Tatem , family , of Weir Hall, Edmonton

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).