Page confirmed a bargain and sale in favour of one Henry Young, a solicitor whose business partner had worked for the family-it is possible that the document was obtained fraudulently. On Page's death in 1829 Young moved into the manor, which he had sold for the benefit of his wife and children when he died in 1869.

From: 'Harrow, including Pinner : 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. 203-211 (available online).

Enfield Chase was a large wooded area and royal deer park in Middlesex. It was used for hunting, while locals claimed common rights. By an act of 1777 the Chase was enclosed and the land was divided between various local land-owners and neighbouring parishes.

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 manor. 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 Berkeley family's seat was at Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire built in 1153 by Lord Maurice Berkeley. Lord Berkeley of Stratton (died 1678) ran the Duke of York's household and built himself a magnificent London house in Piccadilly. His descendants laid out Berkeley Square in the grounds. In 1679 George Berkeley was made first Earl of Berkeley by King Charles II.

The fifth Earl of Berkeley, Frederick Augustus (1745-1810) took Mary Cole, a butcher's daughter as his mistress. In 1796 they married, Mary having borne the earl five children and later that year their legitimate son Thomas Moreton was born. Mary was anxious about the legitimacy of her adored eldest son William Fitzharding (1786-1857). In 1799 she and the earl forged the Berkeley parish register with a false entry for a secret marriage 1785 to make all their children legitimate. On the death of the earl in 1810, the Berkeley Peerage Case was heard in the House of Lords and in 1811 the earldom passed to Thomas Moreton. In 1841 William Fitzharding was given the title Earl Fitzhardinge.

The family held estates throughout England.

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.

A recovery was a collusive law suit in the Court of Common Pleas, normally used to destroy (bar) or alter an entail; its result were recorded in an Exemplification of a (Common) Recovery. A Deed to make a tenant to the Precipe precedes a Recovery, transferring the property involved to a trustee and declaring the uses for which it is held.

Hanworth Manor was sold in 1670 to Sir Thomas Chamber. The latter died in 1692 and was succeeded by his son Thomas. Thomas Chamber left two daughters and co-heiresses, and Hanworth passed, through the marriage of the elder, to Lord Vere Beauclerk, who was created Baron Vere of Hanworth in 1750. The manor was inherited by his son Aubrey Lord Vere in 1781, who succeeded his cousin as Duke of St. Albans six years later. He still held the manor in 1802, but conveyed it very shortly after to James Ramsey Cuthbert. Frederick John Cuthbert was lord of the manor in 1816, but it passed before 1832 to Henry Perkins. After the death of his heir Algernon Perkins, before 1866, it was in the hands of his devisees, but was bought before 1887 by Messrs. Pain & Bretell, solicitors, of Chertsey.

From: 'Spelthorne Hundred: Hanworth', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 2: General; Ashford, East Bedfont with Hatton, Feltham, Hampton with Hampton Wick, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton (1911), pp. 391-396.

The parishes of Feltham, Hanworth and Sunbury were all enclosed at the same date, in 1800. Until then the common land had formed part of Hounslow Heath.

These papers relating to the Uthwat family 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).

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 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.

Hornsey Gas Company (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.

North Middlesex Gas Company (1862-1949): founded in 1862 with works at Mill Hill.

Pinner Gas Company (1868-1930): founded between 1868 and 1872, merged with Gas Light and Coke Company in 1926.

Staines, Egham and District Gas Company (1833-1915): founded 1833, merged with Brentford Gas Company in 1915.

Sunbury Gas Consumers Company (1861-1915): merged with Brentford Gas Company in 1915.

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 GROVE HOUSE estate originated in a tenement called the Grove, with lands in Sutton and Strand-on-the-Green. The Barkers perhaps held the land when they were first recorded at Chiswick, in 1537. Anthony Barker leased Grove farm of 170 acres in socage from St. Paul's in 1597 and left an interest to Anne (d. 1607), widow of William Barker of Sonning. Anne's son Thomas Barker of the Middle Temple (d. 1630) was active in parish government and apparently was succeeded at Chiswick not by his 17-year old eldest son William but by a younger son, probably Thomas, a royalist killed at Lansdown in 1643. Thomas was followed by his brother Henry, who was admitted to further copyholds of Sutton Court in 1655 and whose seat was called Grove House by 1664, when he ranked with Thomas Kendall as the second largest ratepayer after Sir Edward Nicholas. Further lands were added by Henry (d. 1695), who owned much property in Berkshire, and by his eldest son Scory Barker, also of the Middle Temple. Scory's son Henry was admitted in 1714 and was the last Barker at Grove House, where he died in 1745. Although Henry had sons, he left his Chiswick lands, copyhold of both Sutton Court and the Prebend manors, to trustees, who conveyed some to Henry Barker of Wallingford but sold others in 1761 and 1762 to the duke of Devonshire.

Grove House itself was acquired before 1750 by Henry d'Auverquerque, earl of Grantham (d. 1754), who was succeeded by his daughter Frances, wife of Col. William Eliott. After the death of Lady Frances Eliott in 1772 the house and park were sold freehold to the politician Humphry Morice (1723-85), who entertained Horace Walpole there in 1782. Morice left the estate, known also as Chiswick Grove, to Lavinia, widow of John Luther, on condition that she maintain an old servant and some stray animals. Between 1807 and 1810 it passed to Robert Lowth (d. 1822), canon of St. Paul's, whose widow remained there in 1830. Joseph Gurney lived there in 1855 before its purchase in 1861 by the duke of Devonshire, whose tenants included Robert Prowett in 1862 and 1867, Col. R. B. Mulliner in 1874 and 1882, and Joseph Atkins Borsley by 1888. Although much of the estate was built over to form Grove Park, Lt.-Col. Robert William Shipway bought the house, with neighbouring lands, from Borsley and others in 1895, preserving it until after his death in 1928.

From: 'Chiswick: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 74-78. Available online.

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.

The most striking change in Great Stanmore between 1754 and 1865 was the building or enlargement of several gentlemen's residences. In addition to Stanmore Park and the manor-house, near the church, the village contained the head tenements of Montagues, Fiddles, Pynnacles, and Aylwards, all of which were marked in 1827 by substantial houses. Oak Villa, Townsend Villa (later Belmont Lodge), Rose Cottage, and Vine Cottage formed an extension of the village, into Little Stanmore, at the corner of Dennis Lane and the London Road. Near the crest of the hill, on the west, Hill House and Broomfield stood between the drive leading to Aylwards and the residence next to the brewery. It was at Hill House, then called the Great House, that Dr. Samuel Parr had briefly opened his school in 1771 and that the antiquary Charles Drury Edward Fortnum, who bequeathed most of his treasures to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, lived from 1852 until 1899.

From: 'Great Stanmore: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 88-96. Available online.