Beckenham History 1600 to 1800 (2024)

AHistory of Beckenham

Withedits up to March 2024

©MalvinMitchell andKeith Baldwin

Butwe are finding that the accounts ofPhilipot and Hasted treat the descent of Beckenhammanorperhaps toobrieflyand with missed elements. No confirmation of a “SergeantGent” has beenfound. However,the issue is complicated and has confused several writers. AlthoughBradburywas involved with the Tyrells this part of the Manor came by adaughter, Ann ofthe Tyrells who married Sir John Dalston and thereby via a Dalstondaughter toHenry Curwen who married Catherine Dalston and it descended to theirsonPatricius who sold it to Sir Oliver St. John circa 1638 (source;K.Baldwinresearch)

1600– Burials in Beckenham St.George’s from the earliest records in 1539 total about 720.We mightassumethat those 60 years indicate about 12 per annum i.e. 1200 for thecentury.

1603- King James I (VI of Scotland)until 1625

1604- Penge:Theboundaries of the hamlet on the north inFebruary 1604–5 were the common of Rockhills (evidentlyRockhills inUpperSydenham, immediately north of the Crystal Palace) and the 'ShireDitch'leading past the house called 'Abbetts' (see Manor of Beckenham 1623and 1768)to the north corner of 'Lord Riden's Wood.' The Shire Ditch alsobounded thehamlet on the east and was crossed by 'Willmoores Bridge,' half in Kentandhalf in Surrey. On the south it was bounded by the waste or common ofCroydon,the green way from Croydon to Lewisham. On the west was a wood 'of Mr.Colton's' in Camberwell parish, which stretched from Vicker's Oak tothe LowCross near Rockhills.(source: H.E.Malden)

Malden'sHistory of Surrey from 1912 probablyquotes Lyson's work. Abbetts or Abbotts and Lord Riden's Wood aredescribed onthe 1768 Manor of Beckenham map copied from 1623. Willmoores Bridge isshown onthe Burrell estates map of 1723/35. The derivation of the names ofLordsRiden’s Wood may be questionable if the 1623 Beckenham manormap isused asfield outlines could be translated as separate fields called Lords andRidens.

1604 - Fines(Final Accords) King, Hawe, Leigh names occur regularly.

Reference:242/5 (BHC) Title:Deed poll of feoffment Description: For£200 of Lillie Hawe, a messuage at Sippenham, occ. ThomasBrookhouse;land (9a.abuttals given); Rasselandes or Rastlandes, occ. William Monckclere; 4piecesof land (abuttals given); Shalfoord Mead (3r.), Lewisham; messuage atSippenham, occ. Robert Leigh (abuttals given)

ArnoldKing toAlice King, widow of Henry King of Beckenham, yeomanDate:29 Jun 1604

Reference:242/4 Title:Fine acknowledging 2 messuages, 3 barns, 2 gardens, 2 orchards, land(12a.),meadow (1a.), pasture (4a.)

Description: ArnoldKing of Beckenham, yeoman (plaintiff)
RobertLeigh (e) and Frances, his wife (deforciants)

Date:1640, 1668

Relatedmaterial: (Seealso 242)

1607– Langley; On Sunday 16th July 1607 a privatechapel was consecrated by Dr Barlowe Bishop of Rochester (preserved intheBodleian Library). Thosepresent wereEdmund Style, Henry Snelgrave, Robert Leigh Esq, William Style, EdmundStylejnr, Edmund Scott (gentry) & Christopher Fountains &ArnoldStansmoorthe Beckenham churchwardens. The full consecration is described infull. Thereis also reference to an old chapel or oratory within Langley mansion.

NeitherFountains or Stansmoor are in burialrecords but Stansmoor’s wife Agnes is recorded. RobertBorrowman (1910)recitesthe full record transcript. Leigh and Snelgrave are linked as both theowner ofone moietie of Beckenham Manor and perhaps his tenant in that Hastedtells usthat Robert Leigh sells his moietie of Beckenham Manor to Snelgravecirca 1610.Snelgrave holds a position as Justice of the Peace for Kent and may beLeigh’stenant until he purchases the moietie of Beckenham Manor from Leigh.Hasted andLysons recite “Clement Harleston sold it (Beckenham Manormoietie), in1530, toRobert Legh, Esq.(fn.7),whosedescendant of the same name, in 1610, aliened it to Henry Snelgar, orSnelgrave, Esq.(fn.8)(afterwardsknighted). About the year 1650, it was sold, by his grandson HenrySnelgrave,Esq. to Walter St. John, Esq.”

See1623 and 1633 for Snelgrave (map of BeckenhamManor and mention in a letter by Humphrey Style). His connection to theStilesis prior to his purchase of part of Beckenham Manor is interesting andisevidence of his rise perhaps by being associated with the Stile familyas hebecomes knighted and a JP.

Ref;Bodleian Library, Rawlinson MS C.868 (SC12703) and Robert Borrowman (1910)

1609- Will of John Wood 1609

SurreyHistory Centre Ref No:PCC/CROY/48Repository:SurreyHistory Centre, Woking Date:13Dec 1609

Description:Allmy copyhold land and all my goodsto Lettice Winstanley daughter of Beatrix his daughter with remaindertoMichael son of William Wood of Lurchins,Beckenham, Kent,yeoman;LetticeWinstanley, exec.; Henry Harman of Croydon, guardian of Lettice andresidue ofincrease over cost of bringing up Lettice to my son in law JohnWinstanley whonot to interfere in the estate; Henry Harman and Henry Hunt alias SewerofCroydon, overseers
Witnesses: [none given]
Proved: 28 June 1610 to Juliana Wood, relict in minority of exec.

Lurchinsis referred to in other entries, yet to belocated.

1610- Beckenham Manor: Robert Legh (Leigh), Esq.,whose descendant of the same name, in 1610, aliened it to HenrySnelgar, orSnelgrave, Esq. (Lysons)

Severalchroniclers relate that this Robert Leighwho is grandson of the purchaser of Beckenham Manor sells it to HenrySnelgrave, later Sir Henry, but documentary evidence apart from the1623 maphas not been discovered. Lysons does add footnote references for patentrollsof Henry VIII and James 1. Other documents about this time record someof theLeigh family property dealings. Confusion between the Leighs ofAddington andFoxgrove and the Leighs who acquired part of Beckenham Manor is to beavoided. Alsoa John Leigh acquired the Manor of Bellingham in Lewisham. TheBeckenham Manormap of 1623 evidences Snelgar(Snelgrave) and Dalston as each owning ahalfmoiety of the manor although it is a 1768 copy.

1610– Land near Langley? 12 Nov Thomas Dainporte ofSt Saviours, Soutwarke, Surrey v Edmund Stile and William Stile.Possession ofa share in gavelkind lands in Wickham and Beckenham, Kent. C78/229, no.6[78]

Someextracts from the document as follows; ThomasDainporte gent, Edmund Stile Esq & William Stile gent

William[Easton?] gent decd late of SouthlambethSurrey was seized in gavelkind of lands and appurts in Wickham&Beckenham– his sons John & William inherited. John conveyedhis moiety tothecomplainant & William sold his to Henry Emerson. Dainportecouldnot agreea price to sell to Edmund Stile, meanwhile Emerson sold his portion toEdmundStile & it became a 1000yr lease to William Stile. Not knowingthisDainportelet his moiety to Gardner & then Phillips but Edmund Stilesdisturbed theiroccupation turning cattle out but he being a JP committed them toprison sothey gave the land back to Dainporte. Ultimately Edmund Stile admittedtheerror of his ways and the complainant got to choose his remedy so theysplitthe lands.

Landsconcerned described as firstly House& appurts together with a field, a field N&W of housecalledCookesField, Billocks Close, Chapmans Close [or field?] a close calledSanguenette,pond close, a corner of conduit field. Secondly Long Mead, a grove orcoppicecalled Cookes als(alias?) Estons Grove adjoining on the highway leadingfromBeckenham to Wickham, a piece of ground called Peartree Fieldpreviouslydivided in two, Conduit Field.

Eitherthe fields names changed or not on anyavailable maps.

1612- ·Willof William Munckler of Combe 1612

· SHCRefNo:PCC/CROY/52

· Repository:SurreyHistory Centre, Woking

· Date:8Nov 1612

· Description:Tomy sonGeorge M. 30 at marriage and if my wife remarries then she topay it then and if George dies to my son Nicholas M.; to my son Georgeadunnish grey stoned colt with a bald face in my farmatBeckenham;to myson Nicholas M. 10; to my daughter Ann wife of Arthur Wrighte ofBromley my biggestblack cow; my wife to pay to my daughter Mary wife of George Johnson 2;residueto my wife Joyce, exec.; Thomas Batt of Croydon, overseer
Witnesses: Samuel Frisby, scr.; William Barnabe
Codicil 16 Nov 1612: to my son Robert M. 5s; to my daughter Mary wifeof GeorgeJohnson 5s; to my daughter Christabel wife of Nicholas Mather 5s; to mydaughter Grace M. 5s; Nicholas Mather and Griffith Mather owe me byobligationof 27 Jul 1609 for 10 to pay 5 2s on 13 Oct next and it to my son George
Witnesses: Samuel Frisbye, scr.; Robert Brytton (X); Alice wife ofHenryRobinson
Codicil 5 Dec 1612: to my son Nicholas what is due from William ThorneandWilliam Purdewe by bond
Witness: Samuel Finche, vicar
Proved: 14 January 1612/3 to exec.

Munckler’sfarm may be either freehold or leasehold, yet to be identified.

1613– Several early maps of Kent areon record showing Beckenham identified by a church or manor house butthe onlyother detail is Langley placed between Beckenham and West Wickham.

FromJohn Speed’s map 1614

1615-In 1615Edmund Style purchased the 40a of Cook’s Farm in Wickham& his son William was able to acquire “part ofCook’s in Great Mead or in other words the now cleared frithof the manor and in 1642 the Styles enclosed this part with a pale ordeer fence, this is now the (Langley Park) golf course. More adjacentparcels followed to form a home farm for Langley that eventually becameknown as Red Lodge.
WestWickham Past & Present Patricia Knowlden & Joyce Walker

1615- Langley; December 26th and 27th; Parish records show thatJohnStile, sonne of Edmund Stile theYounger was borne on the xxviandbaptised on xxvii December at Langley Chapel lawfullyconsecrated by L.Barloe, late Bishop of Rochester

1617– Langley; death of Edmund Style and William Style(1560-1624)inherits Langley from his father Sir Edmund Style (1538-1617)

Edmund’swill mentions an exchange of some lands betweenhimand Oliph Leigh Esq. being some farm inAddington from Leigh in exchange for lands in Beckenham called theCrofts forthe term of one thousand years, effectively a permanent exchange unlessreversed by some subsequent agreement. Oliph Leigh had possession ofFoxgroveManor this implies some attempt to reorganise holdings? Other landacquiredfrom John Brookecroft? of Sippenham, Lewisham (Sydenham) is bequeathedtoEdmund Style junior and a windmill in Bromley is mentioned, whetherthis is themill in Keston which is described on a Langley map of circa 1740 needsto beconfirmed. Another candidate would be the windmill in Lodge Farm onnearbyBromley Hill.

1619 -

1619–The Will of Jeremy Kempsall, yeoman; He makes provision for threesurvivingdaughters and sons Henry and Jeremy. He mentions land called‘Masons’which wehaven’t identified yet although a temptation remains toconnect it withMason’sHill in Bromley it is described as being in Beckenham. He mentions‘tenements’implying he is letting some property to tenants.

1620-25 Beckenham Manor partof, PhilipotandHasteddescribe that a successor of John Leigh alienated it to Sir HenrySnelgrave,from whom it descended to his grandson (1639), but Lysons places it in1610.

1623– Henry/Harry Kempsall will probate 8^thJuly leaves hisson Thomas, wife Ann and daughter Frances crops and goods from hisleaseholdland in Battersea (Penge?). Harry Kempsall in Beckenham burials for 11^thJune 1623.

1623- A Plan of the Manor of Beckenhamlands is drawn by Nicholas Lane showing they are divided between SirHenrySnellyer (Snelgrave) of Beckenham and Sir John Dolston (Dalston) ofCumberland.Snellyer/Snelgrave had purchased his part and John Dalston had acquiredhispart through family inheritance and intermarriage with an heiress oftheTyrell’s. The Manor became rejoined into one under theSt.John familycirca1635-50. This image from the plan (below) is the main part of BeckenhamManor,north is toward the bottom right hand corner. The legend explaining thedivision, written in 1623 and transcribed by T. Proudlove in 1768. Theoriginalmap has not been discovered but this is from the later redrawn version.Thedate 1623 is significant as it is the date at which Patricius Curweninheritsfrom his father Henry Curwen who had married a daughter of John DalstonandCatherine (or Anne?)Tyrell

FromPhilipot: "Robert Leigh descendedout of Cheshire whose Successor about the latter End of King James(1620-25) alienatedit to Sir Henry Snelgrave, from whom it descended to his Grandchild Mr.HenrySnelgrave, (in 1639) ". Snelgrave must be in possession by 1623accordingto the map legend and is described as buying from Leigh in 1610 byLysons. see 1619 Chancery suit.

Matchingthe plan against the FoxgroveManor plan and more modern maps also shows that very little BeckenhamManorland is in Beckenham Place Park. It would seem that only the edge ofStumpsHill Wood was in Beckenham Manor. The land to the left of the outlinedsectionmarked Sir Francis Leigh is part of Foxgrove Manor which becomesBeckenhamPlace. The Church and old Manor House are marked. Other parts of themap showthe outlying fields and Abbey Farm at Penge Common, the latter is nowpartiallyenclosed within Crystal Palace Park.

Courtesyof theBritish Library © a section of the map excluding parts nearPenge,CrystalPalace, Kelsey and Langley

Transcriptof the map legend:

"ThePlot of the Manor of Beckenham withthe Demesne Lands Woods Pastures Meadows and Brooks unto the samepertainingnow used and belonging situate lying & being in the said ParishofBeckenham In the County of Kent. And is now the Manor Land etc. of TwoMen asyet un-divided (that is to say?) Henry Snellyer (aka Snelgrave) of theParishof Beckenham aforesaid his own part or Moiety. And Sir John Dolston(sicDalston?) of the Parish of Dolston in the County of Cumberland Kt. theotherpart or Moiety As... is inscribed and plotted one Tenement or Farm andthe Landunto the same belonging being also in the said Parish of Beckenhamcalled theAbbey and is coloured about in Yellow. Being the said S.Henry’s owntenementand Land and now Leased out unto Richard Baldwyn of the same Yeo. Allwhich saidManor and Tenement and the said several Lands etc. were at the Requestof thesaid Sir Henry Snellyer. Measured and Plotted in the month of Novemberin theyear 1623. By Nicholas Lane. Supervisor.

T.Proudlove. TransferiRfit. 1768"

Courtesyof the BritishLibrary shelf ref Maps 188.k.3.

Above;The Abbey Farm lands leased toRichard Baldwin. It would be interesting to learn where HenrySnellyer/Snelgrave is residing but the disparate parts of BeckenhamManor allowfor several possibilities. The parish records for St.George's haveseveralburials for Baldwins from the 16th century onwards but none that wouldfit thisRichard Baldwin. Although probably his father and grandfather of thesame nameappear on the burial register unless the map refers to Richard d.1616.But“Baldwins” are recorded in Penge into the 18^thCentury.Alice wifeof Richard of TheAbbey confirms the mapinformation to a great extent.

Theacreages of thetwo parts and the part identified as leased.

SirJohn Dalston is traceable as MP forCumberland who soon after sold or transferred his part to PatriciusCurwen,also MP for Cumberland apparently via family intermarriage.
Both Dalston and Curwen are recorded on History of Parliament online.The nameSnellyer seems to be interchangeable or aliased with Snelgrave andSnelgar.

Thelist of Rectors for the church shows that Dalston had the advowson ofthe church thereby appointing the Rector from 1616according to records in Hasted but this contradicts Dalston's date ofdeath in 1614 and may relate to Sir John's son Sir George Dalston(1581-1657) holding the advowson? (see below, Lyson's extract).

Thislink for Patrick or PatriciusCurwen at History of Parliament explains Curwens relationship with theDalstonsthrough marriage and his business activities. This added to thefootnote belowfrom Lyson's increases the likelihood of an interfamily transfer ormaybe amarriage settlement. Whether Dalston or Curwen used Beckenham as aresidencewhile attending Parliament remains a question but it is unlikely as theDalston's were tied to Cumberland. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/curwen-patricius-1602-1664

Afootnote in Lyson's Environs of London states: The alliancesof theTyrrells, Dalstons, and Curwens are taken from St. George's VisitationofCumberland, in the College of Arms. The alienation from Sir GeorgeDalston,(who was son of Sir John Dalston by a second wife,) to Sir PatrickCurwen, asmentioned by Philipott and Hasted, was, it is probable, a familyconveyance. Hemight have been trustee for Sir Patrick, who was his nephew. Theconveyance ofthis moiety of the manor, from Humphrey Tyrrell to Sir Ralph Warren,mentionedby Philipott, and confirmed by Pat. 35 Hen. VIII. pt. 18. April 12, wasprobably a mortgage, or trust, though not declared; as was also, Isuppose, a conveyancefrom the same Humphrey Tyrrell to William Parker, citizen and draper.Pat. 2Edw. VI. pt. 1. Nov.

1623- Beckenham Church is underRochester Diocese covering this dispute over a private pew.Contemporary withthe drawing of the map of Beckenham Manor and perhaps part of theprocess offormalizing the 'assets' which went with each moiety of the manor.

DIOCESEOF CHICHESTER:EPISCOPAL RECORDS.THE ARCHDEACONRY OF LEWES Formulary. , 1623. Secondcopy.Ff.524-529 Sir John Dalston and Sir HenrySnelgarofRochesterdiocese v. JohnBrograveand Margaret his wife ofBeckenham.Sentencein cause for a pew. N.D. Sir William Byrd, LL.D.

1623– Penge; Surrey Wills ref; SW/10_537
John Haswell (X) of Penge, Battersea, husbandman, sick 30 Jun 1623 (tobeburied in the churchyard of Beckenham, Kent)
profit of lease of 'Sellers Wood' and 'Sellers Field' to the use of myfivechildren; residue to my wife Catherine Haswell, exec. and to bringingup mychildren
Overseers: cousin Thomas Haswell; John Haswell
Witnesses: Richard Bristowe; John Slighter; Robert Daulton (X)
Proved: 29 Jul 1623 to relict [DW/PA/7/10 f.284v; DW/PA/5/1623/55]

See1626 Haswell. Beckenham burialsalso has another John Haswil buried in 1624 who may be the cousin orone of thechildren, these are the only two Haswell burials at St.George’s somaybe thelease expired or was sold and the family moved away?

1624-Langley, Simpson'sPlace,Kent House etc: This relates to severalproperties in Beckenham and elsewhere including Langley, Kent House,Clayhersts(Clayhill or possibly Woolseys Farm?) and Simpsons PlaceorFarm in Bromley. The Bosvilles and Pershalls had possession oroccupancy ofSimpsons Place. A loan between the families resulted in a later courtofChancery case whereby the Style family claimed repossession of SimpsonsPlace,see 1668/70. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the case Simpsons andotherproperty as part of the Styles Langley estates was passed to theElwills viamarriage to a Style heiress and the Elwills sold Langley includingSimpsons toHugh Raymond in 1732.

StephenScott (1579-1658) listed belowis of Hayes Place, Hayes, Kent and the family intermarried with boththe Stylesfamily and Brograves of Kelsey in different generations ieStephen Scott’ssecondwife was Elizabeth Brograve by whom he had three sons and two daughters. His sister Katherine Scottmarried EdmundStyle of Langley. Some of Scott’s property is said to havebeen inBeckenhambut certainly very close by.

HullHistory Centre: Papers of the Bosville-Macdonald Family

UDDBM/36/3 Marriage Settlement: William Stile(Style) senr. of Bromlyeesq., to his son and heir Sir Humphrey Stile, Sir John Peshall ofSogonhill,co. Staffs., Dame Elizabeth Boswell widow of Sir Robert Bosvile, ThomasStileof Watringberrie esq. and Edmond Stile of Beckenham gent., (brother ofW. S.senior): prior to marriage of Sir H. S. and Dame E. B. Messuages andlands inBeckenham, Lewsham, Langlye Greene, Wickham and Deptford, co. Kent; andinBatrichsey, co. Surrey (Tenants and rents specified. Mentions capitalmessuagecalled Langley, messuage called Kent House and lands called the Parkes,Tomshill,Southfield, Rudlies and Croftes, Dawes Grove, Gravely Croft, the NeweOrchard,Gilbertes, Gilbertes Brooke, Henly Grove, Feildes, Great and LittleTomsWoodfeild, Bruehouse Field, the Wildes, Willmottes, Clayhersts, TennAcres, theHopyard, the Ozier Yard, Wickersland Meade in Beckenham, Birchgrove inWickham.Jenkyns and Issabell Field in Lessham[Lewisham]). Witn. Stephen Scott,RobertStyle (a younger son of Wm.Style), Ra. Massie, Richard Harvye (inBeckenham burials as a servant of Sir Humphrey Style), John Fryer,Edmund Savage. Endorsedwithattornment of 34 tenants (26 April 1624) 1 item 9 Apr 1624

UDDBM/36/11 Settlement (i) Sir Henry Bosvile of Eynsford, Robert Brentof Grayes Inn esq., Benjamin Green citizen and haberdasher of Londonand EdwardBrowne of Cliffords Inn, gent. (ii) Richard and Bridgett Bosvileyoungerchildren of Richard Bosvile of Bionnie, co. Staffs., esq. (iii) RobertBosvileesq. (son and heir of the said Richard B. dec'd) and ElizabethMartinwidow of William Martin of the Middle Temple, gent., dec'd Capitalmessuagecalled Simpsons Place in Bromley with all appurtenances and 400 acresof woodsin Beckenham, Bromley, Hayes, Lewsham, Orpington and Keiston: Witn. E.Simanans, Paul Pullein 1 item 24 Jun 1673

UDDBM/34/12 Covenant to levy a fine (i) William Martyn of MiddleTemple, London, gent., and wife Elizabeth, widow and admin. of RichardBosvileof Bionnie, co. of Staffs. esq. (ii) John Byrch of Cannocke, co.Staffs., gent.and Walter Higges of Stafford, gent. (iii) Sir Richard Oteley ofPitchford co.Salop and Sir Henry Bosvile of Eynsford co. Kent and RobertBosvileesq., (as(i)) Capital messuage called Sympsons place in Bromeley; 400 acreswoodland inpars (parishes of). Beckenham, Bromeley, Hayes, Lewsham, Orpington andKeistonall in the co. Kent: To uses declared in indenture of previous dated.Witn. Geo.Gyford, Rob. Brent, John Evens 1 item

1624- Langley passes from WilliamStyle (1560-1624) to Humphrey Style (1585-1660) who dies without issueso hishalf
brother William inherits in 1660. The will of William 1624 leavesbequests tohis many children with some property in Beckenham and West Wickhamwhich isunder tenants going to some younger sons. Sir Humphrey is the main heirtoLangley. The will deserves some transcription to understand the fullimplications of William’s bequests. The previous entryregarding themarriagesettlement of Humphrey Style also gives some idea of propertycomplexityassociated with Langley.

1625- King Charles I until 1649

1626- Oct. 10. Calendar of StatePapers Domestic; Scadbury. 63. Dep. Lieuts. of Kent to the Council. SirHenrySnelgar is charged with arms in that county.

SirHenry Snelgar(Snelgrave) ofBeckenham Manor in his capacity as Magistrate. The full meaningof"charged with arms" is not known, it may mean supplied with for amilitia. The usual unrest may exist between England and France as thisisaround the time of the persecution of the Huguenots. In this year onMay 6thDutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan IslandfromNative Americans for 60 Guilders worth of goods. Believed to have beenCanarseeIndians of the Lenape.

1627– May; Calendar of State Papers Charles I: Humphrey Style isknighted.

May18. Grant of Baronetcy to Sir Humphrey Styles, with precedencebefore all Baronets made since February 1, 1627. [Docquet.]
May18. Warrant to discharge the said Sir Humphrey Styles, of moneypayable in respect of his Baronetcy. [Docquet.]
Source;BHO

1627– Langley or nearby?; William Style acquires alicence under Charles I to empark any part of his lands in Bromley,Beckenham,West Wickham and Hayes. (October) source: BHO

Theinteresting aspect of this is thatit predates the death of Sir Humphrey Style who is landlord of LangleyandWilliam had received other property by the will of their father WilliamStyle.It is possible that William is occupying Langley by permission or leaseof hishalf-brother Humphrey.

1627– Langley; Calendar of StatePapers Charles I; Humphrey Style to Buckingham. The King granted him acharterof free-warren in lands about his house, but Sir Francis Lee, of Kent,his nextneighbour, maliciously opposed the grant. On a reference to theAttorneyGeneral, petitioner proved that it was of no damage to any one, butstill SirFrancis reports that he shall never enjoy it. Entreats the favour ofthe Duke,and that he will take notice that Sir Francis Lee (Leigh) has latelyheaded anopposition of the tenants of a manor against the King's prerogative,and at theGreen Cloth boasted that there would be a parliament shortly, andbefore hewould lose the least part of his freedom he would spend the best bloodof hisbody, and that if ever there was a Parliament he knew what todo;—subscribed,"Your Grace's poor creature and humble servant." (BHO)

1627– Sir Oliver St. John, ViscountGrandison of Limerick and Baron Tregoze, purchases the manors ofWandsworth andBattersea. Oliver had connections with the area via his marriage toJoan Roydon(widow of Thomas Holcroft of Battersea). His death in 1630 without adirectheir will pass Battersea to his nephew John St. John whose son Oliverwillpurchase part of Beckenham Manor circa 1639. Sources; TNA andDictionary ofNational Biography

1632– Langley; Borrowman (1910)relates; Humphrey Style writes a letter to his wifeaboutarranging a procession for his cousin Sir Thomas Style of Wateringburywho isSherrif of Kent in 1632. Whether the Snelgar is Henry Snelgrave ofBeckenhamManor isin question but highly likely although the tasks set for Snelgar implya more lowly rank. An alternative might be that one of the Snelgravefamily Robert or Thomas are in the employ of Stile. Some curiosity mustbe expressedregarding Courtcases in Chancery between Style and Snelgar (Snelgrave) but Chancerydisputeswere often used to settle property ownership iel Beckenham Manor andLangleybeing so intertwined. Snelgrave is also a JP for Kent:

SirHumphrey Style 1632.(original spellings) from Robert Borrowman's"Beckenham Past and Present" and also recorded in Kent Archaeology“(Forthe following letter, interesting as illustrating the habits of thetime, weare indebted to the kind courtesy of the late Rev. J. Hunter, E.S.A.,AssistantKeeper of the Records, who copied it in the year 1807, from acollection ofautographs made by Mr. John Wilson, of Broomhead, near Sheffield, whodied in1783.) “. Borrowman's source was probablyArchaeologica Cantiana published in the 1890's.

DearHarte, I have had, since I parted with thee, three fits of anagewe, wich hath troubled mee very sorely, but I thank God I have nowequitelost yt, and begun to be very well. Monsieur de Soubise kisseth yourhand, andDesired me to write you word you must not be angry with him for keepingmeebeyond my apointed time. Newes wee have none heere, but of horses anddogs. Ihope that thou hast lost they could by this time. I shall not be inLondon tillthe 4th of March wch will be Shrove Mondeye, therefore I would entreatethee,the Satturdie before to goe out of towne to my ladiePrescot’s house. Iwouldhave thee stay till the Sises bee ended: then I will come and fetch youtheare.Take all the men with you but Snelgar, who must help mee to my clothes.

LeaveLucres and marie to look to the house in London. Pennefather Iwould have goe down to Langleye, that he may help to look to the Parkein theabsence of Moseley. I would have all my menne to meete mee on ShroveTuesday,by 10 of the clock in the morning, at the Bull in Dartford for at thattime,God willing, I intend to be theere, and from thence to Rochester thatnight, tomeete the Hie Sherife. French and Oxenbridge, as I remember Sir ThomasStiledid desier, should be without fayle on Ash Wensdaye morning by eight oftheclock, at Westram, to meet the Under Sherif, to come along with theJudge thatcometh out of Surreye. Pray bid Snelgar to buie mee 6 javelins, wheereSirThomas hath bespoke his, and that he paye for them two shillings apiece: allsothat he call to Mr Wood the haberdasher for the hats and feathers, alsothebridles and saddles; and that the groom have order to fit all thesaddles andbridle to everie horse, and that all the horses be well dressed, fedandtrimmed. I would have the white gelding for Snelar to ride on, AshfieldforBarlow , the great bay mare for William Bennet, and the black nagbought ofCharles for the grooome; Moseley on his own horse, the cook upon cropandHarnie’s horse for mr Lovekin, for he hath lent mee his horsefor hisown boyto ride on. My little black nagg, Terringham, I would have sadelledwith mycrimson velvet pad, and that the groome be sure that I have newestirrops,stirrop leathers, bridle and girts, and that nothing be amiss. I wouldhave thegroome with all the rest of my men, Snelgar and the boye who shall comealongwith mee from London, to bee up very early upon Shrove Tewesdaye in themorning, that theye may coom softly with the horses to Dartford, andthat theylead with them my black nag Terringam, the white gelding for Snelgar,Harnies’shorse for Mr. Lovekin, who shall likewise coom downe with mee fromLondon; sothey shall meete their horses at Dartford. The foot man I would havecoomalonge with them, because I would have his clothes handsome. If SirJohnPrescot will not goe to the assizes, which I hope he will, then idesire hisgelding may be b16rought along to Dartford, for my wife to ride on,then one ofmy men shall ride on my black nag, and I wold have Crop left at homebecause heis very poor and ilfavoured.

OnSaturdaye morning,before you goe out of towne, send Snelgar to Sir JohnSpralie, to fetch the hourse hee hath lent me, and let him be wellooked to atmy stable in London, till I coom thither on mundaie; then I willdispose ofhim, and would have Mr Brookes to fit the boyes shute to him, and ifthere beever on ould laced band of mine past my wearing, let the boye have it.If theCroidon Shoemaker hath not brought my boots and the boy’s lethim besent forwith all speede. I woulde have the coachman, if thou canst spare him togoe toLanglie for a day or two, and let him take oile with him, to oile thegreatcoche and let him bee sure it bee well mended and cleane, for I woldehave thatCoche brought to mee on Shrove Sundaie to London, to be theare inreadiness. Iwould have thee send for Sir Cornelius Fairemedu, to desire him not tofaile tobe ready according to his promis, on Tewesdaye monrninge, to goe alongwithmee; also that he speak to Sir John Ashfield and Mr. Braye and any onegallantman like hiumselfe, that may make the better showe. Let Mr. Brooke bespoken tomy satin shute bee in readiness and, if I have never a silver hatband,that hebespeak mee a curious neate one. I wold have brought from Langleye thefelt hatlaced with satten, and my damaske night bagg and cloth.

Thisisall Sweete Harte, I can remember for this time, I pray thee bee merryand makemutch of thyself and take the coch and goe brode this fayre wether, itwill dothee good so, with my best love to thee, and my kind remembrance to mysisterand all our friends, in great hast by Reasonof the spedie departure of the bearer who hathpromised me safely to deliver this letter, I rest thy trewly lovinghusband HmStile

FromMon de Soubise his howseneare Salisbery the 16^th Feb To his everhonoured friend theLady ElizabethStile at her howse in Aldersgate Street next door to the Half MoonTaverne bethese delieured.

1636- Showing that Sir Henry Snelgrave of Beckenham Manor was a JP forKent; (BHO)

Oct.20.
Deptford.22. Sir Henry Palmer to Sir Henry Snelgrave, Justice of Peaceof Kent.

Thewest part of that county being charged with carriage of timber forhis Majesty's service, the writer prays that a speedy course may betakentherein. [The same seal as No. 18.½p.]Underwritten,

22.i.Sir Henry Snelgrave to Sir Henry Palmer. Sent theCouncil's letter to Sir Thomas Walsingham, deputylieutenant, as is usual.[¼p.]

22.ii.Certificate of Sir Thomas Walsingham that,finding thelatter concerned the west part of Kent, he sent it to the QuarterSessions atMaidstone, where an order was given for the Clerk of the Peace toanswer thesame to the Council. [¼p.]

Alsoin 1636 letters to Sir Henry and others speak of the concern ofcontagionbeing carried by persons travelling to and from London. Plague andotherdiseases such as smallpox are recorded in the diaries of John Evelyn.Theplague would have regular outbreaks though not as great as 1665.Justices ofthe Peace including Sir Henry Snelgrave are charged with preventingtravel toandfrom London especially where it might carry infection toroyalresidences. (source BHO Calendar of State Papers Charles I)

Sept.18.Oatlands.

61.The Council to the Justices of Peace, co. Middlesex. The selling ofrags in this time of infection being a great cause of dispersing theplague inthe country near London, and there being no means to suppress suchdealingwhilst the paper mills in Middlesex are suffered to work, his Majestyhadcommanded the writers to give directions that no paper mills withinthat countybe permitted to go or work until it shall please God to remove thecontagion.The justices are required not only to stay the working of all suchmills, butto suppress the buying of any rags or old clothes, and if any refuse toobey,they are to commit them till they be brought to a better understanding.[Draft.½p.]

62.The same to the Justices of Peace for Surrey near Nonsuch and Oatlands.By letters of 11th June the Lords gave them charge to inquire whathouseswithin ten miles of Hampton Court and Oatlands received inmates orsojournersand to take order for the present removing of them. The Lords are giventounderstand that diverse Londoners have obtained houses, not only nearHamptonCourt and Oatlands, but near Nonsuch also, and there inhabit, goingdaily toand from London, which cannot be without great peril to theirMajesties. Thejustices were charged not only to perform the former letter, but alsoto removesuch persons as coming from London or Westminster have settled asaforesaid.Persons who settled before the said letters are to be enjoined thattheyneither go nor suffer their servants to pass to and from London, uponpain tobe removed from their houses or to have the same shut up. [Draft.1¼p.]

79.The same to Sir Thomas Walsingham, Sir Henry Snelgrave, and ThomasBlunt. Letter similar to that addressed on the 18th instant, to theJustices ofPeace of Surrey [see No. 62] but having relation to Greenwich "the siteofone of his Majesty's standing houses." [Draft. 1p.]

1636– Beckenham connected Coulsdon, Surrey; Surrey Wills ref;SW/13_54
Thomas Haswell of Coulsdon, yeoman, sick 25 Nov 1636
I am indebted to my sister Agnes Kempsell for £10 which to bepaidwithin sixmonths and I leave her the dwelling in my house for life; my brotherJohnHaswell owes me £30 which I give to him; to the threedaughters of JohnHaswelllate of Beckenham, Kent deceased 13s 8d each when 21; residue to mywife JaneHaswell, exec.
Overseers: Miles Hatcher; William Greene
Witnesses: John Butler, writer
Proved: 31 Mar 1639 to exec. [DW/PA/7/13 ff.24v-25r; DW/PA/5/1639/70]

SeeHaswell 1623. The evidence of a Haswell/Kempsall link adds to thegenealogyof Beckenham families. As no Agnes Kempsall is in burial records after1636 sheeither remarried or moved away (into the Coulsdon house?).

Haswellburials;

1637 -

1637– Robert Snelgrave, a younger sonof Sir Henry Snelgrave of Beckenham Manor marries;SNELGRAVERobert, gent,of Beckenham, co. Kent, bachelor, 36, and Mary ADAMS, of St Giles intheFields, widow, 33 – at St Gregory, London. 11 Nov 1637. Iwonder ifmarrying awidow both in their 30’s may mean they had no offspring beinga reasonthatBeckenham Manor descended to Henry Snelgrave’s grandson in1639.

1638/39- Beckenham Manor (at thelatest) - Patricius or Patrick Curwen, MP for Cumberland sold hisinterest in(1 moiety) to Sir Oliver St. John of Batricksey(Battersea) in Surrey,who upon his Decease 1639 gave it to his Son John who died young in1657. Thento Mr. Walter, butupon the Death of hisNephew 1657, Sir WalterSt. John Baronet, (Oliver St. John had one son named John wholeftpropertyand the title to his uncle Walter St. John.). However a 'calendar ofdocquets'dates a license to alienate this moiety of the Manor of Beckenham to1639 andto other parties than Oliver St. John although those parties may havebeenacting for St.John. Oliver St.John died in 1639 so this transaction hadto takeplace at this time at the latest.

PatrickCurwen may have decided to sellafter the death of his only son Henry in 1636 and then having no directheir.

Thepassage of Curwen and priorto him Dalston through the Manor of Beckenham could be imagined torelate tothier office as MP's for Cumberland but family intermarriages broughtabout thesuccession of ownership from the Tyrells down through Dalston toCurwen. SirJohn Dalston was succeeded by his grandson George Dalston as MP.and itappears that Patricius Curwen and George Dalston as Royalist MPs werepart ofthe number of MP's prevented from sitting in the Long Parliament givingrise tothe Rump Parliament of 1648. Lyson's adds a footnote:"Thealliances of the Tyrrells, Dalstons, and Curwens are taken from St.George'sVisitation of Cumberland, in the College of Arms. The alienation fromSirGeorge Dalston, (who was son of Sir John Dalston by a second wife,) toSirPatrick Curwen, as mentioned by Philipott and Hasted, was, it isprobable, afamily conveyance. He might have been trustee for Sir Patrick, who washisnephew. The conveyance of this moiety of the manor, from HumphreyTyrrell toSir Ralph Warren, mentioned by Philipott, and confirmed by Pat. 35 Hen.VIII.pt. 18. April 12, was probably a mortgage, or trust, though notdeclared; aswas also, I suppose, a conveyance from the same Humphrey Tyrrell toWilliamParker, citizen and draper. Pat. 2 Edw. VI. pt. 1. Nov." Thisaddstothe complexity of ownership but illustrates the potential financialdealingsvia mortgages and that family connections were involved in thetransfers.Thematter might be further complicated by the upcoming civil war as Curwenenlisted as a colonel in the Royalist army. The other documents mayreveal thatother parties were involved in the disposal of this part of Curwen'sestate.

1638/39- Beckenham Manor (one part);Sir Henry Snelgrave is buried in St. George's Beckenhamleavingthis partto Mr. Henry Snelgrave his grandson. Although his will asks for him tobeburied near his wife at St. Georges the burial records do not show himbut doshow his wife and several children but as our source is a transcriptionthenerrors may exist. His will mentions substantial lands inBeckenham,Surrey and Hampshire. I am led to wonder if his acquisition of part ofBeckenham Manor had anything to do with his appointment as Justice ofthe Peacefor West Kent.

FromPhilipott: Robert Leighdescendedout of Cheshire,whoseSuccessor aboutthe latter End of King James(1620-25) alienatedit to Sir HenrySnelgrave,fromwhom it descended to his Grandchild Mr. Henry Snelgrave,whonot long sincepassed it away to Mr. Walter,nowSir Walter St. JohnBaronet,who latelyhath exchanged the whole Mannor, for other Land with his Brother Mr. HenrySt. John."

Wecan clarify that as Snelgrave andDalston had the 1623 map drawn up which might be taken as a 'latest'date atwhich Snelgrave bought his part of Beckenham Manor. We also find thislatterdescription has missed some detail as records in Surrey archive revealthat MrHenry Snelgrave, the grandson, sold or mortgaged it to the Evelynbrothers,Richard, George and John the diarist of Deptford in 1648 who in turnsold it toWalter and Henry St. John in 1650, see 1648 and 1650.

Theburial records for the Snelgravesshow that some members died very close to one another ie one childdying at adate close to the mother and one son dying at a date close to thefather'sdeath. Whether this indicates visitations of disease or coincidence wecannotsay.

1640– Sir Humphrey Style of Langley isappointed a commissioner for collection of subsidy; Charles I, 1640: AnAct forthe releif of His Majesties Armie and the Northern Parts of theKingdome.

1640- Humphrey Style of Langley suesfor libel against Shaw. source: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/court-of-chivalry/632-style-shaw

632STYLE V SHAW

SirHumphrey Style of Langley, co. Kent, bart v William Shaw the youngerof St Michael, Crooked Lane, London, merchant

February- October 1640

Abstract

Stylecomplained thatclose to midnight on 7 January 1640, at a supper in the Bell Tavern inStMartin Orgar, London, in the presence of his brother, Michael Style,draper,Robert Ellis, merchant, and Mr Job Royce, Shaw had said, 'I know whatSirHumfry Styles is, he is a man worth nothing; he hath gamed away all hisestate;he doth flinge his baggs in every corner; he is a base conditionedfellow'.Style was not present, but his brother and Ellis began trading blowswith Shawwho later had Michael Style brought before a J.P. and bound over toappear atthe next quarter sessions. Shaw and Michael Style also began suitsagainst eachother in the Court of Common Pleas and Crown Office. Process wasgranted on 15February 1640 and Style presented his libel on 1 May. His brother andEllisappeared as witnesses before the court in June and July and proceedingswerestill under way in October 1640; but nothing further survives.

Brogreve,Edward, of London, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey,Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer;Kitman, Robert, of Bekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham,laborer; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, ofMepeham, horse collar maker; Toppesfeld, Robert, of Batersey, Surrey,laborerBrogreve,Edward, of London, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey,Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer;Kitman, Robert, of Bekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham,laborer; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, ofMepeham, horse collar maker; Toppesfeld, Robert, of Batersey, Surrey,laborerBrogreve,Edward, of London, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey,Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer;Kitman, Robert, of Bekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham,laborer; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, ofMepeham, horse collar maker; Toppesfeld, Robert, of Batersey, Surrey,laborerBrogreve,Edward, of London, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey,Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer;Kitman, Robert, of Bekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham,laborer; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, ofMepeham, horse collar maker; Toppesfeld, Robert, of Batersey, Surrey,laborer

Brogreve,Edward, ofLondon, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey, Richard, ofBekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Kitman,Robert, ofBekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Lowen, Thomas,ofBekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, of Mepeham, horse collar maker;Toppesfeld,Robert, of Batersey, Surrey, laborer

Brogreve,Edward, ofLondon, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey, Richard, ofBekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Kitman,Robert, ofBekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Lowen, Thomas,ofBekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, of Mepeham, horse collar maker;Toppesfeld,Robert, of Batersey, Surrey, laborer

Brogreve,Edward, ofLondon, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey, Richard, ofBekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Kitman,Robert, ofBekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Lowen, Thomas,ofBekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, of Mepeham, horse collar maker;Toppesfeld,Robert, of Batersey, Surrey, laborer

Brogreve,Edward, ofLondon, gent; Lowen, Thomas, of Bekenham, collier; Godfrey, Richard, ofBekenham, laborer; Morys, Richard, of Bekenham, laborer; Kitman,Robert, ofBekenham, laborer; Colyns, Thomas, of Bekenham, laborer; Lowen, Thomas,ofBekenham, laborer; Style, Edmund, of Mepeham, horse collar maker;Toppesfeld,Robert, of Batersey, Surrey, laborer

1642-1651English Civil War- theimpact of the warwill have influenced some sales of properties as severalfamiliessoughtexile for either political or religious reasons. Similarly families whostayedput survived the turmoil.

1642- Connection withBeckenham Manor; Richard Hubert, knight, executor of Thomas Wroughton,armigerv.Thomas Snelgrave, armiger, son and heir apparent of Henry SnelgravedeBeckenham, Kent, Debt on an obligation: £600; undefended;(50s damages)(Trinity Term, 1655, fully satisfied.

Thisreference mayindicate some financial problems for the Snelgraves perhaps influencingtheirsale of their part of Beckenham Manor. The turmoil of the Civil War maybe areason. Thomas's financial troubles may have been a reason for SirHenrySnelgrave to pass over his son Thomas and leave his part of BeckenhamManor tohis grandson, Henry in 1639. The term armiger describes someone able tobeararms or having a coat of arms. At the outset of the civil war maybethisindicates a military position. As the son of a baronet Thomas is likelyto havebeen a Royalist.

1642-In1615 Edmund Style purchased the 40a of Cook’s Farm in Wickham& his son William was able to acquire “part ofCook’s in Great Mead or in other words the now cleared frithof the manor and in 1642 the Styles enclosed this part with a pale ordeer fence, this is now the (Langley Park) golf course. More adjacentparcels followed to form a home farm for Langley that eventually becameknown as Red Lodge. West Wickham Past &Present Patricia Knowlden & Joyce Walker

1642- Trinity Term, Court of Common Pleas;

1642- Kings Bench; May we guess that Thomas Snelgrave as son of Sir HenrySnelgrave (d.1639) may have been passed over by his father's willbecause he was in debt and the grandson, Henry Snelgrave wasSirHenry's beneficiary. At this time during the Civil War it maybethat the Snelgraves were in decline as Sir Henry had been a magistratefor Charles I. This culminated in Snelgraves moiety of Beckenham Manoreventually being sold to the St.Johns.

1643- Sir Humphrey Styles, House of Lords Journal 10th February; a Pass.

Ordered,That SirHumphrey Stiles, a Servant to His Majesty, shall haveaPass,quietly to go toOxford.CharlesI held court at Oxford during the Civil War. Sir Humphrey was aGentleman of the Privy Chamber and a cupbearer tothe king.

1644- Thayer's Farm; May 1644;gleanedfrom websearches;Therewere several generations of Thayers and this piece illustrates thekind of problems theyhad to deal with. He is described as apoorfarmer.We cannot say whether they owned the farm or leased it from a largerlandownerbut theThayers appear to have given up the farm in the early18thCentury, see 1736. Dr Skynner, the rector had been seperated(sequestered) fromhis occupancy of the parish church presumably by the Puritan movementduringthe Civil War.

Awebsite called Connected Histories has an entry from May 1644"17. 133. Petition of Giles Theyer to the Committees for theParliament.That he being possessor of a team in Beckenham was obliged to disburse5 l . 3s . 4 d . to redeem his team of horses,
"The full story from Mocavo....

May 17. 133. Petition of Giles Theyer to the Committees for theParliament.That he being possessor of a team in Beckenham was obliged to disburse51. 3s.4d. to redeem his team of horses,they being seized for non-payment ofthe l0d.tax levied on that parish; the deficiency was caused by inability tocollectthe sum assessed on Dr. Skynner, late rector of that parish, who wasthen undersequestration. Older having been passed by the Committee that moneydisbursedfor taxes unpaid of lands in sequestration shall be allowed out of therentsfrom the tenants, or upon account by the Treasurer of Sequestrations.Petitioner being a poor man prays that order may be taken for repaymentto himof the said sum, which he cannot afford to lose. Underwritten,

133.I. Ordered that Daniel Shetterden shall repay the money advanced byGiles Theyer. Dorso,
133. II. Receipt by Giles Theyer for 51. 3s. 4d. received ofDanielShetterden. 18thMay 1644.
133. III. Ordered, that as the above-named sum was omitted to beallowed to Mr.Shetterden upon the passing of his former sequestration accounts, thesame beallowed to him out of such sequestration money as is now in his hands.

1644 - Foxgrove: LEIGH, Sir Francis II (1590-1644), of Addington,Surrey. andEast Wickham, Kent dies. He is the Sir Francis Leigh identified asholdingFoxgrove Manor by Thomas Philipott (see 1659 below) also see History ofParliament online. And he is the Francis Leigh indicated on theBeckenham Manormap because when Proudlove copied the map he did not update theFoxgrovelandlord/s for 1768. A little confusing as the last Leigh to holdFoxgrove isalso named Sir Francis who dies in 1711. It appears that Thomas LeighholdsFoxgrove from 1644 until 1665

1645 - John Philipot, author of Villare Cantianum, published by his sonThomas.He was at Oxford with the Court during the Civil Waruntilcaptured by a parliamentary troop in the spring of 1645 and brought toLondon.Henever compounded, but drew up his will on 15 Nov., wherein he asked hiswife topublish ‘the survey of Kent wherein I have taken so greatlabour andpains’.Hedied a week later, and, all social pretensions at an end, was buried as‘Mr.John Filpott’ at St. Benet, Paul’s Wharf, theparish in which theCollege ofArms was located.The Kent survey to which he referred was publishedunder thename of his eldest son, Thomas, in 1659.In the following year hiscatalogue ofthe knights dubbed by James I also appeared in print. No later memberof thefamily entered Parliament.

1646-Letters ofSir Stephen Lennard & his wife Anne source West Wickham Past& Present Patricia Knowlden & Joyce Walker

Twohundred Parliamentary soldiers are billeted locally. They have broughtthe sickness (smallpox) into Beckenham in two houses Abigail my maidand Mr Laines son (of Langley brewhouse) is sick. Sir Humphrey (Stile)& his wife are gone from Langley for fear ofit.

see1643, Sir Humphrey Stile summoned to Oxford to the court of Charles I.It was strange how apparantly opponents in the Civil War co-existed?Very Civil indeed.

1647- St. George's Beckenham; JohnStorer was a clergyman of the Church of England, who matriculated atEmmanuelCollege, Cambridge, in 1633, took his B.A. degree in 1637 and M.A.in1640. Hewas curate at Doddinghurst, Essex, 13th October, 1637, Lecturer at St.Giles,Cripplegate, 18th March, 1641–2, vicar of Barking, 5th March,1646/7,andRector of Beckenham, Kent, 19th October, 1647. He married on 1stJanuary,1644–5, Joanna, daughter of John Christmas. Four of hischildren werebaptisedat Beckenham, viz. John in 1651, Elizabeth in 1653 and anotherElizabeth, andPeter, on 3rd November, 1657. Calamy says that during his eleven years'stay atBeckenham he was well beloved though he sometimes met with rudenessfrom suchpersons as despised the ministerial office. (source BHO, Survey ofLondon)

1647– Various properties in Beckenham and Penge descending froimMichael Leigh to the Batt family. Startswith Michael Leigh snr. Inhis will 1647 he mentions Willmers Field & Powry Fieldpurchasedfrom HumphreyStyle 4 years before and possibly other land in Beckenham.Beneficiaries sonMichael & daughter Rose (Kinsey).

Michaeljnr dies 1688 and leaves the lands to his nephew & niecechidren ofsisterRose, Richard & Mary Kinsey. Rose Kinsey died 1707 and left awillbeneficiaries son & daughter (now Mary Batt wife of Henry)

Aroundthis time we see a Chancery case 324r Kent 1690, May 26 Pyne, John, sonandheir of Thomas Pyne late of Beckenham, deceased Kinsey, Richard; andHenry BattConcerning a legacy devised by the will of Michael Leigh the elder ofBattersea, Surrey. Dismissal of the defendants.

ThesonRichard Kinsey dies 1710 Beckenham. No will so Mary inherits hisportion too.

HenryBatt dies 1715

SurreyArchdeaconry Court

CategoryBirth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records

ContentsSW/24_196

RobertHamond (X) of Penge, Battersea, sick and weak 18 Mar 1688/9 (to beburied inBeckenham, Kent)

alltoHenry Batt of Penge, snr. exec. and rest of land to Henry Batt, jnr. atlawfulage with remainder to Henry, snr.; to my sister ... King 2s 6d; to mybrotherJohn Hamond 2s 6d; to my brother Nicholas Hamond 2s 6d; to my brotherJacobHamond all my clothes, a pair of sheets and £3

Witnesses:Richard Kinsey; Mary Thorne (X); Jane Wood (X); Thomas Watford

Proved:27 Oct 1697 to exec. [DW/PA/7/17 p.301; DW/PA/5/1697/43]

Willdated 1707 probate 1715

HenryBatt of Battersea

purchasedof the children of the late John Harris of Beknam a messuage &14anow occJohn Woodly settled on his daughter Mary Batt & her heirs

Tomywife Mary Batt ú10pa from messuage called Fullers 15a atSidenham GreeninLewisham occ John Constable

TomysonHenry Batt lands previously of the Earl of Oxon (Countess of Oxford) inLewisham, Beknam, Battersea & Bromley which i have agreed topurchase forú3000. Directs purchase to go ahead in the names of his wife& sonHenry.After completion to sell parts ie several parcels of land &messuage inBromley now occ Col Edward King, a messuage & 4a in Bromleytownocc ThomasComb butcher, 26a Bromley Common occ Robert Shorter, land at SidenhamGreenLewisham 9a occ Robert Tilbersome, a further 15a at same occ RichardClowder tosettle any debts.

Anyresidue to be to wife & son.

Wife& son to convey messuage 15a in Battersea occ Robert Fox todaughter Janeto fund an annuity

MaryBattleaves a will 1723

Willtoson Henry (then grandson Michael Batt "St Peters Hall"inc barn stable13a occ Matthew Golderin Penge and adjacent Gatehouse Field 6a behindwidowTomsetts house, & Calloways Croft 2a next Sarah Hammonds houseoccThomasTomsett also land abutting Shawfords bridge called Long Mead occ JohnCollieralso Brooks Field 4a occ Mark Matthew, also 3 tenements occ MatthewWright,William Sparrow & Christopher Chapman, also Hubbards 5a,ChristmasCroft4a, five fields called Wilmots Fields adjacent to Wilmots Bridge12a

Todaughter Mary & heirs (or grandson Michael Batt if none)wife ofSamuel Pughtwo fields called Powey Fields 8a lying in or near Batts Lane occ JohnCarpenter, my house.

Tograndson Henry Batt & granddaughter Elizabeth Batt

CousinJane Marshall, godson Richard Marshall his sister Mary wife of WmSumpter

CousinsElizabeth Kinsey & Mary Jones

daughterin law Elizabeth Batt

kinswomanSusanna wife of Rev Epiphany Holland

KinswomanElizabeth Chapman

daughterMary Pugh

cousinJames Gidden & Rebecca his wife

kinsmanKnowles Kinsey

HenryBatt dies 1747

Willdated 1747 yeoman of Penge

wifeElizabeth

sonMichael will benefit from joynture of Elizabeth Batt his mother&the willof his grandmother Mary Batt so he provides for his daughter Mary Battleavingproperty in Beckenham, Bromley & Battersea.

Residueto wife & daughter

Reference:728/11/1

Title:Lease for 21 yrs @ £32 p.a. of Roystons, a messuage, orchard,andgarden nearPenge Green, and closes (field names and acreages given)

Description:

WilliamLethieuller of Beckenham

SonMichael dies 1749 split between daughter & wife.

DaughterMary Batt married Samuel Pugh as his 3^rd or 4^thwife.

SamuelPugh died 1737

HighSheriff of Kent 1727

Apprenticedto Anthony Rawlins 1683 for 7 years who left him ú50 in hiswill

Willdated 1736 probate 1738

wifeMarymansion house in Beckenham in which I dwell (Elmers End)

dauSusanna Willis

dauEleanor f'hold on Pickards Lane bought of John Cliff rebuilt &occRobertHoward

cousinSamuel Pugh

brotherHenry Batt

cousinStephen Law/Lane

cousinThomas Ward

cousinMary Cook decd

RefNo815/9

TitleProbate of will

DescriptionProbate of will and administration of Samuel Pugh of Beckenham.Appoints wifeMary and daughters, Susannah Willis and Eleanor Pugh, executrixes.Bequest of£3000 to Thomas Burke, of Southwark, George Roberts, and JohnWillis,ofSouthwark, dyer,as trustees for Eleanor Pugh. Bequests of£1000 to MaryPugh;freehold messuage bought of John Cliff and since rebuilt, and 5 acresnear thelane leading to Pickards Green, Beckenham, occupied by Robert Howard toEleanorPugh; To wife Little Farm, 2 houses and 16 acres, at Aylmers End(thereafter tograndson Sherlock Willis); 9 acres at. Sydenham occupied by - Anderson;17acres at Sydenham occupied by - Clowder (thereafter to grandson, JohnWillis);Mansion, appurtenances, garden and 22 acres, Beckenham (thereafter toSusannahWillis): Leasehold messuage, dyehouse, yard, outhouses in the Maze,Southwark,Surrey (thereafter to grandson Pugh Willis). Also money bequests tonamedgrandchildren, relatives, friends. Administration granted to JohnWillis, 11March 1760

DateWill: 23/08/1736; Probate: 1 February 1737/8

CourtSurrey Archdeaconry Court

CategoryBirth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records

ContentsSW/28_224

ElizabethWright (X) of St Olave Southwark, widow 7 Jan 1709/10

to(Mrs)Mary Oakman (wife of Thomas?) of Milton, Kent, sp. all my clothes andall mygoods, three gold rings, a pair of silver buckles, a silver spoonmarked EW anda silver bodkin; to (Mrs) Joan Pugh wife of (Mr) Samuel Pugh my weddingringand another ring marked JW; to my son in law Robert Wright 1s; residueto (Mr)Samuel Pugh of St Olave Southwark, dyer, exec.

Witnesses:Mathew Smith; Edward North; William Hopkins, clerk to (Mr) Woodcraft inthe

Poultry,London

Proved:15 Mar 1709/10 to exec. [DW/PA/5/1710/117]

MaryPughdied WILL 1759 Mary Pugh of Beckenham widow

landsinSouthwark from husband Samuel Pugh to 4 grand daughters Mary Heaton,EleanorWillis, Eleanor Baylis & Mary Baylis

ElizabethBatt widow of my late brother Henry Batt of Penge exor

1648– Surrey Heritage record: Receiptfrom Henry Snelgrave of Beckenham , Kent, to John Evelyn of the MiddleTemplefor £2250, the consideration money in a bargain and sale of13 JulbetweenSnelgrave and John, George and Richard Evelyn.Witnessed by RobertAbbott,scrivener, his servant Robert Cleton [Clayton] and Thomas Snelgrave.Endorsed asbeing a mortgage of the Manor of Beckenham for three years. With notebyWilliam Bray about Abbott and Clayton. [HMC p.678a].

Also;Chancery case TNA ref: C 5/396/42Short title: Evelyn v Snelgar alias Snelgrave.
Plaintiffs:John Evelyn.
Defendants:Henry Snelgar alias HenrySnelgrave and Thomas Snelgar alias Thomas Snelgrave.property inBeckenham, Kent. Document type: answer1648

26thApril, 1648.There was a great uproar in London, that the rebel army quartering atWhitehall,would plunder the City, on which there was published a Proclamation forall tostand on their guard.

4thMay, 1648. Cameup the Essex petitioners for an agreement between his Majesty and therebels.The 16th, the Surrey men addressed the Parliament for the same; ofwhich someof them were slain and murdered by Cromwell's guards, in the new palaceyard. Inow sold the impropriation of South Malling, near Lewes, in Sussex, toMessrs.Kemp and Alco*ck, for £3,000.

30thMay, 1648. Therewas a rising now in Kent, my Lord of Norwich being at the head of them.Theirfirst rendezvous was in Broome-field, next my house at Sayes Court,whence theywent to Maidstone, and so to Colchester, where was that memorable siege.

27thJune, 1648. Ipurchased the manor of Hurcott, in Worcestershire, of my brotherGeorge, for£3,300.

1stJuly, 1648. Isate for my picture, in which there is a Death's head, toMr.Walker, thatexcellent painter.

10thJuly, 1648. Newswas brought me of my Lord Francis Villiers being slain by the rebelsnearKingston.

16thAugust,1648. I went to Woodcote (in Epsom) to the wedding of my brother,Richard, whomarried the daughter and coheir of Esquire Minn, lately deceased; bywhich hehad a great estate both in land and money on the death of a brother.The coachin which the bride and bridegroom were, was overturned in coming home;but noharm was done.

28thAugust, 1648. ToLondon from Sayes Court, and saw the celebrated follies of BartholomewFair.

Strangehow the disruption of the impending Civil War was interspersedwith "follies" and Evelyn describes another property transaction forHurcott.

1648– Beckenham Manor/Penge?; From Surrey Record Office, thisExemplificationof a recovery is recorded here as Battersea covered parts of Penge inthe 17^thCentury and could refer to parts of Snelgrave’s moietie ofBeckenhamManorwhich had been leased. It would be contemporary with the Snelgrave saleofBeckenham Manor, see previous 1648 item.

Henry Martyn, gent, andWilliamWhorlwood, gent, plaintiffs, Robert Abbott, defendant, Henry SnelgaraliasSnelgrave, vouchee 2 messuages, 2 gardens and 1a land in Battersey[Battersea].Recovery suffered Michaelmas term 24 Car. [I]; exemplified 28 Nov 24Car. I[1648]

Backto searchresults

SHCRef No:K8/16

Repository:SurreyHistory Centre, Woking

Date:1648

Themention of Robert Abbott here implies some connection with the moietieofBeckenham Manor which was between Penge and Rockhills and the farmcalledAbbey. HenrySnelgar/Snelgrave was thegrandson of Sir Henry Snelgrave and sold his interest to the EvelynbrothersJohn, George and Richard. See 1651 where the Evelyns sell to Walter andHenrySt. John.

1649- Charles I beheaded at Whitehall 30th January

1649- John Stensmore (Stainesmore) husbandman, leaves a willmentioning his wife Katherine, two granddaughters Ellen and RichardTerle, children of his daughter Catherine and son in law AlexanderTerle (Ferle?) and friend Roger Musgrove, Yeoman. Yeomanindicates a small landowner/gentleman farmer while husbandmanindicates a tenant farmer. The next entry 1650 indicates thatStainesmores had been landowners but sold it to the Gattons who in turntransferred it to the Burrells via Jones Raymond of Langley.Gatton land was between Kelsey and Langley on the Burrell Kelsey map.

TheStainesmores were recorded in parish registers from the earliestrecords until mid 17th century when the family disappeared from localrecords.

1650- End of the English Civil War

1650- This schedule of deeds it states this land to originally beingthat of John Stainsmore, one of several yeoman landowners in Beckenham,andfound its way into the hands of Gatton and then Burrell via JonesRaymond. Weare challenged to identify the land in question apart from thatannotated‘Gattons’ on the Burrell Kelsey map of 1735 and thepresence of aWalnut TreeField in Langley belonging to Jones Raymond circa 1740. Several fieldnames areduplicated on various estates such as Barn Field, Pond Field etc.
Scheduleof indentures of land belonging to Nathaniel Gatton inBeckenham

1/3/1650Ind(enture) between JohnStainsmore & Ron Lloyd of one part & Wm Williams of theother&bonds for performance of covenants included

13/9/1653Ind between John StainsmoreLloyd on the one part & Wm Williams

15/9/1653Ind between said Williams& Charles Carshwell & Joseph Hendrick

18/9/1653Ind between Stainsmore &Lloyd on one part & Robert Hill

18/9/1653Ind of bargain & saleenrolled in Chancery between same

Ind of fine betweenHill &Stainsmore &Lloyd deforcients

17/5/1656Ind between Stainsmore &Lloyd on one part & Hill on the other

25&26/9/1684Ind of lease &release between said Hill & Edward Gatton

Ind ofEdward Hendrick son & exor of Joseph Hendrick decd &said Hillon onepart & Richard Pope as trustee for Edward Gatton the other

27/9/1684Ind between Gatton & Hill

11/4/1705general release from MrsSusan Gattonwidow & admon of Edward Gatton decd toher sonNathanielGatton

15/2/1709Tripartite indenture betweenNathaniel Gatton first part Elizabeth Whifling (Whiffin) second part&Richard Pearch& John Uppington third part with an endorsem*nt thereon dated18/6/1728whereby the premises therein mentioned are assigned to Merrick Burrell

Counterpartthereof

2/4/1717ind of demise from NathanielGatton & his wife & mother to John Brooke

8/4/1717redemise from Brook to Gatton

Easterterm 1717 Ind of fine John Brook& Nathaniel Gatton & wife deforcients

6/4/1719Ind between Gatton & wife& John Brook

8/11719 tripartite ind between JamesBrook of the first part, Nathaniel Gatton & wife second part&JohnChetwynd third part with an endorsem*nt dated 14/6/1728 wherebypremises areassigned to Jones Raymond Esq in trust for Peter Burrell Esq

Counterpartthereof

1728ind of fine between Peter BurrellEsq & Nathaniel Gatton & wife deforcients

24/4/1745received of Edward Emily theseveral deeds & writings above

Notes

1598William Stanesmore yeoman ofBeckenham leaves a will (Rochester)

1616George Stanesmore yeoman ofBeckenham leaves a will benefitting son Bartholomew

1648John Stainsmore leaves a willbenefitting widow Katherine & daughter Katherine Texle?

Manyburials for Stainsmore atBeckenham implying a long association with Beckenham and perhaps alongstandingland-holding

1655Edward Gatton was apprenticed as atallow chandler

JohnStainsmore is probably son of the one who died 1648, not sure whothe Lloyd is but there was a Griffith Lloyde of Beckenham in 1586though Idoubt a connection. We have not been able to find much other about theStainsmore’s but they were in Beckenham for over a hundredyears.

Thewill of John Stainesmore 1648 mentions his wife Katherine anddaughter Katherine (married to Alexander) [not sure of surname perhapsTense]. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/5111/images/40611_311336-00452?treeid=&personid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=QIU57229&_phstart=successSource&pId=912721

1651– 21st June; Beckenham Manor, The moiety of the manorbelonging toSnelgravewhich was mortgaged to the Evelyns in 1648 is sold on to Walter andHenrySt.John. Surrey Archive: Confirmation of bargain and sale (inreturn forpurchase money) 1) John Evelyn of Middle Temple, George Evelyn ofWotton andRichard Evelyn of Baynards, esqs 2) Walter and Henry St John ofBattersea,esqs. Moiety of manor of Beckenham, Kent, and of advowson; also manorhouse andcertain named fields.[This may be a stray record from the Evelynarchivesintroduced by William Bray]. https://www.surreyarchives.org.uk/collections/getrecord/SHCOL_LM_SectionG_10_9_4_1

Thefield names listed in the document are as follows with the spellingvariation on the 1623 map in brackets and some fields appear to have anoccupants name as well i.e. Edwards Pond Mead. Henry Snelgrave(grandson of SirHenry) is also mentioned alongwith theEvelynsso he has some claim or share under the prior mortgage?

ManorHouse occ HenrySnelgrove, Longmeads (Long Mead), Skeltons Mead (Shiltons Mead),Edwards PondMead (Pond Mead), Great Riddens (Great Ridens), Buarche Riddens (BrakeRidens),Spaur Leges (Spare Lease), Parkerlase (Park Close), Kingshall (stet),ThreeAcres (possibly one of the three Lodge Crofts), Catenomeads (GatersMead), FiveAcre Mead (Five Acres), New Lodge Croft (Lodge Croft and Coppice),Spring Park(stet), Alder Park (stet), Rounds Park (stet), Gardners Brooke(stet),DoppisTwo fields = The Hydes (The Hides), White Burroughs, Mire Burroughs(NewBowros), Great Burroughs, Little Burroughs, (Burroughs seems to be avariationof Bowros on the map which has Great Bowros, White Bowros, Great/Littleand NewBowros, The following don’t have a match on the 1623 map butmay bealternativenames for Court Downs, Pound Field, Church Field, and Broom Field i.e.Denterfield,Pantswort, The Larone, The Paddock, Mere Lever Mead, The Chinteene,Ladys Coggine.Masons late occ widow Kempsall (may be at Mason’s HillBromley),Wheatfields(escaped identification), Webblands – John Balden (shown onthe 1780map as inthe area that became Eden Park.

TheEvelyns were active in the buying and selling of properties and someare referred to in John Evelyn’s diary. Here follows apassage fromEvelyn'sdiary though he is absent from England having gone to France and Italyalongwith severalother personalities, presumably all royalistavoidingtheCivil War while pursuing a kind of 'grand tour'. I assume one ofEvelyn'sbrothers complete the sale of Beckenham Manor to the St.Johns:

25thMay, 1651. Iwent to visit Mr.Thomas White, a learned priest and famousphilosopher,author of the book "De Mundo," with whose worthy brother I was well[Pg263]acquaintedat Rome. I was shown acabinet of Maroquin, or Turkey leather, so curiously inlaid with otherleather,and gilding, that the workman demanded for it 800 livres.

TheDean (of Peterborough)preached on the feast of Pentecost, perstringing those of Geneva fortheirirreverence of the Blessed Virgin.

4thJune, 1651.Trinity Sunday, I was absent from church in the afternoon on acharitableaffair for the Abbess of Bourcharvant, who but for me had been abusedby thatchemist, Du Menie. Returning, I stepped into the Grand Jesuits, who hadthishigh day exposed their Cibarium, made all of solid gold and imagery, apiece ofinfinite cost. Dr. Croydon, coming out of Italy and from Padua, came tosee me,on his return to England.

5thJune, 1651. Iaccompanied my Lord Strafford, and some other noble persons, to hearMadamLavaran sing, which she did both in French and Italian excellentlywell, buther voice was not strong.

7thJune, 1651. CorpusChristi Day, there was a grand procession, all the streets tapestried,severalaltars erected there, full of images, and other rich furniture,especially thatbefore the Court, of a rare design and architecture. There wereabundance ofexcellent pictures and great vases of silver.

13thJune, 1651. Iwent to see the collection of one Monsieur Poignant, which for varietyofa*gates, crystals, onyxes, porcelain, medals, statues, relievos,paintings,taille-douces, and antiquities, might compare withtheItalianvirtuosos.

21stJune, 1651. Ibecame acquainted with Sieur William Curtius, a very learned andjudiciousperson of the Palatinate. He had been a scholar to Alstedius, theEncyclopedist, was well advanced in years, and now Resident for hisMajesty atFrankfort.

2dJuly, 1651. Cameto see me the Earl of Strafford, Lord Ossory and his brother, Sir JohnSouthcott, Sir Edward Stawell, two of my Lord Spencer's sons, and Dr.Stewart,Dean of St. Paul's, a learned and pious man, where we entertained thetime uponseveral subjects, especially the affairs of England, and the lamentablecondition of our Church. The Lord Gerrard also called to see mycollection ofsieges and battles.

Again,it is strangehow such matters as property exchanges take place so near to Civil War.Evelynwas an ardent supporter of the Church of England which was subject tothePuritan changes brought about by Cromwell. These exiled people carriedon theirlives abroad. While Evelyn was residing at Sayes Court, Deptford hemadeseveral visits to the Bishop of Rochester at the Bishop's Palace inBromley.Whether that was instrumental in making him aware of the availabilityof partof Beckenham Manor as a business transaction is so far unknown.

1651– John Brograveis buried at St. George’s and he is most likely the JohnBrograve whosehouseis annotated on the Beckenham Manor map of 1623. He did not leave awill butthere is a record of an Act of Administration at the Prerogative CourtofCanterbury.

JohnBrograve’s house at Kelsey

1651– Giles King ofBeckenham, victualler, dies leaving a will. He is tenant of some landon leasefrom Walter St. John and and leaves the leased land to his sons andwife. Asvictualler he is ‘landlord’ of the George Innleased from the St.Johns.Alsosome property leased from the Brograves of Kelsey called Little Hopett(Hoppit?). There are more than one field called Hoppit but the mapbelow maycontain the one in question, on the site of the roundabout by theChineseGarage but not conclusive.

Thewillof Gyles 1652, wife Frances, son Richard of Beckenham

sonJohnof New Croft (New Cross) Deptford,

leasefrom landlord Walter St John (The George Inn?)

leasefrom Mrs Brograve for the Little Hopett

bequeststo son Henry King 2/-, Rowland King son of John, Richard son of JohnKing, Mariedaughter of John King

Hoppitno.8 Little Hoppitno.6?(map is a copy of

circa1735 Langley Farm)

1652– Believedto be land belonging to Old Court Manor Greenwich which descended toJohnMorden and Morden College; 8 May William Wood v St John Heydon andMirabellHeydon his daughter, an infant. Title to messuages and lands inBromley,Beckenham, Eltham, Lee, Mottingham and Chisilhurst, Kent. C78/478, no.4[59]

HenryDraper gent of London decd did convey said lands etc to Mirabell Heydondau ofSir John Heydon who appear to have leased them to William Wood

https://spw-surrey.com/whp/blog/2013/01/19/c101865/

see1659

1653–The Will of Roger Tapsell/Tapsfield, yeoman; We can identify Tapsfieldas smalllandowners to the south of Upper Elmers End Green just outside of theKelseyestate which belonged to the Brograves at this time.Roger leaves property to his two sons Rogerand William and his wife Emm has her half share in dower for theremainder ofher life until 1667. He refers to a cottage and land called Great Webbsand wecan trace fields called Weblands on maps of Langley. The will offersotherinformation as one of his daughters, unnamed but assumed deceased, hasmarrieda Thomas Kempsall also deceased but there are two grandchildren ThomasandSarah Kempsall thus linking the Tapsell/Tapsfield family to theKempsall familywho have four spelling variations and as said elsewhere in thistimeline,property adjacent to Chancery Lane. Another daughter Elizabeth hasmarried aMr. Etherton and in the burial records a Mr Etherton is described asthe parishclerke. The grandchildren are left “ffyve poundsapiece” and thedaughterElizabeth one shilling. Whether this implies that Roger did not approveof themarriage to Etherton is a curiosity but we find small bequests arequite commonperhaps as expressions of disapproval. The witnesses to the will areNicholasHammond of West Wickham and Robert Slyter of Beckenham who are eachleft half acrown to buy gloves. The Tapsfield name is recorded in burials from1613 to1765. See 1669 Roger Tapsell son of Roger Tapsell, shoemaker boundapprenticecarpenter, which would be, presumably, the grandson of this Roger andindicateshis son had become a shoemaker? It may be that the eldest son Roger wasnotkeen on following an agricultural lifestyle and hence became ashoemaker. Alsosee 1736 will of William Tapsfieldmentioning the same fieldscalledWebbs etc.

1653– Langley; Finalconcord or agreement; Final concord John Brompton, gent plaintiff andHumphreyStyles, knight & baronet, deforciant. 22 messages, 20 cottages,2mills 2dovehouses, 22 gardens, 22 orchards, 1000 acres of land, 100 acres ofmeadow,300 acres of pasture, 300 acres of wood in Beckenham, Bromley, Heyes,Lewsham,West Wickham, Orpington, Deptford and Keston, Kent, 20 acres of land inBattersey, Surrey. Date: 8 days of the Purification of the blessed Mary1653(Lincolnshire Archive 7-ANC/1/1/1)

Bromptonispresumably acquiring Style land for probably a fixed period of time or‘atwill’ since the land remains Style owned. Questions arise asto what HumphreyStyle, a staunch royalist, was doingduring the Cromwell / Commonwealth years.

1654- Langley; Sir Humphrey Stile and his second wife, Hester Wright, havea son Charles born in January but dies he dies in February.In1659 Langley will pass to Humphrey's half brother William.

1656- Kelsey; TheBrograves borrow £300 fromDoctorBaldwin Hamer to be repaid in 1660 secured by mortgage on some of theBrograveland, the sum was not repaid by the time of Hamer’s death andhisexecuturRalph Palmer sought to recover the debt. Richard English advanced theBrogravesthe money in order to repay the debt and upon mortgage of the sameKelseyproperty in 1677. In 1679 the Brograves were unable to repay the moneyandborrowed a further £100 from English. In 1680 the Brograveswere unablepay theinterest or theloan and borrowed afurther £50 from English. After the deaths of the Brograveswho tookout themortgage loans the subsequent heirs defaulted on debts which amountedto £566. ACourt of Chancery case was brought which was decided in 1687. The casewascomplex in that the Brograves sought to avoid repayment of themortgages onseveral parts of the Beckenham property named in the loans. The outcomepropagated the sale of Kelsey to Peter Burrell. See 1687 and 1688.

1656-WilliamLambarde in his “Perambulation of Kent,” publishedin 1656, mentions Beckenham,and gives the name of Edmund Style as Justice of the Peace forBeckenham atthat time, and records under the heading of “The tenth andfifteenth of Kent”that Beckenham paid £5 19s. 6d., as against the £8paid by Bromley. Lambarde’s“Kent,” which is referred to by nearly all thelater writers, is full ofKentish, Norman, and Saxon history, but unfortunately contains littleinformation about Beckenham. (Borrowman)

1657– The Manor of Beckenham which hadbeen divided into two moieties (parts) is rejoined under Sir Walter St.John –see the legend transcript of the map in 1623. SirOliverSt. Johnd.1639 who had purchased one part from Patricius Curwen circa 1635 lefthispart to his son John who dying young in 1657 leaves his part and thetitlebaronet to his uncle Walter, now Sir Walter St. John of Battersea. AsWalterand Henry St.John had purchased the other part in 1651, Walter havinginheritedthe other half and baronetcy from his nephew John now owns the whole ofthemanor described by the 1623 (1768 copy) map. The Manor had been dividedbetweenthe daughters of Henry Bruyn, Alice and Elizabeth in 1461.

Bekenhamnear Bromleyhelps to give Name to the Hundred wherein it is placed, and of old timewasheld by Gentlemen, called in Latine Records de Rupella, inFrench dela Rochel, and in English Rokeley, and were in theiroriginalEtymologie extracted from Rochel in France, Richard deRokeleydied seised of this Mannor, in the fifth year of Edward thefirst, Rot.Esc. Num. 6. and was succeeded in the Possession by Philip delaRokeley, and he held it likewise at his Death, which hapened in the23 yearof Edw. the first, Rot. Esc. Num. 39. and left it tohis SoleDaughter and Heir Isolda de la Rokeley matched to WilliamBruin,by whom She had Issue Sir Maurice Bruin, Chamberlaine to K. Edw.the third, honoured with the Summons to Parliament as Baron amongst thePeersof this Realm, who by a Right derived to him from his Mother, waspossest ofthis at his Death, in the twenty ninth of Edward the third, Rot.Esc.Num. 38. and transmitted a wide and spreading Revenue to hisPosterityhere, at Southokenden in Essex, and at Roumerein Hantshire,which last was given in Appendage to a younger Son, from whom theBruinsof Athelhampton in the County of Dorset, are lineally de∣scended.But when after a fair continuance this Family had flourished atthis Place, the Distaffe prevailed against the Speare, and Sir HenryBruinstwo Daughters and Coheirs about the Beginning of Edward thefourth,divided his Inheritance, each of them having a first and secondHusband: Alicethe eldest was first married to Robert Harleston of EssexEsquire, and after to Sir Thomas Heveningham; and Elizabethsecond Daughter was wedded first to Thomas Tirrell of Heronin EssexWilliam Brandon Knight,who wasStandard-bearer to Henry the seventh at Bosworth Field,where hewas stain in asserting his Cause and Quarrel against Richardthe third,and he had Issue by her Sir Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk,theFlower and perfection of English Chivalrie in his Time, who sometimeskept hisResidence at this place, (not as Proprietarie, but onely as Lessee, fortheSole In∣heritanceupon the Division of Bruin'sEstate accrued to Tirrell;) and here enter∣tainedHenrythe eighth, with all the Cunning Pompe of Magnificence, as he went tobestow aVisit at Hever, on his discarded, and repudiated wife Annof Cleve.But to go on, this Mannor as I said before, being annexed to thepatrimony of ThomasTirrell, Humphrey Tirrell his Grandchild to whom it descended,passed awayone Moie∣tieof it in the thirty fifth year of Henrythe eighth to Ralph Warren, and the other to Henry Parke;Warrenalienated his Proportion not long after to Bradbury, from whichFamilyabout the latter End of Q. Eliz. it came over by Sale toSerjeant Gent,who gave it in Dower with his Daughter to Sir George Dalston ofCumberland,who in our Memory conveyed it to Sir Patrick Curwin of the sameCounty,and he some few years since sold his Interest in it to Sir OliverSt. Johnof Batricksey in Surrey, who upon his Decease gave itto his Sonthen Mr. Walter, but now upon the Death of his Nephew, Sir WalterSt.John Baronet, the other Moitie by Joan sole Heir of theabovesaid HenryParke, came to be the Inheritance of Mr. Robert Leighdescended outof Cheshire, whose Successor about the latter End of King Jamesalienated it to Sir Henry Snelgrave, from whom it descended tohisGrandchild Mr. Henry Snelgrave, who not long since passed itaway to Mr.Walter, now Sir Walter St. John Baronet, who lately hathexchanged the whole Mannor, for other Land with his Brother Mr. HenrySt.John.Esquire, and after his Decease to Sir

Langleyin this Parish is asecond Seat of eminent Account, which was in elder Times the Possessionof Johnde Malmains, who obtained a Charter of Free-Warren to his Lands inBekenham,in the twelfth year of Edward the second, which was renewed to Henryde Cliffe, to whom they accrued by Purchase from Malmains,in thethird year of Edward the third; but stayed not long in theTenure ofthis Fa∣mily,for before the going out of Edwardthe third, I find the Propriety invested by Sale in Langley, towhichFamily the Foundation of that HOuse owes in part its Original, on whichtheyingraffed their own Name, which hath flourished under that Title eversince, thoughthe Family be withered away and gone, the last of which Name at thisplace was RalphLangley, who with Roger Twisden, Stephen Monins, Edward Monins,JohnEdingham or Engham, Richard Edingham, John Berton of Cotman∣tonin Shouldon, John Berham, John Betenham of Shurland in Pluckley,and others, Gentlemen of prime Rank in this County, were summoned toappearbefore Robert Poynings and John Perry, in the twelfthyear of Henrythe sixth, to disclaim the Title of the House of York, and thisRalphdied in the year 1451, and ordered Langley and other demeasnsat Bekenhamto be sold for the discharging his Debts, the purport and Effects ofwhich Willwere accordingly performed, and his Estate at Bekenham and Langley,passed away by Sale to John Violett, whose Successors enjoyedit untilthe Be∣ginningof Hen. the eighth, andthen it was conveyed to John Stiles Esq; who much inlarged theHousewith a supply of Buildings, and from him is it by Descent devolved tobe theinstant Possession of his Successor Sir Humphrey Stiles KnightandBaronet.

Kelseyslieslikewise in thisParish, and may justly exact our Notice; by Deeds written in aCharacter thathath an Aspect upon the Reign of Henry the third, John deKelsey,William de Kelsey, and others of that Sirname are represented tohave an In∣terestin this Seat, and from hence it is probable the Kelseys ofSurrey did derive their first Extraction, however by theInjuries ofTime they have been in succeeding Generations cast under the umbrage ofanobscurer Fortune: But I return, After this Family had deserted thePossessionof this place, which was before the latter End of Richard thethesecond, I find the Brograves stepped in, and by purchase becameLords ofthe Fee, a Family which in very old Deeds writ themselves Burgrave,andsometimes Boroughgrave, though now a more easie Pronunciationhathmelted it into Brograve, which represents the Etymologie of theName, tohave been in its Origi∣nalperfectly Saxon. In the year 1479,there was a License granted (as appears by the Records of Rochester)to WilliamBrograve by the then Bishop of that Diocess, to erect an Oratory orChappleat his Mannor-house of Kelseys, the Vestigia or Reliques ofwhich areyet obvious to an inquisitive Eye, and from this William didthe Titleand possession in an even Current come down to Mr. Thomas Brograve,whobeing not many years since deceased, his Widow Mrs. Martha Brogravenowin respect of Join∣ture,enjoys the present Possession ofit.

Foxgroveis the last place ofAccount in this Parish, it had in elder times Pro∣prietariesof thisSirname; for I find John de Foxgrove paid respective Aid for itin thetwentieth year of Edward the third, at making the Black PrinceKnight.After this Family succeeded Bartholomew Lord Burwash,and he heldit at his Decease, which was in the twenty ninth year of Edwardthethird, Rot. Esc. Num. 44. and from him it descended to his SonBartholomewLord Burwash, who in the forty third year of the abovesaidPrince,passed it away to Sir Walter de Paveley, and in his Family itremaineduntill the latter End of Richard the second, and then it wasconveyed toVaux of the County of North-Hampton, and there made itsabodeuntill the latter End of Henry the sixth, and then it wasalienated to JohnGrene Esquire, and he died possest of it in fourth year of Edwardthe fourth; and in this Family did the Title reside, untill theBeginning of Henrythe eighth, and then it was demised to Beversea, and HumphreyBeversea, I find held it in the eighteenth year of Henrythe eighth,and his Descendant passed it away to Luke Hollingworth, and heabout theBeginning of K. Edward the sixth, sold his Interest in it toAldermanSir Jo. Oliff of London, and he dying with∣outIssue Male, Joan matched to John Leigh of AddingtonEsquire, was his sole Heir, and in Right of this Alliance, did it comedown toSir Francis Leigh late of East-Wickham; whose WidowDowager theLady Christian Leigh, is now in Possession of it.
Hasted could then report the events of the next 150 years but we candispute afew details later in this timeline.

1659- Old Court Manor; Believedto be land belonging toOld Court Manor Greenwich which descended to John Morden and MordenCollege; 5 May Mirabel Heydon daughter ofSir John Heydon decd byHenry Nevill v William Wood Waste committed on trust settlement oftenementsand lands in Bromley, Beckenham, Eltham, Lee, Mottingham andChisellhurst,Kent. C78/594, no. 9[76]

TheLodge in Bromleyis mentioned, more investigation is necessary but there is a temptationtoconnect with Lodge Farm which was on Bromley Hill.
See1652

1659 - Langley passes from Humphrey Style (1585-1659) who dies withoutasurviving heir to his half brother William Style (1603-1679). Humphreyhad ason, Charles who predeceased him. No doubt the name was chosen asHumphrey wasa supporter of Kings Charles I and II. This portrait of William isdated to1636 and shows him before becoming landlord of Langley. However,William hadinherited property called Cookes in West Wickham from his fatherWilliam whohad died in 1624. William has two sons and two daughters but only oneson,Humphrey survives him and has descendants. (see 1679)

SirHumphrey Style1585-1660Sir Humphrey and wife ElizabethSir William Style 1603-1679

1659- October 9th; a son Rodger is baptised, son of Rodger Clissold, Rectorof Beckenham (from St. George's baptisms transcript).

Weknow that the vicar/rector Skynner was sequestered for not signing upto the Cromwelllian doctrine regarding the Church of England.

1660- King Charles II (The Restorationof the Monarchy) until 1685

1661- 17th Century Map of MonksOrchard Wood showing Monks Orchard Copps, Monks Meade, Paddox, Furse& Parkno scale acreages given Surrey Archives 7624/4/1

Possiblythe map seen by Tookey for hisresearch which is quoted by Copeland, the map is being researchedfurther.

1662- The Act of Uniformity of 1662brought all ordained clergymen under the doctrines and liturgy of theestablished Church. Candidates for the ministry had to be ordained by abishopaccording to the rites of the Church of England. They were required torenouncethe Solemn League and Covenant and to declare their acceptance of therevisedBook of Common Prayer and all doctrinal articles sanctioned by theChurch.Hundreds of Presbyterian and non-conformist clergymen were ejected fromtheirlivings on St Bartholomew's Day (24 August) 1662 for refusing to complywiththe Act of Uniformity.

Thispresumably returned a parish vicaror rector to St George's after the earlier event around 1644 which sawDr.Skynner sequestered from his living in the parish by theParliamentarians.

1662– Beckenham, Penge, etc:TNA Reference: C 7/496/18 Short title: Lady Dacre v Rosse.
Plaintiffs:Elizabeth [Lennard] LadyDacre.
Defendants:Lord John Rosse, Aubrey [deVere] Earl of Oxford and others.
Placeor subject: property inBradfield, Manningtree, Essex, Battersea, Surrey, Beckenham, Penge,Kent, StokeOrchard, Gloucestershire, Caldecote, Hertfordshire, Laxfield, Suffolk,Londonetc.
Documenttype: bill and answer.
SFP.Date 1662
Thishas relevance to the later transactionsbetween Henry Batt and the Countess of Oxford’s estate.Lennard Roadgets itsname from the Lennard connection (Manor of West Wickham). Wehaven’tbeen ableto define the land in question but all or part of Kent House Farm andothersites are involved.

1664–The Hearth Tax 1664 is levied in Beckenham in theHundred ofBromleyandBeckenham shows 93 households and 225 hearths. Some properties may havebeenomitted from the transcript at the link below. However, with theinformationavailable we can deduce the size of some properties, their occupantsandwhether a charge was levied or not. There must have been someevaluation of thesize of a chargeable hearth as all uncharged properties had 1 or 2hearthswhereas some properties with 1 or 2 hearths were charged. I’mguessingthatsomething large like an inglenook fireplace was charged whereas smallhearthsin something akin to a hovel were not charged? But The National Archivedescribes some conditions whereby assessments took into account thewealth ofthe inhabitant and if too poor they were exempted from the tax. Twonames inthe transcript are for the local constable and borsholder. These appearto bethe persons responsible for collecting the tax? A borsholder is thehead of atithing or underconstable. Only The George Inn and perhaps WoolseysFarm areidentified because to members of the King family occupied them.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/3195678/centre-for-kentish-studies-county-hall-hearth-tax-online

1665– Penge;Surrey Wills ref; SW/19_102
William Fox (X) of Penge, Battersea, husbandman, sick and weak 4 Apr1665
to my son John Fox £15 and half my land; to my grandchildWilliam Fox£15 whenhe reaches 21; residue to my wife Eliza Fox (with £1 to herson GeorgeWard)
Overseers: friends Michael Leigh, Thomas Greenaway and Henry Batt (6s8d each)
Witnesses: Thomas Bowler, Richard Humpheryes (X), Thomas Pyne
Proved: 8 Jun 1665 [DW/PC/5/1665/48]

Husbondmanusually describes tenant farmers so Fox is either leaving an unexpiredlease tohis son or has some of his own land. Leigh, Batt, Humphreys, Payne arenameswhich occur regularly in records.

1665–This may relate to Penge/Surrey borders of Beckenham;

https://findingaids.folger.edu/dfowilliams.xmlL.f.570
Affidavit of Edward Pate, tanner of Beckengham, Surrey,1665June162leaves (bifolium)
Pate declares that he does not know of any judgments, recognizances, ordebtswith which certain lands, tenements, etc. are encombered. Refers to afeoffmenttripartite between William Violett, Edward Pate, and Susan Pate of thefirstpart, Thomas Booth of the second part, and William Stistead and JohnWalker ofthe third part.
Beckengham, Surrey is probably Beckenham, now part of Bromley, GreaterLondon.
Watermark: Gate posts/columns (small type). Initials: N? - confused
Digital image(s):https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/32v0q0

1666-Woolseys Farm?; Thomas Bedford of Wolsees is recorded as being buriedatSt.George's. Several Bedfords are in the records, one of Wickham andtheothers, sometimes infants described as children of Thomas. Bedford'sstatus aseither leaseholder or labourer is not identified. The Hearth TaxrecordsRichard King of Wolssi in 1664. The Kings have been connected withfarming inBeckenham for many years.

1666 - Robert Stile dies at Chickering Hall, Suffolk apparentlychildless. He had married in 1645 but no widow mentioned inthewill. Half brother of Humphrey Stile of Langley, he had inherited CooksFarm in West Wickham from his father and in his will leaves Cooks Farmand other property in Westerham to Elizabeth, daughter of his brotherMichael Stile. Other brothers are mentioned in the will with smallbequests of money and other bequests to the poor of Bromley, Beckenham,etc. (source; PCC wills, Ancestry, Bromleag magazine)

1667– BeckenhamKing family background; Surrey Wills ref; SW/20_615
Richard Wade (X) of Mitcham, blacksmith, sick 13 Aug 1667 (to be buriedin thechurchyard)
to my son Richard (after death of my wife Susan Wade) my two messuagesI latebought from Nicholas Phipps of Cheam, sawyer in Carshalton in theoccupation ofHenry Hayward and John Hayward; to my daughter Susan Wade at 18£40 dueto mefrom Richard King of Beckenham, Kent, armourer by bond of 6 Oct 1660;to my sonHumphrey Wade £5 to apprenticing him; residue to my wifeSusan, exec.
Overseers: friends Henry Lake; John Goldsmyth
Witnesses: Henry Lake; John Goldsmyth (X); Edward Brigstocke
Proved: 4 Oct 1667 to exec. [DW/PA/7/14 QQ.46-47; DW/PA/5/1667/90]

Thedescription of Richard King as an armourer is interesting and whetherHumphreyWade was apprenticed to King is too vague to assume.

1667 - BHC; various properties but as we included Plaistow and Sydenhametc. this may fit with some other evidence

.

1668- Sympson's Place, Bromley;

ReferenceNo:UDDBM/34/12

Dates:7Feb 1668

Description:

(i)William Martyn ofMiddle Temple, London, gent., and wife Elizabeth, widow and admin. ofRichardBosvile of Bionnie, co. of Staffs. esq.

(ii)John Byrch ofCannocke, co. Staffs., gent. and Walter Higges of Stafford, gent.

(iii)Sir RichardOteley of Pitchford co. Salop and Sir Henry Bosvile of Eynsford co.Kent andRobert Bosvile esq., (as (i))

Capitalmessuagecalled Sympsons place in Bromeley; 400 acres woodland in pars.Beckenham,Bromeley, Hayes, Lewsham, Orpington and Keiston all in the co. Kent: Tousesdeclared in indenture of previous dated. Witn. Geo. Gyford, Rob. Brent,JohnEvens (HullHistory Centre)

1669- Worshipful Company ofCarpenters; Rogerus Tapsell filius Rogeri Tapsell de BecknaminCom Kancshoemaker po se Appr Georgio mourler de Winchester Parke pro septemannis afesto natlisdni prox sequen dat presentium dat die &Annosuprad.

RogerTapsell son of Roger Tapsellbound apprentice for seven years. Tapsell/Tapsill and similar spellingsinSt.George's burials, Roger Tapsfield in 1699

1670- Simpsons Place; Court ofChancery. William Style v. Martin and Bosville.

TheBosvilles had occupancy of Simpson's Place Bromley (includingpartsin Beckenham) since Elizabeth Bosville (widow)hadbeenmarriedto Humphrey Style. The case centred around the conditions of a loan totheStyles which it was claimed was secured by the property of SimpsonsPlace.William Style successfully reclaimed Simpsons through this case. (see1668also)

TheLORD KEEPER. Justice Wyld. ERWilliam Style, by Original Bill, against William Martin and Elizabethhis Wife,Relict and Administratrix of

RichardBosvile Esq. and Robert Bosvile,Son and Heir of the said Richard , by Guardian . December 16 . The billwas anoriginal bill to set aside a decree in 1664 , obtained by the defendanton abill of reviver ( to which the now plaintiff is no party ) against JohnStyle ,heir of Sir Humphrey Style , and others , as obtained by fraud . Thecase wasthus : Sir Humphrey Style ' s lady ( mother of the said Richard Bosvile) hadby his request mortgaged a manor of hers for 30001(£3000) borrowed by sir Humphrey 8Novemb . 8 Car . 1.(year 8 of Charles I) And sir Humphrey had agreed with his lady , thatif hedid not pay off that 30001 . that then his lands in Kent should standobligedto pay 15001 . of the 30001 . for the ease and benefit of the said ladyand herheirs . And 15 Novemb . 8 Car . I . he conveyed his Kentish lands totrustees ,which the defendants say was for that purpose , but no such expresstrust .Trin . 1641 . The lady Bosvile being dead, Richard Bosvile her son andheirexhibited his bill against sir Humphrey and the trustees of the Kentishlands ,to have the benefit of this agreement . And in Trin . 1642 , twowitnesses wereexamined to the proof of the agreement against sir Humphrey Style , andthatthe conveyance of the Kentish lands was on that trust . The wars comingon ,there was a rest , and no farther proceedings till 1663 . In 1665 ,RichardBosvile , who was a recusant , died , his heir then and yet an infant .Michalmas 1663 . Martin & Uxor , and the other defendant , theinfant ,brought a bill of reviver against John Style , the heir of Sir Humphrey, andthe heir of the surviving trustee . And in 1664 , after the answer ofJohnStyle , who by answer said he was willing the plaintiff ' s in the billofreviver may have their money , if he may have the rest of the lands ,andreplication and farther proof taken and published , it was decreed ,that theplaintiffs in the bill of reviver should hold the lands against JohnStyle andhis heirs , and all claiming under sir Humphrey Style since the firstbill ,until the 15001 . with costs and interest were paid off . Of which billofreviver the now plaintiff had due notice given him , and he might , ifhe hadpleased , come in by a cross bill , & c . before the decree .Thenowplaintiff made title by an intail of Sir Humphrey Style on him in 1638,precedent to the original bill , so that title was not bound by thedecree ;but that settle ment being in truth revoked in 1643 , he made anothertitle bythe will of Sir Humphrey Style in 1658 . And for the now plaintiff itwasinsisted , that there was a collusion in getting the decree , thedefendantJohn Style admitting it by answer to it on the matter , and the nowplaintiff ,who was terr - tenant , no party to it . And the report of the masterwho hadcomputed the 15001 (£1500) . and interest to amount to 36001. wasconfirmed withoutany defence by John Style. And the rule for binding titles pendentelite, ( which is the rule of the practice at this day ) was the Lord Bacon' s rule, and that rule is : That lis pendens binds , if itbe in fullprosecution ; but here was above twenty years cessation , and theplaintiff hadin that time bought in incumbrances , and improved the lands , and thenoticegiven the plaintiff of the bill of reviver was too late , issue beingjoined ,so that he could not come in . And it is said where judgment isobtainedagainst the land , and the terr - tenant is no party , a writ of deceitliesfor the terr tenant ; and so in a parity of reason this bill . wasmaintainablefor the now complainant . Spencer ' s Case , 5th Report , was cited .And itwas further said for the plaintiff , that there was no suchagreementbetween sir Humphrey Style and his lady as the decree was grounded upon. Forthe defendant it was said , that the plaintiff was stopt to say therewas suchan agreement by decree .

LordKeeper . A stranger may falsify atthe common - law ; and if the decree be by fraud , the plaintiff maythen beadmitted to falsify the agreement . But it is not form , butthesubstance of a decree , that all be bound that come in pendente lite .But theDefendant ' s counsel insisted , that there was no fraud ;forthe themain witnesses which were to the agreement were examined in SirHumphrey Style' s life - time . Those which were examined after , were to prove thepay mentof the 30001 . the mortgage - money , which was paid afterwards ; andnoticewas given to the now plaintiff before any examination of the bill ofreviver ,and could go no other wise , unless they would have betrayed the infant; forif he had gone by original bill , they must have lost the witnessesexamined onthe first bill .

LordKeeper . The war and infancyexcuse the laches , and the witnesses to the main wereexaminedin SirHumphrey ' s life ; and so the pretence of the plaintiffs improvement ,andtaking off incumbrances , nothing of that in the bill , but in thereplication: and so dismissed the bill .

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=n_8vAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA150&dq=bosvile%20style&pg=PA150#v=onepage&q=bosvile%20style&f=false

TheBill was brought in 1664 afterWilliam Style had inherited Langley in 1659 and dragged on until muchlaterthan 1670. Other evidence will show that Bosvilles hadoccupancyofSimpsons Place, see 1673. William Style had a son Humphrey who takesover theestates

1670– Kelsey; The Brograves had beenborrowing money secured on their property and a judgement is made infavour of ThomasPovey for £600 of debt.Relateddocuments record the several tenants who occupy various parts ofKelsey, thenames of fields and acreages. We find Henry Batt of Penge, Rowland Kingof Beckenam andvarious others as tenants.Someearlier activities of the Brograves seems to indicate a fast and looseapproachto finance and property. The accumulating debt is believed to be theultimatereason for Brograves sale to Peter Burrell in 1688.

AtTrinityTerm 1670 A judgement obtained by ThomasPovey Esq against Thomas Brograve in debt for £600: andcosts: Thedebts hadbeen accumulated over a couple of generations of Brograves startingwith £300.

1671– Kelsey; Trinity Term 12 Charles II; MathewBrograve and Thomas Brograve levy a fine to William Williams of 70acres ofland 12 acres of meadow, 15 acres of Pastdure and eight acres of woodinBeckenham. (Mathew is the widow of John Brograve and Thomas is herson).

Hasted'sentry for Hayes has more to say but seems to imply there was at leastone child from the marriage which seems to be an error although asHester's second husband they apparently resided at Langley until Johnsdeath and he is said to be buried in Hayes church.. John's 1670 willnames him as 'of Beckenham'.

IfHester and John resided at Langley until 1670/71 then it may be thatWilliam Style, Sir Humphrey's half brother, did not take up residenceuntil after that date. He had married in 1640 in West Peckham, Kent.There are no records for the baptisms of William's children locally? Itlooks like William's son Humphrey who would inherit Langley was born inRochester?

1671– A list of benefactors to theParish of Lewisham lists: “William Bond, A house atStump’s Hill, fromwhichnothing is now received. To the poor of Lewisham and Southend“(source:Lysons,Environs of London). We cannot say if this is a house on the site ofBeckenhamPlace or one near it. The maps of Beckenham and Foxgrove manorsindicate astrip of land which lies between the northern part of the twoManor’slands andanother reference mentions ‘woodland between Foxgrove andBeckenhamManors. Amap of the Cator road diversion shows a farm which was between FoxgroveFarmand Copers Cope Farm and has so far has escaped identification by name.TheParish boundary in circa 1860 was established to run across StumpsHillbutwe cannot say for certain where the Lewisham side was in 1671 but theindications are that it was toward the hamlet of Southend. William Bondcannotbe positively identified although a will exists for a William Bond ofLondondying in 1670/71 (difficult to read).

1672(circa)– Foxgrove connection; JohnBrice is described as being a Presbytarian Teacher preaching at his ownhouseand at Francis Ligo’s house in Beckenham. Ligo is recorded asbeing aleaseholder/tenant of Foxgrove Manor/Farm. Such dissenters ornon-conformistsmay or may not have been able to be buried in the Anglican churchyard?Certainly the Quakers had their own burial grounds but none is recordedinBeckenham/Bromley although we know of one in Southwark (Long Lane).

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Freedom_After_Ejection/ytHmAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq="john+brice"+beckenham&pg=PA221&printsec=frontcover

1673- Sympsons Place; Although thereis some ongoing legal dispute between William Style and the BosvilleswherebyStyle is recovering Simpsons from the Bosvilles this settlementdocument showsa transfer between the Bosville family.

UDDBM/36/11 Settlement (i) Sir Henry Bosvile of Eynsford, Robert Brentof Grayes Inn esq., Benjamin Green citizen and haberdasher of Londonand EdwardBrowne of Cliffords Inn, gent. (ii) Richard and Bridgett Bosvileyoungerchildren of Richard Bosvile of Bionnie, co. Staffs., esq. (iii) RobertBosvileesq. (son and heir of the said Richard B. dec'd) and ElizabethMartinwidow of William Martin of the Middle Temple, gent., dec'd Capitalmessuagecalled Simpsons Place in Bromley with all appurtenances and 400 acresof woodsin Beckenham, Bromley, Hayes, Lewsham, Orpington and Keiston: Witn. E.Simanans, Paul Pullein 1 item 24 Jun 1673

UDDBM/34/12 Covenant to levy a fine (i) William Martyn of MiddleTemple, London, gent., and wife Elizabeth, widow and admin. of RichardBosvileof Bionnie, co. of Staffs. esq. (ii) John Byrch of Cannocke, co.Staffs., gent.and Walter Higges of Stafford, gent. (iii) Sir Richard Oteley ofPitchford co.Salop and Sir Henry Bosvile of Eynsford co. Kent and RobertBosvileesq., (as(i)) Capital messuage called Sympsons place in Bromeley; 400 acreswoodland inpars (parishes of). Beckenham, Bromeley, Hayes, Lewsham, Orpington andKeistonall in the co. Kent: To uses declared in indenture of previous dated.Witn.Geo. Gyford, Rob. Brent, John Evens 1 item (Source; Hull archive)

1674- Hugh Raymond's date of birth. Helater becomes owner of Langley Park, Beckenham and father of JonesRaymond andAmy Raymond who will become owners of part of Foxgrove Manor much ofwhich eventuallybecomes Beckenham Place Park. His family came from Saling in Essex andhe isreferred to as Hugh Raymond of Stepney, Saling and Langley. He becomesa ship’scaptain with the East India Company and a director of the South SeaCompany. Heis later implicated in the South Sea Bubble affair. His story isinterestingand deserves more investigation. Several records are in the BritishLibrary.

1674- · Willof Nicholas Northopp 1674 (some relevance tothe Brograves of Kelsey)

· SHCRefNo:PCC/CROY/172

· Repository:SurreyHistory Centre, Woking

· Date:15Sep1674

· Description:Tomygrandson Nicholas son of my son Nicholas, deceased all mymessuages in Croydon and Beddington at 24; to my granddaughters Joyceand Ellendaughters of said deceased son Nicholas 200 each at 21 and 20 more eachin 3years; to my said grandson Nicholas 4 silver spoons, a silver tankard,a silverbowl, a silver chain and coral and other furniture and goods; to mysaidgranddaughters 3 silver spoons each with furniture and goods; the goodsto beput in chests and kept by John Newton and to be divided before themarriage ofmy daughter in law if she intends to marry and she to bring up mygrandchildrenreceiving 14 p.a. for Nicholas until he is 24 and 13 p.a. each forJoyce and Ellenuntil they are 20 or married; if John Newton died Edward Lynne ofCroydon,carpenter and my daughter Northopp in her widowhood to receive my rentsuntilNicholas is 24; I am owed 400 and interest by Mr ThomasBrograveofBeckenham, Kent secured by mortgage on lands there;and mydaughterNorthopp to live in the house she now lives with me except the maltrooms latein occupation of George Heathfeild but if she marries to pay rent of 4p.a.; tomy daughter Ann Curtis, widow 5 p.a. for life and to live rent free inthe samehouse in her widowhood; to my grandson Richard Curtis (her son) 100 at24 toset him up as a tanner to which he is now apprenticed; if Nicholas dieswithoutissue then the messuage and workhouse and use of adjoining yard now inoccupationof Edward Lynne, snr. and barn now in occupation of Henry Cooper toEdwardLynne, jnr. son of said Edward for life with remainder to RichardCurtis forlife and then Ellen and Joyce N., the messuage in occupation of AnnCurtis toher for life and then to Ann Lynne daughter of said Edward, all mymessuage inoccupation of Robert Bentley, jnr. to Mary Lynne another daughter ofEdward; toEdward, Ann and Mary Lynne children of Edward 10 each at 21; ifNicholas dieswithout issue then all my messuages except what is given to Edward L.'schildren to my daughter Ann for life and then to her son Richard andherdaughter Ann wife of Edward Lynne, snr. paying to my daughter in lawEllenNorthopp 15 p.a. in her widowhood; to my kinsman Watkin N. 30 at end ofhis apprenticeshipand if Nicholas dies a further 40 and also in that case to my kinsmanBenjaminN. 20 at 21; grandson Nicholas, exec.; friends John Newton of CoulsdonandEdward Lynne and also my daughter in law Ellen N. in her widowhood,trusteesand overseers (10s each for a ring)
Witnesses: Thomas Edwards; John Woodward
Proved: 22 July 1675 to John Newton in minority of exec. TNA Ref PROB11/348/291

Thedebtsowed by the Brograves is the subject of other entries and is thought tobe areason for Brograves sale of Kelsey to the Burrells. The Brograves weremostlyabsentee landlords it would appear with very few of them being buriedlocallyand the wills of some of the family relate to the Home Counties.

1675- Will of John Burrows 1675

· SHCRefNo:PCC/SAN/12

· Repository:SurreyHistory Centre, Woking

· Date:14Apr1675

· Description:Mytenement Longs with buildings inBeckenham, Kent rented at 710sp.a. of which 6 p.a. to my wife Jane and rest to my grandson JohnOsborne at 21with remainder to my grandson Robert O.; to my daughter Ann wife ofRobert O.of Croydon due to me on bond from William Rogers late of Croydon; ofrest 4 tomy daughter Ann O., 15 to my grandson Robert O. at 21 and rest to mygrandchildren Andrew, Jane, Mary and Susan O. at 21; friends JohnSaxby, jnr.and Edward Leigh both of Chelsham, yeomen, execs.; John Phillip ofChelsham andJohn Floud of Addington, overseers
Witnesses: John Floud (X); William Allingham
Proved: 13 July 1683 to exec. John Saxby, the other exec. dying intestator'slifetime

Thelocation of thetenement Longs is not yetidentified.

1675– The Will of Samuell Hale of Foxgrove leaves freehold andcopyholdland in the Parish of Goddison or elsewhere in the Countie of Herefordto hisfather in law Francis Ligoe of Foxgrove to be sold and proceeds toSamuel’swife Mary nee Ligoe. Hale is either tenant by lease or copyhold ofFoxgrove butdescribes land in Hereford as his freehold. (Ancestry.co.uk)

Copyholdland wasland held from a manor. ... Smaller landholdingswithin manors were held by copyhold tenure. Title deeds for thesepieces ofland do not exist in quite the same form as for freehold land. This isbecausecopyhold land was technically owned by the Lord or Lady of the Manor.

See1691 Chancery case between Ligoe and Leigh (Leighs are Lords of theManor of Foxgrove).

1677– Foxgrove connection; Francis Ligoe widower marries Mrs AnneKingwidow. Ligoe’s address given as Snow Hill London.Anne’s is given asBeckenhamand the King family are an old established Beckenham family, wedon’tknowAnne’s maiden name before marrying King. See 1688, Francis and Anne still in Beckenham.Beckenham burialshas a Mrs Ligo being buried in 1676 and this is probably Francisremarrying.Remarriage was often soon after decease of a partner for social andfinancialreasons.

1678– Foxgrove; Ligo occupants; SORRELLJohn, of St JohntheBaptist, London, gent, bachelor, about 18, with consent of his mother,SarahSORRELL, widow, and Mrs(mistress) Anne LIGO, of Beckenham, Kent.spinster,about 17, with consent of her father, Francis LIGO, of same, gent– atStMartin, Outwich, London. 2 Dec 1678.

1678– Langley; Marriage of Humphrey Style;STYLEHumphry, ofLangley, in the parish of Beckenham, co. Kent, esq, bachelor, about 26,andMary HOVELL, of St Paul, Covent Garden, Middlesex, spinster, about 20,withconsent of her father, Hugh HOVELL of same, esq – at StClement Danes,Middlesex. 16 Dec 1678.

1679– Langley and Simpson’s Place; Humphrey Style(1648-1718) inheritsLangley from his father William Style (1603-1679). See also 1718.William’s1679 will describes how Simpson’s Place had been mortgagedby hisbrotherHumphrey to Roger Garland of Stobenheath, Surrey who was a mariner.Williampays the mortgage and assigns Simpson’s to a cousin JohnAlleyn ofChatham intrust for William’s son Humphrey.Someinvestigation is necessary as evidence indicates that Sir Humphrey alsoraisedmoney from his wife’s family the Bosviles. See 1670 Chancerysuit.

William'swill leaves property and money to two daughters Mary and Hester and themain estate to his son Humphrey. One of the executors is'Doctor'Style who I take to be William's only surviving brother Thomas "Doctorof Laws" who was of Cooks, West Wickham. Thomas died in 1677.

1680 - Church Lands; from Borrowman 1910;:—“Style of Langley aforesaid gave Church Field at“the yearly rent of £2, two acres in Backs Lane at £1 10s. per annum, “GrubsField at 10s. per annum the donor unknown.” It was stated at the public enquirywhich, as already stated, was held as to the Beckenham Charities in 1877, that“ E. Style gave Church field and Two Acre field in “Becks lane also Grubbsfield in Becks lane for Church purposes, the rents“ of which had hitherto beenapplied in aid of Church rates.” Becks, Backs, or Baxes lane is the road latelyknown as Arthur Road, but now Churchfields Road and Beck Lane.

Borrowman provides a detailed description of these plots of land.

1682- Elmers End; 10 February 1682[/3] Release (lease missing) for£91of messuage in Beckenham, barn, orchard, land and 2 closes calledEastfield, atElmers End (8 1/2 acres.);
John Sumpner, of Lambeth, waterman and Anne, his wife
to Hugh Surrey, of London, merchant

(source:BHC). These records are a smallwindow on thesmaller properties and owners for periods which are very much amystery. see1703 connected.

1684 - Henry St. John (1652-1742); from Lysons;“In1684, beingthen Mr.Henry St. John, he was tried for the murder of Sir William Estcourt,Bart. andwas convicted. Bishop Burnet speaking, no doubt, of this affair, tellsthestory thus:—That a young gentleman of a noble family, in theyear 1684,beingat supper with a large party, a sudden quarrel arose between him andanothergentleman, very warm words passed, and swords were drawn, three personswereengaged in the rencounter, one of whom was killed on the spot, theother twowere indicted for murder; it appeared uncertain by which the fatalwound wasgiven, nor did the proof against either amount to more thanmanslaughter: yetthe gentleman abovementioned being one of the two, was advised toconfess theindictment, and to let sentence pass for murder. He was threatened withtheutmost rigour of the law if he neglected to follow this advice; if hecomplied,he was promised a pardon. He thought it prudent to comply, and wasconvictedaccordingly: but to his cost found, that his pardon was to be purchasedat thehigh rate of £16,000; one half of which the king converted tohis ownuse; andbestowed the remainder upon two ladies who were in great favor. This isbishopBurnet's account

1686- Worshipful Company of Carpenters:Reves Phillips Sonne of John Phillips of Becknam in the County of KentHusbandman bound to Nathaniell Moore for Seaven yeares. (BHO)
A John Phillips is recorded as buried at St. George's in 1686.

1686- William Ash1686/7
Repository:SurreyHistory Centre, Woking SHC Ref No:PCC/BER/532
Date:23Jan 1686/7
Description:ToThomasand Ann son and daughter of Thomas Toomes of Aldgate, Middlesex, tailor5 each;to William Jackson and John Fox a gold ring each; residue to my sonHenry,exec. and my messuage leased atBeckenham, Kent; friendsBennettHall andWilliam Bawtree of Bermondsey, overseers (2 each for a gold ring) whomay provewill in absence of exec.
Witnesses: Henry Wooddington; Thomas Titcombe; Edward Benson, scr.
Proved: 4 March 1686/7 to overseers, exec. being abroad

WilliamAsh’smessuage is so far unidentified.

1687– Southend Mill,Lewisham; Ephraim How, Master Cutler is producing Cutlery at SouthendMill. Heis buried at St. Mary’s Lewisham in 1720 but his soncontinuesmanufacture.This was the Mill on the junction of Bromley Road and Southend Lane(itsprotected successor building was demolished without permission circa2000)

1687- Kelsey; From1656 the Brograves borrowed £300 from Doctor Baldwin Hamer tobe repaidin 1660secured by mortgage on some of the Brograve land, the sum was notrepaid by thetime of Hamer’s death and his executur Ralph Palmer sought torecoverthe debt.Richard English advanced the Brograves the money in order to repay thedebt andupon mortgage of the same Kelsey property in 1677. In 1679 theBrograves wereunable to repay the money and borrowed a further £100 fromEnglish. In1680 theBrograves were unable pay the interest or the loan and borrowed afurther £50from English. After the deaths of the Brograves who took out themortgage loansthe subsequent heirs defaulted on debts which amounted to£566. A CourtofChancery case was brought which was decided in 1687. The case wascomplex inthat the Brograves sought to avoid repayment of the mortgages onseveral partsof the Beckenham property named in the loans. The outcome was that theplaintifEnglish was awarded £638.8.2d from the defendants Brograveand thispropagatedthe sale of Kelsey to Peter Burrell. See 1687 and 1688. I suppose wecanconsider this against the backdrop of the time whereby loans were takenoutbefore the Fire of London and the Great Plague. England had been at warwiththe Dutch, the Cromwellian period gave way to the Restoration of theMonarchy.The Brograves were described in the case as being in receipt of rentsfromtheir Kelsey estates from various tenants and it was one generation oftheBrograves who took out the loans and left a subsequent generationliable forrepayment. But it would appear that the Brograves lived beyond theirmeansdespite some evaluation in the court case that shows they were well offby thestandards of the times.

See1688 for this reference RichardEnglish plaintif and the Brograves defendants; RichardEnglish , citizen and merchant taylorof London v. Mathew Brograve of Beckenham, Kent, widow (sic), late wifeof JohnBrograve of Beckenham, esq; and Mary Brograve widow of Thomas BrograveofBeckenham, esq, who was son and heir of said John; and John FrancisBrograve,son and heir of said Thomas.

Mathew isperhaps an unusualwoman’s name rather like Frances depending on a spellingdifference from Matthew,butthese two widows, Mathew being the mother in law of Mary and JohnFrancis Brogravethe son of Mary were defendants in the case.

JohnBrograve d.1651 probably intestate asthere was a probate Act of Administration and he may have had a sonJohn d.1679as well as Thomas d.1680. All three are buried atSt.George’s. The twowidowsMathew and Mary appear to have died and been buried atSt.George’s in1697 and1700 respectively and it is not known if they lived in or aroundBeckenhamafter 1688 but were buried in the family vault.

imageof the court record; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/C78/C78no1063/IMG_0209.htm

1688- Peter Burrell I(1649-1718)purchases Kelseys mansion and land from adescendantof theBrograves. (source: Hasted). Kelseys is an estate of which part willbecomeKelsey Park, Beckenham, which is a public park in the remainder of aprivateestate. Burrell becomes 'of Kelsey' and his descendants will acquireparts ofFoxgrove Manor circa 1760 through marriage to Amy Raymond, JonesRaymond’ssister, at least until they exchange it with John Cator.

TheBrograves sell Kelsey as a resultof financial problems. They had acquired loans over a substantialperiod andwere unable to repay them. Analysis of documents from archives isongoing.(source; K.Baldwin)

Thisdocument may add substance to thedetails or reasons for the transaction but see 1687. Source UniversityofHouston, USA

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/C78/C78no1063/IMG_0209.htmand https://uh.edu/waalt/index.php/C78_1688

Courtof Chancery; RichardEnglish , citizen and merchant taylorof London v. Mathew Brograve of Beckenham, Kent, widow (sic), late wifeof JohnBrograve of Beckenham, esq; and Mary Brograve widow of Thomas BrograveofBeckenham, esq, who was son and heir of said John; and John FrancisBrograve,son and heir of said Thomas.

1688– Ligoe of Beckenham (Foxgrove); Copy of afeoffment dated 30 May 1688 by which Francis Ligoe of Beckenham co KentGent,and Anne his wife and Tho 8 Smith of Beconsfeild co Bucks gent, andRich dGosnold of Wooburne sd. co. gent, enfeoffed John Lowe of Holbourne coMidd.gent in consideration of 900 of a capital messuage called WaddentonHouseBeconsfeild. Evidences Ligoe’s other property.

1689- King William III and Queen MaryII(after the Glorious Revolution of 1688)

1689– Kelsey estate; Kent Archive ref;U36/T363John Francis Brograve 20/8/1689 lease to George Smith 16a occ GeorgeSmith 21yrs called Shores Mead alias Shortlands. The date is perhaps debatableasBrograve sold Kelsey to Burrell at this time.

1690- A Chancery Case Shorttitle:BurrellvBrograve.Plaintiffs: PeterBurrellmerchant of London.Defendants:JohnFrancisBrograve. Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Shorttitle:BurrellvBrograve. Plaintiffs:PeterBurrellmerchantof London. Defendants: John FrancisBrograveesq.Subject:Sale of anestate: Kelsey, Beckenham, Kent ; Hayes, Kent and Bromley. This wouldtake someunravelling as the Brograves had several tenants and intermixed withfamilynames such as Bygrave and Bygrove who may have been related. (sourceNationalArchive).

1691- KentHouse Farm Indenture regarding title Ref; A62/6/61 Lewisham Archive;withinthis bundle an apparent transfer from Smallbone to Hodgekins. See otherdatesin the timeline.

AnneLoveday, Jonathan Brundrett, Alexander Baring, Sir Thomas Baring, JohnCator,William Cator, Bertie Cornelius Cator and John Foakes.

Detailsof other agreements receited - Indenture dated 27 Aug. 1691 betweenJohnSmallbone and Mary his wife and Benjamin Hodgekins;

Act5and6 Ann (1706-7) to rectify mistake in marriage settlement of WilliamPeck -partitioningbetween William Pierrepoint and Hon. Charles Egerton, through whichinheritancebecame absolutely vested in Jno. Reynolds.

Indenturedated 6 Dec. 1706 between Jno. Reynolds, Lancelot Stephens, EdwardCorbett, Wm.Peere Williams, William Williams; (Mortgage)

Leaseandrelease dated 6 and 7 April 1709 between Jno. Reynolds and Sir JohnLethieullier;

Indentureof Assignment of same date, Jno. Reynolds Wm. Peere Williams, WilliamWilliams,Sir John Lethieullier Samuel Lethieullier and John Lethieullier

Leaseandrelease dated 25 and 26 March 1778 between John Green Lethieullier andSusannahhis wife, William Octber, John Seaber, Robt. Morphett, Thomas Symonds,ThomHearden, George Jennett, John Kilvington, John Harrison and ThomasLucas and arecovery of part of premises Trinity Term, 18 Geo.III.

ThomasLucas devises property to widow Elizabeth, who remarries John JuliusAngerstein. John Beach, Thomas Plummer and Joseph Paice trustees.

Indentureof Bargain and Sale dated 17 Feb. 1797 Joseph Paice, Thos. Plummer, SirFrancisBaring, Alexander Baring and Charles Wall.

Detailsof wills, dates of death, etc. of Elizabeth Angerstein, Sir FrancisBaring,Chas. Wall John Cator, Bridget Cator, Elizabeth Scott, Geo. Sparkes.

Act6GeoIV enables John Cator to grant building leases. (1825)

Detailsof dates of death, wills etc. of Samuel Lethieullier, WilliamLethieullier,Mary Tooke, Sarah Loveday, Dame Anne Hopkins, John Loveday, JohnLethieullier,Smart Lethieullier, Charles Lethieullier, Elizabeth Lethieullier(marriage toJno. Goodere), Mary Hulse, who died intestate. Letters of Admon. toJonathanBrundrett.

Indentureof Lease and release dated 26 and 27 July 1828, Alexander Baring, SirThos. Baring,John Cator, Wm. Cator and Bertie C. Cator in trust for Ann Loveday andJohn.Brundrett.

Detailsof field names and acreages of land on Kent House Farm and PengeCommon, withnames of tenants.

1691– Foxgrove; Chancery case; Ligoe is in some way related toEleanorLeigh and we know that Francis Leigh has debts at his death in 1712which maybe in some way a cause for cases such as this. See also 1675 will ofSamuellHale son in law of Ligoe

Shorttitle: Ligoe v Leigh.

Plaintiffs:Francis Ligoe. Defendants:Eleanor Leigh (widow of Thomas Leigh) and Francis Leigh.

Placeor subject: manor of Foxgrove,Kent. Document type: answer onlyTNAC7/602/21

Also1691;Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Pleadings before1714, Collins. Short title: Leigh v Goring. Plaintiffs: Francis Leighkt.Defendants: Peircy Goring , Edward Goring , Sir William Goring baronet,MaryGoring and Eleanor Leigh.Subject:manorofFoxGrove, Kent

1692- Peter BurrellII (1692-1756) of Beckenham is born, he will become Peter Burrell I ofLangleythrough marrying Amy Raymond (daughter of Hugh Raymond, sister of JonesRaymond). Peter Burrells I, II, and III of Langley can be tracedthroughHistory of Parliament online as they were all MP's and held variousposts. Someconfusion is likely as there were four Peter Burrells in Beckenham from1688 to1820.

1693– Woolseys Farm(now Shortlands House/Bishop Challoner School) Lincolnshire Archive 7ANC/1/7/1

Alsosee 1705transfer to Peter Burrell. These documents disprove our earlierthoughts thatWoolseys Farm came to Burrell via Brograve of Kelsey. Although itraises somequestions about the earlier route by which Woolseys Farm evolved. Wehave toinvestigate how Loader’s purchase from Mercer and Medbury.

Onreverse:
ForLoader to pay £412 the 9^th of August1693
Woolsey’sFarm in Beckenham for 500 years

MORTGAGEBY DEMISE

(1)IsaacLoader of Deptford, Co. Kent, anchorsmith
(2)SamuelShephard, Citizen and distiller of London
From(1) to (2)

Property:messuage or tenement called Woolseys Farmin Beckenham, Co. Kent and lands etc:

Threecorner Close or Gravill Pitt field about 3acres, Oldcroft about 3½ acres, Old Croft Spring about3½ acres,Kitchen Croft,Clay field about 2½ acres, Lay Street Wood, Lower Pitt fieldabout 5acres,Leystreet field about 9 acres, Clayhill field about 1 acre, Brooklandabout 7acres, Ryefield about 3½ acres, Kitchencroft about 4 acres.(42 acres)
Andall other messuages, lands or tenements of IsaacLoader which he bought from Elizabeth Mercer, Zachariah Medbury andHannah hiswife in the parish of Beckenham.
Term:for ever
Rent:peppercorn annually for 500 years.
Consideration:£412
8Feb1692/3
Endorsed:receipt ofIsaac Loader for £400 received from Samuel Shephard, 8 Feb1692 [NewStyle1693]. Sealed and delivered.
Attached:Receipt datedJune 30^th 1704 of Esqr. Lowder the sume ofeighteen poundsffor ninemonths Interest of ffour hundred pounds Deed of 9^thof MayLast yeare£18
Signed:Phill. Shephard (paper)(1largeparchment sheet, endorsem*nt and attached paper receipt)

Thisimage from the 1735 Burrell map shows the house and fields.

)

1694– Humphrey Style (1648-1718) isappointed one of the deputy lieutenants of Kent under William and Mary.This isHumphrey, son of William Style and nephew of the earlier Humphrey.

1696– Rogers of Beckenham; SurreyWills ref; SW/24_97
John Seaman (X) of Godstone, husbandman 1 Apr 1696
to my eldest brother William Seaman £5; to my brother MichaelSeaman£2; to mybrother Thomas Seaman £2; to my sister Mary Rogers wife ofNicholasRogers ofBeckenham, Kent £2; to William Eliffe now living with me£12 paid to(Mr)Thomas Clayton for apprenticing him; wife Joan Seaman and friend ThomasClaytonof Blechingley, gentleman, execs.
Witnesses: Christopher Hawkins (X); Elizabeth Hyam (X); Thomas Peyto
Proved: 20 Aug 1696 to exec. Joan power reserved to other exec.[DW/PA/7/17pp.151-2;
DW/PA/5/1696/58] (£136 3s 8d)

Althoughthere are several Rogers inBeckenham burials these two do not appear.

1697- Penge;Surrey Wills ref;SW/24_196
Robert Hamond (X) of Penge, Battersea, sick and weak 18 Mar 1688/9 (tobeburied in Beckenham, Kent)
all to Henry Batt of Penge, snr. exec. and rest of land to Henry Batt,jnr. atlawful age with remainder to Henry, snr.; to my sister ... King 2s 6d;to mybrother John Hamond 2s 6d; to my brother Nicholas Hamond 2s 6d; to mybrotherJacob Hamond all my clothes, a pair of sheets and £3
Witnesses: Richard Kinsey; Mary Thorne (X); Jane Wood (X); ThomasWatford
Proved: 27 Oct 1697 to exec. [DW/PA/7/17 p.301; DW/PA/5/1697/43]

Arelationship between the Hamond, King andBatt families is evidenced or implied. Hammond has a few spellingvariationsHamon, Hammonde etc. Robert and Jacob Hammond appear in burials in 1717but notJohn orNicholas. "X" shows that people signedwith their mark ie illiterate.

1697-98;burial of Merrick Burrell and baptism of Isabella Burrell respectively.The first records in parish registers of Burrell family. Priorregistrations at the parishes of Outwich and Fink,City ofLondon. Although the Burrells acquired Kelsey in 1688 theirmainabode was in London.

1699- The birth of Amy Raymond (1699-1789),daughter of Hugh Raymond of Langley, she would become Mrs Amy Burrelland lateras Peter Burrell's widow hold ownership of Foxgrove Manor lands withinthepark.

1699– Langley Farm; From the records of Morden CollegeBlackheath; JohnMorden of Morden Hall and Wricklemarsh purchases the Manor of OldCourt. SirJohnMorden, as endowment for his College, bought the Manor of Old Court in1699,and this included land at Beckenham, specifically Pightle Green,King’sField,Shortlands Green, Langley Farm and Morden Field, andthisland wasexchanged for land in Lewisham with Lord Gwydir in 1813. Among thepapers thesecretary of Morden College took over from her predecessor is aphotocopiedplan, possibly from a large scale OS map, and I see that the land inquestionis bounded on the north by the Turnpike road from Wickham; on thenortheast byKelsey Park, and on the west by Langley Park and Langley Lodge lands.

However,most maps show a small parcel of land annotated as ‘MordenCollege’ sothematter is debatable.

TheYears 1700 to 1800

Thiscentury sees several substantialexchanges of ownership of land in and around Beckenham and elsewhere.Theexchanges are due to purchases and sales, inheritance by bequest andsomestraightforward exchanges of land. There is a background of socialinteractionand intermarriage which I will refer to but generally the protagonistsarewritten about elsewhere and internet sources can be sought to expand ontheirstories.

1700– Burials in Beckenham St.George’s between 1601-1700 total about 1130

1702- Queen Anne until 1714

1703– John Cator the Elder (sometimesspelt Cater or Catter) is born in Ross on Wye. They are a Quaker familyandtheir records are in Friends Meeting House registers. His father is aglovemaker, Jonah Cator and there is a modest amount of land owned bythefamily. He would later live in Southwark and own the timber business.He willbecome John Cator the younger’s father in 1728 and it is JohnCator theyoungerwho will establish Beckenham Place through several land purchases andexchangesfrom 1757 until his death in 1806. John Cator’s impactspreads fromparts ofLewisham, Sydenham, Beckenham, Bromley, and elsewhere in Kent, SurreyandEssex.(Pat Manning’s “The Cators of Beckenham andWoodbastwick” hasmoredetails)

1703- Lease for 1 year (releasemissing) of messuage, barn, orchard, toft (site of former barn) (4perches), inBeckenham, 2 closes of land called Eastfield (3½ acres) inElmers End,occupierRichard Wolfe 18/08/1703
Parties:| 1. Henry Batt of Penge, yeoman
2. Thomas Surrey, a son of Hugh Surrey of London, merchant, deceased
3. William Tapsfield, of Beckenham, yeoman (source: BHC)

Furtherto the record of 1682, thisrecords Hugh Surrey's passing and the lease of the property by his sonThomas.Henry Batt is a significant landowner around Penge. The difference inacreage8.1/2 against 3.1/2 makes me wonder if it is a transcription error, 3and 8looking similar.

1704 - Foxgrove/Francis Leigh; It is.recorded ln the oldminute-books at the Parish Church, that in April 1704, in consideration of hishaving spent £12 in alterations andrepairs to the pews in the body of the Church, the said Sir Francis Leighwasgranted sole use of “ the first and largest seat adjoining to thenorth aisle, he, having promissed to leave thekey of the said pew in his absence withthe Clark to place such strangersof Ouality and good fashion as shallbe thought fit and that the otherforemost adjoining seat shall be always leftopen tor any of the Panshionersto sit intermixt with tenants of Foxgrove,as the Church wardens shallappoint”;

Thisis a rare example of some occasional visitation to Foxgrove by Leighwho is thought to have been mainly an absentee landlord.

1705– Woolseys Farm (now Shortlands House/Bishop ChallonerSchool);LincolnshireArchive 7 ANC/1/7/2

Wehad hitherto assumed that Peter Burrell acquired Woolseys Farm alongwith Kelsey from the Brograves. This was erroneous as this documentshows thatBurrell acquired Woolseys Farm separately in 1705 and the phrase‘Shepheardacquits Peter Burrell and Walter Challoner (trustee) forever’ could beequivalent to acquiring the freehold instead of the 500 year lease.Burrellmust have had the wherewithal to exchange Woolseys with Frederick St.John forBeckenham Manor house and grounds in 1759.

Onreverse: Mr Shepard by direction of Mr Loader his assignment to MrBurrell’s Trustee to the attend the Inheritance 1705

ASSIGNMENTOF MORTGAGE BY DEMISE

(1)IsaacLoader ofDeptford, anchorsmith

(2)PhillipShepard, citizenand distiller of London, sole executor of the last will of SamuellShepheard,late citizen and distiller of London deceased.

(3)PeterBurrell of London,merchant and Walter Challoner of London, tailor

Recitingindenture dated 8 February 1692 between Isaac Loader andSamuell Shepheard in consideration of Isaac Loader who demised,bargained andsold to Samuell Shepeard his executors, administrators and assigns allthatmessuage and tenement called Woolsey’s Farm in the parish ofBeckenham,countyof Kent [fields etc listed as in 7 ANC/1/7/1] for 500 years underyearlypeppercorn rent under proviso to be void on payment by Isaac Loader toSamuellShepheard of £412. Whereas the sum of £412 was notpaid and is due to(2)Phillip Shepheard and whereas (3) Peter Burrell has purchased andcontractedwith (1) Isaac Loader to purchase the said message, lands etc for aterm of 500years upon trust.

ByPeter Burrell to Phillip Shepheard

Consideration:£400
PhillipShepheard acquits Peter Burrell and Walter Challoner (trustee)for ever
Refersto Indenture of release with a consideration of £816 (whichincludes the £400) of same date as this deed between (1)Isaac Loaderand Maryhis wife and (2) Peter Burrell.

Endorsed:Receipt of Samuell Shephard for £400 received from PeterBurrell being the consideration money within mentioned and£24 2sinterest.Sealed and delivered by Phillip Shepard.

2May 1705

(1large parchment sheet and endorsem*nt)

1705– Beckenham land etc. Surrey Willsref; SW/26_792
William Woodman (X) of Chelsham, yeoman 12 Sep 1698
to my daughter Ann Woodman £100; to my daughter ElizabethWoodman allmy landin Beckenham, Kent; to my wife Ann Woodman £5 p.a. for lifefrom my sonJohnWoodman and a featherbed she lies on and all goods in that chamber; tomy sonJohn all my land in Warlingham and Merstham, all my messuages and landinWalton on the Hill and residue, exec.
Witnesses: Nicholas Stacy (X); Robert Stacy (X); Thomas Wood (X);Thomas Newton
Proved: 5 Nov 1705 to exec. [DW/PA/7/18 Q.31; DW/PA/5/1705/110C]

Landto be identified and whetherfreehold or leased? But the bequests imply substantial divers property.Chelsham close to Biggin Hill.

1706 - Jones Raymond is born on the 6^thNovember, baptisedon the29th, the son of Hugh Raymond and Dinah/Dynah (nee Jones), he willbecomelandowner, if only for a short time before his death, of parts ofFoxgroveManor and some of what would later become Beckenham Place Park underJohn Catorthe Younger.

JonesRaymond will become a director inthe East India Company eventually selling a ship to the Royal Navywhich wouldtake part in the Anson voyage to the Pacific which made Anson animmensely richperson through capturing a Spanish treasure galleon. Ironically, theexpeditionwas crewed by sailors from the Naval hospital most of whom would perishon thevoyage one way or another. An interesting connection will be thatAdmiralPiercy Brett who will occupy Clockhouse at Beckenham/Penge borders is alieutenant on one of Anson’s fleet of ships. And Clockhouseissubsequentlybought by Joseph Cator, brother of John Cator the younger.

Hastedmentions two ‘Jones Raymonds’ iethe first one having a son of the same name, but records show there wasonlythe one who died in 1768.

1706- Kent House and other property April;Attested copy articles of partition to divide late estate of Countessof Oxfordin Kent and Surrey To Henry Batt - Newlands and Davyes, grounds inLewishamoccupied by Batt; 2 messuages and land in Battersea, Surrey, occupiedby JohnFox; Messuage, Penge Green, Surrey, occupied by William Musgrave; LandsatLewisham occupiers Robert Tilt and Richard Clowder; Messuage and landinBromley and occupied by Thomas Combes; Garden plot by the road at WestEnd ofBromley occupied by the tenant of Kent Lands grounds, and premises atSouthborough occupied by Colonel King; Lands, grounds, and premises atBromleyoccupied by John White;

ToJohn Reynolds - Kent House Farm;Greenways, Mathews, Allens, and Hamonds Cottage occupied by ThomasBrazier;Messuage at Bromley occupied by Thomas Gardner.

ToRobert King, Peter Gelsthorpe andwife: Manor of Rede or Read Court, Marden, Kent occupied by NicolasMartin,Messuage with backside and orchard Bromley occupied by RichardAshworth; 2acres by Plaster (Plaistow) Lane, Bromley ocupied by. Thomas Francis;Meadow(1acre) near Mill River, Bromley, with barn and yard, occupied byEdwardCosyns, gentleman; Shrimpsgrove (30 acres) in Orpington and Bromleyoccupied byGeorge Westbroke, gentleman. source: BHC

1706- KentHouse Farm Indenture regarding title Ref; A62/6/61 Lewisham Archive;within this bundlethe transfers of Kent House are described. See 1691 and other dates inthetimeline.

Indenturedated 6 Dec. 1706 between Jno. Reynolds, Lancelot Stephens, EdwardCorbett, Wm.Peere Williams, William Williams; (Mortgage)

Leaseandrelease dated 6 and 7 April 1709 between Jno. Reynolds and Sir JohnLethieullier;

1707– Henry Batt of Penge writes hiswill referring to the 1706 purchase from the Countess of Oxford andbequests tohis children, see 1715 for his probate.

1708- Sir Walter St. John 3rdBaronet(Lord of the Manor of Beckenham) dies athis home in Battersea. (source; Hasted). Sir Walter had sat in twoCromwellparliaments and lost his seat on the Restoration of the Monarchy. Hisson,Henry 1st ViscountSt. John (1652-1742) inheritsthe Manor of Beckenham along with Battersea and other estates. Itshould benoted that in some cases landowners may not have resided in the area.The St.Johns were from Wiltshire with homes in Battersea and Walworth,Bolingbrokeshad estates in Lincolnshire and elsewhere as did the Earl of RockinghamandSondes families (Kent). Some of them were members of parliament of heldpositions at court and in government so would want residences close toLondonor Westminster. As previously mentioned, a map of 1736 shows theHonourableJohn St. John as either landowner of occupant of parts of BeckenhamManor.

1708- 17th January 728/4/1 Bargain andsale for £300 of messuage called Lurchens, with land (33acres) and 2closescalled Wheatfields (8 acres); recites deed, 1684 John Angier, ofHertfordshire,esq
to Thomas Johnson, of London, vintner. Lurchens Farm it seems will passintothe Humphreys family and this thread needs further research.Intheviscinity of Elmers End.

1709- (near Kelsey) Counterpartmarriage settlement and jointure 5 February 1709[/10] Counterpartmarriagesettlement and jointure made on the intended marriage betweenNathaniell Gattonof Beckenham, gentleman and Elizabeth Whiffing, spinster, betweenGatton (1stpart); Whiffing (2nd part) and Richard Pearch of Keston, Kent (uncle ofElizabeth Whiffing) and John Uppington of London, gentleman (3rd part).Inconsideration of the intended marriage, Gatton bargains and sellsproperty inBeckenham, Kent, known as Holdens, Wallnut Tree Field, Colman's Croftand otherland, to the third parties (Burrell at a later date) to make provisionfor themarriage and for the jointure of Elizabeth Whiffing. Memorandum dated12 June1728 that Gatton and Richard Peach (nephew of Richard Peach of the 3rdpart)assigned the property to Merrick Burrell of Lisbon, Northamptonshire.

GattonandWhiffin are married 10thFeb 1709 at St. Michael Crooked Lane, London.

1709–Peter Burrell purchases parcels of land from Humphrey Stiles, about 18acresplus any crops or resources on it i.e. timber. Images from Kent Archive.

1709- KentHouse Farm Indenture regarding title Ref; A62/6/61 Lewisham Archive;within this bundlethe transfers of Kent House are described. See 1691 and other dates inthetimeline. This part is the acquisition by the Lethieulliers fromReynolds
Leaseandrelease dated 6 and 7 April 1709 between Jno. Reynolds and Sir JohnLethieullier;
Indentureof Assignment of same date, Jno. Reynolds Wm. Peere Williams, WilliamWilliams,Sir John Lethieullier Samuel Lethieullier and John Lethieullier, see1706Reynolds acquires Kent House from the estate of the Countess of Oxford.

1709–Captain Richard Pearch of Holwood, Keston,in 1709, on themarriage of hisniece, Elizabeth Whiffin, with Nathaniel Gatton, esq. of Beckenham(Hasted)
Fieldscalled Gattons Land between Langley and Kelsey which appear on theBurrell 1735map were later purchased by Peter Burrell.

1709–Robert Callant, son of Robert Callant deceased is indentured as aTallowChandlers apprentice bound to David Heywood of London for seven years.Callantwill reappear as a Tallow Chandler in Beckenham in 1750 and anelector/propertyowner in Beckenham in 1754.

1711- Humphrey Style of Langley is High Sherriff of Kent.

1711– Francis Leigh of Hawley, Suttonat Hone dies. He is landlord of Foxgrove Manor and several other placesbut mayhave been in some debt. His affairs seem in some disarray and hisestate isleft in the possession of executors of his will. He requests that anyremainderafter paying his debts, bequests and funeral expenses go to his eldestson alsonamed Francis. The Foxgrove Manor gets sold to John Tolson.Hasted andothers had said that Francis requested his estates be sold whichdidn’treallyexplain the situation. Hopefully a fuller account of the situation willemergevia records of the Court of Chancery but these are numerous. LaterGazettepress releases in 1716 explain that Foxgrove is sold to pay creditors.Hasted: itdescended to Sir Francis Leigh, who died in 1711, having directed thisandother estates to be sold. This farm was purchased, in 1716, by Mr. JohnTolson,and descended to Lancelot Tolson Tilly, who devised it to TimewellBrydges,Esq. for his life, with remainder to John and Edward Brydges, ofWotton. In1765, it was sold by the Brydges's to Jones Raymond, Esq. who died in1768,(editors note: This timeline will challenge and correct some ofHasted’sdescription, by 1765 Cator had acquired the site of the Mansion in 1760andRaymond exchanged land with Cator in 1760 casting doubt on the 1765date)having left this estate between Amy his sister, relict of PeterBurrell, Esq. andWilliam and George Evelyn Glanville, Esqrs. the sons of Bridget,anothersister. Mrs. Burrell, having purchased their share, became possessed ofthewhole. She died in 1789, when this estate devolved upon her son, thelate SirWilliam Burrell, Bart. who sold it to his nephew, Sir Peter (now LordGwedir).Sir Peter Burrell exchanged it, in 1793, for other lands, with JohnCator, Esq.who is the present proprietor. See 1712 below

1712– Foxgrove Manor; John Tolson wassaid to have purchased Foxgrove presumably from the executors ofFrancisLeigh’s will. See 1711. But due to the 1716 Chancerydirection thatFoxgroveshould be sold to pay Francis Leigh’s debts someclarification isneeded asTolson leaves unspecified land in Bromley in his will in 1713 but see1727Lancelot Tolson. There is some question as to whether John TolsonboughtFoxgrove orwas it his brother Lancelot Tolson? If LancelotTolsonboughtFoxgrove Manor then the 1720 map would probably be drawn to clarifyownershipas it is contemporary with the Burrell map of 1723 and the estates weresomewhat entangled. Francis Leigh’s will was the subject ofsome legalprocesses as the executors did not execute the will and his son andwidow wereinvolved in actions to finalise his affairs. See 1716.

1712– Langley; Elizabeth Style marriesSir John Elwill at Bridewell Chapel, City of London. A marriagesettlement isin Kent Archive. Subject to reading the settlement it would seem tosettle theLangley estate on Elwill as regardless of the marriage being childlessandElizabeth remarrying Henry Bartelot in 1730 and her subsequent death in1731the estate remains in the Elwill family until sold to Hugh Raymond in1732.

1712-1727– This plan shows the area ofShortlands Bridge over the Ravensbourne and is WilliamPassenger’sland. It canbe dated by the marriage Sir John Elwill to Elizabeth Style to hisdeath in1727. The river appears to have a ford at this time.

1713- Langley; The Reverend Stukeley, an antiquarian, made a sketch of LadyElwill's House at Langley. Lady Elwill was Elizabeth Style. The sketchis in Stukeley's diary at the Bodleian Library. The house is similar tothe print in Hasted's 1778 History and Topography of Kent.

1714- King George I until 1727

1714- Bromley Historic Collectionsrecord: Covenant to levy fine of 1 messuage, 1 stable, 1 barn, 1orchard, 1garden and water yard 15/04/1714 Crabb Grow (8 acres); woodland (2acres) lyingbetween the manors of Beckenham and Foxgrove, land (1 acre) occupiedThomasHughes; cottage, orchard yard backside occupied Thomas Stoute andcottage yardbackside occupied Richard Steele, at Clay Hill, Beckenham SamuellAdgate ofBromley, yeoman, Thomas Matkins, Citizen of London, joiner, andElizabeth hiswife, and Robert Sutton of London, barber Chirugeon, and Mary his wife.ToStephen Colstone of Southwark, Surrey, plumber, and William Wicker, ofBeckenham, yeoman. ref.303/1

Itwould be tempting to identify theWoodland as the strip of land roughly between the mansion and BeckenhamHill ieStumpshill Wood. ‘Between’ the manors could meanalmost anywhere. Seethe laterFoxgrove and Beckenham Manor maps overlain which show an area betweenthe two.Also the 1785 road diversion plan which I have attempted to identifywithpossible field names and the 1760 Act of Parliament to exchange landbetweenCator and the Raymond/Burrell family. It wasn’t unknown forfields toberenamed and there is 46 years gap between this and the 1760 Act.

CrabbGrow or Grove is on the BeckenhamManor map along what is now Bromley Road toward Clay Hill and doesbecomeCator’s at a later date.
Covenantto levy a fine is part of abuying and selling property process. A property conveyance took theform of afictitious lawsuite.
Chirurgeon is an archaic spelling for Surgeon.

1715- (Hasted). Henry St. John, son ofHenry St John, Ist Viscount St. John:(Manor of Beckenham) In1715, the 2dyear of King George I. his honours were forfeited by attainder (fortreason),but he was restored in blood in 1723, and two years afterwards an actpassed,enabling him and his issue to inherit the family estate,notwithstanding hisattainder.

Becausehe supported the Jacobiterebellion seeking to prevent George I taking the throne. This may bereason whya half brother, The Honourable John St. John is shown as landlord onmaps anddocuments.

https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/st-john-henry-ii-1678-1752

1715– Henry Batt of Penge dies andleaves a will. The Batt family can be traced back to the1550’s inburials. Oneof the witnesses to his will is John Tolson. The brother Joseph isreferred toas ‘late’ and therefore not a beneficiary. TheBatts are landowners andleaseadditional land from Peter Burrell.

BromleyCollections 815/6Probate of will of Henry Batt

Will:23 June 1707; Probate: 20 May1715
Bequests of messuage, appurtenances, and 14 acres, Beckenham (purchasedof the childrenof John Harris) occupied by John Woodley, to daughter, Mary Batt, andyearlyrent of Fullers, messuage and 15 acres at Sydenham Green, Lewisham,occupied byJohn Constable, to wife, Mary.
Instructions to wife and son, Henry, executors, to complete purchasefor £3,000of messuages, lands, hereditaments, in Lewisham, Beckenham, Battersea,andBromley parishes, part of estate of late Earl of Oxford. John Reynoldsis topay £580 to Batt (for Kent House which he later sells toLethieullier).

Tosell, to settle outstanding debts:messuage, appurtenances and land, Bromley, occupied by Colonel EdwardKing;messuage, appurtenances, 4 acres, Bromley, occupied by Thomas Comb,butcher, 26acres near. Bromley Common, occupied by Robert Shorter; 9 acres,SydenhamGreen, occupied by Robert Tilt; 15 acres, Sydenham Green occupied byRichardClowder.
Bequest of messuage, appurtenances and 15 acres, Battersea, Surreyoccupied byRobert Fox, to daughter, Jane Batt.
Residue of estate to Henry Batt.
Money bequests to daughters Mary and Jane, and brother Joseph, andpersonalestate to wife and son.

Theestate of the Earl of Oxford isdifficult or impossible to define as parts are in Battersey, Lewisham,Bromleyand Beckenham. It seems to include all or part of Kent House Farm. TheEarl ofOxford, Robert Harley was a statesman in the time of Queen Anne and wascloselyassociated with Henry St.John, Viscount Bolingbroke. Whether Oxfordacquiredsome property from Bolingbroke remains a question. Edward Kingmentioned inthis will is a name appearing on the map of Simpsons Place as aneighbouringproperty in 1735.

TheBurrell EstateMap 1735 shows Batt land around the boundaries of Burrell land on theKent/Surrey border. The Boundary Stream can be seen. Batt also has apropertyin Beckenham High Street.

1716– Foxgrove Manor is subject of aChancery case prescribing the settling of proceeds of the sale to payFrancisLeigh’s creditors. Hasted said it changed hands in 1712 afterSirFrancis Leighof Hawley, in Kent, on his death in 1711 left his estates to executorsincluding Viscount Lord Cheyne and William Longueville of Inner Templetodispose of and settle any remainder after his debts, bequests andfuneralexpenses on his eldest son also named Francis. They apparently did notact onthe will leaving it to Francis’s wife named Frances tosettle. Somequestionremains as to whether as executor she sold Foxgrove to John Tolsonprior to hisdeath in 1713 or it was sold to Lancelot Tolson about 1716 related tothe Chancery direction.Nevertheless,Lancelot Tolson held it at the time of his death in 1727 and left it tohisnephew, Lancelot Tolson-Tilly.

1717– The Ridge/Village Place: with reference to earlierlandlords.

BromleyHistoric Collections

853/1/1/1/4

8/10/1717Lethuiellier to Davies – release of house and lands inBeckenham

WilliamLethuiellier late of London merchant now of Beckenham &William Davies of Beckenham Kent & John Dodd of FenchurchStreetLondon …of the other part witness £280 paid for purchase of house andlands
Allthat house tenement etc in parish & town of Beckenham– a pieceof arable land called The Ridge adjacent/lying near house 8 roods,PloheslandSlow 2.5a, abutting lands late of Thomas Brograve now Peter Burrell onthe Nlands late of Wm Stiles now of Sir John Elwill to the S &Bunhill1aabutting the highway Beckenham Church to house late Thomas Brograve onthe Nlate in occ Edward Clubb tailor by lease from William Lethuiellier

Schedule27/7/1661 Robert King of Shirley Southampton & MargaretBoard of St Martin in the Fields Middlesex widow – lands andtenementinBeckenham

Indentureof fine 1661 Margaret Board widow & Robert & ElizabethKing deforcs

Tripartindenture 6/10/1677 Thos Burnoll of St Martin in the Fieldslinen draper & Elizabeth his wife formerly Elizabeth Board&granddaughter of Margaret Board late of Charterhouse Yard St Sepulcrewidowdecd 1st pt, Anthony Rawlins of St Olaves 2nd pt and Joseph Reevemerchant ofthe staple of England 3rd

Indfine 1678 Anthony Rawlins & Thomas Burnole & Elizabethhiswife deforcs

Exemplificationof common recovery Moses Crouch & Joseph Reevedemand against Anthony Rawlins & Thos Burnole & his wife

Willof Anthony Rawlins 21/2/1698

TripartIndenture 26/4/1704 William Lethuiellier 1st, Edward Gilbert ofLondon scrivener 2nd & Wm Sayle of London gent 3rd
Exemplificationcommon recovery Wm Sayle demand, Edward Colbert &William Lethuiellier 1705

1717 Langley; Chancery; Shorttitle: Style v Elwill.

Documenttype: Bill only.

Plaintiffs:Humphrey Style, esq of Langley, Beckenham, Kent.

Defendants:Sir John Elwill and Elizabeth Elwill his wife, Peter Burrell, [unknown]Hoskins, Peter Southey, Thomas Hinman, William Hall and ElizabethColson.

Dateof bill (or first document): 1717 Ref; C 11/2730/115

Whetherthis is Humphrey Style who dies in 1718 or his son disatisfied with theterms of Humphreeys will remains unexplained but there are severalcases relating to Langley, Elwill and Style. The terms of Humphrey'swill 1718 implies that Langley remains with Elizabeth Styleandany issue. That not being the case then the estates shouldrevertto the Style line. I can only deducethat the cases found infavour of Elwills and the subsequent sale of Langley to HughRaymond.

1718– Kent House etc. Sir JohnLethieullier dies on the 4th April. He possesses extensive propertyBeckenham,Lewisham, Lee, West Wickham etc. Much of it leased to tenants. His willstates “mylandsand tenements in Beckenham, Lewisham & Battersea in the tenuresandoccupations of Thomas Draper, Richard Clowder, widowStevens,AbrahamPhillips, John Batt, Nicholas Sheeres & Thomas Brasyer to sonWilliam.”along with other properties in Kent. His son John gets property inEssex andLondon. His daughters Leonora and Letitia get property in Lewisham. See1739the death and will of William Lethieullier.

1718– Langley; Humphrey Style(1648-1718) died and his surviving daughter Elizabeth inherits Langley,Simpsons Place and any other property in Kent as his will specifies sheshould have all his messuagesetc inKent. Some had been part of her marriage settlement with John Elwill.She hadmarried Sir John Elwill in 1704 who by right of his wife holds LangleyalthoughHumphrey’s will specifiesthat Sir JohnElwill should not have control of the estateit raises some legal issues and questions about what otherarrangementsor commitments Humphrey made. Humphrey Style names Peter Burrell I asone ofhis executors and trustees along with his own son also named HumphreyStyle.Humphrey makes provision for Frances Shippe from Norfolk who appears tobe amistress or common law wife. The will dated 27^thMarch 1718mentionshis son also named Humphrey Style who has some bequest of the remainderofStyles leasehold estate apart from that in Kent but is unspecified. Itappearsthis Humphrey dies in 1744 and is buried at St. Georges but theimplication isthat he occupied property outside of Kent, possibly Norfolk as Humphreyhadbeen residing with Francis Shippe at Kenning Hall Place, Norfolk.

Humphreyhad expected his daughterElizabeth to bear heirs as implied in the wording of the will. She hadbeen married for 6 years since 1712 aged 26 and her only son named Johnhad died, apparently an infant in 1714. There were no other children.AstheBeckenham and Bromley property became the Elwills and was sold to HughRaymond,by then a relative of Peter Burrell, there may have been some influenceexertedby Burrell as an executor of the will? This is speculation on my partand we don't know the exact conditions of the Elwill/Style marriagesettelement, although it is BHC ref 841/3/1/4

Theonly Styles mentioned in the willare the daughter Elizabeth and son Humphrey. Perhaps the son was notexpectedto father any heirs for whatever reason. Other children must havepre-deceasedtheir father. It was more usual for such wills to determine thatpropertyfollowed on via some other branch of the family but that is not thecase here.See 1734 for more implications.

KenningHall Place in Norfolk had beenthe residence of the Howards and the much grander house had beendemolished andreduced to this farmhouse.

Humphrey’swords regarding Frances are“whereas I have brought Ffrances Shippe out of Norfolk fromher parentsand bythat means she is become destitute of the comfort and assistance shewould havehad from them therefore I do give and bequeath to her the said FfrancesShippein case she shall be living with me at the time of my decease the sumof fivehundred pounds of lawful money of Great Britain and also all thesingularhousehold goods, beds, bedding or other household furniture which shallbebelonging to me and which at the time of my decease shall be in andabout mynow dwelling house or apartment at Keming Hall Place in the County ofNorfolk

Hastedsays: "Humphrey Style'sonly (surviving) daughter and heir, Elizabeth, carried it in marriageto SirJohn Elwill, bart. who died in 1727, without issue by her. This familyofElwill was of Exeter in Devonshire, who bore for theirarms,Ermine on achevron engrailed, between three eagles displayed gules, three annuletsor, andwere advanced to the dignity of a baronet, in the person of Sir JohnElwill, inthe 8th year of queen Anne's reign. He was twice married, but leftissue only,by his second wife, the daughter and heir of — Leigh ofEgham, inSurry, bywhom he had two sons, Sir John above-mentioned, and Edmund, whosucceeded hisbrother in title and in this estate of Langley, and in 1732 transferredhisproperty in it, together with the house, called Langley-house, thepark, andalso the north and south aisles of the parish church of Beckenham, toHughRaymond of Great Saling, in Essex, esq. See 1731/32.

HumphreyStyle’s will mentions his‘good friend’ Peter Burrell (of Kelsey) but whetherit is the first orsecondPeter Burrell is unclear. If it was Peter Burrell the first then hedies inSeptember 1718 shortly after Humphrey in April. Humphrey and his wifeMaryHovell had six children, three of whom died before him but the fate ofoneson,Hovell Style, is unknown. And the son Humphrey is a mostly amysteryhaving been mentioned in the will but as no will of his or other recordapart from his burial at St.George's has been found the trail goescold.

Thereis a marriage settlement document drawn up between Sir John Elwill andElizabeth Style which we assume settles Langley upon Elwill as there isno evidence that Langley should have descended to other members of theStyle family. Taking account of earlier financial problems related toSympson's Place perhaps Elwill settled money on the Styles?We should review the marriage settlement at some time in the future.

1718– September, Thedeath of Peter Burrell of Kelsey, the first of the four Peter Burrellsassociated with Beckenham. His son inherits Kelseys, Peter Burrell1692-1756who will marry Amy Raymond in 1723. Having inherited Kelsey he expandedit withfurther purchases, see 1719.

1719– Kelsey; Peter Burrell (thesecond) is recorded as buying a number of fields seemingly toconsolidate hisKelsey estate. The fields have been identified on the 1735 Burrell mapas beingaround and between the pre-existing estate. The fields named in thedocumentare Wellers, Leasons, Stirt, Little Down and Longsthedocumentdates from about 1720 which appears to read Wollers 2.5 acres boundingBromleyto Beckenham highway to the south, lands late of St John West and thoselate ofLady Leigh North & East. The vendors were Thomas Davies ofWappingsurgeon,Christiana Davies wife of William Davies & Thomas Davies of StDionisBackchurch his only son and heir in the first part, John Russell ofGosburtonLincolnshire clerk eldest son of John Russell late of Wapping clerk whosurvived Samuel Nicholls late of Wapping woollen draper second part andPeterBurrell third part £930 also including Little Downes 1a UpperLeazons7.5a lateocc Widow Kempsall, Brenan? Field 1.5a (west of lane leading to PeterBurrell’sand abutting his land) occ Roger Brown, Longs late Reuben Musgrave nowocc JohnWalford and Stirt 29a occ Robert Fox – indenture 1718 for 21yrs.(source:Kent Archive, research K.Baldwin)

WidowKempsall is possibly the last ofa long line of Kempsall landowners in Beckenham from the early 16^thCentury (1507) but the burial records for Kempsalls carry on until1756.“Leasons” fields bounded Oakwood Avenue which usedto be called GreenLane andthere were Upper, Hither and Further Leasons. The 1766 copy of the 1720Foxgrove Manor map shows land annotated “Henry KempsallYeoman”. See1507 forthe Warranty evidencing a land transfer.

1720- Foxgrove Manor An estate plan isdrawn by surveyor John Holmes. (source: British Library). Though theplan onlysurvives as the redrawn 1766 version by Proudlove (see 1766) it impliesthatfields and plots aren't much changed except by ownership. Another mapofneighbouring land, Lodge Farm 1720, is in Bromley Historic Collections,showingthe landowner on the Foxgrove side as Mr Towlson (Tolson, spellingswere oftenvariable and phonetic). I assume the 1720 Foxgrove map was drawn toidentifyTolson estates and if it survives may be in some undiscovered archive.

Courtesyof theBritish Library, Foxgrove Manor 1766

1720– The South Sea Bubble:it will affect the future of Beckenhamin some way. South Sea Company stock was equivalent to governmentborrowing andseen as a safe bet. But things got out of hand since the stock had afixedyield but the price of the stock was dependent upon demand.

https://michiganjournalhistory.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/fall-12-reibman.pdf

Ittranspires that several Beckenhamand Bromley residents or landlords are connected with the Bubblewhether asinvestors or members of the company. Although it is before he becomes aBeckenham landowner Hugh Raymond is connecte to Beckenham by themarriage ofhis daughter Amy to Peter Burrell II shortly after the Bubble andprobably abusiness connection existed prior to the marriage.

CaledonianMercury06 October 1720

1721- An inventory is taken of allHugh Raymond's assets, both business and domestic, to do with the SouthSeaBubble affair. The British Library has various records such as: "A Trueand Exact particular and inventory of all and singular the lands ...andpersonal estate whatsoever which H. Raymond was seised or possessed of,uponthe first of June, 1720 ... Made and delivered pursuant to the late actofParliament. Together with the abstract of the same ". The officers oftheSouth Sea Company are forced to compensate shareholders, a complexsubject thatcannot be adequately covered here but Hugh Raymond survives with enoughassetsto be able to purchase Langley Park in 1732. He will become indirectlyassociated with the story of Beckenham Place. Hugh Raymonddidnot ownany of Langley at this time but is resident of Saling in Essex, WappingandStepney with extensive property assets. Hugh Raymond was also aship’scaptainwith the East India Company and other connections with the EIC willbecomeapparent. He had also been a director in the South Sea Company. TheRaymondfamily had extensive estates in Essex and elsewhere.

1721- The Ridge, High Street, also knownlater as Village Place; This is the earliest known record of ThomasMotleyassociated with Beckenham and he will own Farms and Property in thevillage,see 1736. Some absence of evidence regarding Elmers End Farms mightmean healready was owner of land at Elmers End but we find him adding propertyfrom Hugh Raymond called Elmer Farm in 1734. The Motley map of 1736shows ahouseand grounds which he called The Mead. Interpreting maps implies thatthe laterVillage Place was a newer building than the original Mead. Thedescription‘lately built’ in this reference roughly dates thebuilding of The Meadand thelands of The Ridge and Bunhill were its grounds. The 1736 map showsformalwater features and gardens

.

1721– Pugh was a Dyer and had a dying(as in dying cloth and not failing) business in Southwark and a mansionhousein Beckenham as well as property in Beckenham and Lewisham.

1716- Langley; presumed date of the installation of an obelisk near HayesLane close to the Greenwich Meridian. The date matches that of EdmundHalley's fixing of the Greenwich Meridian and we have guessed whetherit might be a southerly marker visible from Greenwich Observatory atthat date? Some authorities say not but the jury is still out. Theobelisk was removed and now stands in a housingestate inHither Green.

1722- Peter Burrell of Kelsey is High Sherriff of Kent.

1722– Mary Batt, widow of Henry Batt(d.1715) leaves property: The absence of any detailed maps of fieldsleaves usguessing regarding their exact locations. Michael Batt eventuallyleaves aquarter of his inheritance to his sister and three quarters to hissecond wife withno apparent male or female heir.

Willtoson (then grandson Michael Batt "St Peters Hall"inc barn stable 13aocc Matthew Golderin Penge and adjacent Gatehouse Field 6a behind widowTomsetts house, & Calloways Croft 2a next Sarah Hammonds houseoccThomasTomsett also land abutting Shawfords bridge called Long Mead occ JohnCollieralso Brooks Field 4a occ Mark Matthew, also 3 tenements occ MatthewWright,William Sparrow & Christopher Chapman, also Hubbards 5a,ChristmasCroft4a, five fields called Wilmots Fields adjacent to Wilmots Bridge12a

Todaughter Mary & heirs (or grandson Michael Batt if none) wifeofSamuelPugh two fields called Powey Fields 8a lying in or near Batts Lane occJohnCarpenter, my house.
Tograndson Henry Batt & granddaughter Elizabeth Batt
CousinJane Marshall, godson Richard Marshall his sister Mary wife of WmSumpter
CousinsElizabeth Kinsey & Mary Jones
daughterin law Elizabeth Batt
kinswomanSusanna wife of Rev Epiphany Holland
KinswomanElizabeth Chapman
daughterMary Pugh
cousinJames Gidden & Rebecca his wife

1722– See Appendix, marriagesettlement Peter Burrell II and Amy Raymond, details of trust,property,trustees etc. Part of the 1825 record regarding the sale of the Gwydirestate.

1722– 22^nd March, Amy Raymond,daughter of Hugh Raymond marries Peter Burrell II of Beckenham andKelseys whowill style himself eventually “of Langley”. The'Peter Burrells' becomeconfusing as there are four of them associated with Beckenham.Beginning withPeter Burrell of Beckenham (1649-1718), Peter Burrell I of Langley(1692-1756),Peter Burrell II of Langley (1723-1775), Peter Burrell III ofLangley(1754-1820) made Lord (Baron) Gwydyr in 1796. Some sources willnumberthem I to IV. History of Parliament online is again a good source ofinformation about them and offices they held etc. This marriage isabout 9years before Hugh Raymond purchases land in Bromley. I believe thelinks viathe East India and South Sea Companies brings the families together.

1722- Peter Burrell II of Kelsey (to be 'of Langley' later on) and AmyRaymond marry. She is a daughter of Hugh Raymond of SalingHalland Stepney who purchases Langley in 1732. These pictureshavebeen dated 1724 but perhaps are wedding portraits.

1723-The Stamford Mercury of 30^thMay carries this piece regarding Hugh Raymond and his involvement inthe SouthSea Bubble. Theterm ‘allowance’ isconfusing and perhaps means he retains that portion of his estate.However, heappears to retain more wealth than that. How this affected any marriagesettlement upon his daughter the previous year could be interesting.

1723- A map of Peter Burrell’s estateis drawn by J.Pidduck, copied by Robert Borrowman for his book of 1910.Borrowman copied the map from another copy made in 1829 which was inthe Hoarefamily documents.The original is at Knepp Castle, Sussex, the home ofSirCharles R. Burrell, Bt. The map possibly relates to the PeterBurrell/AmyRaymond marriage settlement and several plans were drawn in 1723. Alltheproperties in this map are south of Beckenham with little or none inthe Manorsof Beckenham or Foxgrove. By marrying Amy Raymond the Burrells cameinto linefor inheriting Langley Park and parts of Foxgrove later. We know of twomaps of1723 which exist in the British Library of a property near Penge Commonand ofWoolseys Farm at Clay Hill under the Burrells. The Penge property isdescribedas being occupied by Henry Ball (probably Batt due to fading andtranscriptionerror). Woolsey’s occupied by Buxted?.

Withthanks to Sir Charles Burrell Bt.of Knepp Castle, East Sussex who is a direct descendant of WilliamBurrell(1732-1796) and his father Peter Burrell II (1692-1756) of Kelsey.WilliamBurrell is recorded on the 1769 Andrews, Drury and Herbert map asresiding atKelseys

Partof Borrowman's copyalongside the original at KneppCastle

1723– A continuation of the previous entry, partof Peter Burrell’s property near Penge is leased to HenryBatt. Battownedproperty in his own right around Penge and also leased adjoining landfromBurrell. This plan in the British Library illustrates the propertyincluding‘Kate Field’ and is on the Surrey/Kent Border closeto Kent House.

Courtesyof the British Library and NationalLibrary of Scotland, the 1870 OS map shows the county boundary and atriangularplot on Beckenham Road and the outline of ‘KateField’ is alsodiscernable.

Andrelates to this extract from the Burrell Kelseyestate map of 1735 below.

Althoughthese marked fields are Burrell landleased to Batt, much of the land around the fields is marked asBatt’swho alsohad a plot in Beckenham High Street neighbouring the site of the GeorgeInn.

1725- Penge: The vicar of Battersea returned to Bishop Willis thatthere were only thirteen houses and sixty inhabitants in Penge, whowent toBeckenham Church, and for whose care he paid a trifling considerationto theincumbent of Beckenham. (source H.E.Malden)

1725– Elmers End, William Motley is landlord of Old and New Farmsandbrings this case against the South Sea Company possibly related to theSouth SeaBubble of 1720? Many people were compensated for misdealing within theSSC. TNAref; C 11/2385/26 Short title: Motley v Rigby.

Documenttype: Bill and answer.

Plaintiffs:Thomas Motley, gent of Beckenham, Kent.

Defendants:Richard Rigby, Governor etc of South Sea Company. Date ofbill (or first document): 1725

TheTryals being over, the Court proceeded to give Judgement asfolloweth;

Receiv'dSentence of Death, 15.

JohnCotterel ,John Vanwick ,Joseph Treen,MaryScuffam ,John Gillingham ,John Map,KatherineHays,Thomas Billings ,Thomas Woods,Gabriel Lawrence,William Griffin ,George Keger ,ThomasWright,HenryVigous ,James Dupree .

JohnMurrel was likewise convicted Capitally; but being dangerously ill,his Sentence was respited.

KatherineHays to be drawn on a Hurdle, to the Place of Execution, andthere to be burnt.

Burntin the Hand, 3.

FrancisChandler ,Thomas Bragrave , andKatherine Blisset .

Tobe Whipt, 1.

WilliamBaker .

Tobe Transported, 34.

SarahOrchard ,Sarah Hutchins ,Mary Loveday,ThomasAtkinson ,William Watson ,Maryco*ckshead,Mary Trigger,RebeccaBignell ,Ann Macclane ,Elizabeth Fletcher,JohnJackson,JosephBrockhouse ,Benjamin Blocksedge ,TemperanceStonly,Rebecca Read ,ThomasOwen,CharlesAtkins,JamesHopkins ,William Munn ,Thomas Fleetwood,RichardRichmond,Isabel Harris , Tozar Williams,Samuel Butler,WilliamThomson ,James Roberts ,Ann Ambrose ,JohnMackey,William Lawrence ,Katherine Hastings,Thomas;Cartwright.Philip-Chars O' Conner,Sarah Dickins,Sarah Fox,Edward Prics,John BurdetMary Williams ,William Parker,EdwardSimkins.

JohnBoon, to suffer 12 Months Imprisonment, and not to be dischargedtill he finds Security for his good Behaviour, for 1 Year more.

1727- King George IIuntil 1760

1727- Samuel Pugh of Beckenham is High Sherriff of Kent

1727– Lancelot Tolson dies and leavesland in trust to his nephew, Lancelot Tolson Tilly. This includesFoxgroveManor, Stone Farm etc according to Hasted. (This farm waspurchased,in1716, by Mr. John Tolson, and descended to Lancelot Tolson Tilly, whodevisedit to Timewell Brydges, Esq. for his life, with remainder to John andEdwardBrydges, of Wotton. In 1765, it was sold by the Brydges's to JonesRaymond,Esq. who died in 1768)

ButJohn Tolson died in 1713 and hadland in Bromley at the time of his death. An unresolved question iswhetherJohn Tolson only had the Plaistow part of what would be on the FoxgroveManormap of 1720 and whether it was his brother Lancelot who added the restofFoxgrove in 1716. Otherpossibilitiesarise such as John Tolson perhaps having a mortgage on theLeigh/Foxgroveestate or indeed whether John left money to Lancelot with which hepurchasedFoxgrove? The ownership through the Tolsons and Tillys is complicatednot leastby the fact that offspring died before parents and sometimes intestate.However,studying the wills of the Tolsons and Tillys shows that land was leftby MaryTilly in three bequests, see 1743. The account by Hasted leaves somequestionsnot least the date of 1716 which does match the Chancery Court caseconcerningthe disposal of Foxgrove by Francis Leigh’s executors to payhiscreditors butthat would imply that Lancelot Tolson purchased Foxgrove, perhaps toextendproperty his brother John purchased before 1713.

1727– Death of Sir John Elwill of Langley; Elizabeth Style hadcarriedLangley (source: from Hasted) in marriage to Sir John Elwill, bart. whodied in1727, without issue by her. The property of Langley and title passed toSirJohn Elwill's brother Edmund, now Sir Edmund Elwill. Elizabethsubsequentlyremarried Henry Bartelott but Langley had passed to her first husbandwho leftit to his brother Edmund. Elizabeth probably remained at Langley asdowager. AsElwill’s will is in latin we cannot deduce the full detailsof it. See1732 and1734

1727– Penge: Henry Batt leases property from WilliamLethieullier. Itcan be found referenced in William Lethieullier’s will of1739.
Ref: 728/11/1Lease for 21 years at £32 per annum of Roystons, a messuage,orchard,and garden near Penge Green, and closes (field names and acreagesgiven)10/10/1727 William Lethieuller, of Beckenham to HenryBatt,of Penge Green, gentleman.

Fieldnames and acreages would be of interest if a detailed map of Pengewas available.

Rocque’s1746 Map which although inaccurate in several ways does give anoverview of the area with Clockhouse showing Mrs Lethieullier.UnfortunatelyRoyston’s is not annotated.

1728- John Cator the elder marriesMary Brough as recorded on 11th February, the parents of John Cator theyoungerwho will be of Beckenham Place (source: P.Manning and Ancestry.co.uk).We cannow access the Quaker meeting house record via online heritage sites(Ancestry.co.uk). This marriage takes place at the Savoy andWestminstermeeting house. John Cator (the elder) is described as a Timber Merchantand sois his father-in-law John Brough of the Parish of St. James,Westminster. John wasonly in his 20’s and whether he had his own business isquestionable,perhapsworking for the man who becomes his father in law. Pat Manning recordsthat hehad his business on Bankside in 1741. John Cator’s fatherJonah isdescribed asa glover late of Ross, Herefordshire also a Quaker. Looking at ancestryrecords, Ross was an epicentre of Cators, sometimes spelled Cater orCatter.Some Cators were following the established Church of England and othersQuakerism, whether they were all the same extended family is a goodquestion.Bearing in mind that the subsequent John Cator of Beckenham Place andhisfamily, although raised as Quakers, were buried in C of E churchyardsit seemsthat changing faith or mode of worship was not uncommon. Though earlyQuakerswere fined for not attending Church and persecuted along with othernon-conformist religions, I haven’t found any record ofcorporal orcapitalpunishment unless one looks at Quakers in America, some of whom wereexecutedby Puritans. As the officially recognized Church of England ran some ofthefunctions now performed by Local Authorities via Parish Councils thenavoidingpaying money to the church via tithes was perhaps a bit like not payingyourcouncil tax and reminiscent of the poll tax demonstrations of morerecenttimes.

Noteother spelling variations such aspublickly. Also, the Quakers followed a different calendar with theyearcommencing on 25^th of March and did not like torefer tosome daysof the week as they derived from pagan gods.

EarlyFriends/Quakers objected to thenames of the days and months in the English language because they wereof anon-Christian origin. Sunday was called as such by the Saxons becauseit wasthe day they sacrificed to the sun. Monday was the day they sacrificedto themoon; Thursday was the day they sacrificed to the god Thor; and so on.Quakersthought it inconsistent for Christians to continue using the names ofheathenidols. In an effort to distance themselves from these references, theycreatedtheir own calendar terms using numbers, which seemed to them to be themostrational approach. Days of the week were known as “FirstDay” forSunday,“Second Day” for Monday, and so forth. They used noother names butthese,either in their spoken conversations or in their letters. Similarly,the monthsof the year were known as “First Month” forJanuary, “Second Month” forFebruary, and so forth. If you were a Quaker, you were expected toadopt thesepractices in your daily life.

Hence,the 2^nd month in thisrecord is the month of April (see text).

1728- John Cator the younger is bornin March to John Cator the elder and Mary Brough (1703 - 1764).Recorded inQuaker Meeting House registers under Southwark Births, John Cator theelder(father) identified as of the Parish of Lambeth, Surrey being aresident ofBankside? Just outside of Southwark or not yet resident at Bankside isyet tobe confirmed. John the younger is often referred to as being born inRoss-on-Wye which is erroneous according to this record and perhaps amistakeas the father, John Cator the elder was from Ross but had become atimbermerchant either at Bankside Southwark by this time or working for hisfather inlaw. The records show that the birth took place before the marriage andthis itseems was more common than generally accepted. Indeed, the only methodsformonitoring population growth were from baptisms and burials known asthe Billsof Mortality. Not everyone was baptised and probably not all deathsresulted ina church burial.
The Quaker records are considered as one of the non-conformistreligions. TheWikipedia entry regarding Bills of Mortality states: It must be noticedthatthe record is of christenings, not births; hence the figures do notinclude thebirths of Quakers, Dissenters, Jews, Roman Catholics, etc.

1728- June; Lease and release is aproperty purchase method, Burrell extending his estate, some fieldscalledGatton's Land are traceable. The occupation of Gatton is interesting.sourceBHC. Lease and release of property in Beckenham, Kent, known asHoldens,Wallnut Tree Field, Colman's Croft and other land, from Richard PearchofKeston, Kent, gentleman and Nathaniel Gatton of the Isle of Thanet,Kent,Riding Officer in His Majesty's Customs and Elizabeth, his wife toPeterBurrellofBeckenham, esquire in consideration of the sum of £532, forthe livesofNathaniel and Elizabeth Gatton. See1709- Counterpartmarriage settlement and jointure 5 February 1709[/10] Counterpartmarriagesettlement and jointure made on the intended marriage betweenNathaniell Gattonof Beckenham, gentleman and Elizabeth Whiffing, spinster, betweenGatton (1stpart); Whiffing (2nd part) and Richard Pearch of Keston, Kent (uncle ofElizabeth Whiffing) and John Uppington of London, gentleman (3rd part).Inconsideration of the intended marriage, Gatton bargains and sellsproperty inBeckenham, Kent, known as Holdens, Wallnut Tree Field, Colman's Croftand otherland, to the third parties (Burrell at a later date) to make provisionfor themarriage and for the jointure of Elizabeth Whiffing. Memorandum dated12 June1728 that Gatton and Richard Peach (nephew of Richard Peach of the 3rdpart)assigned the property to Merrick Burrell of Lisbon, Northamptonshire.

Landidentified as Gattons on theBurrell map may include these fields but Holdens and Wallnut treefields may beduplicated names from other estates. For example there areseveral BarnFields and Pond Fields. Suffice it to say that Burrell and others areconsolidating and extending their properties.

1728– ClockhouseLethieullier connection, in thismarriage settlement Susannah Colt is sister in law to Sarah Holland whowas thewidow of Samuel Lethieullier. This is perhaps the first connection ofthe Hoarefamily with Beckenham albeit distanced.Marriage of HenryHoare and Susannah Colt; stepdaughterof Epiphanius Holland, clerk of Beckenham from his wifeSusannah’sfirstmarriage to Stephen Colt.Ref; 212B/6266(1) Hoare, Henry, Esq. (2) EpiphaniusHolland, clerk, of Beckenham, Co. Kent, and Susannah his wife, formerlywife ofStephen Colt Colt, Susannah, daughter of Susannah by her firstmarriage. (3)Michell, Simon, Esq., of Lincoln's Inn, Co. Middx.MarriageSettlement of the Castle of Stourton, theDairy house and Malthouse in Slade Mead and "Great Buckleys,""Hay Barton", "Dairy Mead" "Little Buckleys""Spencers Mead" "Slade Mead" "Barn Mead""Broome Wood Mead", [etc.].1728 July 5

1728Langley: Court of Chancery; TNA

Shorttitle: Elwill v Style.

Documenttype: three answers.

Plaintiffs:John Elwill esq an infant aged four years (by David Polhill esq,Geoffery Amherst esq, Peter Southey gent his next friends) and the saidDavid Polhill, Geoffery Amherst and Peter Southey.

Defendants:Sir Edmund Elwinn bart and Dame Wlizabeth Elwill his wife, HumphreyStyle, Hanry Walrond, Henry Herring esq and Edward Gilbert gent.

Dateof bill (or first document): 1728.

Dateof last document: 1728

Acurious case as Sir John Elwill is apparently named wrongly as Edmundhere and Elizabeth Elwill is Elizabeth nee Style and Humphrey isapparently her brother. Edward Gilbert was a trustee/executor ofHumphrey Style's will from 1717. Sir John Elwill died in 1727 andthe John Elwill infant of 4 years could be asecondoffspring of John and Elizabeth if we assume they had a surviving childfrom circa 1724.

1729- LancelotTolson had come into possession of the Manor of Foxgrove whichhe or hisbrother John Tolson had purchased from the estate of Francis Leighcirca 1713/16. Through John Tolson and his brother Lancelotnot havingdirect heirs the estate passed to the nephew Lancelot Tolson Tilly(LTT) by their sister Mary Tolson married to Joseph Tilly.LTTdied young leaving the estate to his parents and the widowedMary divided the estate.

1730-

1730– Beckenham;Surrey Wills ref; SW/31_407
Richard Philips (X) of Beckenham, Kent, yeoman (died) 2 Sep 1729
my late brother James Philips by his will of 30 Mar 1729 devize to mehis messuagesetc. (4 acres) in the occupation of William Lewin in Beckenham to mefor lifeand then to my daughter Sarah Philips and if she dies to me; Ibequeathe thisif my daughter dies to my wife for life and then to (Revd Mr) Talbot ofBeckenham; my wife Sarah if she remarries to enter bond for daughter;to mymother Sarah Meager, my brother William Philips and brother in lawHenry Woodenand his wife Sarah Wooden half a guinea each; residue to my wife, exec.
Witnesses: James Combs (X); Elizabeth Whiffin (X); Elizabeth Smyth
Proved: 8 Apr 1730 to exec. [DW/PA/5/1730/97] (late ofAddington)Several Philipsin burials for the 17^th and18^th Centuries including James in 1729 but notRichard whomayappear in Addington burials? The 4 acres may be close to Thayers Farmas Lewinwas a tenant of Thayers Farm around 1735 and the plural messuagesindicate morethan one property. But this is anotherexample of the complex land ownership under yeomen aroundthelargerestates. The (X) in the text I take to mean that these people madetheir markas they were illiterate. Where this occurs its usual for the mark to bewitnessed i.e. by Elizabeth Smyth?

1731– Langley;death of Elizabeth Style wife of SirJohn Elwill deceased and then Henry Bartelot. The Reverend WilliamStukeley awell known antiquarian wrote of her “Elizabeth(Lady Elwill), of theoldand opulent Kentishfamily of the Styles,a lady ofan excellent character,a loverof flowers,admirer of thebeautys of nature.Whilst marryed, andatLangley, Ioften visited,andwas wellreceivedbyher, through acertain similitudeofdisposition. ArchbishopWake washer godfather.July,1729, theday afterI was ordaineddeacon at Croydonby thatPrelate,Ivisited her atLangley, her husbandbeing lately dead.Sheafterwards marryedagain,but did notlivelong, and wasburyed in thesame vault withSir John ElwillinBeckenham church."

Stukeleyis said to have made a drawing of Langley House in 1718 apparently involumeXVI of his published diaries but so far it evades discovery. It wouldbe ofgreat interest if it was the same or differs from the later 1779picture ofLangley in Hasted’s publication.

1732– Hugh Raymond of Saling and Stepneypurchases Langley Park Estate and Simpson's Place/Farm for the sum of£6,500from Sir Edmund Elwill who had inherited from his brother Sir JohnElwill, firsthusband of Elizabeth Style (1686-1731) (according to Hasted). Thispurchaseappears to include some property belonging to Simpson’s atElmers Endi.e.Elmer Farm which is the subject of a sale to Thomas Motley in 1734.

TheStyles, Elwills, Raymonds andBurrells all have memorials in St. Georges Church, Beckenham. Includedin thesale of the Elwill/Styles estates is Simpsons Place which was adjacenttoBromley town. Langley straddled the Parish boundaries betweenBeckenham,Bromley, Hayes and West Wickham. Simpson’s was in Bromley andBeckenham. ElizabethElwill nee Style had married a Henry Bartelott after JohnElwill’sdecease. Shedied in 1731 which may have affected the date of the sale by Edmund asshe mayhave occupied the estate in dower. There is some story about a familyfeud.Perhaps Elizabeth had intentions of carrying the estate to Bartelott? Amemorial to Elizabeth is in St. George's raised by Bartelott. See 1718death ofHumphrey Style, Elizabeth’s father. Strangely the inheritanceof such largeestates was often put ‘in tail’ to anysurviving male line but perhaps the lack of any direction to thiseffect in thewills of the Style family meant that Elwill’s family acquireditthrough themarriage even though there were no heirs produced out of the marriage.

OfHugh Raymond’s occupation of Saling Hall it issaid; The Carters sold thehouse in 1717to theRaymond family. Hugh Raymond was a man of substance, a sea-captain andshipbuilder in London who was involved in the spectacular financialcrash knownas the South Sea Bubble. He commanded an East Indiaman, the duch*ess,and builtthe South Sea Company's ship Royal Prince. He became Colonel of theTowerHamlets' Militia for the defence of London and had a house on TowerHill. Whilein the East he commissioned an early example of Chinese armorialporcelainknown as the Saling Service, of which several pieces survive. He wassucceededat Saling (and Langleyin Beckenham) byhis son Jones Raymond, who apparently installed the wine-cellar whoseinventory(in 1768) is preserved in the Essex Record Office.

TheRaymonds then sold the Saling estateto William Evelyn in 1768 which coincides with JonesRaymond’s death somayhave been part of a disposal to meet bequests? He leased it to PeterBurrell,who installed Mrs Amy Burrell (Hugh Raymonds oldest daughter who mayhaveinfluenced the repurchase as she would have spent years before hermarriage toPeter Burrell) in the house and she bought Saling Hall the followingyear(1769, by which time Amy had been widowed from Peter Burrell. Amy diedin 1789which may have prompted the sale by her grandson, Peter BurrellIV/BaronGwydir). The house was then occupied by William Branch who wasresponsiblefor paying the church rate of £12.6.6.in 1789. SalingHallwas put up for auction in 1790 and the Hall was transferred to theestate ofJohn Yeldham of Saling Grove beginning a connection between the twohouseswhich was to last in one form or another into the twentieth century.Yeldhamhad built Saling Grove in 1750 and had commissioned Humphry Repton tolay outhis park. Goodrich and his wife, Mary Wilson 'of New York', lived atthe Grovefrom 1795.

Source;http://www.salinghall.com/saling_hall_history.html

Otherreferences evidence that theRaymonds and Burrells shared their time between Essex and Kent much aswe mightdeduce that the Rokele’s and Bruyn’s did fromBeckenham Manor in themedievaltimes.

1733– Langley; Thisintriguing courtcase mustrelate to the death of Humphrey Style of Langley in 1718. His will hadleftKent estates to his daughter Elizabeth married to John Elwill althoughshelater married Henry Bartelot when widowed. The other beneficiary ofStyle’swill was his son Humphrey d.1744 who appears as a defendant in thiscase. Itspossible that Humphrey d.1718 did not mention Mary Style in his as somemarriage settlement had been made? Or she was provided for byPersehouse. Thefate of Style’s son Hovell is unknown. When theElwill’s inheritedLangley despiteElizabeth having married Bartelot the subsequent sale in 1732 to HughRaymondand probably some property to Lethieullier, Burrell etc. then somedissatisfaction has befallen Mary Style and other plaintiffs. SirThomas Stylementioned would be of Wateringbury and possibly a trustee of Styleestates? Inany case thereferenceevidences thatall did not go smoothly with the sale of Langley. TNA Reference: C11/2286/13Description: Shorttitle: Pershowse vPersehowse.

Documenttype: Bill only.

Plaintiffs:Mary Persehowse (nee Style widow of Thomas Persehowse, esqdeceased{1719/20})both of St Margaret Wetsminster, Middlesex.

Defendants:Humphrey Persehowse, Lawrence Martell, Thomas Joliffe, ThomasPersehowse andHumphrey Style.

Dateofbill (or first document): 1720. Ref. C 11/2743/92 Description: Shorttitle:West v Style. Document type: Bill only. Plaintiffs: Gilbert West, esqof StJames Westminster, Middlesex and Catherine West his wife (lateCatherineBartelot spinster) executrix of Henry Bartelot, esq and adminstratrixwith willof goods unadminstered of Dame Elizabeth Elwill.

Defendants:Sir Thomas Style, William Letheullier, Peter Burrell, Richard Wyatt,PeterSouthey, David Polhill, Jeffrey Amhurst, John Elwill, Henry Herring,HumphreyStyle and Hugh Raymond. Date of bill (or first document): 1733 (TheNationalArchive)

1733– John Cator’s (the Younger)brother Joseph is born. Recorded in St. Saviours Parish Southwark attheMonthly Meeting of Southwark: Union of Southwark and [St John]Horsleydown,Friends Meeting House. (from Quaker records). Joseph will be the fatherof JohnBarwell Cator who inherits Beckenham Place and its estates after 1806and othersiblings who will be trustees of the estates. Horsley Down is an areaofSouthwark and Bermondsey near Tower Bridge.

1734- Short title:West v Style. Chancery; Document type: Bill only.

Plaintiffs:GilbertWest, esq of St James Westminster, Middlesex and Catherine West hiswife (lateCatherine Bartelot spinster) executrix of Henry Bartelot, esq andadminstratrixwith will of goods unadminstered of Dame Elizabeth Elwill.Defendants:SirThomas Style, William Letheullier, Peter Burrell, Richard Wyatt, PeterSouthey,David Polhill, Jeffrey Amhurst, John Elwill, Henry Herring, HumphreyStyle andHugh Raymond.Dateof bill (orfirst document): 1733Thissuit must relateto a dispute over Langley property or Elizabeth Style’s(unadministeredgoods) effectsas Henry Bartelot was second husband of Elizabeth Style, the last ofthe Styleswhose first husband was Elwill. It was Elwill’s brotherEdmund who soldLangleyto Hugh Raymond. Just another instance of complications regardingpropertyinheritance and disposal.1734– Clockhouse andBeckenham Place; to be confirmed. The bell from theclocktower oftheburnt out stable block in Beckenham Place is dated 1734 which may bethe dateof the construction of the Clockhouse stables, or maybe even thehouse. Irecall seeing dated plates on the clock of its manufacture date and arepair/refurbishment date but the clock is now mostly destroyed. Thebell is tobe installed in the new cafe. The whole clocktower is said to have beentransferred from Clockhouse to Beckenham Place, but the date isunknown. I'dlike to think John Barwell Cator did it possible after the death of hisfatherJoseph Cator who had been living at Clockhouse. Or perhaps part ofgeneralagrandisem*nt of Beckenham Place by J.B.Cator.

1734– William Lethieullier sells twosmall pastures to John Overton of Penge by Indenture. The fields areadjacentto Henry Batt’s house and Penge Common. Henry Batt hasproperty leasedfromPeter Burrell and also acquired from the estate of the Countess ofOxford.

1734- 17th AprilManor of Beckenham lands; Lease to Henry Batt of Penge for 21 years at£88 perannum, of 6 closes (63 acres) in Clay Lane (occupiers, abuttals, andfieldnames given); 7 closes (65 acres), (field names given); 3 closes calledTheRiddens; Riddens Wood (between Clockhouse and Penge)(20 acres);messuage and land (4 acres) occupier Mr Lethalear (Lethieullier)

HonorableJohn LordMonson, Baron Burton and Honorable Richard Edgcumbem, of MountEdgcumbe, Devon,Trustees of Honorable John St John
to Henry Batt, of Penge,Yeoman. (source; BHC 728/2/1)

HenryBatt had landat Penge and it was common for additional land to be leased fromneighbouringlandlords. He also leased land from the Burrells. The lease from JohnSt.Johnevidences that the St.Johns were probably not personallyinvolved inmuch to do with Beckenham. John St. John 1702-1748, father ofaFrederick St.John (Bolingbroke), grandson of Sir Walter St. John. The existing orpreviousoccupier Lethalear, a spelling variation of Lethieullier, shows theLethieulliersof Kent House Farm are perhaps surrendering this previously leased landofBeckenham Manor. The Riddens and Riddens Wood are not far from theLethieullierhouse at Clockhouse and their property at Kent House. The land betweenRedonsWood and Rounds Park is the position of Thayers Farm owned by ThomasMotley atthis time.

Northis toward the bottom righthand corner of this Beckenham Manor map. Kent House Roadto the right of Lords Redons (spellingvariation). The streamto the left ofLords Redons Wood is the Chaffinch which joins the Beck to become thePoolriver which now joins in Cator Park. The house on the road left of theChaffinch is believed to be Clockhouse or perhaps an earlier buildingon the siteas this maps is a 1766 copy of the earlier 1623 version.

ClayLane has become Elmers End Road and the closesmay have been the Hursts which might be confirmed by viewing thedocuments

GordonWard’s composite map (Kent Archive)

TheHursts and Clay Hill.

WadeSlades is approximately where Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetary istoday.

1734– 31^st August; Elmers End Farm(s); Adocument inLincolnshire archive evidences purchase of Elmer Farm by Thomas MotleyfromHugh Raymond of Langley and Simpson’s Place. Subject to someclarification asThomas Motley held Elmers End Old and New farms according to his 1736map and thisshows that the land called La Motes, which is now in South NorwoodCountry Parkand other land south of Elmers End and land north of Croydon Road andparts ofThayers Farm areincluded in thisacquisitionby Thomas Motley and the land came to him via Hugh Raymond whoapparentlyacquired it along with Langley and Simpsons Place from the Elwills whohadacquired it through the marriage of Sir John Elwill to Elizabeth Stilein 1712.As Motley’s map only shows Elmers End Old and New farms thisrelease iswherehe acquires the named land shown on the map. The details of field namesshowsthat parts ofElmers End farms and partof Thayers Farm are included in this transfer and that indicates thatthe landwas originally part of Simpsons Place, Bromley property which wasacquired byJohn Stile circa 1500. This in itself draws some questions about theremainderof Elmers End Farms and Thayers Farm which may have belonged to theAylmerscirca 14^th Century.

CounterpartRelease
(1)Hugh Raymond of Saling Hall Essex, Esq.
(2)Thomas Motley of Beckenham, Kent, Esq.
From(1) to (2).
Property:capital messuage called Elmers with barns, stables, buildings,lands, woods, near Elmers End, Beckenham, Kent.
Fieldnames etc:
Parcelof land called La’motts or La Motes, part of Simpsons Placelands
TheBarnfield containing Three acres and two roods,LongMead two acres and Two roods, The Little Meadow one Acre, ThreeRumballs TwelveAcres and two roods, Two Willow Slows Six Acres, Two Peices of Land ina CommonField called Blundells one acre and two roods. The undivided Moiety ofThreeFields called Great and Little [P]ickingtons and Olivers Meadow EightAcres,Two Closes lying behind Yeomans Cottage Six Acres, Two Closes calledthe WildesSix Acres, [J]acks Field Two Acres and all that Parcel of Land calledLa Moteswith the Shaws and Motes
TheGreat Mead, Long Mead, The Old Orchard, Two Broomfields, M[atch?]fieldand Loft Meadow.

Consideration:£1,689.
Recitingdeeds 14 May 14 James I [1616] – 31 Aug 1734.

Allthat Capital Messuage Tenement and Farm commonly called or known bythe name of Elmers with the Barnes, stables [?] and Appurtenancesthereuntobelonging situate and being at or near Elmers End in the Parish ofBeckenham inthe County of Kent And all those Fields Closes or Parcells of ArableMeadow orPasture Ground to the same Messuage and Farme belonging or therewithused orEnjoyed containing together by Estimation Fifty acres be the same moreor lessalso situate lying and being at or near Elmers End in the Parish ofBeckenhamand County of Kent aforesaid and with a parcel of Land calledLa’mottsparts ofSimpsons Place Lands now are or late were in the Tenure or Occupationof WalterHolden his Assignee or Assignes at the Yearly Rent of six and Fortypounds Tenshillings or thereabouts and all that or those the said Parcel of LandorCloses called La’motts containing in the whole by EstimationTwentyacres bethe same more or less with the Appurtenances also scituate and being intheParish of Beckenham and County of Kent aforesaid which said CapitalMessuageFarm lands and premises hereinbefore Granted and Released or mentionedso to bewere demised by Sir John Elwill Baronet deceased unto the said WalterHolden byLease dated on or about the Nine and Twentieth Day of September OneThousandSeven Hundred and Twenty two for the Term of One and Twenty years atthe yearlyrent aforesaid and the Fields Closes or Parcells of Land are thereinmoreparticularly described called and distinguished by the several NamesandDescriptions therein and next hereinafter mentioned that is to say TheBarnfield containing Three acres and two roods Long Mead two acres andTworoods The Little Meadow one Acre Three Rumballs Twelve Acres and tworoods TwoWillow Slows Six Acres Two Peices of Land in a Common Field calledBlundellsone acre and two roods The undivided Moiety of Three Fields calledGreat andLittle [P]ickingtons and Olivers Meadow Eight Acres Two Closes lyingbehindYeomans Cottage Six Acres Two Closes called the Wildes Six Acres[J]acks FieldTwo Acres And all that Parcel of Land called La Motes with the Shawsand MotesTwenty Acres be the same or any or either of them more or less And alsoallthat Messuage or Tenement with the Barne Stable Buildings Yard GardenOrchardand appurtenances thereunto belonging and all those sixteen acres ofArablePasture Meadow and belonging or therewith used or enjoyed which lastmentionedMessuage or Tenement Lands Ground and Premisses are also scituate lyingandbeing in the Parish of Beckenham and County of Kent aforesaid and noware orlate were in the Tenure or Occupation of John Theyer or his Assignes byLeasefrom the said Sir John Elwill dated on or about the nine and Twentiethday ofSeptember One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty six for the Term of One and Twenty years atand under the yearlyrent of sixteen pounds Fifteen shillings or thereabouts and the samelands andGround are there more particularly described and called by the severalnamesand descriptions therein and next hereinafter mentioned that is to sayTheGreat Mead, Long Mead, The Old Orchard, Two Broomfields, M[atch?]fieldand LoftMeadow Or by whatsoever other Name or Names or description at the saidseveralMessages or Tenements Fields Closes Pieces or Parcells of Land andPremisseshereinbefore Granted and Released or any of them now are or have beencalledknown or distinguished And all Houses Outhouses Edifices BuildingsBarnesstables Yards Gardens Orchards Ways Paths Passages Waters Water coursesHedgesDitches Fences Trees Woods Underwoods Commons Common of PastureEasem*ntsProfitts Commodities Advantages Emoluments hereditaments andAppurtenanceswhatsoever to the said Messuages …..

AsThomas Motley is named as trustee in some wills and transactions ofthe Lethieullier family we cannot discount the possibility thatMotley’s otherproperty may have been purchased from theLethieulliers? Perhaps being originally part of Kent HouseFarm?

1734- Brograve; November, Arabella Brograve is buried at St.George'sand leaves a will in which she leaves a nominal "shilling" to onenephew and the rest of her belongings, South Sea Annuities and anyother possessions to her nephew, William Dacres, husbondman (tenantfarmer). Possibly the William Dacres who is tenant farmer of Staceyswhich is part of the Langley estate belonging to Hugh Raymond at thistime. Arabella appears to be the last of the Brograve family to residein Beckenham but we don't know where she lived. Her parents were Thomasand Mary Brograve.

1735– Kelsey; Anothermap of the Burrell estates in Beckenham and Penge reproducing detailfrom the1723 map but dated 1735 drawn by John Pidduck. Recently (2019)discovered atKnepp Castle, Sussex the home of Sir Charles R. Burrell, Bart. whosebranch ofthe Burrells descended from Peter Burrell and Amy Raymond via theiryounger sonWilliam who married Sophia, the daughter of Sir Charles Raymond andSarah (neeWebster). The map is interesting as it records the arrival of Col. HughRaymond, spelt Raymund on the map and Penge is spelt Pench, onto theLangleyestate which he bought from Sir John Elwill. The map also shows landbelongingto Tolson or Toulson and Tilly. Some of theTolson land willcome intothepossession of John Cator giving rise to the interwoven patchwork ofownershipwhich would enable later exchanges to consolidate estates and some willbe acquired by Jones Raymond. Other detailon themap shows Kelsey with a formal square lake and more detail that couldonly berelated in a small book.

Themapfrom Knepp Castle, courtesy of Sir Charles R. Burrell, Bt. ©

1735- Map of Langley. The original hasnot been found but Kent Archive has a later copy as part of 1826 titledeedswhen Langley was bought by the Goodhart family. Neighbouring landownersJohnSt. John, Lethieullier and Lancelot Tolson Tilly are indicated. HughRaymondhad bought Langley and Simpsons Farm Bromley from the Elwills in 1732.Thissection is only part of the park which was bought by the Goodharts.

Thiscan be compared to the ‘Langleybelonging to Jones Raymond’ map which postdates HughRaymond’s death in1737 butis undated and could be shortly after 1737 upto 1768. Whether maps weredrawnin anticipation of deaths and settlementof wills is unknown but several maps are drawn from 1720 but of coursetheseare only the ones we are aware of. As the ‘JonesRaymond’ map shows thesouthern part of Langley estate and has fields indexed K to O then thesupposition is that at least one other part was drawn showing A to J.

Thelabelling of Langley Farm is amoveable feast as theoriginal farm was centred around the mainhouse but after several land exchanges Langley Farm was a part of theestatecentred on what is now Langley Court leaving‘Langley’ as a separateentity.

Partof the “SecondSchedule” mapcourtesy of Kent Archive

1735– Map of Simpson’s Place, Bromley

Describedas Simpson’s Place Farm (BromleyHistoric Collections)

88acres listed compared to earlierdescriptions of Simpson’s with 160 acres. Whether thedifference wenttoconstitute New Farm needs to be confirmed or deduced.

1735/36- Peter Collinson (John Cator'seventual father in law) meets Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linne) onLinnaeus’s onlyrecorded visit to England and they become lifelong correspondents onbotanicaland other scientific matters. An association has been made betweenCator,Collinson and Carl Linnaeus the botanist, assuming that Linnaeuscontributed tothe landscaping of Beckenham Place Park. We have gathered evidenceregardingrelevant dates of birth and death as well as age of the individuals andknownmovements of Linnaeus indicating this was very unlikely if notimpossible. Theoriginating reference to such an event seems to be in RobertBorrowman’s"Beckenham Past and Present" but I believe this to be a confusionarising out of the Collinson/Linnaeus connection. Linnaeus's son latervisitsLondon in 1781 in the time of John Cator and we are investigatingwhether theymet. No evidence has emerged so far despite some material relating toLinnaeusthe younger being discovered at the London Linnaean Society. PeterCollinsondid communicate regularly with Linnaeus by letter. Linnaeus's onlyknown visitto Britain was in 1735/36 when he met Collinson among many others, longbeforeCator then aged 7 married Collinson's daughter or created BeckenhamPlace.Collinson enabled Linnaeus to collect various plant specimens andcollections.On Collinson's death his books and papers were passed to John Cator andthenceinherited by John Barwell Cator, who then enabled them to be copied bytheemergent Linnaean Society of London. One of many interesting exchangesCollinson had with Linnaeus and others was the speculation as to whereswallowswent in winter. It was even thought they might hibernate under waterand theydiscussed experiments to see if this was true involving puttingswallows in ornear barrels of water. Collinson also discussed electricity withFranklin andthe migration of people to America and its impact on the NativeAmericans. Hewas a Fellow of the Royal Society and contributed to the establishmentof theFoundling Hospital. Having originated from a family home in Peckham hemoved toa house inherited via his wife at Mill Hill and established his gardenthere.It is now the Mill Hill School; see the Mill Hill Society for furtherinformation.

PeterCollinson(1694-1768) Carl von Linne(1707-1778)

1736– Elmers End Farms, Thayers Farm,The Mead in Beckenham village. Wm. Brasier produces a map of theestates ofThomas Motley’s Farms at Elmers End, Thayers Farm nearClockhouse and adwelling house in Beckenham village called The Mead on what is nowknown asThornton’s corner. Neighbouring landowners are indicated.Thayers Farmisalongside the site of Clockhouse which would become the place of birthof JohnBarwell Cator who inherits Beckenham Place in 1806. The Clockhouse siteisshown as belonging to the Lethieulliers in 1736. The Cators will laterbeowners or neighbours of these lands but the map answers some questionsaboutownership, field patterns and buildings. The house and gardens calledThe Meadis on a site earlier called Shiltons Mead on the copy of the 1720FoxgroveManor map and it looks like the house is what later became known as theMansionHouse, not to be confused with the Manor House opposite the church.Otherlandowners shown are The Hon. John St. John (parts of Beckenham Manor),SamuelPugh (part of the High Street where he had a mansion) and severalborders withthe Burrells. St.John Humphrey is also shown. The map is also a work ofart inits drawing and embellishments and an example of surveyors’anddraughtsmans’skills. (source; Kent archive). The Motleys may have been in Beckenhamfor sometime as William Motley buried in 1727 at St. George's as an infantlooks like ason of Thomas. Thomas was buried in 1758 and another Thomas who wasprobably anephew according to Thomas's will was buried in 1770 at the age of 44.However,Thomas Motley d.1758 seems to have left all his property to hissurvivingdaughter and her husband Francis Austin. Thomas had a sister Margaretwhomarried into the Twycross family of Abingdon. I assume his brother wasnamedWilliam who was father to the nephews William and Thomas. SeveralMotleys arepotential ancestors and some property in Dagenham was mentioned in thewill.Thomas Motley acted as trustee on several Lethieullier wills andtransactionsimplying a close link with the family. He is described as a friend byWilliam Lethieullier in Williams will of 1739 and a trustee/executor tomanage property for William's heirs. Also see 1734 whereby MotleypurchasesElmer Farm from Hugh Raymond evidencing that that property had come toRaymondvia his purchase of Langley and Simpson’s Place. Elmer Farmconstitutesabouthalf of Motley’s Elmers End Old and New Farms and raises thequestionof howMotley acquired the other property.

Someother interesting detail; MrsHolland’s House is next door to Motley’s and landbelonging to SamuelPugh isadjacent. Pugh’s land looks like it is the site of the OldWoodhouse.MrsHolland is possibly Susannah Holland, widow of Epiphaneus Holland. TheHollandsbecome related to the Lethieulliers and Hoare families by marriages andalthough a later “Mrs Holland” mentions a house inBeckenham we believethat tobe Clockhouse as she is widow of Samuel Lethieullier and subsequentlyafterremarriage, widow of Stephen Holland the surviving son of EpiphaneusHolland.

TheMead (Mansion House) and Burrells house on the site of the GreyhoundPublicHouse

Courtesyof Kent Archive

Althoughthis relates to ElmersEnd much earlier, an area now inside South Norwood Country Park calledThe LaMotes is covered by this document; https://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/archcant/1976%2091%20A%20Double-Moated%20Site%20at%20Beckenham%20Thronhill.pdf

1736– The will of William Tapsfield; Ayeoman land owner describes some of his property in Beckenham andCroydon. Someplots in the occupation of tenants around Elmers End Green adjacent toMonksOrchard. Tapsfield is shown on the 1735 Kelsey map and on the 1809Burrell mapthese plots are in the possession of Humphreys and Willis. St.JohnHumphreys ismentioned in Tapsfield’s will as an executor and beneficiary.(AncestryPCCwills) see 1653 Roger Tapsell/Tapsfield

1736– Old Manor and Kelsey; These small plots are leased fromMordenCollege by Burrell and will later be purchased eventually becoming partof theLangley Farm property.

Lease

(1)Trustees of Morden College (Philip Papillion, Richard Chiswell, ThomasCooke& Kenelme Fawkner, Turkey Merchants)
(2)PeterBurrell Esqr.
From(1)to (2).
Property:2 pieces or parcels of land in Beckenham, Co. Kent called GreatKing’sField(4a 5r 29p) on a road that leads from Langley to Clay Hill and LittleKing’sField (1a 2r 14p) abutting on the north west on the road fromBeckenham.
Term:21years.
Rent:£4annually
CommencesLady Day 1736, expires Lady Day 1757.
Attached:small plan showing the location of the fields adjacent to land of PeterBurrill(sic) and woodland. 23 x 14 cms, colour.
10March,9 George II (Lincolnshire Archive)

1737- Hugh Raymond of Langley, diesand his son Jones Raymond inherits Langley Park, Simpsons Farm andotherextensive properties in Essex. Hugh Raymond had purchased Langley Parkin 1732(source: Hasted, Burrell map etc.). The name Jones is derived fromHugh'swife’s maiden name. Her father Samuel Jones was also in theEIC,another ship’scaptain. We recently find heritage record evidence thatHugh’s wife’sname wasDinah(Dynah) Jones and Samuel Jones was her father. Again, referring toHasted's entry for Langley Park can explain detail but we may revisitthehistory of Langley in a separate account. Jones Raymond is alsoinvolved withthe East India Company becoming a director. About this time, PeterBurrell wasdeputy governor of the South Sea Company of which Hugh Raymond was adirector.Hasted’s record of the history of Langley would have usbelieve thatHugh’s sonJones also had a son named Jones but this is an error. I can only findrecordof one ‘Jones Raymond’ supported by evidence fromSt.George’s churchmemorialsand birth and death records via Ancestry.co.uk. The memorials to theRaymond’sare in St. Georges Church, Beckenham, Hugh’s is picturedhere. HughRaymondwas, as well as being an EIC ships captain, ship owner and director oftheSouth Sea Co, he became a Colonel of the Tower Hamlets' Militia for thedefenceof London and had a house on Tower Hill. He was also listed as being ontheboard of St. Thomas’s Hospital. Some of his letters regardingthe dayto daybusiness of the EIC can be found in the British Library. His nephew SirCharlesRaymond is the subject of more detailed biographies. Land in HughRaymond’spossession on the Burrell 1735 map is annotated “ColonelRaymond” orsometimesspelt Raymund. Some time later William Burrell will marry Sophia, thedaughterof Charles Raymond (Sir) and the descendant of that line Sir CharlesBurrell,Baronet now occupies Knepp Castle in Sussex. William Burrell is shownasoccupying premises near Kelseys on the 1769 Andrews and Drury map.

Hugh Raymond’s memorial plaque is in St. George’sChurch Beckenhamalong withJones Raymond’s and several members of the Burrell family.

Hughhas prepared an inventory of hisproperties; 'Schedule Book of all my Deeds and Writings 1737', probablybelonged to Hugh Raymond and used after 1737 by Jones Raymond [hisson]. Deedsc.1517-1767 with index, loose leaves of additional index, memorandum offurtherabstracts to be entered in book and note re Gladmans, Boxted, andsurrender atcourt of manor of Rivers Hall, Borstead. Relates to estates of hissister AmyBurrell; of sister Bridget Glanville; purchase of ships and dealingswith SouthSea Company; Saling Hall Estate, Essex; copyhold called Barrows, Essex;Nicholls and Kings Farm, Essex, with 3r at Oxen End, Essex; landscalledLangley and Gunnells, Great Saling, Essex; Bacon Farm, Stebbing, Essex;GreatCoggeshall, Essex; tithes of Great and Little Coggeshall, Essex;Highfields,Kelveden, Essex; manor and estate of Shalford, Essex; Hawks and 6a inShalfordnear Park End, Essex; Gooses and 2a, Shalford; copyhold lands in manorofShalford; lands in Shalford; 106a in Deeping Fenn, Lincolnshire;Horsley Downestate, Surrey; brewhouse and premises, limehouse, Middlesex;plantation anddistillery, Providence Island; house in Leadenhall Street; houses andlands atWapping in Whitechapel and Stepney; Langley Estate, Kent; 5a, PickhurstGreen,Hayes, Kent; house in Marine Square; shares in Shadwell Water Works;371aDeeping Fenn, Lincolnshire; 2 tenements and 24a in Great and LitttleSaling;10a in Hayes, Kent; Bardfield Estate; smith's shop in Great BardfieldStreet;estate at Pansole, Buckinghamshire; freehold farm called Playles aliasPages inGreat Saling, Bardfield Saling and Felsted, Essex; copyhold in manor ofSaling(Surrey Archive)

1737– Samuel Pugh of Beckenham dies; Hewas one of the smaller landowners locally. His will offers some detailas hepossesses ‘a mansion house’ and is married to MaryBatt. The Batts areanotherlocal land owning family based in and around Penge with property inBeckenhamHigh Street (Beckenham Street as it was known). Samuel and Mary hadbeenmarried in 1721 by Epiphaneus Holland, who also resided in Beckenhambut themarriage was performed at St.Mary Somerset, City of London. A 1710 CityofLondon Poll register of Liverymen records Samuel Pugh as a Dyer so wemightassume that is where his wealth originates.

1738- Jones Raymond is High Sherriff of Kent. Apparently replaced byChristopher Milles perhaps he is ill because he writes his will atthe age of 32, following the death of his father and upon inheritingLangleyand other estates in Essex, Suffolk etc. This is his final will whichis actedupon after his death in 1768. Several named benefiaries will die in theinterim. see 1768/9

1739- The Foundling Hospital: After 17years of tireless campaigning, Thomas Coram finally received a RoyalCharterfrom George II enabling him to establish his Foundling Hospital. PeterCollinson is one of the supporters of the Hospital established toaddress theproblems of orphans, abandoned children, poverty and infant mortality.This wasno immediate solution to problems but eventually led to improvements.As anillustration of living conditions in the 18th century, and even the16th and19th, it is enlightening. No direct link to the park but there was asmallworkhouse in Beckenham for the locally impoverished. For a long periodpeoplewere associated with the Parish of their birth and if found in povertyinanother parish were returned to their 'home' parish for poor relief.Some courtrecords show rehabilitation orders for removal of people to homeparishes. Irecommend "London Life in the 18th Century" by M.Dorothy George ifyou can get a copy for a description of poverty, working conditions,housingand mortality.

1739– Kent House / Clock House?/Village Place; William Lethieullier of Beckenham is buried on the 10^thDecember. In his will he describes himself as “of Beckenhamand aBarberSurgeon of London”. Hemakes provisionfor his surviving second wife Mary of a house in Beckenham for life, tohiseldest son John he has bought him the position of Remberancer for theCity ofLondon and to his second son Manning Lethieullier he bequeaths thehouse inBeckenham and his property, Kent House occupied by a Mr. Bolt andprobablyClock House. Whether the house and Clock House are the same is to beconfirmedbut the Lethieulliers are connected with what becomes Village Placeprior toLea Wilson acquiring it. Another clue is the Thomas Motley map of 1736whichshows land next to Thayers Farm in the position of Clockhouse annotatedas “thegardens of William Lethieullier”. Manning is also leftproperty atPenge Greenoccupied by Henry Batt, and property in Lewisham and Bromley. A houseinBromley is left to widow Susan Adams for life. Sons William and Samuelare leftother properties in Kent at Dartford Heath and Hartley which he hadinheritedfrom his father.

ThomasMotley of Elmers End isnominated as a trustee for some management of parts ofWilliam’sbequests butthe will is lengthy and complicated. See 1717 for an earlier lease ofVillagePlace/The Ridge. The date of the building of Clock House is thought tobeduring William Lethieullier’s landlordship of the Beckenhamproperty.

http://www.hartley-kent.org.uk/history/wills/lethieullier.htm

Willof WilliamLethieullier of Beckenham, barber surgeon (1739)

"Iresign myprecious and immortal soul into the hands of my heavenly Father.... mybody Icommit to the earth to be decently interred .... in the parish Churchof Beckenham...by my late dear wife and children".

Hehas purchased forhis eldest sonJohn Lethieullierthe office ofRemembrancerof Londonfrom John Preston for £2,900; and he has borrowed fromWilliam GosselinofLondon the sum of £2,500 on John's behalf. Therefore heleaves manorsof Suttonat Hone, Wilmington and Roughill in Kent, houses at Dartford, farm atMarshStreet near Dartford, to Thomas Mottley and Hugh Corry, that they raisethesaid sums from the revenues or sale of the same. Any interest paymentshe hasmade to go to his executrix. Annuity of £15 to be paidtoSusanAdams,wife of John Adams of Bromley to paid from remainder, and rest to beheld bytrustees on John's behalf.

Todear and lovingwife,Mary Lethieullier: his dwelling house at Beckenham. AndtoSusan Adams: his house at Bromley. To hold for life, thenreversion tosonManning Lethieullier, to whom he also leaves Kent HouseFarminBeckenham, messuage in Lewisham, 2 messuages in Bromley, messuage inPengeGreen in Battersea. Subject to annuity of £10forSusan Adams.

TothirdsonWilliam Lethieullier: farm at Dartford Heath and 2 woodscalledHaxells and Death Springe, which he bought off _____ Bucks of Erith.

"AlsoI give,devise and bequeath to my fourth sonSamuel Lethieullier: allthatmy farmof Hartley Wood in the parish of Hartley in the said county of Kentwith alland every of its appurtenances. To hold to him and his heirs andassignsforever."

Hedivides hispersonal estate into 3 parts, according to the custom of the City ofLondon.One part to wifeMary; one part to be divided between his 7children -John, Manning, William, Mary, Samuel, Letitia, and LeonorahLethieullier; thirdpart to daughter Mary and son John Lethieullier.

TowifeMary:all jewels, gold watch and rings which he gave her, his coach, chariotandcoach horses and all household goods, except linen, at Beckenham. Alsohisstock on the land and silver scalloped tea table.

Towife anddaughtersMary,Letitia, andLeonorah: allhis householdlinenand plate.

TosonSamuel:"my gold watch, which my wife gave me after our marriage, and which wasformerly her uncle Winder's, which I will my said son shall have whenhismother thinks fit".

Towife: £100 intrust for use ofElizabeth Carpenter, wife of John CarpenterofBeckenham,smith.

TogodsonJohnCarpenter: £100

ToJohnWoodmansee, his bailiff at Hally near Sutton at Hone: £100

TogodsonJohnWilliams: £100; and money for mourning to relations andfriends atexecutrix'sdiscretion.

MaryLethieullier tobe sole executrix and guardian of any underage children of theirs.

(S)WilliamLethieullier

Witnesses:WilliamIngram, George Bradbury, John Lockett

Dated8 December 1736

Provedat London byMary Lethieullier, 13 December 1739.

PROPROB 11/797 sig.253

1740/50circa - A map of Langley (Southpart) belonging to Jones Raymond. Held in the British Library, the mapisundated but Jones Raymond inherited Langley in 1737 on the death of hisfather,Hugh Raymond. One section of the Langley estate called Stacy's waslaterexchanged with John Cator. The parcel named Barnfield Wood shown on themap isannotated Lancelot Tolson Tilly who died in 1741. Other landownersshown ieJohn St.John The map seems to show the part of Langley in West Wickhamparish,the northern part of the map is missing. Fields are annotated with analphanumeric system and legends from L to P. Presumably the other mapwouldshow A to K. the estate is divided into leased farms with leaseholdersandfarm names shown. The Langley buildingsand avenue oftreesare illustrated. Perhaps the map is dateable to Jones Raymond'sinheritance.

Courteseyof theBritish Library (partial image) CartographicItemsMaps 188.k.3.(7.)

1741– Lancelot Tolson Tilly 1716-1741(LTT) dies. He had inherited Foxgrove among the estates of his uncleLancelotTolson who had no other heirs. The uncle Lancelot Tolson by his will of1727left estates to LTT upon reaching the age of 23. As LTT died aged about25 heonly just qualified to receive the estates. LTT by his will of 1737 heleaveshis estates to his parents Joseph and Mary Tilly it seems because he isnotexpecting a long life and in the will he states that he has notacquiredestates in Banstead from his father in law Gabriel Bestman inaccordance withhis marriage agreement and hence does not leave estates to his wifeElizabethTilly nee Bestman. However Joseph and Mary Tilly also die not longafter andsee his mother’s will of 1743 and his wifes will of 1748 bywhichprocess theestates appear to descend to Joseph Groves, Deborah Timewell (neeBridges) andbrothers John and Edward Bridges. This has relevance to Beckenham Placein thatCator acquires a lot of these estates in later purchases and exchangeswhich inturn he exchanges some of with the Burrells. It appears that LTT alsomade awill in 1726 whereby he left estates to John Simpson and John Broom(cousins).By my estimation LTT would have been only 10 years of age in 1726 andhesubsequently married in 1733 at a tender age of 17 or 18. Although hislaterwill superceded the earlier one a Chancery case was brought by theoriginalbeneficiaries.

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/C78/C78no1883/IMG_0084.htm

1742– Henry St. John, 1st Viscount St.John dies, the Manor of Beckenham is thought to be inherited by hiseldest sonby his first marriage, Henry, 2nd Viscount St. John, 1st ViscountBolingbroke (ennobled with that title in1712). But maybe Beckenham Manor was granted to his son by a secondmarriage,The Honourable John St. John (1702-1748). See Wikipedia and History ofParliament online for more information on the St. Johns/Bolingbrokes.Thefamily seat was in Wiltshire. Their estates were also in Batterseawhere therewas a residence. There is no evidence of them occupying Beckenham Manoras ahome and maybe they were absentee landlords although their land inPenge was inthe Parish of Battersea. Some St. Johns are buried in StMary’s Church,Battersea indicating that the residence was some distance fromBeckenham Manor.Some question remains about which St.John held Beckenham Manor as "TheHonourable John St. John" is annotated on maps around 1735. PerhapsthisHenry divided his estates prior to his death as the only real estatementionedin his will is a remainder left to his daughter Henrietta. Only theeffects andchattels of Lydiard Tregoze and Battersea are mentioned. Henry isdescribed inHistory of Parliament as being a Restoration Rake and was onceconvicted ofmurder though a pardon was purchased from the Crown.

Henry 2^nd Viscount St. John, 1^stViscountBolingbroke

1743– This passage explains howFoxgrove Manor becomes divided some land became part of Beckenham Placeor waspart of exchanges to extend the park:
27 Aug: Mary Tilly nee Tolson dies, sister (niece?) of John Tolson1670-1713Gent of Staples Inn London though from Bekesbourne Kent (and LancelotTolsonhis brother of Plaistow, Bromley), widow of Joseph Tilly and in herwillFoxgrove land in Bromley, Beckenham and Lewisham that was held in theTolsonfamily since 1712/16 become divided as she leaves Stone Farm andPlaistow toher widowed daughter in law Elizabeth Tilly. She leaves Foxgrove Farmandwoodlands in Bromley, Beckenham and Lewisham to Deborah Timewell akinswomanmarried to Edward Timewell of Chigwell, Essex, but the conditions ofthe Willstate that if Deborah dies without issue (which she did in 1752) thentheproperty goes to her brothers John and Edward Bridges, other kinsmen.The linkto the Bridges family is via Sir John Roberts of Bekesbourne, Kent whohad fouror five daughters one of whom married into the Bridges and another intotheTolsons. Another bequest of a farm at Wadhurst goes to Nathaniel TillyofShepton Mallet, Somerset. As the Bridges brothers inherit Deborah didnot havesurviving children. The brothers later sell their parts of Foxgrove toJonesRaymond.

Also,in this year 27/7/1743 presumablybefore her death Mary Tilly grants the following lease: Originally partofFoxgrove: 14 yr lease from Michaelmas 1743 Mary Tilly to St JohnHumphreywoodlands named Lewisham Land Wood, Barnfield Wood, Clayhill Wood, ColdShawsWood, Bushey Picketts, Bushey Acres, Crooch Oat Shaws, SoutherlandsWoods,Tootswood, Kingswood, Bromley Wood, The Willows, two pieces Morris Wood– 200alate occ Lancelot Tolson Tilly. (Bromley ref 728/1/3)

St.JohnHumphrey is shown as alandowner on the various maps, possibly related to the St.Johns by someprevious marriage.

Thetwo Morris Wood and Lewisham Landsare on the Foxgrove maps and shown as Morrisswood East and West andLewishamLands which is now Summerhouse Wood. Rocque calls the whole areaLangstead Woodon his map but I now question his source of information as LangsteadLane onhis map is shown as Lagg Street Lane on the Foxgrove map of 1766.

Thethree pieces of land along with therest mentioned in the lease come into the possession of John Cator.BarnfieldWood, Bushey Picketts, Bushey Ten Acres are in his exchange with JonesRaymondand Peter Burrell in 1759/60.

Whenthe lease expires in 1757 itmatches a time when Cator is acquiring land in Beckenham.

1744- 22nd May; Release of propertyand lands called Holdens, Ashenfield, New Wheatfield, Walnut Tree FieldandColman's Croft in Beckenham, Kent, between Nathaniel Gatton ofBeckenham,yeoman, son of Nathaniel Gatton, deceased; Francis Dipper of Beckenham,yeomanand Mary, his wife and Elizabeth Gatton, spinster (1st part); CharlesPeyton ofClements Inn, Middlesex, gentleman (2nd part) andPeterBurrellofBeckenham, esquire (3rd part). In consideration of the sum of£800 tobe laidout be laid out byBurrellin the purchase of SouthSeaannuities,the first parties bargain and sell the property to Peyton as a perfecttenantin order that a recovery shall be suffered against him to sell thepropertytoBurrell.

Landidentified as 'Mr Gattons' on the1735 Burrell map probably accounts for this property which is veryclose toBurrells Kelsey estate. see 1728

1745 - Rocque's Map is published showing about 10 miles around Londonincludingthe park area. Note the houses or farms on Stoms Hill which wouldpredate the BeckenhamPlace Mansion. Some buildings on Stumps or Stoms Hill make us curiousabout anypre-existing buildings. Certainly there was a house or farm near theMansionwhich is illustrated on the Road Diversion plan of 1784, of which morelater.The detail in Rocque's Map and some of the names are perhapsquestionable.Rocque has Stoms instead of Stumps Hill and Langstead Wood is calledMorrisswood or Lewisham Lands on estate plans. Rocque’s useof the nameStomsHill reminds me of the Stomeshulle name in the 1334 taxation list? Alsotheroad should run more north/south than it does east west on his mapwhich mightbe regarded as schematic rather than accurate? As he was mapping all ofLondonand its surroundings some short cuts and errors are likely. See thecomparisonwith the Andrews and Drury map of 1769 later on which showsCator’shouse onthe site of the buildings indicated in this Rocque map. The will ofIzardeCurtys of 1590 refers to her property at Stumpeshill so occupation andbuildings predating the current mansion is most likely. If we takeRocque’s mapand the Drury map as reasonably accurate then perhaps earlier buildingremainsare under the mansion forecourt and on the opposite side of the drivethroughthe park.

PerhapsRocque’s map, like the History written by Hasted was moreaboutan A-Z for the gentry, it’s unlikely that all and sundrywould haveaffordedsuch maps. Often these publications were produced by subscriptions frompurchaserswhich perhaps went along with a guarantee of inclusion.

Rocque’smap,

I’msticking my neck out a bit here but the buildings between Stoms andHill are the site of the Beckenham Place Mansion, supported by theevidence ofthe Andrews, Drury and Herbert map later on in 1769. The small buildingjust tothe right of “Stoms Hill” could be the Home Farm.The buildings justabove andleft of Fox could be the Farm shown on the 1785 road diversion plan.SouthendRoad and Beckenham Hill do not exist at this time, the road shown isnow thedriveway through the park.

JohnCator’s brother Samuel is born, hewill perhaps be the least fortunate of the Cator brothers. He isintended to join the timber firm but takes up a customs related post inJamaica.

1746- Chancery; This and other cases relate to the Manor of Foxgroveasdisseminated by Mary Tilly or the wills of those involved. NathanielTilly mentioned here is named as kinsman of Joseph Tilly and abeneficiary of part of his will. Tunewell should read Timewell, abeneficiary of Mary Tilly's will through his wife Deborah.Analysis of the case would take some investigation but wehave explained the division of Foxgrove Manor in other parts of thishistory.

1746-51- (Elmers End etc) ThomasMotley's daughter Anne marries Francis Austin and Thomas purchases someestateson behalf of Francis. There are marriage settlement documents etc inKentArchive. SubsequentlyAnne Motley, nowAustin seems to die in childbirth of Francis Motley Austin in 1747. Apurchasesum of £3,800 is recorded and there is more to discover aboutthesetransactions but I believe the property is in other parts of Kent ormaybeLewisham. More research required.

1746-Mary Pugh (nee Batt)was the widow of Samuel Pugh.She mayhavedisposed of the land or her heirs may have. The Pughs were related tothe Battsof Penge and Willis's

1747- Henry Batt of Penge dies inNovember and leaves property in Penge, Surrey, Bromley and Beckenham,Kent. Hewas the brother of Mary Pugh see 1746. His wife Elizabeth and eldestson Henrypredecease him by about three months and are buried on the same day.The Battsalso leased land from the Burrells

1747– 11^th November, ElmersEnd; Francis Motley Austin is Christened, he will later inherit ElmersEndfarms etc.

1748– Foxgrove: Elizabeth Tilly neeBestman dies, she had inherited part of Foxgrove Manor from her motherin lawMary Tilly. Her uncle Joseph Groves inherits Stone Farm and land atPlaistowfrom her. Elizabeth was Lancelot Tolson Tilly’s widow.Foxgrove Farm orManorwas left to John and Edward Bridges by Lancelot TolsonTilly’s motherMaryTilly nee Tolson. See earlier entries for the procession of landownership fromLeigh to Tolson to Tolson Tilly and to Groves. All the result of nodirectheirs to leave property to either through no issue or early death hencetheproperty of Foxgrove Manor becomes divided between more distant kin.Grovesalready owned substantial other property as do the other beneficiariesof theFoxgrove bequests.

1748- Southwark: The Cator timberbusiness recorded as John Cator and Son at Mouldstrand Wharf, Bankside,Southwark. (source: Pat Manning). It may be of some interest to knowwhatbecame of the timber business of the father in law, John Brough ofWestminster.Did both businesses continue or did Brough’s becomeJohn’s via anymeans. Ifind a John Brough occupation Sawyer married at Ratcliffe Stepney, andresidingin Lambeth, dying in 1732. There may be a son who died young in 1721andanother daughter Sarah dying in 1722 and this might make the daugherMarymarried to John Cator the elder the only heir.

1748- Death of The Honourable JohnSt.John who's name appears on maps of Beckenham estates. His sonFrederick willinherit the Manor of Beckenham along with St. John estates inBattersea. Thislink includes good background information about the St.John family https://www.friendsoflydiardpark.org.uk/doc/report33.pdfbut onlyone reference to Beckenham in John St.John's will " I give and bequeathunto the Reverend Mr Thomas Clarke Rector of Beckenham in the County ofKentthe Sum of Fifty pounds of lawfull Mony of Great Britain as a smallremembrancefor his kind Services" which might recollect some unrecorded visit toBeckenham or as the St. Johns had the advowson for the church andparish theclergy were in many ways the local council acting for the lord of themanor.Lydiard Tregoze was the family seat in Wiltshire.

1749- Peter Collinson moves from hishouse in Peckham to Ridgeway House, Mill Hill. Though seemingly a longway fromCator's home at Southwark it must be remembered that Collinson had abusinessin Gracechurch Street, London and both families probably met at Quakergatherings. The Meeting House in Long Lane, Southwark is a likely venuealthough Devonshire House in Bishopsgate is another possibility as itwas thevenue for John Cator and Mary Collinson’s wedding. Whetheranyassociation hadformed by this time is unknown. The subsequent marriage ofCollinson’sdaughterto Cator identifies Collinson as of Gracechurch Street so it seems heresidesat both Mill Hill and Gracechurch Street much in the same way as Catorcomes toreside at Beckenham and Southwark and later the Adelphi on the Strand.Collinson’s gardens at both Peckham and Mill Hill gain areputationmuchrespected in horticultural and botanical circles. He supplies plants toseveralhigh ranking people and is associated with Joseph Banks andSolander whoaccompany Captain Cook on his round the world voyage.

1749(or 1751?) - Frederick, 3rdViscount St. John, inherits the Manor of Beckenham and and the titleViscountSt. John from his father John St. John. The title Viscount Bolingbrokeisinherited from his uncle Henry in 1751 with estates in Battersea. Thereisperhaps some confusion to be clarified here as Hasted’saccount ismeanderingand earlier maps of 1736 show John St. John as landlord of at leastparts ofBeckenham Manor. Many aristocrats had more than one title and sometimeschangednames when intermarrying or inheriting estates. This can add someconfusion totracing events. Although it seems Bolingbroke did not own much landwhich isnow in the park apart from a couple of plots, his sale of the extensiveBeckenham Manor lands to Cator did allow Cator to become 'Lord of theManor'after 1773, but without any title other than Esquire.

Frederick3^rd Viscount St.John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke

1749- Village Place, sometimes calledThe Ridge or The Cedars although some sources say the two namesreferred to twodifferent houses. Much of the grounds were formerly part of ThomasMotleys“Mead” in 1736.

1December 1749 Deed of exchangebetween Peter Burrell of Beckenham, Kent, esquire and Gent Unwin ofBeckenhamin relation to lands in Beckenham. Capital messuage in the town ofBeckenham,with land called the Ridge lying behind it, three houses in the HighStreet andother lands and gardens in Beckenham and a seat or gallery in Beckenhamparishchurch annexed to the capital messuage. The mansion was built between1718 and1720 by William Davies, surgeon. After 1834 it was variously called'VillagePlace' and 'The Cedars'. source Bromley Collections

Anotheraccount by Rob Copelanddescribes the Cedars as being opposite Village Place, but that seems tobe amistaken assumption.

1750– Robert Callant listed as TallowChandler of Beckenham and is a freehold property owner/voter in the1754General Election.

1750– Francis Flower acquires ElmCottage by Southend Green which he renames Flower Hall (see 1770image). Itlater becomes part of the Forster estate and the residence of CaptainHenryForster R.A. (Proceedingsof theLewisham Antiquarian Soc.)

1751– Beckenham Manor etc. Death ofHenry St. John, 2nd Viscount St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke. Hedied in1751, in the seventyninth year of his age, having been twice married;first toFrances, daughter and coheir of Sir Francis Windebank, bart. ofBerkshire; andsecondly to Mary Clara des Champs de Maresilly, marchioness de Vilette,relictof the marquis Vilette, and niece to the celebrated madam de Maintenon,wife toLouis XIV. but having no issue by either, his titles and estatesdescended tohis nephew, Frederick, the third lord viscount St. John, viz. son ofJohn,second and only surviving son of Henry, viscount St. John, by hissecond wifeAngelica, before mentioned. John viscount St. John, married in 1729,Anne, oneof the three daughters and coheirs of Sir Robert Furnese, bart, ofWaldershare,in this county, and had by her Frederick before mentioned, and Henry, alieutenant-general in the army, and two daughters.

Somemystery surrounds what propertywas belonging to Henry St. John and his half brother John St. John. Theonlyproperty mentioned in their father's will of 1708 is either money,chattels, ora remainder of property left to their sister Henrietta. Whether priorto 1708some division and distribution of property took place is a possibilityas priorto John St. John's death

Anaccount of Henry St. John is on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_St_John,_1st_Viscount_Bolingbroke

1751/79– Account book of Peter Burrell,esq. Loose items including list of arrears of tenants in Kent,1775-1776, landtax receipts, letters and notes etc. Accounts including one withClutton andChatfield [Clutton possibly acting as agent for Burrell as well asbeing atenant himself]. Lands including Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire [see257/13/15];Biggleswade estate, Bedfordshire; Elmers End, Beckenham, Kent [see257/13/5];fields and tenements at Penge, Surrey; lands and tenements atBeckenham,Lewisham and Sydenham, Kent; lands in Clay Lane and at Clay Hill, Kent;KingsPiece, Pickerel Green, Kent, belonging to Morden College; BraziersFarm, Kent;Bromley Market, Kent [see 257/13/12]; Great Oakley Farm, Higham, Kent;44a atIvychurch, Romney Marsh, Kent; Ham Farm and Hailing Brooks, nearCroydon,Surrey; Phelpham Farm, Sussex; Holmstead, Thorndean, Handley, Bolneyand AbbotsFarms, [?Cuckfield], Sussex; Plaw Wood, Sussex; Alconbury,Huntingdonshire [see257/13/16]; the Chains, Rotherhithe, Surrey (Surrey Archive)

1751– Death of St.John Hare ofBeckenham. Will and administration in Surrey Archive. I am curiousabout theHare family as Mrs Margaret Hare lent money to Frederick St. John andwasinvolved in legal proceedings with John Cator over his purchase ofBeckenhamManor from Frederick St. John (Viscount Bolingbroke). However the willleavesseveral household effects in bequests with a remainder to a nephewSt.JohnHaynes and there is no mention of a wife.

1752– Samuel Lethieullier of Beckenham(Clock House?) is buried on the 10^th October.His willleavesproperty to his wife Sarah and some bequests to his sisters Leonora andLeotitia. Sarah remarries in 1756 to Stephen Holland who dies in 1768.Thesedates are interesting because the Andrews Drury map of Kent of 1769showsClockhouse occupied by Mrs Holland who would be Sarah,Stephen’s widowby thattime. Sarah dies in 1779 but in the meantime Admiral Sir Piercy Bretthas movedinto Clockhouse and an unknown date. Brett’s will does notmentionClockhousein 1781 so presumably he either buys it and sells before his death orhas onlyleased Clockhouse.

1752– Manning Lethieullier ofBeckenham (Kent House?) dies, buried with other Lethieulliers atSt.Alphege’sin Greenwich on the 14^thDecember and leaves aninformativeWill. Atthe time of his death he has one surviving daughter Ann and leaves aWife, alsoAnn. The wording of the will implies he knows he leaves his wifeexpectinganother child as he says “for any child orchildren” and within somemonthsJohn Green Lethieullier is born. Manning refers to houses in LewishamandBeckenam which his wife and daughter can occupy. The house in Beckenhamisreferred to as opposite the Warren and believed to be Village Place butthe Warren is opposite what was Thomas Motley's house in 1736. TheLethieulliers had KentHouse Farm andalso some land leased from Elizabeth Style or Elwill after the death ofHumphrey Style and some land leased from the church (Glebe) which hadbeen joined into one plot (The Warren). The Warren was between what istoday The George Inn and The Greyhound. The records of theLethieulliers are such that manyquestionsarise as to where they lived as several properties were occupied bytenants orleaseholders.

Inthis will property at Penge isoccupied by Elizabeth Batt. Mannings wife can have either a house atLewishamor a dwelling house at Beckenham which she apparently prefers.

Thevillage in 1863, the land with 117 in it is The Warren and ManningLethieulliers house is most likely the one opposite the first "1" in117

Thebuildings on the opposite side of the road to The George, The Old WoodHouse just in frame obscurring a large house with covered entrance way,then The Manor House (although misnamed as did not belong to the Lordof the Manor), then a house believed to be on the site of ThomasMotley's "The Mead". Manning Lethieulliers house belived tobeThe Manor House.

1753- John Cator the younger ofSouthwark marries Mary Collinson, daughter of Peter Collinson FRS,merchant andbotanist on the 30thAugust.The ceremony takes place at TheQuaker Meeting House, Devonshire House, Bishopsgate, London, it isrecorded inQuaker marriage records. The guests and family members are listed onthedocument which is viewable in Ancestry.co.uk. The marriage settlementdocumentis in Surrey Archive whose catalogue states that no property ismentioned inthe settlement. There is more about John and Mary in the‘AdditionalInformation’ separate publication/file although apart fromsome passingremarksnot much is said or known about Mary. Hester Thrale later records‘MrCator,his wife and a niece, Miss Collison (sic)’ visiting her atStreatham.Collisonis a variation of the spelling of Collinson and this would beMary’sbrother’sdaughter. Although Hester Thrale and others record some conversationswith JohnCator nothing is recorded by way of conversation with Mary Cator.Whether thisindicates a shy or quiet disposition or maybe snobbery on the part ofHesterThrale and others is to be pondered upon.

1753– John Cator’s youngest brotherWilliam is born. “This is to certify the birth of WilliamCator son ofJohnCator (the Elder) was registered in the books of Horsley Down Meeting,London,the 18th day of the first month called January 1753” and isdatedOctober 26th1770.” There is reference to a William Cator as Cornet ensign2nd LtAugust 21769, who resigned April 3 1772, Madras in the book of Officers in theIndianArmy by Dodwell and Miles. (source: Pat Manning). William will latermake somefortune with the East India Company, become an owner or partner in abrewerybusiness but , try to return to India with the East India Company whenhisbrewery business fails but he is killed by French privateers nearCalcutta.(some source material in Westminster archive and a Will with CanterburyPrerogative Court).

1754– Other properties of Beckenham landowners; Bromley HistoricCollections RefNo1080/1/1/1/19/5

AccNo1080

TitleCovenant to produce writings

DescriptionAgreement between (1) Arnold King of Bromley, Kent, esquire; (2) JonesRaymondof Langley, parish of Beckenham,Kent, esquire; (3) Robert Neale ofCastle Yard,Holborn, London, gentleman; (4) Thomas Farrington of Chislehurst, Kent,esquire; (5) William Tyser of St Botolph Without, Aldergate, London,laceman;(6) Thomas Walker of the parish of St Nicholas, Deptford, Kent, grocer;(7)Saint John Humphrey of Beckenham, Kent, gentleman; (8) RichardValentine ofLewisham, Kent, yeoman and (9) William Ball of Bromley, Kent,victualler. Allof the other parties have purchased property from the 1st party.Raymond hasthe deeds relating to all of the purchases and agrees to produce thematreasonable request of any of the others.

Date6March 1754

Ifindthat the lands relate to Jones Raymond acquiring lands in Hayes,Southborough& Bromley Common

StJohnHumphrey acquiring lands in Southborough

WilliamBall the Red Lyon in Bromley

RichardValentine 5 fields in Lewisham.

1754– The Poll for Knights of theShire to represent the County of Kent. The candidates were RobertFairfax, LewisWatson who stood jointly against Sir Edward Deering. Fairfax and Watsonreceived 7 votes each from the Beckenham electorate who were residinginBeckenham at the time. Fairfax was elected for one of the two Kentseats inparliament. Of the Electors Callant is listed under Tallow Chandlers in1750and a will for Robert Callant is ‘of Greenwich’ in1764 with propertyinNorwood and Croydon. The Burrells, Peter Burrell II and III, had Kelseyat thistime. Motley had a house in the town and other land including ElmersEnd Farms.Humfrey had a house and land. Other freeholders of Beckenham landresidedelsewhere at the time of the poll. We should look for Jones Raymond,FrederickSt.John etc in the electors residing in and about London but they arenotfound, St.John as a peer of the realm may not have qualified to vote?JosephGrove who owned Stone Farm at this time is resident in Richmond, Surreyand hisland occupied by St.John Humphrey. Grove voted for Watson and Deering.Grovehad inherited his Beckenham property from the widow of Lancelot TolsonTilly.John Willis is residing in Southwark and his Beckenham house and landlet toMrs Pugh. A map showing Upper Elmers End indicates a house owned byPughWillis.

1756- Peter Burrell I of Langley(1692-1756), dies, he is the son of Peter Burrell of Kelsey andproperties areinherited by his widow Mrs. Amy Burrell and his son also named Peter.This mayinclude some of the parts of Foxgrove Manor which are now in the parkbut theyseem to come to her later via her brother Jones Raymond. Also his sonPeterBurrell II of Langley Park inherits other properties, this needsclarificationas estate plans show properties in the names of both Peter Burrell (II)and hismother Mrs Amy Burrell. Peter Burrell I had been Sheriff, Kent 1732-3;director, South Sea Co. 1724-33, sub-governor 1736-d.;director R.Exchange Ass. 1726-38. His position with the South Sea Company wasafter theBubble affair and after his marriage to Amy Raymond which may haveenabled hisentry into the company through Hugh Raymond.
Peter Burrell’s Will mentions his properties at Beckenham anda houseat CoventGarden. The Beckenham election poll return in 1754 (above) shows PeterBurrellsenior and junior with P.Burrell jun. already owning land in Beckenham.

1756- Is also the year in which AmyBurrell's sister Dinah dies. This will have some implications on theinheritance of the Raymond Langley estates later in 1768/9
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lSM31F4_EQEC&dq=%22john%20west%22%20%22black%20silk%20dyer%22&pg=PA267#v=onepage&q=dinah&f=false

1756– Kelsey/ElmersEnd; 20th October; Counterpart lease for 21 years 1) Amy Burrell ofBeckenham,Kent, widow 2) William of Grendon of Beckenham, maltster. Messuage,malthouse,appurtenances and land (field names given), 12a, called Guildhall, atLittleElmers End, Beckenham (Surrey Archive 257/13/5)

Recentlywidowed AmyBurrell is landlord of Kelsey etc. jointly with her son Peter BurrellIII. Thisdocument could add to the understanding of property around Elmers End.

1756- This messuagein Beckenham may be Clockhouse as this date is when Stephen HollandmarriesSarah, Samuel Lethieulliers widow (see 1752). Therecord is interesting as it records amarriage between the Hollands associated with Langley Farm andLethieullierswho are associated with Kent House Farm and Clockhouse. Little andGreatWheatfield can't be traced in Beckenham. The record needs investigationto gain someclarification. As wedon’t know when Piercy Brett moved into Clockhouse this mightevenrelate toClockhouse. The Reverend Langhorn Warren is the father of ErasmusWarren who would be the beneficiary of Sarah Holland upon her death andinherit, presumably, Clockhouse. Motley is associated with theLethieulliers in several references in some legal capacity. AndMotley's ownership of Elmers End farms, Thayers Farm etc. may explainhis interest in the property.

Ref; 1038/1Property, Beckenham 1756 Deed for raising a fine and declaring the usesthereof between Stephen Holland of Beckenham, Kent and his wife, Sarah(late SarahLethieullier, widow of Samuel Lethieullier of Beckenham) and ThomasMotley ofBeckenham and Rev. Langhorn Warren of Hampstead, Middlesex. Re:messuage inBeckenham: land including the Great Wheatfield, Little Wheatfield,DaltonoerHartley Wood Farm in Hartley; land at Tottenham High Cross, Middlesex;land atRamsholt, Suffolk..(Bromley Collections)

Hartleyin Kentwas part ofLethieullier properties for some previous generations. If related toClockhouseMotley was landlord of neighbouring Thayers Farm. The Rev. Warren hadproperty and a living from the parish of Hampstead.Hiswill of 1762 disposes of property andannuitiesbetween his son Erasmus and daughter Dorothy and names hiswifeKitty and cousin Stephen Holland as executors of the will.Thisdoes perhaps explain why Sarah Holland leaves her property toErasmus later on as her closest heir?

1757- John Catorbuys lands at Southend (source P.Manning from records at Kent Archive).
"The property of Francis Valentine whose ownership was demonstrated bytheinclusion of a family tree. John Cator paid £1000 on 25thNovember 1757for amessuage, outbuildings, yard, garden and several pieces of land atSouthend,Lewisham."

Subsequentresearch into the Valentinefamily tree, wills and property reveals that Francis Valentine theelder d.1736had extensive properties including The Bell in Bromley, The Kings ArmsatFarnborough and a Red Lion at Southend. (The Red Lion disappeared orgotrenamed) One of his grandchildren inherited the Green Man at Southendandwhether the Red Lion, (Tigers Head perhaps?) changed name is aninteresting question. Catorexchangesthe Green Man with the Forsters of Southend later in 1794 but thispurchasefrom Francis Valentine the younger could be any of the land aroundSouthend Greenas it was then called, which was left to the sons and daughters ofFrancisValentine the elder.

Itnow seems unlikely that this is theStumps Hill land on which the house is built but it is the earliestrecord ofJohn Cator and Southend. Moving records onto databases might not havethe samedetail as old card indexes and we cannot find the record at KentArchiveonline. It might be part of ‘Manorial deeds’records at Kent Archive.However£1000 at that time seems a lot of money unless it was for asubstantialamountof land i.e. “several pieces”. Certain areas notcovered by theFoxgrove orBeckenham Manor plans might have been part of this purchase. As Catorwasacquiring land in several diverse places and many landlords hadwidespreaddisconnected plots under their ownership several scenarios are possible.

Whatwe do find later in 1794/95 isthat John Cator seems to be the landlord (owner not publican) of theGreen Manat Southend and a bakers and some cottages. See 1794/95 for moredetail. Heexchanges these with John Forster for a Mill and other property. Catorestatemaps of 1833 and 1869 show land at Southend as part of the estate butnotnecessarily ‘emparked’. The term‘emparked’ indicates added to parklandandprobably fenced off from general access.

1757- Frederick Viscount Bolingbrokemarries Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of the Duke of Marlborough. Themarriageis accompanied by a complex marriage agreement assigning trustees toBolingbroke’s estates and guaranteeing Diana an income fromtheestates. Frommy cursory delving into the reports of subsequent court cases it wouldtake alaw professional to come up with an understandable summary of thesubsequentevents. See 1765 marriage settlement indenture and the 1768 dissolutionofBolingbroke’s marriage to Diana Spencer and 1773Cator’s purchase ofthe Manorof Beckenham.

LadyDiana Spencer,later Diana Beauclerk
when remarried after her divorce from Frederick St. John(LordBolingbroke) in1768.

Alsoin 1757 - Viscount Bolingbrokeexchanges the Beckenham 'Old' Manor House and grounds opposite St.George'sChurch for Woolsey’s Farm at Clay Hill with Peter Burrell IIofLangley, theson of Peter (I of Langley) and Amy Burrell. As Peter Burrell I haddied theprevious year perhaps Woolsey’s Farm was a legacy and themanor housewas seenas an attractive exchange? I haven’t found any record of anyBolingbroke’sresiding in Beckenham, being more of an absentee landlord, and thehouse mayhave been becoming a liability for maintenance or not fetching anyincomewhereas a farm would bring rents? The Burrell’s did spend atleast sometime inBeckenham with various members occupying Kelsey, Langley, Houses in thevillageand were buried in the Church or churchyard.
Bromley Historic Collections archive has this record:

1/2August 1757 Lease and release andexchange of property between Right Honourable Frederick Lord ViscountBolingbroke, Baron of Lydiard Cregote (should read Tregose?), WiltshireandViscount St John Baron Battersea of Surrey (1st part) and Peter BurrellofBeckenham, Kent, esquire.

Thefirst parties (one person withseveral titles) assign the mansion house known as the Manor House atBeckenham,Kent with 8 acres of land to Burrell, in exchange for a messuage calledWoolsey's Farm and lands and woodland in Beckenham. (Bromley HistoricCollections). Roughly 65.5 acres. Burrell got Mansion 8acres, Great&Little Downs 17a abutting to the north Beckenham to Bromley Road, tothe southPeter Burrells Garden, west a meadow called Court Mead and east StoneField occPeter Burrell. Also Court Mead 12a occ Peter Burrell including acapitalmessuage.
Great and Little Downs may be what are both labelled Court Downs on theBeckenham Manor 1768 plan.

FrederickSt. John exchanged BeckenhamManor House 8a, Great and little Downs 17a abuting north to BromleyRoad, souththe the garden of Peter Burrell, west a meadow called Court Mead andeast afield of Peter Burrell called Stone Field, Also Court Mead 12a inoccupation ofPeter Burrell including capital messuage and Clay Hill Wood 1a1r in occJames Styleswith Peter Burrell and in return got Woolseys Farm consisting of ThreeCornerClose or Gravel Pit Field 3a, Old Croft 3a2r, adjoining Kitchen Croft2a2radjacent Clayfield and part of Lower Langstreete Wood, Lower Pittfield5a,Langstreete Wood 5a, Langstreete Field 9a, Clay Hill field 1a,Brookfield 7a,Ryefield 3a2r, Kitchen Croft 4a, Upper Shorehams 2a1r12p, SouthShorehams2a1r33p, West Shorehams 6a2r34p.

Sothe subsequent purchase of BeckenhamManor land and ‘Lordship’ in 1773 by Cator,excludes the manor housesiteopposite St. George's Church. This is probably the driving force fortransforming Stumps Hill into Beckenham Place for Cator as‘Lord of theManor’.

TheCator estate plan of 1864 excludesthe Old Manor house site and any land south of Beckenham High StreetandBromley Road. By 1809 The Old Manor house becomes the property of HenryHoarebefore the Burrell estates in Beckenham are sold in 1820.

WoolseysFarm was at Clay Hill nearShortlands, I estimate it to have been where Downs Bridge Road runsfromAlbemarle Road to Bromley Road. It is on an estate map of 1723 in theBritishLibrary. The map states it is in the occupation of H. Fox thoughdifficult toread because of the condition of the map. We latterly think it is thesite ofShortlands House, now Bishop Challoners School.

1757-1765?– This is a complex time ofland purchases and exchanges. About this time or as part of the 175

9Act of Parliament Cator may haveacquired parts of Foxgrove Manor. W.H.Ireland states “It(Foxgrove)passedthrough several hands and became divided in three parts, the woodlandsandstore farm were purchased by John Cator”. This most likely isthemanner inwhich Cator acquired the plots on the Foxgrove Manor plan of 1766.MargaretMitchell suggests ‘store farm’ may be a misspellingof ‘Stone Farm’which weknow Cator had possession of about this time, adjacent to the Kelseyestate.That is confirmed by Hasted’s earlier account which Irelandmisreads oris aprinting error. As a point of interest Stone Farm appears to have beenrelocated sometime between the 1766 Foxgrove plan and the 1868 surveyedOS map.It seems the Burrells having acquired the earlier farm from Catordemolished itto extend their grounds at Kelsey and moved it to the corner which isnow oppositethe Chinese Garage and is a parade of shops.

Wenow know that Mary Tilly’s lease toSt.John Humphrey in 1743 expires in 1757 this year 27/7/1743 presumablybeforeher death Mary Tilly grants the following lease: Originally part ofFoxgrove:14 yr lease from Michaelmas 1743 Mary Tilly to St John Humphreywoodlands namedLewisham Land Wood, Barnfield Wood, Clayhill Wood, Cold Shaws Wood,BusheyPicketts, Bushey Acres, Crooch Oat Shaws, Southerlands Woods,Tootswood,Kingswood, Bromley Wood, The Willows, two pieces Morris Wood– 200alate occLancelot Tolson Tilly. (Bromley ref 728/1/3) and this looks like itprompts herheirs to sell Barnfield Wood, Bushey Piggot and Bushey Ten Acres toCator whichhe exchanges with the Burrells. Also it looks like he purchasesMorrisses WoodEast and West along with Lewisham Lands woodland shown on the 1766Foxgrove mapas being within the area of what would later be the Park.

Hasted’sentry for Foxgrove explains that Foxgrove Manor was dividedthus:

“in 1716, it was then purchased by Mr.John Tolson, from whom it descended to Lancelot Tolson, and from him toLauncelot Tolson Tilly, and he by his will left his estate in thisparish inthree parts; Foxgrove, as will be mentioned below, to Timewell;Stone-farm toMrs. Tilly; and his woodlands to Mr. Benjamin Browne, which, as well asStone-farm, have been since purchased by John Cator, esq. lord of themanor ofBeckenham, and he at present possesses them; but he devised (sold?)this manorof Foxgrove to Timewell for his life, and afterwards to John and EdwardBrydgesof Wotton (Kent), esquires, in this county, who, about the year 1765,conveyedit by sale to Jones Raymond, esq. of Langley, in this parish,“

Thishas errors in that John Tolsondied before 1716 and a complicated series of change of ownership tookplace butin essence Foxgrove was divided. Lancelot Tolson Tilly died before hiswife andhis parents. He left estates he had inherited from his uncle LancelotTolson tohis parents Joseph and Mary Tilly. His mother Mary Tilly nee Tolsonoutlivedhis father and she left the estates in several parts. For our purposesthemother, Mary Tilly nee Tolson divided the estates, see 1743.

Butthen Hasted confuses the death ofPeter Burrell with Jones Raymond and surmises that Jones Raymond had ason alsonamed Jones which is not the case. However, this may be the point atwhich ‘thewoodland’ becomes Cator’s Stumps Hill property andhe acquires StoneFarm aswell in 1761 from Joseph Grove who had inherited from Elizabeth Tilly.

Wemight assume that the Foxgrove Manormap of 1766 which shows lists of fields in the ownership of JonesRaymon is theresult of the purchase from the Bridges/Brydges brothers of Wooton,Kent. Henceit shows land held by Cator and Bolingbroke from Cators earlierpurchase fromJoseph Grove or exchanges with Raymond and Burrell in 1759/60.

1758- Thomas Motley dies, landlord ofElmers End Farms, Thayers Farm and The Mead in the High Street, andleavesproperty to his son in law Francis Austin of Sevenoaks. There issubstantialland in addition to Beckenham property. It seems that his Ann Motley,wife ofFrancis Austin may have died in childbirth in 1747 of their son FrancisMotleyAustin and Francis remarries a widow of Samuel Lennard so creating alink withthe Lennard family. The Austins are of the same family as Jane Austinwho is aniece. Francis Motley Austin inherits the property on the death ofFrancisAustin in 1791.

1758- A case concerning the will of Sir Samuel Lennard of Wickham Court.His will of 1726/7 devised his estate to two illegitimate sons born byMrs Mary Johnson of New Bond Street via his executors Sir Peter Burrelland Francis Austin. The sons named Samuel and Thomas and thiscase is brought after the death of Samuel junior who had twoillegitimate children named Stephen and Elizabeth Langford before hemarried Jane Chadwick and had a daughter Mary. Jane Chadwick/Lennardand the daughter Mary Lennard are namedhere as defendants along with Peter Burrell who was one ofthe executors of Lennard's will in 1726. The status of JohnThomas Stanley via Mary Stanley needs to be researched. Mary Lennardmarried Sir John Farnaby and the estate seems to have followed thatline intact regardless of any settlement via this case? Dame Mary wasMary Ward married to Stanley's father Sir Edward Stanley the 5thBaronet of Alderley.

SamuelLennard (1727) left the estate to the son Samuel but rentsfrom the estate to his son Thomas, his sister Dorothy's male childrenas well as his cousin Francis Leigh of Addington. As thewill states 'heirs male' then probably any bequest ceased tobe valid via female lines and hence, perhaps, Mary Ward/Stanley couldnot carry any claim, but the court record shows that Stanley's pedigreegoes back to Sir Stephen Lennard's youngest daughter Christian and heclaims inheritance as an only male descendant. The court appears tohave followed the principal of 'in tail general' through the naturalsons and final daughter Mary and dimissed the Complainantscase (Stanley) in favour of the defendants (Jane and Mary Lennard)hence the estate came to Mary's eventual husband JohnFarnaby. The judgement was signed by Sir Robert Henley, Lord HighChancellor.

1758– The Battfamily dispose of some land. Between 1716 and 1752 the Batts lose 13childrento infant mortality.

815- BATT FAMILYPROPERTIES IN BECKENHAM, BROMLEY, PENGE AND LEWISHAM

London Borough of BromleyArchives 815/24a-b

Octave of Holy Trinity, 31George II (1758)Fine of 1 messuage, 1 garden, 16 acres in Penge, and 30 acres inBeckenham
Joseph Constable, plaintiff
George and Mary Willson, Elizabeth Turton, Benjamin and HarriottShield, MaryBatt, deforciants

1758– Elmers EndGreen; William Tapsfield of Chislehurst leaves a will with bequests ofhis landat Elmers End inherited from his father. The properties are in theviscinity ofMonks Orchard and some of it was leased to Peter Burrell. Some landends up inthe possession of St.John Humphreys who is Tapsfields executor and somein thepossession of Willis. Willis is still holding some property in the 1838Tithe,probably a later generation of Willis. (Ancestry and PCC wills) see1736.

1759-60– A Parliamentary Private Actfrom the Parliament archive online catalogue http://www.portcullis.parliament.uk.John Catorexchanges lands in Beckenham and Lewisham with Jones Raymond and PeterBurrellII (1724-1775). This probably includes the land on which the BeckenhamPlacemansion stands at Stumps Hill but needs more research or evidence tocome tolight, However, the transcript of the Act made by Mother Mary Baptist(1967)throws some light on it.

"AnAct for exchanging certainMessuages, Lands and Hereditaments, in the Parishes of Beckingham (sic)andLewisham, in the County of Kent, Part of the Estate late of HughRaymondEsquire, deceased, for other Lands and Hereditaments in the said ParishofBeckingham, belonging to John Cator the younger, and for settling theLands sotaken in Exchange to the same Uses, as the Lands given in Exchangestandlimited, and for enabling Jones Raymond and Peter Burrell Esquires, tograntBuilding Leases of other Parts of the Estate, late of the said HughRaymond."

Essentiallythe Act states that theproperties of Jones Raymond, Peter Burrell and John Cator are sointermixed soas ‘to render the possession and enjoyment of the propertiesinconvenient’ andthe other interested parties consent to the exchanges. Although theexchangesin 1759 are modest in their extent it does open the door for furtherexchangeswhich occur in 1777 and1793.

Thisevidences that John Cator hadconsiderable land holdings already by the age of 31 and whether‘hereditaments’means he inherited some of it remains a question or is just acatch-alllegal phrase. But the text of the act refers to John’s“Estate andinheritance”of land. The mention of Lewisham here draws attention to the fact thatthe landis on both sides of the Parish boundary. The map in the British Libraryattributed to 1780 shows some of these lands in the Langley and Kelseyarea ie.called Barnfield Wood, Bushey Pigott and Bushey Ten Acres which can betracedon the map. Another map copied from a 1735 version has emerged fromKentArchive showing Bushey Ten Acres and Barnfield Wood. Catortransfers toRaymond and Burrell; Several woods or wood grounds in Beckenham calledBarnfieldWood, Bushey Piggott and Bushey Ten Acres. Barnfield Wood Road now runsalongside Langley Park Golf Club.

JohnCator acquires Lower field,Middle, Upper and Pond field, Barne Field and Orchard field. Let toThomasWatford. Staceys with yards gardens and appurtenances and three fieldscalledthe Delvins and peartree barn and mill field in occupation of ThomasSelby.These can mostly be identified from maps as being around the Langleyarea butDelvins may be fields shown on the Beckenham Manor map as being theDelveswhich are bounded by the name Sir Francis Leigh which is a hangoverfrom whenFoxgrove was held by the Leigh family. And on the Foxgrove maps shownas Catorwith Ld. Bolingbroke either side. That tempts me to believe the site ofmansionwas among these fields. The description of fields like upper, middle,lower,barn and pond are so common for different parts of estates that adefinitiveidentification is difficult. Stacy's or Stacey's was at Pickhurst Greenidentified on a Jones Raymond/Langley Place map circa 1750 (undated butafterHugh Raymond's death and before the 1759 exchange)

Ofdirect interest here is thatproperty within the boundaries of the now public park were acquiredfrom JonesRaymond and the Burrells.

Morecan be said about the 1759/60 Actthanks to the writings of Mother Mary Baptist (formerly Bessie Taylor)ofColoma College, West Wickham. As part of a thesis in 1967 she copiedout largetracts of this Act and the later one of 1825. From her records we canget abetter idea of the extent of the Cator properties and the intentions oftheActs. I have to admire her fortitude in hand copying the detail fromwhat isprobably a difficult to read handwritten 18thcentury document.

Itwould appear that the Will of HughRaymond having left bequests to persons beside his direct heir JonesRaymondand directing how the estate should be preserved required an Act ofParliamentto permit exchanges of property with Cator. A similar process would berequiredlater by the heirs of John Cator in 1825.

Frustratinglywe cannot absolutely identify where all these plots were,but can guess at some which must be on the 1766 Foxgrove Manor plan inCator’sname and most likely include the site of the mansion. Whether it iseither ofthe: messuage let to Thomas Watford or, the messuage called Staceys isatantalizing conundrum. However, the 1785 road diversion plan showsfieldsenclosed by the old road through the park and the new road whichbecomesSouthend Road and Beckenham Hill Road. If we note the orientation ofthe map topoint north then three fields could be Upper, Middle and Lower, thereis theancient pond in Pond Field, Barne and Orchard fields could be aroundthebuildings which could be those let to Thomas Watford. If this iscorrect it wouldextend the property in Cator’s possession around his newhouse and dateit to1760.

Rocque’smap 1746Andrew,Drury and Herbert map 1769

A‘messuage’ on thesite of the mansion had probably been removed to make way for Catorshousewhich could be Watford's or fields called Delvins.

1758-Leaseand release for £820 of messuage,appurtenances, 3 acres Battersea, Surrey (formerly occupied by MatthewGolden,George Thornton), occupied by Joseph Constable; (Penge?)
Gatehouse Field, Galloways Croft, and Hubbards, Beckenham occupiedbyStJohnHumphrey, Long Mead occupied byJosephConstable;
Willmotts fields occupied by Elizabeth Batt
George Willson of Southwark, gentleman and wife, Mary, Elizabeth TurtonofPenge, spinster andJohnBoyfield (co-heirs ofBenjaminTurton) andReverand Benjamin Shield of Black Notley, Essex, and wife, Harriott
to Joseph Constable of Penge, yeoman. source: BHS

St.JohnHumphrey is a landowner ofinterest but not much can be discovered about him. The name suggests hemightbe related to the St.John family of Beckenham Manor through anintermarriagewith Humphreys.

1760- King George III until 1810

1760– Viscount Bolingbroke petitionsfor a Private Act of Parliament to permit him to dispose of familyestates inKent and elsewhere. This will presumably later facilitate his sale ofBeckenhamManor to Cator and Bolingbroke will sell Battersea estates to theSpencerfamily. Whether the same Spencer branch as his soon to be ex-wife Dianacouldbe researched.

1760/62- John’s father retires in 1760and passes the business to him. At the same time Samuel Cator,John’sbrotheris taken into the business as a 7 year apprentice (source: Will ofJ.Cator theelder). Cator begins to build the house on Stumps Hill as recorded inthecomment by Peter Collinson in his “HortusCollinsonianus”. I’m inclinedtobelieve the mansion site is on one of the plots exchanged with JonesRaymond inthe 1759/60 Act of Parliament. Cator would have lived here and atSouthwark.Considering his other property in the area its also possible he hadotheraccommodation locally but no evidence has turned up.

1761– Joseph Grove who had inheritedStone Farm in Beckenham and Plaistow in Bromley from his niece MaryTilly (see1748) sells to John Cator: meadow, pasture and woodland called TheStone Landsin 4 pieces, Half Acres, Hawkesbrooks and East Decoy Croft.

Atleast some of these are near Kelseyand Langley but will form part of the lands Cator exchanges with theBurrellslater in 1793. The Tolsons/Tillys were owners of Foxgrove Manor andother landsfrom about 1714. Cator pays £2400 for the purchase. FromBromleyarchive(researched by Keith Baldwin) Bromley Archive record has this:23/12/1761Joseph Grove of Richmond Surrey to John Cator £2400 meadowpasture&woodland called the Stone Land 4 pieces, Half Acres, Hawkesbrooks, EastDecoyCroft, 2 pieces East Weblands, West Decoy Croft, 2 Bowling Greenpiesces or theFive Jurys, 3 called Bromley Lands & passage from Bromley LandstoSmithfield, 2 pieces called Smithfield, 2 called Great & LittleShortlands,Hop Garden, the droveway leading from Little Shortlands to May Hill,May Hillotherwise Malefield, Highfield, 2 called Wall Riddens certain pieceslate inpossession of St John Humphrey formerly Joseph King containing 9.3.5and alsowoodland called Chaulks Wood total 160a estate of John Tilly toLancelot TolsonTilly to Joseph Tilly to Mary Tilly – Elizabeth Tolson TillytoElizabeth Tillyto Joseph Grove in occupation St John Humphrey but late Thomas Bassett.

Mostof these sites can be identifiedon the 1780 ‘Burrell’ map from the British Librarywhich shows plots inCator'sname. The effect of these purchases will be that Cator extends hisestates andreorganises via later exchanges.

Aquestion which arises is whetherCator had previously bought land from Grove which he exchanged withRaymond andBurrell a year or two earlier or had he inherited some land from hisfatherJohn Cator the elder.

1761– Beckenham Manor and propertieselsewhere; Frederick St.John/Viscount Bolingbroke obtains a Private ActofParliament permitting sale of parts of his family estate which wouldotherwisebe ‘in trust’ or in tail for St.John heirs.Curiously Jones Raymond whowasproprietor of Langley in Beckenham had apparently lent money against amortgagewith Fredericks father John St.John on parts of the estate inWhitstable.

1761– Beckenham Village “Three Tuns”;Counterpartlease for 7 years 1) Amy Burrell, Peter Burrell 2) James Squire ofBeckenham,Kent, victualler. Brick messuage called the London Coffee House aliasThe ThreeTuns, Beckenham (dimensions given), with appurtenances. (SurreyArchive). Theadoption of the name “London Coffee House” seems tobe to appeal tosomecommuting gentry?

1761- From St. George's register "Mr.Richard Hoare (afterwards SrRichard Hoare, Bart.) and FrancesAnnAcland,married May 7, 1761." (source; Lysons Environs of London)

RichardHoare had property in Beckenhamwhich he later rented to his brother Henry. The Beckenham property doesnotseem to be the principal residence of Richard Hoare.

1762– Peter Collinson records in aletter his visit to John's house newly built on Stumps Hill. (maybevisitinghis now pregnant daughter?).
It is now established that John Cator certainly came to live at thehouse onStumps Hill much earlier than 1773 as there are records of him buyingland inthe area in 1757 and exchanging land with Peter Burrell and JonesRaymond in1759. John Cator's famous botanist father in law, Peter Collinsonspeaks of hispurchasing a fine estate and building a house in letters dated 1761 and1763.So we now know that the original house dates to 1760-62 as the mostrecentrevelation is a note by Collinson in his Hortus Collinsonianus(catalogue ofhis plants) in which he says:

"Sept.17, 1762, went, for thefirst time, to visit my son-in-law, John Cater (who married mydaughter), athis new-built house, now finished, at Stump's Hill, half way (on thesouth sideof the road) between Southend and Beckenham, in Kent, began in thespring 1760,on a pretty wooded estate which he had then purchased. The plantationsaboutit, all of his own doing, I found in a very thriving condition, andwhen grownup will adorn so stately a house, in so delectable a situation, andmake it aParadise. In his woods grows the native English Chesnut spontaneously.P.Collinson, F.R.S."

Thenthe publisher of this catalogue,Lambert says :When I visited these grounds, in 1812, I wasmuchstruck bythe remarkably healthy appearance of many fine trees, including, asnearly as Ican recollect, Cedars, Exotic Firs, Liriodendrons.

Thoughthis map is part of the 1766Foxgrove Manor estate plan, it seems to show a building above the 't'in“Cator's” near the top right of picture.Collinson’s comment aboutwoods couldrefer to the other ‘Cator’ plots on the map andpossibly the MorrissWood Eastand West and Lewisham Lands sites as they are not listed as JonesRaymond’s.It’s also possible that Cator owns land north of the road ifthe 1757purchaseof a ‘messuage’ was the one on the Rocque mapshowing buildings eitherside ofthe road, or from the 1759 exchange with Raymond and Burrell. Someelementsremain unconfirmed. Sweet Chestnut certainly grows in both of what arenowcalled Stumpshill Wood and Summerhouse Wood. The section bottom left ofthisextract annotated Cator/Bolingbroke/Cator plus the Cator top right arefields Isuspect were named ‘Delvins’ by comparing this mapwith the 1768 copyof theBeckenham Manor map.

Courtesyof BritishLibrary©

Thearchitect for the building has beena puzzle and remains so. An article in the Friends of BPP newsletterno.33describes the ‘candidates’ for the design. It isreproduced in theAdditionalInformation section of this history under “The House onStumps Hill”.BrieflyThe ‘biggest’ name that gets a mention is RobertAdam. Other contendersare:George Gibson Jnr., who built St Mary’s Church in Ladywelland StoneHouse, 281Lewisham Way, Loampit Vale opposite Lewisham College. Richard Jupp andmostcommonly suggested Robert Taylor who built Danson House (listed Grade1),Danson Park, Bexley is not considered to have the same style asdisplayed inBeckenham Place. Although his name has come up several times in thepast, he isno longer thought a serious contender. Henry Holland, who may havebuiltLangley Farm. Holland in collaboration with his father-in-law‘Capability’Brown constructed Benham Park, Berkshire in 1775. The style does havemanysimilar elements to Beckenham Place, but is this again because thisstyle wasprevalent at the time or did Holland oversee the work here, as hisfamily didsettle in this area?

Torefer back to the land exchange of1759/60 and “3 fields called Delvins”, the threeplots in the map abovewith“Mr. Cator’s” may be those fields as theplot “Ld Bolingbroke’s” isannotatedas Delves/Delvin on the Beckenham Manor plan. Bessie Taylor had muchthe samethought.

1761- Three Tuns; July; Counterpartlease for 7 years 1) Amy Burrell, Peter Burrell 2) James Squire ofBeckenham,Kent, victualler. Brick messuage called the London Coffee House aliasThe ThreeTuns, Beckenham (dimensions given), with appurtenances. Demonstratingthat theBurrells owned the Three Tuns and that the premises were called theLondonCoffee House to reflect the fashion of the time and the presence of'city'residents in the town.

1762- John Cator's father retires toBromley (source: Pat Manning). It is said he had a house in Bromley andmaybesome property as in his Will the following year he mentions rent fromhis housesand land left to his wife. Could it have been left to John the youngeron hismother’s death or did John manage it among some of hisexchanges? Johncertainly had some land in Bromley Beckenham borders and whether hepurchasedit all or inherited some has not been discovered. But now I’mwonderingaboutthe possibility that John the elder may have moved into property hisson hadpurchased. Why? because in John Cator the elder’s Will below,hedescribes JohnCator the younger as an astute businessman having improved his wealthandhaving ‘greater ability than I’. John Cator theYounger had taken overthetimber business in 1760 and was left the business and the house onBankside.The evidence of property to exchange in 1759/60 and the map attributedto 1780but perhaps earlier show that John the younger had several propertiesthat hisFather and Mother could have moved into. No evidence has emerged ofwhere Johnthe elder resided though it may have been for a short time if heretired in1760 unless he resided in Bromley while still running the timberbusiness priorto 1760.

1762- Village; Counterpart lease for14 years 1) Amy Burrell and Peter Burrell of Beckenham, Kent, esq 2)ElizabethHetherington of Beckenham, shopkeeper. Messuage, centre of 3, in HighStreet,with appurtenances and land, in Beckenham

1762– Joseph Cator; This reference isinteresting but not of great consequence to the history of theBeckenham Place Parkor Clockhouse. It does add some substance to the biography of Joseph.“Josephwas married as a young man to Sarah Villers from Coventry but he ranoff toJamaica and left her in the lurch. This was from A2A on line by typinginCator. Some solicitor’s papers were handed in to theWarwickshireRecord Officeconcerning a bond taken out by John Cator of Bromley dated 1762 for£2,000 toguarantee that son Joseph would not claim against the executors of thewill ofThomas Villers since Sarah Cator was a beneficiary. It is not a PCC(Prerogative Court of Canterbury) will and the Warwickshire RecordOffice isundergoing a refit at the moment but I should like to see thewill!”(source:P.Manning). Subsequently Keith Baldwin acquired a copy of the will in2021which describes Villers daughter, Sarah Cator and her bequest in thewill ofher father Thomas Villers written in 1759.

TNAref; CR.1709/138 Bond of indemnityin £2000 between John Cator (the elder) of Bromley, Kent,gent., andEdwardVillers of Coventry, tinman, and Joseph Heaco*ck of Coventry clerk,executors ofThomas Villers deceased whose daughter Sarah had been deserted byJoseph Cator,son of John Cator. Sarah was a beneficiary under Villers' will and thebond wasmade to ensure that Joseph, if still living, did not molest or sueVillers'executors on account of any payments or other legacies given to SarahCatorunder the terms of the will. 1762WarwickshireCounty Record Office

1763- A daughter Maria (also referredto as Mary) is born to John and Mary Cator. 1763 is also the year inwhichCator’s father died and his mother came to stay with him buther laterabode atthe time of her death is recorded as Bromley. John the younger had beengiventhe timber business and a house at Bankside back in 1760 when hisfatherretired. His father’s Will settled in 1764 leaves substantialsums tohischildren i.e. £1500 to John’s brother Joseph who isin Jamaica at thetime ofthe Will. John also gets the land owned in Ross, Herefordshire. JohnCator theElder’s Will mentions rents from his houses and land left tohis wifewhich isanother clue to the potential extent of John senior’saccumulatedwealth. Johnjunior is requested to act as father to the rest of the family and takehisyounger brother Samuel into the timber business as apprentice and thenpartner.Samuel’s death date has recently been found to be in Jamaicawhere hewasemployed as a customs official, the timber not pass on to him. Somehistorianshave said , Cator inherited considerable wealth but it seems thatthough he had‘a leg up’ through the family business his networth increasedconsiderablyduring his lifetime. However, documents refer to Johnjunior’s‘hereditaments’which implies he inherited some other property which might include somein hisname on the 1780 Burrell map. John Cator senior or theelder’s willdoes notmention any Quaker meeting houses but refers to the parish of Bromleyto whomhe leaves some bequest for the poor. The Cator’s subsequenttransfer offaithto the Church of England does beg the question whether they are leavingtheQuaker faith. The daughter Mary, sister of John Cator the younger isleft£3000, half upon marriage and half upon death of her mother.This willbecomethe subject of a Chancery court case Sparkes v. Cator some time laterin 1797regarding settlement of bequests made by Mary Cator’s husbandJosephSparkes.

Thedaughter Maria who dies in 1766 isburied in the tomb in St.George’s churchyard butJohn’s father’s burialisunknown but if he remained a Quaker it would have been in a Friendsburialground such as Long Lane, Southwark. Some sources on Ancestry.co.ukclaim hedied in Somerset but it remains a mystery.

1763– Beckenham Place; In June PeterCollinson writes to John Bartram in America “Pray look, wheregrowsnearest,some Azaleas, Kalmias, and Rhododendrons, for my son-in-law, who haslatelybought a fine estate, and built a noble house, and made extensiveplantations,and is quite cracked after plants, has plundered my garden all he can,and lookswith such a longing eye on what remains, that unless thou sends me abox ofthose plants to keep all quiet—for my own son is so ardent tokeep whatIhave—that I shall have something to do to manage my two sons.They areso fondof plants, and take such care in planting in proper soil and situation,itgives me entertainment to see their ingenuity and emulation. But my sonCATORdeserves encouragement; for when he married my daughter, about tenyears agone,he scarcely knew an apple tree from an oak ; but by seeing often mygarden, andconversing with me and his brother, is now resolved, if he can, torival us. Inhis new, fresh soil, plants thrive finely. I wish thou may pick outwhat I mean: being much engaged, can add no more, but that I am thy sincere friend, P.Collinson.”

Thisis perhaps an indication as to whyJohn Cator was protective of his estate in his Last Will and Testamentalthoughas far as I can make out his land at Stumps Hill may only have been aslittleas about 40 acres in 1763.

Thisexample of a land exchange outsideof the Beckenham Place area, next to Kelseys, between Cator and Burrellillustrates how property deals were conducted..... 25/26 March 1763Lease andrelease of a piece of land called Stone Mead in Beckenham, Kent,containing oneacre and two rood from John Cator the younger of Southwark, Surrey,merchant toPeter Burrell of Beckenham, esquire in exchange for land calledGatton's Mead,containing 2 1/2 acres in Beckenham. (Bromley Historic Collections).Lease andrelease was a means of exchanging property and avoiding tax and waslaterprohibited.

StoneMead is found on the Foxgrovemanor map adjacent to Kelseys and very close to the site of the lake inKelseyPark, if not the actual site. This evidences that Cator had alreadyacquiredStone Farm from Joseph Grove.

GattonsMead is a small fields with1.0.2 and 1.1.8 acres on the south side of Stone Farm. Forclarification, landwas measured in Acres, Roods and Perches. An acre is 4840square yards.Thereare 4 roods to the acre (1210 square yards) and 40 perches in a rood.Potentialconfusion can arise because a perch can also be called a pole or rod.But A.R.Pis often seen on old estate plans and even some early maps or justshown as,for example, 4.2.6 as in the map above. I guess one can see that the1.1.8 plotis approximately a quarter of the adjacent plot.

Below:Stones Farm with Gattons Meadshown to the left. Can this detail be used to date the ‘1780BurrellMap’ to becloser to 1763? Stone Farm is referred to as Barnfield House underCator’sownership.

Imagescourtesy ofBritish Library©

1763– Gatton's Land; Holwood, Keston and connectedproperty in Beckenham:

HolwoodMemorandum12 June 1763 Ann Dipperto Peter Burrell for £1800I agree toconvey to Peter Burrell of Beckenham all my estate at Hollwood Hill inKestonviz the house and lands late in the possession of John Calcraft Esq thewoodlands late in the tenure of William Brazier Ann Dipper& Peter Burrell sign By one ofthe settlements made on the marriage of Nathaniel Gatton &ElizabethWhifling the Beckenham estate if not barred by Nathaniel Gatton the…is nowvested in Ann Dipper as the only surviving issue of Dipper by MaryGatton hiswife who was the only surviving issue of that marriage she being nowthe heirin tail of her grandfather and grandmother and intitled to take underthelimitations of this settlement a … in tail with thereversion in .. astheright heir of her grandfather Nathaniel Gatton she therefore by a issuemay barthe estate tail and confirm Mr Burrells title but if a fine be notlevied herissue will be tenants in tail and have the same claim she now hathnotwithstanding she may release the reversion in fine.By the othersettlement made on the former marriage Ann Dipper being also intitledto a … intail in the estate called Hollwood Hill and having suffered a…recovery &thereby barred the estate tail and also the reversion in fee to theright heirof Richard Peach she may now convey that estate to Mr Burrell by leaseandrelease.Follows aschedule of deeds of Mr Gattons estate at Beckenham 1650 March 5Ind between Jos Stainsmore & Ron Lloyd & Wm Williamsother ptbonds forperformance of covenants inclosed

1655Sep 13^thInd between Stainsmore & Lloyd other pt Wm Williams

1655Sep 15^thInd between sd Williams 1^st pt & CharlesCarshwell &JosephWoolrich

1655 Sep 18^thInd between Stainsmore & Lloyd 1^st pt& Robert Hill– grant

Same dateInd of bargain & sale inrolled in Chancery same parties

1655Michaelmas Ind of a fine between sd Hall & Stainsmore &Lloyddeforcants

1656 May 17^thInd between Stainsmore & Hill

1684 Sep 25^thInd of lease and release between sd Hill & Edward Gatton

1684 Sep 26^thInd between Edward Hendrick son & Exor of sd Joseph Hendrick&sd Hill1^st pt & Richard Pope being a trustee ofsd Gatton

1684 Sep 27^thInd between sd Gatton & sd Hill

1705 Apr 11^thGeneral release from Mrs Susan Gatton widow & adm of EdwardGattonto herson Nathaniel Gatton

1709 Feb15th Triparte Ind between Nathaniel Gatton 1^stpt, ElizabethWhifling 2^nd pt and Richard Pearch &John Uppingham withan indthereon dated 12^th June 1728 assigning premisesto MerrickBurrellEsq

Same date –a counterpart thereof

1717 Apr 2^ndInd of demise from Nathaniel Gatton, his wife & mother to JasBrooke

1717 Apr 8^thInd of redemise from Mr Brooke to Mr Gatton and his wife

Same date –counterpart thereof

Easter TermInd of fine between sd Brooke plaintiff & sd Gatton &his wifedeforcs

1719 June 6^thInd between sd Gatton & his wife & John Brooke

1719 Jan 8^thInd triparte between Jas Brooke 1^st pt,Nathaniel Gatton& hiswife 2^nd, & John Chetwynd Esq with Inddated 14 Jun 1728wherebypremises are assigned to Jones Raymond in trust for Peter Burrell

Same date –counterpart thereof

1728 TrinityTerm Ind of fine between Peter Burrell & Nathaniel Gatton& hiswifedeforcs

1745 Apr 28^threceived then of Mr Edward Emily deeds above mentioned

Ind 1695between Peter Burrell of London & John Westbrooke of Ely? Allthatcalled PlaceMeade 3a. Longland 12a, Gowmand 5a, (incomplete)

1764– Stone Farm/Foxgrove estate; JosephGrove dies, who had been left parts of Foxgrove estates at Plaistow,Bromleyand Stone Farm etc in Beckenham via the Tolsons and Tillys. He leavesthePlaistow part of Foxgrove estates to a nephew Groves Wheeler and in thewill hementions a mortgage “due to him from Mr. Cator atChristmas”. It isunclearwhat land the mortgage relates to but could be the land identified onthe 1766Foxgrove map including the Stone Farm mentioned under 1761. We knowCator hadpossession of Stone Farm by the time of the 1759 exchanges with BurrellandRaymond. We may never know the full story but maybe this adds somesubstance toCator’s activities in property dealing.

1764– The Will of St.John Humphrey;Humphrey was a Beckenham landowner who also leased land from otherlandlords,notably he leased woodland from Mary Tilly when she inherited FoxgroveManor.Humphrey’s will leaves property to his son Joseph and makeprovisionfor histhree daughters. He also has a half-brother Nicholas Hinge whom heprescribesshould be allowed to reside in one of his properties. The will mentionsland“freehold, leasehold and copyhold along with a house andseveral farmsI occupy”The Humphreys arrived in Beckenham circa 1700 and became connected withotherfamilies through marriage. Whether the first name St.John is in any wayconnected with the St.Johns of Beckenham Manor is merely conjecture atpresent.This St.John Humphrey was the son of St.John Humphrey who died in 1744.Humphreys name can be found on the Burrell Kelsey map of 1735 in theviscinityof Upper Elmers End Green.

1764– The papers of Henry Laurensdescribe correspondence showing that John Cator's brother,Joseph Cator and Joseph Sparkeshavearrived in Carolina, USA from Jamaica and are making their way toBoston.Sparkes would shortly afterwards marry Joseph Cator’s sisterMary inAugust1765.

1765- Hasted states Foxgrove Manor(Farm) was purchased by Jones Raymond from John and Edward Brydges ofWotton(should read Wootton/Kent) in 1765, but Raymond and Burrell wereexchangingland with Cator in 1760 some of which is now known to be Stone Farmhithertopart of Foxgrovemanor so the date of1765 is questionable at least for some of Foxgrove but Jones Raymondcommissioned the 1766 Foxgrove Manor map showing parts he possessed andpartsin the names of John Cator and Lord Bolingbroke. The Brydges wereabsenteelandlords having inherited from a local relative Mary Tilly nee Tolsonbut theRaymond’s are ‘local’ landlordsdescribing themselves as “of Langley”sincetheir acquisition of that estate and having family members buried inthe localchurch even though their estates included parts of Essex and Stepney.More canbe said about the Timewell and Brydges families which are intermarried,Deborah, Edward and John Bridges or Brydges are siblings and Deborahhadmarried the Reverend Edward Timewell who outlived her, becoming ownerof thewoodlands, being her part of Foxgrove. The Tolsons are related to theBridgesby the marriages of two sisters of the Roberts family of Bekesbourne,Kent. Theevidence that Beckenham Place Park predates 1773 supports thepossibility thatHasted’s dates aren’t 100 percent reliable. Bearingin mind howdifficult wefind it to piece together events with the aid of the internet andmodern means,Hasted’s task was even greater.

1765– Cator and Sparkes; John Cator’s sister MarymarriesJoseph Sparkes of Bromley on the 22nd of August 1765. If not alreadythen he will become adirector of theEast India Company thus strengthening the ties of the Cators to theEIC.

OnApril 9th Mary Cator, John Cator's mother having been raised as aQuaker becomes baptized into the Church of England with her twodaughters, Mary and Ann. Her husband had died in 1763 so it appears shehad sought conversion after his death. This is the most definitivedescription as to where John Cator the elder and his wife lived inBromley "at the house over the churchyard".

The following entry in the register transcription below for Joseph andAnn Sparks seems to be the parents of Joseph jnr. who would marry MaryCator junior. The Sparkes also appear to have been Quaker dissenterspreviously.

Sometime later a grandson of Joseph and Mary Sparkes will find a positionin Indiaas a judge. The Sparkes sons George and Henry are left bequests inCators Willin 1806. It turns out that it is a complex facet of the Cator estatesand PatManning’s book addresses the Sparkes connection. See 1806 to1825timeslots.

1765- Manor of Beckenham: November4th: An Indenture is written regardingthe marriagesettlementbetween Frederick St. John, Viscount BolingbrokeandLady DianaSpencer.Frederick receives £10,000 in exchange for various propertiesincludingtheManor of Beckenham. The subsequent disolution of the marriage willinvolveDiana returning the properties in return for an annuity. The lands ofBeckenhamare described with field names and acreages. A list of occupantsdemonstratesthat the St.Johns were absentee landlords in that theymention asoccupants of the manor lands John Cator, Jones Raymond, Peter Burrell,ThomasMotley, Joseph Humphrey, Ann Ackland, Abraham Clouder, David Henry, JobLloyd,Charles Wray and the widow Wither. The other property includes LydiardTregozewhich is the St.John family seat in Wiltshire, Purley Manor inBerkshire etc.and several trustees are mentioned. From an 1810 handwritten copy whichresidesin the Wiltshire archive. As John Cator was already inpossessionof Stumps Hill and other land formerly belonging to the ManorofFoxgrove it is possible that Cator is leasinglandadjoining his Stumps Hill and other properties.That detailis lacking in the indenture.

(image)

Extractshowing a part from the indenture listing allthat Manor of Beckenham field names and acreages.

Theindenture appears to give partiesassociated with Diana Spencer ie Earl of Guilford (Lord North), Earl ofPembroked (Henry Herbert), Duke of Marlborough and Earl Waldegrave aswell asFrederick Viscount Bolingbroke rights to lease or rent properties or tosellproperty provided the proceeds are spent on the acquisition of similarproperty. This was a mechanism by which estates were intended to remainintact.Frederick is described as acquiring an Act of Parliament whichauthorised himto sell family estates and not lay out the proceeds in purchases, dueto hisaccumulating debts. John Cator subsequently made similar provisions inhis willwhich John Barwell Cator circumvented in an Act of Parliament in 1825.Researchshows that some or all of the co-signatories or trustees were connectedbyintermarriage with the Spencers. Waldegrave it appears was descendedfrom aChurchill daughter, Arabella, who had beem the mistress of James II.Family andpolitics bound them together.

Anotherdocument in Wiltshire archiverelates to the Bolingbroke arrangement with Mrs. Hare which would causeJohnCator problems with his purchase of the Manor of Beckenham. The mentionofCator in this Bolingbroke document is further evidence of hispresence inBeckenham between 1760 and 1770 both as a landowner and leaseholder.Presumablythe lease putting him in a position to buy when land was offered forsale. Ofcourse its most probable these leaseholders sub-let to other tenants.

Frederickand Diana will divorce in1768 due to Diana's "Criminal Conversation" (adultery) with TophamBeauclerk which resulted in a child. Simple searches on theinternet willreveal a lot about Frederick, Diana and Topham Beauclerk, none of whichdirectlyimpacts Beckenham other than by the passage of landlordship of theestates.

1766– John and Mary Cator’s daughterMaria dies in infancy. John's sister Ann also dies after a long illness(source: P.Manning). Many infant deaths were attributed to 'fever' butdiseasessuch as measles, dyptheria, whooping cough, smallpox, scarlet fever,typhus,cholera, typhoid were all common, attributable to poor hygene, or noteffectively treatable until well into the 19th century and beyond.

1766– The Manor of Foxgrove estateplan is transcribed by Proudlove from a 1720 version. That earlierversion hasnot surfaced...yet, which was probably drawn up for the Tolson family.Thisupdated transcription shows plots owned by John Cator, Jones Raymondand LordBolingbroke. The plan covers not only the area directly in and aroundthe parkbut some plots quite isolated in Elmers End, Kelsey, Langley andelsewhere. Itwas drawn to indicate the Jones Raymond possessions hence the legend offieldnames and acreages with other landowners indicated instead of somefield names.

Despitesome unclear confusions of landtransfers up to this point we may take it this reflects the situationin 1766with no significant changes until after the 1776 version (see 1776).Also see1777 where Cator exchanges other land for the fields named Pill Croftsherewith Amy Burrell.

Theland within the Foxgrove Manorwhich became the park was only the northernmost part but the moresoutherlypart of Foxgrove Manor remained associated with Foxgrove Farm. HastedandIreland refer to the division of Foxgrove and Cator acquiring StoneFarm andwoodlands. Whether the ‘woods’ may be MorisswoodEast and West,Lewisham Landsand/or the plots bounding the small ‘Bolingbroke’section. MargaretMitchellpoints out that ‘store farm’ in Irelands account isa misprint for‘Stone Farm’which is on the 1766 plan but adjacent to what is now Kelsey Park.

Weknow John Cator owned Stone Farmfrom the circa 1780 “Burrell” plan.

JohnCator added some land to the parkpurchased from the Forsters and Francis Flower of Southend in Lewishamandprobably the Earl of Rockingham who is identified on the Foxgrove Manorplan.The records of this area are more difficult to trace but theRockinghams andSondes family and Lees Court Estate possessed land at Mottingham,Lewisham andBromley.

Estateswere not always contiguousareas of land but very diverse holdings often being the odd field, woodorfarm. Intermarriage was one way these widespread estates accumulated.It seemsJohn Cator acquired his early land acquisitions as they came on themarket. Thedeath of an estate holder might prompt the heir to sell some unwantedsites aswe see later with John Cator’s heir, John Barwell Cator. Themaps oftenraiseas many questions as they answer.

Reproduced by permission of The British Library ©Shelfmark(s):CartographicItems Maps 188.k.3.(6.) This image is from the 1776 redrawing which iseasierto read. The Cator holdings do not change between the two versionsapart fromsome acquisitions in the village 'high street'.

BritishLibrary©

Thiscropped imageshows the area mainly within the Park. Mr Cator at the top is the siteof themansion, The Lord Bolingbroke pieces are called Hicks Field and Delveson theBeckenham Manor map, Thistle Down is now called Crab Hill, LewishamLands isSummerhouse Wood, Lewisham Land Hills is Railway Field and adjoiningwoodland,Natt and Brooks are The Common by the river. Small parts of Earl ofRockinghammay be on the Common and backing onto properties in Brangbourne Road.

Onthe 1766 map Cator's land issurrounded by the holdings of Jones Raymond. The Hop Ground, PillCrofts etcoutlined by a dark line and yellow colouring are listed as Raymond's.It may bethat plots not heavily outlined near Cator's are already his property.As the1757 Southend purchase mentioned ‘several pieces ofland’ and the1759/60 Actnamed parts of Foxgrove Manor maybe Morrisswood East and West areCatorsbecause they are not listed as belonging to Jones Raymond in thelegend. I estimatethe plots with Cator’s name plus Morrifswood East and West tobe about40acres. But Cator’s plots are divided in any case becauseJones RaymondownedHop Ground (more research is needed). The Lord Bolingbroke annotationbetweentwo ''Cators'' plots is clarified on the Beckenham Manor plan as beinga smallplot owned by Bolingbroke but leased to someone else (Sir FrancisDelves). Sothere was a jumble of ownership and occupation. Also few buildings areindicated on these plans so Rocque’s map is an indicator ofwherebuildings mayhave been.

Somefield shapes are recognizable tothis day. Thistle Down is the modern day Crab Hill field and LewishamLands ismost of the woodland (Summerhouse Wood). Lewisham Land Hills is Railwayfieldand adjacent woodland. Natt Brooks is Summerhouse Field and the Common.

Thisaerial image is rotated to resemble the Foxgrove plan. Thistle Downis where the ‘R’ in Ravensbourne is.

Abit more can be said about theFoxgrove Manor plan as it depicts lands owned by Jones Raymond. It alsodepictslands owned by the Burrells and Lord Bolingbroke as well as Cator. Somefieldsare outlined yellow to show they are Jones Raymond's and a list at thesideshows field names and acreages. Some plots are just named without anownerindicated i.e. Lewisham Lands 18.2.29 (18 acres 2 roods 29 perches). 2plotscalled Morrisswood west and east bound the hop ground and may alreadybeCator's. The part annotated 'A' Earl of Rockingham is indicated asbeing grazedby oxen (12 great beasts of Foxgrove). This part is believed to havebeen amarshy area by the river probably no good for agriculture.

Theroad which is now the drive throughthe park is the boundary of the Foxgrove Manor and partly of theBeckenhamManor lands, but it seems some of the land along the western side ofthe roadis not in either manor, possibly being Forster Estate/Lewisham Manorand FlowerHouse property.

Thedescription Lewisham Lands denotesland in Lewisham Parish which was or would be acquired by Cator.Lewisham LandHills and Nat Brooks are owned by Jones Raymond as indicated in thelegendbelow. The small lozenge shaped plot is believed to be a sandpit on theriverfloodplain. No buildings are drawn, only boundaries and enclosures. Inmyreading of the various maps it seems the line between Hop Ground andMorrissWood East is the line of the stream in the park going back almost toFoxgroveFarm before it was straightened as part of the golf course landscape.It wouldmake sense for a stream to be a boundary line. The Lord Bolingbrokeplot by thechurch can be related to the Beckenham Manor plan (under 1768) asfields namedthe Pound, Church and Broom next to the church. Another plan of about1780 ofBurrell's holdings in Langley does show more 'habitation' as it wasdrawn forthe purpose of recording leases and leaseholders. Some plans may havebeendrawn for marriage settlement or the Will of a landowner i.e. JonesRaymond dies2 years after the 1766 plan. Or the map may be related to the sale ofpropertyor land tax assessment.

1766- Two persons are accused of stealing and receiving timber takenfrom Cator's Bankside business, (Surrey Archive QS2/6/1766/Mic/20-21).It would beinteresting to discover whether they were found guilty and any sentencereceived. Eighteenth century penalties were severe with death ortransportationbeing common.

1766– Gattons Land, Beckenhamex-Holwood; Attested copy of conveyance of a messuage and premises with10acres of land, 4 acres of pasture and woodland called Hollwood inKeston, Kentbetween Miss Ann Dipper of Bedington, Surrey, spinster (1st part);PeterBurrell of Beckenham, Kent, esquire (2nd part); JonesRaymondofLangley, Kent, esquire (3rd part) and Richard Jephson of the parish ofStGeorge the Martyr, Middlesex, esquire and Stephen Wilson of The NewRiverOffice, London, gentleman (4th part). In consideration of the sum of£1800 paidby Burrell to Dipper, she bargains and sells the property to him andquitclaimsher interest in property in Beckenham. They both agree to levy a fine.Bankannuitites are to be transferred to the 3rd and 4th parties to idemnifyBurrellagainst such demands. BHC ref 841/3/2/6

Gattonsland was south of Kelsey and isshown on the 1735 Kelsey map.

1768– Kelsey; Amy Burrell and her sonPeter Burrell (III) assign Leases for terms of 7 and 14 years 1)Richard HenryAlexander Benet (Bennet) of St James Street, esq, Amy Burrell and PeterBurrell, esq, her son 2) Stephen Cazalet of London, broker. Newlyerectedmessuage, appurtenances and land, in Beckenham, Kent, late in tenancyof TobiasFrere, esq, then of Dudley Baxter, esq, now of said Richard Benet, esq.Schedule of property appended (Surrey Archive).

Thisrecord indicating that thebuilding is newly erected and had prior lessees is interesting detail.Benethad married Peter’s daughter Elizabeth Amelia on the 10^thJanuary1766. Kelsey requires some more detail as there was the houseoriginallyoccupied by the Brograves, a later mansion built by the lake and alsoKelseyCottage on Kelsey Lane. (see 1779 extension lease to Bennet by PeterBurrell IV)

KelseyPark, 1809 Burrell estate map. ‘Brograve’house nearthe village, Mansion by the lake, the original Benet messuage believedto be onKelsey Lane west of the mansion but by 1809 Benet was still leasingthis areafrom Peter Burrell IV (Lord Gwydir). Possibly with sub tenants.

1767-69:Thomas Motley; believed to be nephew of Thomas Motley of Elmers End and Beckenham. Captain of the EIC ship

1768- Jones Raymond of Langley dieswith no issue or direct heir so his possession of Foxgrove Manor isleft to hissisters Amy, Bridget and Dynah but the sisters Bridget and DynahpredeceaseJones and their interest is bought out by Amy Burrell who is JonesRaymond'swidowed sister from her marriage to Peter Burrell. Some lands appear inthename of Mrs Burrell or Peter Burrell (II of Langley) on estate plans.TheBurrell's already owned other lands in Beckenham, Bromley and Pengesuch asKelseys'. Jones Raymond’s other property and Langley Parkalso passesto Amyand Peter (II) Burrell. It was common for intermarriage between landowningfamilies. There were at least two marriages between other members oftheBurrells and Raymonds families. The Burrells had become 'of Langley'ratherthan 'of Beckenham' or ‘Kelsey’ perhaps reflectingthe grandeur of theestate.

JonesRaymond's memorial plaque is in St. George's Church dated March 23^rd1768

TheRaymonds and Burrells probablynever lived in Foxgrove manor house which was more of a farm. The housewasmoated perhaps reflecting that it was an older more fortified propertyat onetime, maybe a bit like Ightham Moat. In any case the house and moat arenowlost forever. The Will of Jones Raymond in the Prerogative Court ofCanterburymay prove interesting reading for those inclined to struggle throughit.Mention is made of several of his relatives and their bequests.

TheBritish Library has some documentsfrom the East India Company with Jones Raymond’s name andsignature. Hewasappointed a new director of the EIC in The Gentleman’sMagazine ofApril 1739.“A Voyage to the East Indies” John Henry Grosepublished 1766 statesthat JonesRaymond was still a named director of the EIC in 1755. Also later in1757 inThe London Chronicle.

Foxgrovefarm/manorhouse 1865 OS map, note the Ice House
(from National Library of Scotland)

1768- Frederick St. John,Viscount Bolingbroke and Diana Spencer divorce by Act of Parliament.Possiblydue to this and the settlement regarding property the following map isproducedfrom a 1623 original. Diana is awarded an annuity of £800 perannum.

1768- The Manor of Beckenham map orplan (below) is redrawn and transcribed by T. Proudlove from a 1623plan. Theplan is in The British Library. The two parts of Beckenham Manor hadbeenreunited under the St. Johns (see 1623). With the Foxgrove Manor planabove itis possible to fit The Bolingbroke land next to the church with ChurchFieldand Broom Field in the plan below and see how a piece of land isunaccountedfor by both Manors. This plan raises a question as to why the Manoroppositethe church is not annotated as belonging to Peter Burrell from thepriorexchange in 1757.

Reproducedby kind permission of the British Library © Shelfmark(s):Cartographic Items Maps 188.k.3.(4.)

Onthe above plan Beckenham Place wouldeventually occupy the bottom left corner outside of the Beckenham Manorboundary. The plan is orientated with North at the bottom and the roadrunningdown from the church is the road which runs through the park fromapproximatelyjust above Hicks Field. Hicks Field, Sir Francis Leigh is written aboveDelvesplot which is marked as Lord Bolingbroke’s on the Foxgroveplans as isHicksField. This is another example of the mixed ownerships and of how if aplotbelonged to another landowner it was described as 'Lord Bolingbroke' or'John Cator'and the field name omitted.

SirFrancis Leigh is indicated as alandowner of the areas not in Beckenham Manor but in Foxgrove Manor,but by1768 The Leighs had sold this area to the Tolsons and it became dividedasexplained in earlier points on the timeline ie 1716 and they in turndividedand disposed of it to Jones Raymond, Lord Bolingbroke and John Cator.Althoughthe ‘Bolingbroke’ parts may have already belongedthem on the 1623version ifonly it was in existence..

Theonly part of Beckenham Manor withinCator’s Beckenham Place may be the left edge of‘The Lawn’ and ‘SpringPark’which seem to be the curve of Stumps Hill Wood. Maybe the ancient oaksalongthe edge of Stumps Hill Wood are manor boundary markers. AfterCator’sdeathmuch of that part was sold in the 19thcenturyfor building.A few large houses were built and possibly after wartime bomb damagesome weredemolished. The current Calverly Close estate occupies much of thissection.The map extracts below show how the curved edge of woodland matcheswith‘Spring Park’ and the bottom edge of Spring Parkfollows the old parishboundary between Beckenham and Lewisham Parishes.Thetwo estate plans of Beckenham and Foxgrove dovetail together showinghow the Manors are neighbours and how very little of the modern dayBeckenhamPlace Park is in Beckenham Manor.

1768– Langley Road diversion/new road (South Eden Park Road) KentArchive has this record but unfortunately any plans are missing. Thispredatesthe building of the South Eden Park Road. Partof highway leading from Beckenham to West Wickham, from north endof Langley Pond Mead Hedge in Beckenham, southwards across avenue ofcapitalmessuage of Amy Burrell, widow, late of Jones Raymond, Esq., calledLangleyHouse, and thence south-eastward towards Langley Park, and thencesouth-westward between lands of Amy Burrell called Red Lodge Farm tonorth-westcorner of Wickham Green in West Wickham, 295 rods [1,622 & 1/2yards] long,20 feet wide, to be diverted by Amy Burrell to new line from thebeginning ofthe old highway, through Hawks Brooke Lane, thence westward towardsfarmhouseoccupied by Job Floyd near Langley House, thence southward, throughfields ofAmy Burrell called Upper Ridleys, Walnuttree Field, James's Fields,FurtherField and Barn Field to Beckenham - West Wickham road at wheeler'shouse andshop, occupied by Thomas Hewman, 304 rods [1,672 yards] long, 20 feetwide.Partof footpath in Beckenham and West Wickham, leading westward frommessuage of Amy Burrell in Beckenham called Brewhouse Farm, across theabovehighway and the avenue, thence southward, through Four Fields belongingto RedLodge Farm, called Ockfield, Conduit Field, James's Field, and OrchardField,and oat by a stile to the above old highway near Wickham Green, 260rods [1,430yards] long, 3 feet wide, to be diverted as above.Below:Part of the “1780” perhaps showing the 1768 roaddiversion. Thekink in the road across the avenue of trees is around Langley Placehouse andCator has two fields adjacent to it.

(source;Kent Archive)(courtesyof The BritishLibrary

1768- Viscount Bolingbroke and DianaSpencer are divorced by Act of Parliament. The estate plan of BeckenhamManormay relate to the separation settlement. Or as Bolingbroke reputedlyhadfinancial problems he may have been considering a sale of the estate.It seemsDiana Spencer was awarded £800 per year from the estates ofBolingbroke, aconsiderable sum at the time and different sources will value itdifferentlybut £1 in 1750 may be equivalent to £180 to£240 today. So Ms. Spencermay havebeen receiving the equivalent of about £144k to£190k p.a.Bolingbrokehad earlier in 1763 sold the Battersea parts of the St. John estates tothe Spencerfamily.

Acatalogue description of the Act:Copy of an act to dissolve the marriage of Frederick, LordViscountBolingbroke, with Lady Diana Spencer, his now wife,andto enablehim to marry again, and for other purposes therein mentioned. LadyDiana Spencerto receive £800 p.a. from the estates conveyed to theViscount on hermarriage,for the rest of her life.

Thisbook available online has a goodaccount of the divorce.

"DrJohnson'sFriend and Robert Adam's Client Topham Beauclerk". Somereferences describeBeauclerk as as much of a ‘cad’ as Bolingbroke,being an abusivehusband withquestionable cleanliness.

1768 – Is also the year in which John Cator first stands forparliamentatGloucester but is defeated.

1768- Village; March; Lease forfurther term of 14 years 1) Richard Henry Alexander Benet, Amy Burrell,PeterBurrell 2) Stephen Cazalet. 6 closes (names given) and 2a in Beckenham.

Closesare usually low status dwellingsprobably sub-let to several tenants such as labourers.

Leasesfor terms of 7 and 14 years 1) Richard Henry Alexander Benet of StJames Street, esq, Amy Burrell and Peter Burrell, esq, her son 2)Stephen Cazalet of London, broker. Newly erected messuage,appurtenances and land, in Beckenham, Kent, late in tenancy of TobiasFrere, esq, then of Dudley Baxter, esq, now of said Richard Benet, esq.Schedule of property appended(24 Mar 1768)

1769- John Cator was certainly livingat Beckenham Place in 1769 for his house is clearly marked on a mappublishedby Andrews, Drury & Herbert in that year. He may well have cometolivehere soon after his marriage in 1753 but now we know from Collinsonthat hecertainly built a house by 1762. Peter Collinson writes to BenjaminFranklinabout being on the eve of his daughters wedding 12th August 1753. JohnCator retainedproperty at Bankside, Southwark near his business until 1794. TheAndrews mapshows a building with a rounded bay at the rear as is the constructionof themansion but no projecting portico at this time nor a lake in thegrounds. Thescale prevents much detail being drawn but the record of otherlandowners isinteresting and a clue to further investigations at various archives.The mapdoes appear to be inaccurate is some respects and also similar to theearlierRocque map. I guess the scale and accuracy are far below what was laterachieved by the Ordnance Survey.

The Rocque map is further below for comparison and as the roadalignment isalmost the same on both maps 'it may be' that Rocque shows buildingseitherside of the road on or near the site of the mansion prior to the1760/62 dateof the building of the mansion. Investigation of the land around andoppositethe mansion, under the current car park, might reveal some remains.Speculationprobably based on these maps has been that the mansion is on the siteof aprevious building or is an alteration of it. If Cator bought anexisting'messuage' of buildings and land he may either have demolished andrebuilt in afashionable design or altered the building. We may never know the fullstory.

1769Andrews and Drury

1745Rocque

1769- Thayers Farm; is shown as Nottelly's Farm on the Andrews map but thisis derived from the ownership under Thomas Motley as per his 1735 mapand his occupation of Thanyer's Old Farm at that date.AlthoughMotley died in 1757 it seems his name corrupted to Nottelly has beenused on the Andrews map. Motley's property descended to his son in lawFrancis Austin and grandson Francis Motley Austen. (1735/6 and ElmersEnd Farms)

1769– Foxgrove; Amy Burrell purchasessole interest in Foxgrove and other properties in Beckenham, Hayes andBromleypurchased by her brother Jones Raymond (d1768) and bequeathed inmoieties underhis will 24 Jan 1769Lincolnshire Archives,Ref. 7ANC3/2/5-6

Amy'sbrother Jones Raymond had beenthe sole male heir to his father Hugh Raymond's estates "in tail". Hersisters who would be beneficiaries under Jones Raymond's will have allpre-deceased him leaving Amy and the children of her sister Bridget byWilliamGlanville are the surviving heirs especially as her husband PeterBurrell hadalready died. Jones Raymond dies in 1768 but his will was written in1738 soseveral things have happened to beneficiaries in the interim years.Severalbeneficiaries are anotated as 'dead' on the probated will. Jones makessomeprovision for his sister Bridget married to Glanville determining thatincomefrom a trust shall not be for the benefit of Glanville and only for hissisterwhich implies some mistrust or dislike for Glanville. However, they aredead by1768. In Jones will he makes provision for a "Mrs Joanna Shelton nowJones" who would seem to be related to Jones Raymond's mother DynahJones's family but these are only monetary bequests not involving anyrealestate.

Atthis time Amy also repurchases thehouse at Saling in Essex which was her father’s and seems tohold somespecialattraction for her.

1769/70– Viscount Bolingbroke leasesthe Manor of Beckenham to Mrs Margaret Hare which will present JohnCator withdifficulties later on when he ‘buys’ the estate in1773 withoutBolingbrokerevealing his prior leasing of the estate. Some effect of this mayimpact theparts of Foxgrove Manor identified as belonging to Bolingbroke on the1766 and1776 plans. Mrs Hare pays Bolingbroke £3000 and expects rentsin returnof £500per annum. Bolingbroke apparently makes one payment but then omits topay furtherinstalments. We used to call that ‘dodgy’.

1770– Southend, Lewisham; The millpond described as at SouthendGreenuntil the green was enclosed in 1810 (Proceedings of LewishamAntiquarianSociety)

1770- Elmers End?; Thomas Motley, nephew of Thomas Motley who held ElmersEnd Farms, Thayers Farm and The Mead/Mansion House in Beckenham. Nephewdied in 1770 and is buried at St. George's. Thomas Motley the uncle hadleft either Elmers End farm or another 'near Bygroves' on lease to thenephew for his lifetime or 21 years. The nephew is also described inparish register and other records as having been captain of The LondonEast India ship which had been built for Sir Charles Raymond. Thisfurther cements contacts between the Motleys and Raymonds. ThomasMotley the uncle had earlier acquired parts of Elmers End and ThayersFarm from Hugh Raymond's Simpson's Place estate.

1770/71- Peter Burrell III acquiressome land in Whitehall to build a house later named Gwydir House by hisson,also named Peter who would become Lord Gwydir.

1772/80- John Cator is elected MP forWallingford. This will be his longest period in the House of Commons (Historyof Parliamentonline)

1773– John Cator purchases the Manorof Beckenham from Frederick St.John, Lord (Viscount) Bolingbroke whohadinherited the estate and Bolingbroke title in 1749/51 from his uncle.Thepurchase price was £19,688 and Cator transfers South Seaannuities tothatvalue to Bolingbroke and his trustees. Bolingbroke signs over theannuities ordividends from the South Sea Stock to a Mr. Boldero, maybe to pay offother debts?

Thispurchase of the Lordship of theManor of Beckenham in 1773 from Lord Bolingbroke confused the date ofJohnCator coming to live in the area and the date of Beckenham Place formany yearswith many references still citing 1773 as the date of the buildingwhich was infact in 1760. Perhaps Cator related the date of 1773 to Hasted for hisHistoryof Kent as he wanted to be more closely associated with his new found‘lord ofthe manor’ status than his earlier‘landlord’ status from 1760.

John’shouse at Stumps Hill wasadjacent to the Beckenham Manor lands and this may be the date when hedecidesto refer to his house as the mansion or Place since the old manor houseinBeckenham was never in his ownership. I presume that from map evidencethat includedin the sale, Bolingbroke land in Foxgrove Manor was also acquired byCator.Bolingbroke also had property around Kelsey and Langley which also cametoCator as part of the purchase and may have included land up to what isnowCrystal Palace which is shown on the Beckenham Manor map of 1768. Wehave tocompare the whole of the 1766 Foxgrove Manor plan which also coversKelsey andLangley though in little detail and the 1768 Beckenham Manor plan withthe 1780Burrell plan which shows a lot of property in the name of Cator whichhad beenBolingbroke’s. The earlier 1735/36 maps of Kelsey and ElmersEndprovidefurther detail of what was Burrell and St.John property as well asThomasMotley’s Elmers End farms etc.

Itmay be that Cator altered theBeckenham Place building at this date but no definitive evidence hasemerged.Cator obviously occupied and had effective ownership of some of thelandsurrounding his home long before this and indeed did not acquire fullownershipof the Manor of Foxgrove until 1793 in a land rationalisation deal withhisthen neighbour Peter Burrell III (Lord Gwydyr 1754-1820). That is notto beconfused with the Private Act recorded in parliamentary archivesdescribes someland exchanges in 1759 with the Peter Burrell who was Lord Gwydyr'sgrandfather. However, the land exchanges significantly altered theboundariesof all these estates and unravelled much of the mingled propertieswhich hadexisted in the early 18^th C.

Thepurchase of land from Bolingbrokewas less than straightforward as subsequent court cases in Chancery andKingsBench demonstrate which involved the transfer of land and obligationsto thirdparties i.e. Bolingbroke’s wife Diana Spencer had rights toincome fromtheestate for her use. Mrs Margaret Hare had lien on part of the lands asBolingbroke had leased the estate to her for £3000 on thebasis hewould rentit back for £500 per annum presumably so that he could raisesomefunds.However, he only paid her one years rent and defaulted on the rest.(see Internetsearches). 'Hare' is shown as the owner of some fields on variousestate plansoutside of the park area. Another subsequent court case in 1780 wasbetween oneGoodright who was a lessee of Mrs Margaret Hare and Cator. Cator didnotacquire full occupancy and control of Beckenham Manor until 1780.Presumablythe problems with the occupation of the land did not affectCator’sright to becalled ‘Lord of the Manor’ but that is unclear.Bolingbroke's reasonforselling the land seems to be related to the dissolution of his marriageto hiswife Lady Diana and his financial problems from his dissolutelifestyle. He hada reputation for gambling and general excess. He also sold familyestates inBattersea to the Spencer family around this time.

Thereare some similarities in theobligations of landowners in that the Wills of their forebears specifylimitations on the disposal of property in that if land is sold itshould bereplaced by other property for the same uses. This is the motivationfor thevarious Acts of Parliament to permit what are effectively changes tothe termsof Wills. (This is my amateur view having looked at some of the courtrecordsand Acts).

MrsMargaret Hare sues Cator for herright to rents from land. Cator sues some of the trustees ie LordPembroke. See1780 and 1787 for some more information.

Sowhen Cator bought the BeckenhamManor estate it seems not knowing that other parties had some 'lien' oneitherland or income from land as Bolingbroke did not reveal it to him. Thedetailsin case records are complex and in legal jargon but make someinterestingreading. It seems the cases dragged on until about 1787 with Catorseekingrecompense from Bolingbroke’s trustees. Perhaps a lawyer mayoffer us asimplified summary of the related cases concerning Mrs Hare, Boldero,Cator andBolingbroke. In any case the various land transfers, purchases, andpresumablymanagement of the estates took up much of Cator's time.

Thefollowing is an extract from:

"Reportsof Cases Argued andDetermined in the High Court of Chancery ..., Volume 2"

Thisextract from 'The Law Library -published 1841 indicates that Bolingbroke may have been fraudulant inthe saleof the estate....

Thereis a certain irony here in thatBolingbroke was not censured or prosecuted for his deceit while pettyfelonswere being transported or hanged for crimes involving much lessmonetary value.

1774-Stumps Hill, Cator;11Jul 1774 Saunders Newsletter Dublin carried an article describing "There is at this present time a cucumber growing in Mr. Cater's gardenat Stamps Hill (sic) near Bromley in Kent which measures fourfeet in length and only in diameter four inches."

1774- Village Place/The Ridge; Lease from Barnard Gregory ofLondon, gentleman; George Jones of Newbury, Berkshire, gentleman; andBerryOsgood of Barnstaple, Devon, gentleman to William Devisme of a capitalmessuagebuilt at the costs of William Davies on 1 1/2 acres of land and landsknown asthe Ridge in Beckenham, Kent, along with a seat of gallery in BeckenhamChurchand a parcel of meadow ground in Beckenham for a year at the annualrent of apeppercorn. (1 membrane)
Release is between Gregory (1st part); Jones (2nd part); Osgood (3rdpart) andDevisme (4th part). In consideration of the sum of £700 paidby Devisme toJones in discharge of interest and in the further sum of£1400 paid by Devismeto Osgood, the 1st three parties bargain and sell the property toDevisme tohold forever. Osgood also bargains and sells 3 messuages in the HighStreet,Beckenham to Devisme to hold forever. Includes a map of the properties.9/10February (BHC853/1/1/1/33)

1775– June, Mrs Thrale mentions Catorin a letter to Dr. Johnson. They apparently were on a river triptogether inbarges. Although this account is primarily about the evolution ofBeckenham, BeckenhamPlace Park and other estates this is as good a place as any to put someanecdotes about Cator. Samuel Johnson described his as rough and manly,independent understanding and does not spoil it by complaisance. HesterThralemarked very low on several social aspects but her husband appointed himjointexecutor of his will, guardian of his children and had several businessandsocial associations with him.

FannyBurney had little regard for himit seems, considering him to be an incessant talker on any subject andobserving the following.

However,delving into the writings ofFanny Burney, Hester Thrale/Piozzi and even Samuel Johnson reveals apreoccupation with trivia and to me seems to show people with too muchtime ontheir hands, obsessed with social standing. Even so, we are left withonlythird party opinions of Cator who was by all accounts just doing whatmany ofhis contemporaries were doing then and is true today, guarding theirownfortunes.

1775- Peter Burrell III dies, son ofAmy Burrell she outlives him and the estates eventually pass to hergrandson,yes, another Peter Burrell, the fourth, whowill become Baron Gwydyr. Peter IV isbrother of Amy and William. This may be the motivation for the 1776FoxgroveManor map. His will leaves possession for life to his wife and son inlaw HenryAlexander Bennett of property at Kelsey and Whitehall which reverts tohis son,Peter Burrell IV.

1776– American Colonies declare independence, War of Independence.

1776 - Kent House: JohnGreene Lethieullier,esq. alienated it, in 1776, to Thomas Lucas, of Lee, in this county,esq. whodied possessed of it in 1784, leaving his widow surviving, whor*-marrying JohnJulius Angerstein, of Charlton, esq. he is, in her right, at this timepossessed of it." (Hasted). John Green Lethieullier dies in1779

1776– (circa?); Langley; Langley mansion waslargely rebuilt in 1776 which is the date of the engraving in Hasted.Some ofthe out-buildings are described as being very old the most noticeablebeing theold tennis court (used as a cowhouse) and a barn with massive timbers.Apparently there was until about 1840 a wooden footbridge connectingLangleywith Eden Park (across either the new road or river Beck/Hawksbrook?).Source;R.Borrowman 1910.

Thedescription of old buildings, one being atennis court used as a cow house implies a Tudor ‘OldTennis’ courtafter thefashion of Hamptons Courts? This lends some support to speculation thatLangleyhad been a substantial Tudor Mansion perhaps dating to circa 1529.

1776– John Cator is recorded as beingat number 5 John Street, a development of apartments near The Strandbuilt bythe Adam brothers as part of the Adelphi development on:
www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol18/pt2/pp131-137#h3-0007

From1776 to 1782 and number 7 AdelphiTerrace from 1782 to 1806. He would have desired a town residence forhisbusiness and political career now that he was an MP. Other residents intheAdelphi were the Adam brothers themselves and Garrick the actor thoughGarrickdied in 1779 at number 5 Adelphi Terrace his association with Cator istenuousif not unlikely. Cator died there in 1806 and his apartment was left tohisheir John Barwell Cator.

TheCator house at Bankside, Southwarkwas old by this time and perhaps not up to the standards which Catorwasbecoming used to. “The House by the Thames” byGillian Tindalldescribes number49 Bankside which the Cators occupied at one time. It was near theMould StrandWharf timber business. Possibly Cator was managing the timber businessat armslength by this time.

TheAdelphi

1776– The Foxgrove Manor plan isredrawn by John Sale from several plans (in British Library). It showstherewas no change in Cator's holdings in the park area but does show he hasacquired some land in Beckenham Village. The map under '1766' is thisversionbut as said is easier to read. There is no legend describing Raymond orBurrellownership but I believe the yellow outlined areas are still (Amy)Burrellproperty. Other plans of Langley Park of 1780 show his holdings wereconsiderable but widespread from Bromley to Elmers End and West Wickhamandintermingled with the Burrell's lands.

Althoughthe fields annotated LdBolingbroke or Ld St.John are still named that way I believe they havepassedto Cator with the Manor of Beckenham 1773 sale but maybe theoutstanding courtcases and lease to Margaret Hare are preventing the full transfer ofproperty?One piece of evidence is the field named Lord Bolingbroke next to PillCroftswhich is identified as John Cator’s on the 1777 plan shownunder ‘1777’.

Courtesyof theBritish Library ©

1777- In thie following estate plan of1777 below, the plots called Pill Crofts and Hop Ground (or part of it)arebelonging to Mrs. (Amy) Burrell so we might assume that Cator hadMorrisswoodeast and west and maybe part of the hop ground. If these plansaccompanied anexchange it demonstrates that Cator did not own all of the park areauntil 1777or later. He is shown as owning land surrounding Mrs. Burrell's.Similarly aplan also of 1777 of some fields belonging to John Cator in the LangleyParkarea is made. Does this imply some exchange of land at this date asCator andthe Burrells reorganize their estates.

Thenwe have to ask how the 1793exchanges between Cator and Burrell affected holdings or indeed whetheranyother exchanges took place of which we are not yet aware.

Reproducedby kindpermission of the British Library © Shelfmark(s): CartographicItemsMaps188.k.3.(3.)

Someof the field boundaries in thesemaps are still visible in the landscape on aerial photo maps such asGoogleEarth and Bing. The tree lined boundary is I believe the route of thestreamand some trees may still be in the landscape, particularly one near thesouthern boundary of the park on the stream/ditch line. However,re-landscapingunder the 2018 ‘restoration’ may destroy or burysuch features.

Theearlier map published by JohnRocque in 1745 does not show the hop field, but depicts a continuousstretch ofwoodland called Langstead Wood stretching all the way to theRavensbourne. Thehop field may have been created between 1748 and 1766, but Rocque's mapis nothighly detailed being of a scale of about 1 inch to the mile. The twolatermaps of 1766 and 1776 are probably accurate as traces of the featuresdepictedon them can still be seen on modern ordnance survey maps. By the timeof thisplan below of 1777 the Amy Burrell holding is surrounded almost by JohnCator'sland. The top boundary of Hop Garden, Pill Croft and part of LangroveField isI believe the original course of the stream which supplied Cator'slake. The streamwas later straightened and buried in a pipe perhaps to extend parts ofthe golfcourse.

Title lozenges from the two estate plans of 1777 (BritishLibrary©)

1777– Kent House, Clockhouse, part ofPenge etc. The Lethieulliers had acquired Kent House and a lot of otherproperty in Lewisham, Sydenham, Bromley, Wickham and Lee by Sir JohnLethieullier circa 1709 from John Reynolds. Although the Lethieulliersweresaid to reside at Kent House at least one Lethieullier, Manning said inhiswill that Kent House was occupied by a Mr Bolt. As they owned suchpropertiesas the Manor House at Lee its possible that, as the press cutting belowsays,much of the property was leased. Some land at Penge was leased to HenryBattand the properties were an investment by the Lethieulliers to generaterentalincome as described in the press advertisem*nt. The Wills of members ofthefamily describe how family members may choose to reside in a selectionofproperties. We suspect that Sameul Lethieullier and his wife then widowSarahwho remarried Stephen Holland and was widowed again lived at ClockHouse butdescriptions are vague. The archive material of the Lethieullierpropertyindicates it was purchased by Thomas Lucas in 1777/78 who’swifeElizabethmarried John Julius Angerstein in 1785, who hence acquired the estates.Although Admiral Sir Piercy Brett was said to own Clockhouse prior toJosephCator acquiring it in 1782 we have no confirmatory evidence andBrett’swilldoes not mention Clock House but does mention other properties.

KentishGazette 26^th October1776

TheLady aged 55 sounds like SarahHolland widow of Samuel Lethieullier and nee Painter born in 1712 died1779.

1777- KentHouse Farm; passes from the Lethieulliers to Thomas Lucas. Indentureregardingtitle Ref; A62/6/61 Lewisham Archive; within this bundle an apparenttransfersof ownership of Kent House from 1691. See other dates in the timeline.

Leaseandrelease dated 25 and 26 March 1778 between John Green Lethieullier andSusannahhis wife, William Octber, John Seaber, Robt. Morphett, Thomas Symonds,ThomHearden, George Jennett, John Kilvington, John Harrison and ThomasLucas and arecovery of part of premises Trinity Term, 18 Geo.III.

ThomasLucas devises property to his widow Elizabeth, who remarries JohnJuliusAngerstein. John Beach, Thomas Plummer and Joseph Paice trustees.

LewishamArchivesA/62/6/61Indenture regarding title to Kent House Farm.Anne Loveday,JonathanBrundrett, AlexanderBaring, Sir Thomas Baring, John Cator,WilliamCator, Bertie Cornelius Cator & JohnFoakes.

Agreementsdetails 27 August 1691between JohnSmallbone & Mary his wife &BenjaminHodgekins;Act 5 & 6 Ann to rectify mistake inmarriagesettlement ofWilliamPeck partitioningbetween William Pierrepoint & Hon.CharlesEgerton, through which inheritancebecameabsolutelyvestedin John Reynolds.

Indenture6December 1706 betweenJohn Reynolds,Lancelot Stephens, Edward Corbett,WilliamPeereWilliams, William Williams; (Mortgage)Lease & release6, 7April 1709between JohnReynolds & Sir John Lethieullier;Assignmentsamedate, John Reynolds William PeereWilliams, William Williams,SirJohnLethieullierSamuel Lethieullier & John LethieullierLease&release25 & 26 March 1778 John GreenLethieullier &Susannah hiswife,William Octber,John Seaber, Robert Morphett, ThomasSymonds,ThomHearden, George Jennett, John Kilvington,John Harrison&Thomas Lucas& recovery ofpart of premises Trinity Term, 18 GeorgeIII.(1777)Thomas Lucas devises property towidowElizabethremarriedJohn Julius Angerstein. JohnBeach, Thomas Plummer &JosephPaicetrustees. Bargain & Sale 17 February1797JosephPaice,Thomas Plummer, Sir FrancisBaring, Alexander Baring &CharlesWall.Detailsof wills, dates of death, etc. ofElizabethAngerstein, SirFrancis Baring, Charles Wall JohnCator, Bridget Cator,ElizabethScott,GeorgeSparkes. Act 6 Geo IV enables John Cator (1825)tograntbuilding leases. Details of dates of death,wills etc. ofSamuelLethieullier, WilliamLethieullier, Mary Tooke, Sarah Loveday,DameAnne Hopkins, John Loveday, JohnLethieullier,SmartLethieullier, Charles Lethieullier, ElizabethLethieullier(marriage toJohn Goodere), MaryHulse, who died in testate. Letters ofAdmon.toJonathan Brundrett. Indenture of Lease &release26& 27July 1828, Alexander Baring, Sir ThomasBaring, John Cator,William Cator& Bertie C.Cator in trust for Ann Loveday &John.Brundrett.Details of Kent House Farm & PengeCommon,fieldnames, acreages and tenants names.18 August 1829

1777- TNARYCH/1025 Lease byHenry Thrale of the Borough of Southwark to Samuel Johnson of theparish ofSaint Dunstan in the West, London, Doctor of Laws, and John Cator ofBeckenham,for one year Sept. 27, 1777 Held by: ManchesterUniversity: University of Manchester Library,notavailable at The National Archives. And
Indenture between Henry Thrale, of the Borough of Southwark, and HesterLynchThrale, his wife, of the one part, and Samuel Johnson of the parish ofSaintDunstan in the West, London, Doctor of Laws, and John Cator ofBeckenham of theother part, relating to the settlement of an estate purchased from SirRobertSalusbury Cotton (TNA)

1778– Edward Hastedpublishes the first edition of his Topography and History of Kent nowavailableon Google Books. The entry for Beckenham and its constituent estateshasseveral updates or changes between the first and second edition in1798. Weshould repeat here that several differences or errors appear in botheditionsof Hasted compared to the evidence which we have researched. Oneexample,perhaps a printing error, states Jones Raymond died in 1738 instead of1768.However, Hasted’s work and Philipot’s before himare still interestingreadsand provided us with a good starting point.

1778- Bayly's Print of the mansion isreproduced in Hasted’s History. It shows a villa with viewsof a lakebut noevidence of the portico which is constructed with materials fromWricklemarshat a later date. If the portico had been there it would have protrudedto theleft of this aspect. The house originally had no attic dormer windows.Theinternal staircase shows that the attic rooms were a later alteration,possiblymid to late 19th century. As Cator had acquired Wricklemarsh in 1783it'spossible that demolition material was brought to Beckenham Place toclad thered brick building with portland stone by this time. The lack of animage ofthe original house on Stumps Hill is frustrating.

Thisimage is the first evidence of anornamental lake and as it is not geographically or architecturallyaccurate maybe regarded as schematic or an impression. The closure of LangsteadLane in1785 which would have passed through the lake bed enabled the siting ofthelake in this position and the stream from the south of the park was itssourceof water. The various maps show water from springs and ponds and insome casesfrom the moat of Foxgrove Farm. In recent years the stream has becomeprogressively dry due to phases of building redevelopment aroundFoxgrove andWestgate Roads. As the print shows a lake and predates the roaddiversion thereis a possibility that a lake was installed and Langstead Lane may havebeendiverted or perhaps the initial lake was smaller. It appears that thelakedesign was also later changed by John Barwell Cator after 1806.

1778 – Cator proposes anamendment to theInsolvent DebtorsAct in Parliament. The amendment appears to be in his own interests asitconcerns persons indebted to him in his business affairs.

FannyBurney writes a letter describingMary Cator as a Mrs Nobody, but I have little faith in Burney'scharacterisations which are based upon class distinctions of the time. https://new.artsmia.org/stories/botanomania-and-the-secret-history-of-women-plant-collectors/

1779– Kelsey; Counterpart lease for 60years 1) Peter Burrell 2) Richard Henry Alexander Bennet. Messuagecalled theGattons and messuage called the Flint House, and land, 150a, containingtheStone field, the Downe field, Barn field, German field, Pidgeonhousefield,Longlands, Little Longlands, Gattons, Temple Obelisk, Putlands, TwoClampfields, Grove Lee, Grove and Crabtree Hillfield, andappurtenances,excepting messuage called Kelseys while said Peter Burrell (d.1775) orhismother (Amy d.1789) shall live, timber and rights of way, in Beckenham,Kent.[See 257/13/2, loose item] (Surrey Archive).

Thislease clarifies to some extent theoccupation of Bennet in relation to Kelsey Mansion still held by AmyBurrellalthough Amy Burrell is said to live at Langley circa 1769 she retainsaccessto these properties and others in Essex and Westminster.Benet’s wifeis AmyBurrell’s granddaughter and she has great grandchildren bythis time.Severalof the fields named are traced on the Burrell Kelsey map of 1735.

1779– Clockhouse? July burial of SarahHolland widow of Stephen Holland and her first husband SamuelLethieullier hadbeen living at Clockhouse. Her will leaves “house inBeckenham”believed to beClockhouse and other properties in Tottenham and Essex to the ReverendErasmusWarren Rector of Hampstead. Although no evidence has come to light IbelieveWarren leased Clockhouse to Piercy Brett and then sold it to JosephCator.Brett’s will in 1781 does not mention Clockhouse. A 1769 mapshows “MrsHolland” resident at Clockhouse but whether in fact shestayed thereuntil herdeath isn’t clear. Nevertheless, we take it that Brett couldnot havebeen inClockhouse for more than 10 years. Erasmus Warren is defyinginvestigation tofind any relationship to Sarah either as uncle, cousin etc.

1780– Regarding the Cator Coat ofArms, Pat Manning writes “The interest in this line (tracingCatorfamilyhistory) lies in the fact that the brothers John and Joseph Cator usedtheWilliam Cater arms to produce their own designs in about 1780,including thaton the pediment of Beckenham Place. Their brother William also had armsengraved on silver plate such as a chased coffeepot held atWoodbastwick. Thismay be no more than the widespread abuse of heraldry that was common inthe18th and 19^th centuries. It was aided by thepublication ofworkslike Joseph Edmondson’s “CompleteHeraldry” of 1780 in which is listedthe armsof Cater recorded at the Visitation of Berkshire in 1566.”

1780– A Map of the “Burrell” estatessouth of Beckenham, Kelsey to Langley Park area: Perhaps earlier butapparentlydivided to reflect the exchange of property in 1793 - In the BritishLibrary,part of which is missing, illustrates how Cator's and Burrell'spossessions arevery mixed. I suspect the map was divided as part of the 1793 exchangeswithBurrell retaining this half as it relates to property they acquired andCatorobtaining the other half though the ‘other half’hasn’t surfaced...yet.Subsequentmaps of the Burrell estate dated 1809 and the Cator estate dated 1833show thedisentangled Burrell and Cator estates but other landlords still havesignificant properties. New roads are drawn on as if planned but notyetinstalled.

1780part of an incomplete plan showing parts of Langley Parketc.,(British Library©)

BritishLibrarycatalogue Title: [Part of a large map of estates belonging to PeterBurrell andto other members of his family in the parish of Beckenham, surveyedabout 1780.Mutilated, wanting the title and scale and all the north-western andsoutheastern parts of the map]

Subjects:BECKENHAM, Kent (Parish) --Estates - -- Maps and charts -->
Publication Details: [1780?]
Identifier: System number 004801191
Physical Description: 1016 x 1350 mm.
Shelfmark(s): Cartographic Items Maps * 3065.(50.)

TheCator properties are extensive tothe south of Beckenham village but the subsequent estate maps of theearly 19thcentury show that the Burrells owned most land to the south of thevillage andthe Cators the land mainly to the north following exchanges in 1793.Whetherthis plan forms the basis for land exchanges is not confirmed but itdoes givean insight into the complexity of property ownership. The question markoverthe date of this map could mean it relates to 1777 plans and exchangesbut thatis unconfirmed. What is surprising is the amount of land Cator heldvery nearLangley and Kelsey and the question remains as to how he acquired it.Theaccounts of Philipott and Hasted refer to the Leigh family andstrangely wefind that Cator acquired property near Leigh in Kent and at Addingtonwhich isalso linked to the Leigh family. So whether Cator the younger or Catortheelder acquired those properties earlier than we know is still apossibility.

Thenames of Burrell,Cator, Hare, Lethieulier can be identified as landowners and severalleaseholders names are shown. The Cator lands will become subject tolandexchanges. These plans are tantalising glimpses into the landowningsituation.

Thismap has draftedoutlines of road diversions and may relate to 1768 road diversionsrecorded atKent Archive, see 1768. If so this may mean the map is earlier? The mapraisesseveral questions regarding ownership and names. What becomes LangleyFarm isnext to a field named Cuts Croft and surrounded by Cator andLethieullier land.The Burrells diverted roads in stages, firstly a small diversion awayfrom thehouse at Langley Place and subsequently putting a new road to the routeof whatis now South Eden Park Road.

Below,Stone Farm(right hand side of image) although called Barnfield House owned byJohn Cator, the site boundedby theneighbouring ‘Kelseys’ belonging to the Burrells.(British Library©)

1779- Kelsey Park; lease from PeterBurrell IV to R.H.A.Bennet who had married his sister Elizabeth AmeliaBurrellin 1766. Counterpart lease for 60 years, Surrey Archive 257/13/11
1) Peter Burrell
2) Richard Henry Alexander Bennet. Messuage called the Gattons andmessuagecalled the Flint House, and land, 150a, containing the Stone field, theDownefield, Barn field, German field, Pidgeonhouse field, Longlands, LittleLonglands, Gattons, Temple Obelisk, Putlands, Two Clampfields, GroveLee, Groveand Crabtree Hillfield, and appurtenances, excepting messuage calledKelseyswhile said Peter Burrell or his mother shall live, timber and rights ofway,inBeckenham, Kent.12 Oct 1779

1780– John Cator’s brother Josephmarries Diana Bertie in Calcutta. He is 47 and John Barwell Cator isborn thefollowing year. There is some evidence that Joseph had married a SarahVillersin 1753 but it may have been a different Joseph Cator. (recorded inclandestinemarriages register for Spittlefield) (Berties ancestry https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/c3844fd3/files/uploaded/2001%20March.pdf)

Alsoin 1780 the court case is heardbetween John Cator and Mrs Margaret Hare concerning Cator’sright tothe Manorof Beckenham. Bolingbroke and his trustees had sold the Manor to Catorwithoutrevealing that it had already been leased to Mrs Hare and others. Catorcompensates Mrs Hare to retain his right to the estate. He later seeksrecompense from Bolingbroke’s trustees. See 1787.

Itmay be, I suspect, that althoughCator bought the Manor of Beckenham from Bolingbroke and it probablyincludedBolingbroke’s parts of Foxgrove Manor and elsewhere so thatCator didnot havesole rights over the property until this year in which his compensationof MrsMargaret Hare does give him full ownership.

1780(circa) - Richard Hoare owns landin Beckenhamand leases it to his brother Harry. We have arecordof JohnCator suffering a shooting accident on the land of Hoare fromnewspapers of thetime. Harry Hoare also acquires an appartment at the Adelphi being aneighbourof Cator and other noteworthies like Garrick. We have no directevidence ofCator socializing with Garrick but Hoare sends his doctor to treatCator afterthe shooting accident. For Hoare see https://www.hoaresbank.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/brochure/brochure_files/Through%20the%20Years%20Vol2.pdf

Itis tempting to assume some business connection between Cator andHenry Hoare but no evidence has emerged so far.

1780- HarrietAnn Naylor is a sponsor for Peter Cator at his baptism in 1796see KentOPC. Daughter of North Naylor d1780 Calcutta. Joseph Cator wasatrustee and exor of his will. Baptised July 1780 Calcutta.

NorthNaylor married Annie Bertie sister of Albemarle Bertie & DianaBertie 1778in Calcutta. He died Aug 1782 leaving just Harriet Ann.See https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Memoirs_of_Sir_Elijah_Impey_Knt_First_Ch/0sL0KiPqWvkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq="joseph+cator"&pg=PA194&printsec=frontcover

..foradescription of Joseph Cator’s involvement in caring for NorthNaylor’sdaughter.

Thisalsoties together the Burrells & Cators

1780–William Cator marries Sarah Morse and Joseph Cator marries DianaBertie, bothmarriages take place in Calcutta.

1781- John Cator is High Sheriff of Kent, a position appointed eachyear from March.

JohnCator - Portraitby Joshua Reynolds

Thisportrait wouldhave been in the round plaster border over the fireplace in the southfacingroom. It is supposed to be now at Woodbastwick in Norfolk. The plastersurroundis approximately 36 inches diameter and the picture is described asabout thesame size in a catalogue of Reynolds paintings.

1781- Carl von Linnethe younger, the son of Carl Linnaeus, comes to London. There is noevidence tosay whether this is the Linnaeus who might have met John Cator but asCarljunior did meet Joseph Banks, Solander and others who knew PeterCollinson thenthere is a potential link. Carl contracted an illness which killed himon hisreturn to Sweden in 1783. It is recorded as jaundice. See LinnaeanSociety andWikipedia entries. If this is the Carl von Linne who met Cator then itsunlikely he had anything to do with estate planting as Cator had beenat StumpsHill for about 20 years.

1781– 4^thApril, Henry Thrale dies, husband of Hester Thrale. The association ofCatorwith the Thrales is one of the few sources we have into JohnCator’spersonality. Henry Thrale is listed on History of Parliament as MP forSouthwark 1765-80 with some interesting detail of his life.

1781 – Admiral Sir Piercy Brett is buried at St.George’s on the 25th October, apparently dying at Clockhouse. From piecemeal details it appears that Brett probably leased Clockhouse as his will has no mention of Clockhouse or Beckenham property. 

His biography briefly is: 

Born 1710 son of Piercy Brett, ships master, in Stepney/Wapping.

Rose to lieutenant in the navy and part of George Anson’s fleet to the pacific to capture a Spanish treasure galleon. The capture of the galleon made Anson and members of his crews wealthy in different measures according to the prize money structure applied in the Navy. Anson promoted Brett to captain (1740-44)

1745 Captain of the Lion man of war engaged in battle with a ship escorting Bonny Prince Charlie, pretender to the throne.

1753 Commander of the Royal Caroline yacht – knighted

1754-74 MP for Queenborough

1756 Captain of the Carolina yacht & Cambridge man of war

1760 Colonel of the marines

1762 Rear Admiral of the red - headed a Meditterranean squadron

1766 Lord of the Admiralty (East India Company)

1769-1781 living Great Marlborough Street (Westminster rate books)

Jan 1770 resigned from the admiralty

Nov 1770 Vice Admiral of the White

1771 reinstated in former naval post (with others)

13 Oct 1781 died at Beckenham (Kentish Gazette) Admiral of the blue

25 Oct 1781 buried at St. Georges, his wife Henrietta buried with him in 1788 

Note the Westminster rate book have him at Great Marlborough St 1769-1781 although he is reported to have died at Beckenham in the papers.
Henrietta his wife died at Marlborough St. I would surmise that he had Beckenham as his country abode and so it was probably leased.
https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/brett-sir-piercy-1710-81

1782- WilliamEden, 1744-1814, leased land in Beckenhamfrom Peter Burrell in about 1782. source: Copeland and BeckenhamHistory. Thelease was extended in 1794. Prior to this date a house called Bune Gateisshown on the Andrews Drury map and later shown as a leased property onthe 1809Burrell estate map. Bune Gate derived its name from some fields calledBorngates on the 1735 Burrell Kelsey map. The name gets misspelt ormistranscribed as Barn gates on some documents. Eden Park or Farm is onlandwhich is part of the Kelsey property and not as part of Langley asstated insome sources.

1809Burrell Estate plan, courtesy of The British Library

EdenPark, Seat of Lord Auckland (William Eden) circa 1789

Paintedby Peter la Cave, French School artist working from 1789onwards

Title:"EDEN PARK, KENT, ;"

BritishLibrary shelfmark: Maps K.Top.17.35.

Placeof publication: [London]

Publisher: [W.Peaco*ck].,

Date of publication:[1812]

EdenFarm, formerly Burrell's Bune Gate as occupied by William Eden from1782 until his death in 1814 and then the lease taken over by his sonGeorge who may not have resided there as he was in India much of thetime but George's siblings probably resided there. Willima Eden'scareer also determined that he spent considerable time away on officialbusiness.

1782– John Cator is recorded as beingat number 5 John Street from 1776 to 1782 and number 7 Adelphi Terracefrom1782 to 1806. He would have desired a town residence for his businessandpolitical career. Other residents in the Adelphi were the Adam brothersthemselvesand Garrick the actor though Garrick died in 1779 at number 5 AdelphiTerracehis association with Cator is tenuous if not unlikely. The Adambrothers hadmoved to Robert Street in 1778 and any connection with Cator is unknownthoughhe may have been influenced by the fashion for their work. Cator diedthere in1806 and his apartment was left to his heir John Barwell Cator who seemto havekept it as a town house for some time.

(source:www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol18/pt2/pp131-137#h3-0007)

1782- John Cator's brotherJoseph is in possession of the house and land at Clockhouse betweenBeckenhamand Penge according to the estate plan in Bromley Library HistoricCollections.Being a younger brother he had not it seems inherited a large estateand hadworked for the East India Company as secretary to Richard Barwell, awealthy‘nabob’ and factor (merchant). As Joseph hadmarried Diana Bertie inCalcutta in1780 it may be he was returning home with some amassed fortune. All ofJosephand Diana’s children were born at Clockhouse. John Cator andothermembers ofthe family were shareholders in the EIC. Records in the British Libraryandelsewhere beg investigation. It is remarkable how many local landownersandpoliticians had dealings with the East India Co. and it must beregarded as asource of some wealth. Chinaware, spices, silk and luxury items weretraded forBritish manufactures. During the 18th century the practices of the EICwerequestioned and investigated in parliament on several occasions but itis toocomplicated to relate it here. Joseph had worked and probably traded inthe FarEast. Naming his son 'John Barwell Cator' was both a reference to hisownfather, John Cator the elder and a reference to the Barwell family wholived inBenghal and were directors of the East India Company who were patronsof Josephand may have influenced his fortunes. Joseph had been in Jamaica in1763 at thetime of his father’s death. He acquired Clockhouse after thedeath in1781 ofSir Piercey Brett, Admiral of the Blue. Clockhouse is said to have beenbuiltaround 1720 for one of the Lethieullier family. Piercy Brett probablymovedthere after 1760 as his daughter was born in Buckinghamshire in 1753.He isrecorded on History of Parliament online as MP for Queenborough as SirPiercyBrett of Beckenham and his career posts were Lt. R.N. 1734; capt. 1743;r.-adm.1762; v.-adm. 1770; adm. 1778. Ld. of Admiralty Dec. 1766-Jan. 1770.His wifeHenrietta survived him, they are both buried at St. George’sBeckenham.Wedon’t know where in Beckenham his wife lived after 1781.

ClockhousebetweenBeckenham and Penge (looking towards Penge)

Part of the Clockhouse Estate plan (Penge off to the left, Beckenham totheright)

Courtesyof Beckenham History www.beckenhhamhistory.co.uk

Thisshows Clockhouse stables on the left with the Clock House adjacentto the horse and cart. Although captioned ‘The TechnicalInstitute’ itwouldbecome the site of the Technical Institute.

1783– John Cator is wounded in a shootingaccident;

1783– From the Ipswich Journal

And from the Stamford Mercury 13^th February

TheKentish Gazette reported on 12^thFebruary

1783- John Catorpurchases Wricklemarsh at Blackheath, the house and estate of GregoryPageTurner for £22,550. Some of the columns and windows came toBeckenhamPlace butthe date is uncertain. The large ground floor window is the same as atthesides of portico. Although some accounts say John began developing theWricklemarsh estate into what is now Cator Estate at Blackheath, somereassessment has re-dated most of the development process until laterafter1820 and at the instigation of Cator’s heir, John BarwellCator. AsJohnBarwell Cator generally used just ‘John Cator’ ashis name thenconfusion has occurredin several respects as to which ‘John’ carried outcertain developments.

TheOxford Journal reports on the 12^thApril. Note the reference “John Cator, of Stump’sHill” and the priceofWricklemarsh £22,550

However,theWikipedia entry for The Paragon, Blackheath states “RegencyarchitectMichaelSearles(1750–1813) was famous as anEnglishcommercialarchitect of large houses, particularly inLondon.His most notableachievement is perhaps The Paragon inBlackheath

Searleswas the sonof aGreenwichsurveyor,alsonamed Michael Searles (c. 1722-1799), who served (from 1765) assurveyortoMordenCollegeinBlackheath. Searles and his father formed an unofficial fatherand son partnership producing plans in and around Greenwich beforeSearlesjunior set up his own practice.

LandownerJohnCatorgranteddevelopment leases to Searles and builder William Dyer to design andbuild aseries of high quality dwellings, intended to appeal to upper middleclassbuyers, situated on the south-east side of Blackheath. Facing theheath, SouthRow and Montpelier Row were erected from 1794 to 1805.

Itsbelieved that therest of the Wricklemarsh Estate was leased mainly for agriculture untilthe1820’s

Thepillars of the portico along withseveral ornate windows from Wricklemarsh House at Blackheath were addedtoBeckenham Place when much remodelling was carried out but the date isdebatable. The Ordnance Survey surveyor’s preliminarysketches of 1799in theBritish Library clearly show a house at Beckenham Place without theporticoalthough the curved bay at the rear of the house and a stable block anda lakeare shown. It is thought that Beckenham Place was originally red brickbut thatlimestone ashlar covering came from Wricklemarsh along with the porticomasonry. This could have been prior to 1800 but the map evidence putsit indoubt and the potential for John Cator’s heir, John BarwellCator tohave carriedout alterations is a real possibility. W.H.Ireland’s Historyof Kentstatesthat John Barwell Cator carried out extensive improvements to BeckenhamPlace,possibly including extending the house, improving and extending thestables oradding outbuildings, altering the lake etc. I remain open to newevidenceregarding such changes.

This window from Beckenham Place Portico is the same as in the print ofWricklemarsh as well as other similarities in masonry

1783– Also in this year Cator sues forcompensation over his purchase of Beckenham Manor but is unsuccessfuldue tolegal precedents it seems. It would be necessary to write a separateaccount ofthe full proceedings from the beginnings when Bolingbroke leased theManor ofBeckenham to Mortimer and Hare in 1769 to fully understand thecirc*mstances.Cator finally gives up attempting to retrieve his costs from theprocess afteranother case in 1787. See 1773, 1780 and 1787. This extract partiallyshows howa complex trail of ‘where did the money go’prevented Cator fromretrieving hislosses.

HansWinthrop Mortimer is a co-lesseeof Beckenham Manor with Mrs Margaret Hare. There is a record of himbeingdischarged from the Fleet Prison which was a debtor’s prisonin 1793,1796 and1797. Also, a Hans Mortimer being a victim of a theft three timesbetween 1786and 1803 of six pairs of stockings, some windows and some lead. In eachcasethe thief was transported for seven years. He is also listed as aJustice ofthe Peace for Middlesex around that time. Several questions arise butof noreal involvement in the Park but an interesting minor connection.

TheEarls of Pembroke and Guilford were co-defendants in the casebrought by Cator as trustees of the Beckenham Manor estate withBolingbroke.The Earl of Guilford was the father of a Prime Minister, Lord Guilfordwholater inherited the title of Earl. Was Cator up against a hierarchicalbarrier?

1783/84– William Cator is portrayed with the Morse family inCalcuttain this painting attributed to this date.

TheMorse and Cator families by Johann Zoffany

1784 - Kent House: Thomas Lucas, of Lee, in this county, esq. diedpossessed ofit in 1784, leaving his widow surviving, who re-marrying John JuliusAngerstein, of Charlton, esq. he is, in her right, at this timepossessed ofit." (Hasted)

1784– In a letter of 15thAprilto Mrs. Thrale, John Cator is mentioned byDr. Johnson as being at a meeting of Johnson’s‘club’ with Metcalf andCrutchley who are MP’s for Horsham and mentions Cator ischosen ascandidatefor Ipswich. Cator is elected MP for Ipswich but unseated. The HistoryofParliament online describes John Cator's political career or in 'TheHouse ofCommons 1754-1790 by Lewis Namier and John Brooke' available as ane-book.Samuel Johnson dies on the 13thDecember1784.

Thedaughter of Henry and Hester Thralegenerally known as Queeney (Hester Maria) was staying with the Catorseither atBeckenham or at The Adelphi as John had been appointed a Guardian tothe threeThrale daughters. She was about 20 years old. The guardianship andCator’smanagement of Henry Thrales will caused much friction between HesterThrale andher new husband Gabriel Piozzi which continued almost untilCator’sdeath withseveral cases being brought before the Court of Chancery. (sources:Thralianaand Nat.Archive)

1784- Eden Park or Farm: George Eden,earl of Auckland, (born Aug. 25, 1784, Eden Farm, nearBeckenham,Kent,Eng.baptized atSt.George’s 20^th September —died Jan. 1, 1849, The Grange,nearAlresford, Hampshire),governor-generalofIndiafrom1836 to 1842, when he wasrecalled after his participation in British setbacks inAfghanistan.

Obituary,Evening Mail 3rdJanuary 1849

Hesucceeded to his father’s baroniesin 1814.Auckland,a member of theWhig Party, served as Board of Trade president and as first lord of theAdmiralty before being selected in 1835 by his friendLordMelbourne,the new Toryprimeminister,as governor-generalof India. He arrived in Calcutta (nowKolkata)in February 1836with instructions to gain for Britain the friendship of buffer statesbetweenIndia and Russia, because the latter was then expanding southeastward,withemissaries already in Afghanistan. Desiring expanded British trade andinfluence inCentralAsia,he sought acommercial treaty with the Afghan rulerDōstMoḥammad Khan.Hindered by Russianand Persian efforts there, Auckland replaced Dōst Moḥammad with hisrival,ShahShojāʿ,who then dependedstrongly on British support.

1785– Stumps Hill; John Cator has theroad diverted to the current Beckenham Hill, Southend Road route andalsocloses Langstead Lane between Southend Green and Clay Hill. The newroad is atfirst called Great Stumpshill Road. It is noteworthy that the pond inBeckenhamPlace Park we refer to as 'ancient' is clearly marked on the eighteenthcenturyroad diversion plan. The site of its farmhouse on the same side of theroad isnow mostly outside the park boundary and occupied by modern housing.

Courtesyof KentHistory & Library Centre, Maidstone.©
https://www.kentarchives.org.uk/collections/getrecord/GB51_Q_R_H_2_22’

Centrefor Kentish Studies has thisdocument: Part of highway between village of Southend inLewishamandvillage of Beckenham, 1,500 yards long, to be diverted to a new line,throughlands of John Cator , Esq., 1,518 yards long, 30 feet wide. HighwayfromSouthend Green near vill of Southend to Clayhill in Beckenham, 2,250yardslong, to be stopped up, since it is disused, and the road from SouthendtoClayhill by Beckenham Church is used in its place. Order: at Beckenham22 March1785, with plan (scale: 10 ins. to mile). Endorsed:consent of JohnCator ofBeckenham, Esq., same date Certificate of completion: 4 April 1785.Orderenrolled 5 April 1785 [ Q/So.W11.pp529 - 530 ]

Thecore of Beckenham Place Parkprobably took most of its present form in the 1780's. For it is thenthat thepublic was excluded from the park roads the existing road becoming adrivewaythrough his park and he also closed another road called Langstead Lane(or LaggStreet Lane on some maps) which ran from Southend to Clay Hill,effectivelyexcluding the public from his parkland estate. There had been theexchange offurther fields with Amy Burrell in 1777 which enabled the joining up ofseparated parts of the property. The gatehouses at the north and southends ofthe drive through the park still remain though the southerly one is nowoutsideof the public park being at the entrance to what is now a private roadconfusingly also called Beckenham Place Park.

Atthis time the local gentry werevying with each other in improving their estates and almost all of themadoptedwhat was then the height of fashion, large scale landscaping to producevistasof pasture leading down to stretches of water with a backdrop of trees.Theclosing of Langstead Lane which would have crossed the footprint of thelakewas probably with a view to creating the lake and excluding the public.Introduced species such as Turkey Oak, Holm Oak, Rhododendron, SwampCypressare or were present whether due to original plantings when Cator builthishouse or later landscaping. the Turkey Oak which blew down in 2002 wasdated to230 years of age (planted 1772 or earlier). Collinson remarks in aletter toJohn Bartram "my two sons (Cator his son in law and his own naturalson)vye with each other in acquiring plants and ask Collinson for azaleas,khalmeias and rhodedendrons. Search The Memorials of John Bartram andHumphreyMarshal for Collinson's letter, it makes entertaining reading and aninsightinto the Collinson/Cator relationship. Collinson was a supplier of manyplantsto a wide number of clients including the aristrocracy. However, thepassage oftime, changing fashion and various tennants have had an impact on thelandscape.

Webelieve Cator owned the property bothsides of the driveway through the park even as early as the date atwhich hebuilt his house (1762). The farms probably continued in operation tomanage theland. The lake was installed at the most practicable position, a lowpoint onlevel land around the foot of the hill now called Summerhouse Wood butcalledLewisham Lands on Foxgrove Manor maps. The lake was fed by the streamrunningalong the valley below the house which came from springs near FoxgroveFarm andMoat. The lake overflow which we assume would have been continuousflowed onthrough his land to meet the Ravensbourne river. After the railway wasconstructed much later the overflow had to be taken under it via aconduit. Thelake as well as providing a view, provided some sport fishing andperhapswildfowl shooting. We don't think that boating and swimming were greatGeorgianpasstimes but Cator is recorded as going on barges on the Thames forsocialoccasions. It is said that in the late 19th century the installation oftheWest Kent Sewer diverted spring water and Foxgrove Farm moat dried upand thisprobably affected the feeder stream to the lake. Other reasons fordrying upcould be the lake bed losing any waterproof quality. It was probablypuddledclay similar to the method of waterproofing canals, in fact earlylandscapestretches of water were called canals, see the diary of John Evelyn.

Catoralso buys the title to a cottagein two tenements with several pieces of land in Lewisham received inexchangefrom Francis Motley Austin Esq of Court Lodge, Lamberhurst on 9th May1785 withCator paying £600 by way of equality of the property (sourceP.Manningfromrecord at Kent Archive). The exact whereabouts of the property isunknown.Francis Motley Austin or Austen is an extensive landowner in Kent fromBeckenham to Sevenoaks and an uncle to Jane Austen's father. Heacquired theManor of Billingham (Bellingham) which I assume to include BellinghamFarmCatford.

TheBurrell's of Langley Park alsodiverted a road away from the front door of their house, it nowconstitutesSouth Eden Park Road and another between Langley and Elmers End waswidened andas this record states:

Partof highway between Langley andElmers End in Beckenham, 1,232 yards long, to be diverted to new linethroughlands of Sir Peter Burrell of Beckenham, knight, 473 yards long, 24feet wide.Other parts of the said highway, 2,206 yards long, being narrow, bewidened byaddition of parts of lands of John Cator of Beckenham, Esq., AmeyBurrell ofBeckenham, widow, and Sir Peter Burrell.Footpath from Langley to Cageor WatchHouse in Beckenham, to be diverted into highway from Langley toBeckenhamChurch, and thence to the said Cage or Watchhouse. Other highways andfootpathsin Beckenham, shown on plan [now missing] to be stopped up asunnecessary,reserving rights of way to owners and occupiers of adjoining land.[Thepapersconcerning these diversions etc are missing.] Order: at Beckenham, 3September1784. #Consent of J. Cator, Amey Burrell and Sir P. Burrell, 3September1784.Certificate of completion: at Beckenham, 2 October 1784.

Heldat Kent History and Library CentreDocument Order #:Q/RH/2/18Y

The1780 Burrell mapin the British Library shows two phases of planned road diversions, onein theviscinity of Red Lodge Road and the other is South Eden Park Road fromwhat isnow the Chinese Garage to West Wickham. As with Beckenham Place,Langley was onthe former main road and the diversions and new roads took traffic awayfromthe houses and emparked estates.

1785– Kent House and land at Penge;John Julius Angerstein marries Elizabeth Lucas and acquires possessionof theproperty which had been Lucas’s and before that theLethieulliers.Angersteinwas of Germanextraction born inSt.Petersburg and became a London financier. Kent House andBeckenham/Pengeproperty later sold to the Barings see 1797.

1786– Carey’s map of 15 Miles aroundLondon shows the Beckenham area with the Beckenham Place site in thename ofCater Esq. No lake is shown whereas the lakes in Kelsey are shown.Stumps Hillis identified as ‘Stamphill’. Several place namesare questionable.

1787– Cator’s mother Mary dies in thisyear and is buried on the 31^st of August at theage of 78 inwhatbecomes the family vault St. George’s parish churchyardBeckenham. Herabode isgiven as Bromley in the Beckenham burial record. Mary did not leave awill itseems but she had been left money and houses or at least the incomefrom themfrom her husband. What does emerge some time later as a result ofresearch byKeith Baldwin is some letters from Mary to her son Samuel left with aMrsArdouin of Greenwich to be sent to Samuel after her death concerningsome moneyleft in Bank of England Consols. Mary expresses sadness at Samuelsstate ofaffairs and it seems he lived beyond his means getting into debt onmore thanone occasion. Samuel dies the next year, see 1788. She asks him to usethemoney wisely after his affairs are straightened out. But later amendsherinstructions to Mrs Ardouin, requesting that the money is dividedbetweenSamuels daughter and another granddaughter by marriage to the Sparkesfamily.She asks that William Cator is used to carry out the wishes, but Samueldiessoon after his mother and William is also killed without disposing ofthe moneyand somehow Mrs Ardouin left the stock in her will to be sorted outwith theCators after all the beneficiaries had died. The letter reveals Mary'sgreatdistress at Samuel's disposition.

Catorbuys Grangewood in Upper Norwoodas part of his acquisition of the Manor of Whitehorse or Bensham, now apublicpark among the other land which was used for house building after JohnBarwellCator sells it later on. This is just another example ofCator’sacquisitions.Maybe or probably part of the same purchase as Cator also purchases theManorof Croydon according to History of The County of Surrey by ThomasAllen. Thismust be the Manor of Bensham or Whitehorse and include parts of what isnowUpper Norwood and is listed in the 1825 Act among the other propertiesandconsists of about 560 acres. In the 1825 Act it is identified as‘to besold’by J.Barwell Cator to pay for other land in Kent, Surrey or nearWoodbastwick.Cator ownership of lands in Croydon may have been as short as 20 years?Havinglooked at land dealings of others such as John Evelyn, buying andsellingestates was common and frequent. As banks and investments were perhapsless diversethen investing in land was perhaps seen as safer than other forms ofsaving.

Also,in this year 1787 Cator’s bringsa case against Lord Pembroke in the Court of Chancery. It relates tothepurchase of the Manor of Beckenham from Lord Bolingbroke in which itseemsBolingbroke omitted to reveal certain circ*mstances to Cator. i.e. Hehadleased it on a ‘rent back’ arrangement to MrsMargaret Hare and failedto payher the rent of £500 per annum. Cator had to recompense Hareto gainfullcontrol of Beckenham Manor. Bolingbroke was supposed to purchase otherlandswith the proceeds but invested the money in annuities which he assignedto aMr. Boldero.

Iwonder if this is how Chancery Lanein Beckenham acquired its name? But when we look at Chancery cases itseemslandlords were pursuing one thin or another almost weekly.

Extractfrom Google books

Catorprobably thought it not worthsuing Bolingbroke directly for compensation as he was (Boling)broke.....itseems he had been juggling his debts for some time, leasing and sellingoffassets and the involvement of ‘trustees’ such asPembroke and Guildfordrequires some disentangling. From Wikipedia: Things worsened forViscountBolingbroke after his divorce. The damages he won from Beauclerk (forhisadultery with Diana) were paltry compared to the mountain of debt heacquired.Rather than economize he chose to sell his prized racehorse. Evenbefore hisdivorce his tight finances led to his sponsoring changes in law thatallowedinheritors to sell off family properties. Once the law was passed heset aboutselling property that had been in his family for centuries. In 1763 hesold theestate of Battersea, Surrey to Viscount Spencer. Eventually, he beggedfor andreceived a post as Lordof the Bedchamberin the court of KingGeorgeIII—apost he'dpreviously held while still married to Lady Diana, but given up due toacombination of disinterest and indolence. In the meantime he neverstoppedsearching for an heiress old enough or unattractive enough (andthereforedesperate to marry) to wed a man of questionable finances andreputation. Thisled to laughable "courtships" with well-bred spinsters,including one whoherself had lost her fortune to gambling.

1788– John Cator’s brother Samuel diesin Jamaica where had been employed as a customs official, leavin awife,Bridget and young daughter, Mary who dies aged about 8years old in1793.

Thisfrom jamaicanfamilyresearch.com; 1788,Sept. 6. I send early intelligence of the vacancy of thecomptrollersplace of Port Antonio of this island by the death of a very particularoldfriend a Mr Cator, who has a brother of prodigious fortune 14 or 15£1000 perannum in London .... the place or salary is either 80 or £100pr ann.besides afew perquisites & entirely a sinecure .... about 20 barristers& above100 attorneys here. My uncle Keyworth's loss of a son ....hisother son& Sukey. It would amuse you & my mother tohear littleFortunetalk half negroe like, which is the worst thing attending childrenhere, but asthey are always playing with the negroe children they learn their ways&language, notwithstanding my being very particular.

Andearlier in 1784; 1784, Aug. 29.Mr Sam. Cator who from his great extravagance has for I maysay a3d timeruined himself is now in goal for life . ... . he will lose two placeswhich heenjoys comptroller of Port Antonio & Deputy Register of theCourtof ViceAdmiralty ....

Fora long time Samuel’s fate has beena mystery and only the evidence of his brother John Cator’swill showedthat hehad a widow Bridget in Jamaica. So far Bridget’s maiden namehasn’tbeendiscovered. There was a child, Mary, from the marriage but it seemsshed diedyoung. Samuel’s gaoling apparently for debt seems to havebeen pardonedperhapsbecause his mother Mary Cator paid his debts? Some letters written byMaryCator to her wayward son did not come to light until the death of herfriend aMrs Arduino of Blackheath in 1811.MaryCator had entrusted the letters and some money to be sent to Samuelafter herdeath which occurred in 1794. But Mrs Arduino did not complete thetask. Theletters from Mary Cator addressed to Samuel describe hismother’sdistress athis. The money is described as £300 of government bonds(Consols) at 3percentyielding £9 per annum so even then not a particularly lifechanging sumeventhough Samuels salary from the posts in Jamaica had been £100per annum.

Samuelhad earlier been destined forthe Cator timber business and apprenticed under his brother John Catorbutapparently that did not satisfy him and he launched upon an extravagantlifestyle beyond his means. HisfatherJohn Cator the elder had made a substantial marriage settlement for oneof hisdaughters and perhaps had been generous with his sons raisingSamuel’sexpectations from life. In the absence of any family diaries we canonly jointhe dots for a biography.

1788– John Cator, Beckenham Place; PatManning’s research at Kent Archive records an exchange oflands fromLeesCourt, Kent with certain lands in Lewisham for which John Cator paidover £550for equality 19 November 1788. These would probably have been Earl ofRockingham/Sondes/Lees Court lands which are identified on the FoxgroveManorplan as being in the area of what is now Downham/Southend. TheRockinghamconnection is certainly complex. It seems that the last Earl ofRockingham diedin 1746 without a direct heir and the Earldom became extinct. LewisWatson 1^stEarl of Rockingham had married Lady Catherine Sondes daughter of the 1^stEarl of Feversham (Faversham). His title passed to his grandson alsonamedLewis Watson who styled himself Viscount Sondes. He was succeeded byhisbrother Thomas who died in 1746 without a direct heir. So far as I cansee hewas succeeded by Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB,PC(I)(13 November 1693 – 14 December 1750)was a British peerand Whigpolitician. Thesucceeded by Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, KG,PC,FRS(13 May 1730 – 1July 1782). In 1782 with no heir The Marquess of Rockingham title alsobecomesextinct. But the property would pass back along another branch of thefamilyand they, probably having no local interests must have sold this partto JohnCator. Perhaps the estates reverted to the Sondes family who had largeestatesin Kent.

Thisextract from the 1833 estate planmay indicate where the land acquired from Rockingham was situated,around thebottom right hand corner if we compare it to the 1776 Foxgrove Manorplan.

Courtesyof BromleyHistoric Collections

Alsorefer to the 1795 purchase of landfrom John Forster at Southend which would also be on this 1833 plan.

Thisrecord in Lewisham Archive alsoillustrates Cator’s dealings around this time:
Mutual release and conveyance Hon. Lewis Thomas Watson To John Catorand JamesFarrer his trustee. Details of land, acreages, boundaries, etc. Refersto leaseby Indenture by Rt. Hon. Lewis Lord Sondes to John Cator, dated 1stNovember1784 for 21 years Refers also to Lease and Release dated 7 and 8 August1764between Paul Whitehead, etc. Refers also to Indentures of Lease andreleasedated 18 and 19 December 1787

1788- John Cator negotiates lendingmoney via bonds to the Prince of Wales (later to become George IV) buthe andanother party withdraw before the transaction is completed (Memoirs ofGeorgeIV and Memiors of William IV). These books are available on theinternet"The history of the life and reign of William the fourth, the reformmonarch...By Robert Huish "
As the Princes were anticipating being able to repay the bonds upon thedeathof their father George III the lenders, Cator and others could havebeen heldas ‘treasonable’. The circ*mstances surrounding thefinancial positionof the Princeof Wales later Prince Regent and George IV are even more astounding assomeDutch bankers were found to make a loan. They issued bonds in EuropeandNapoleon invaded Belgium and Holland giving the Prince of Wales anexcuse notto repay the loan. The Dutch bankers were left bankrupt and bothcommittedsuicide. This extract is from the book. It goes further to explain thatsomeFrench royalists advanced money against these bonds and seemingly someof themwere found treasonable in France for lending money to an enemy duringtheNapoleonic wars and subsequently executed. The book requires reading tofullyunderstand the circ*mstances. In any case, Cator either had a closecall or hadhe continued with the transaction he may well have been raised to thePeerageon the crowning of George IV.

1788– Beckenham Manor House; Henry Hoare purchases BeckenhamManorhouse and some grounds from Peter Burrell (source: Copeland). Theproperty canbe seen as occupied by Hoare on the 1809 Burrell estate map.

1788– Calcutta Gazette 1^stMay, property under the trustees Joseph Cator and James Barwell. Josephhadbeen an associate of Richard Barwell an East India Company nabobthrough whichconnection Joseph is thought to have accumulated his wealth. Astrustees Josephand James may have been acting for other owners? Maybe Richard Barwell.Barwellhad a reputation for underhand dealing and his entries on History ofParliamentand Wikipedia give some details.

1789– Amy Burrell dies and the Langleyand Kelsey estates are inherited by her grandson Peter Burrell whowould becomeLord (Baron) Gwydir in 1796. This inheritance perhaps prompts the 1793landexchanges. Amy Burrell’s Will mentions property in BerkleySquare andPeterinherits a property in Whitehall which would be renamed Gwydir House“House wasbuilt for PeterBurrell(III) of Beckenham,Kent, in 1772 at an estimated cost of £6,000. The house isnamed afterhis son,also called Peter Burrell, who was created 1st Baronin 1796. It remainedprivately owned until 1835 when the house became unoccupied. Between1838 and1840 the premises served as temporary accommodation for the ReformClub.Since 1871 theHouse has been used for official purposes.”

Itappears that Amy had possession forher lifetime of properties which follow by dower and primogeniture.Some familyarrangements accommodate male and female heirs with financial legacies,annuities, etc.

Also1789 – Cator alters the course ofthe Beckenham to Bromley road at Clay Hill but comparing maps of beforeandafter the change seems minor, maybe straightening and widening:

Description:Partof highway at ClayHill between town of Beckenham and town of Bromley, 305 yards long, tobediverted to new line through lands of John Cator, Esq., 3021(?Author’squery)yards long, 20 feet wide.
Order: at Beckenham, 7 September 1789, with plan, surveyed by J.Corbett,Lewisham.

Endorsed:consent of John Cator ofBeckenham, Esq., same date. Certificate of completion: 7 January 1790.
Held At: Kent History and Library Centre
Document Order #:Q/RH/2/33
Date:1789

1789- Eden Farm; the building resembles the "Bune Gate" footprintshown on the 1769 Andrews map as Burrell's house and the 1809 Burrellestate map and plans as well as the 1812 British Library print. Thebuilding was superceded by John Woolley's rebuild in 1820.

EdenPark, Seat ofLord Auckland (William Eden) circa 1789

1790– Peter Burrell IV (Lord Gwydir)commissions Humphrey Repton to design the landscape of Langley. Reptonproducesa “Red Book” of designs which are only partiallyadopted. Gwydir's father Peter Burrell III had died in 1775andhis grandmother Amy Burrell died in 1789, buried in July leaving Gwydirin sole controlof the estate, probably with some restrictions under trustees as theestate was 'in tail'. However, Gwydir would have leeway toapplyhis own will on the estate. Amy Burrell had apparently not likedLangley Lodge as a dower house and she had died in a townhousein Belgravia. She had kept possession of Kelsey mansion by the lakeaccording to the Kelsey lease to Henry Alexander Bennett. As statedearlier she had repurchased the house SalingHall in Essex, her childhood home, and spent some time there.Gwydir is credited with rebuilding Langley about this time and mapevidence shows that the earlier water features inthegrounds are abandoned if not entirely removed. Recent (2022/3)investigation shows that the water features of longrectangular ponds are wholly or partially filled in or drained leavingonly the pond to the south of the house with the stream draining aroundthe site of Langley Lodge pond. There is no evidence of asweeping view of a river as in this artists impression from Repton'sRed Book. Gwydir's father had already had Gwydir House built onWhitehall in 1772.

Somequestion arises on the reasons for the Red Book. Repton submits a billfor visits to Langley in January 1790 and the Red Book describesLangley Lodge as Mrs Burrell's House and I had assumed this meant AmyBurrell but now I believe it refers to Elizabeth Burrell neeLewis, Gwydir's mother who died in 1794. The plan for LangleyLodge and later photographs show that the paladian columns wereinstalled at Langley Lodge and the 1809 Burrell estate map shows a pondwhere Repton drewn on on his design.

1790– Lewisham Archive RefA62/6/138; Some land transactions nearby, some not so near.

Minutesof proceedings of Court Leet

Lewin'sland now Lady Dacre; 70 ac.land now Sir Gregory Page Turner; messuage late Sir George Champion nowLadyDacre; land late Mr. Boone now Charles Boone; land late Thos. EvelynnowElizabeth Boyfield; Hookes Wood late William Coleman now ElizabethAngerstein;land late Nich. Stoddard now Robert Dyneley: Crablands late Geo. Woodsnow JohnHooker; Lady Croft, late Lady Lade now Geo. Butler; (SirGregoryPage Turner sold Wricklemarsh at Blackheath to John Catorin 1783)

Housepreviously Sir Tho.Fludyer, then Mrs. Newland, now Lady Dacre;

StonePitt Field, previously SirSam. Fludyer, now Lady Dacre Waste late Wm. Payne, now Elizabeth Paynehiswidow; House late Chas. Cornforth, now Chas. Boone his heir; Marvells,lateJohn Wood, now Mrs. Freeland Barn and land late Richard Titterton nowJohnBaud; Land Gloverswick & Gardiners, now called Pott Land andWinchcombeSprings, late Lady Lade, now John Green; Land Bramble Croft, late Mr.Wetherall, now Rev. Wm. William House Mrs. Lewis, now Mr. Blackmore herheir atlaw; Manor Place, Brockley, Broomfield and Pond Field, late Mrs.Nugent, nowEdward, Lord Elliot

5acres land at Loom Pitt Hill (Loam Pit Vale, Lewisham)late John Townsend now John Round.

Cottagelate Samuel Spencer, nowHadley of Lewisham

Mess.& land late Mr.Cleaver, now Mary Ann Cleaver his heir

40ac.land late Mr. Flower, nowElizabeth Flower, his heir (Flower House, Southend, Lewisham?)

Mess(uage).and lands at Southend, lateRogers, now Elizabeth Flower Cottage and houses in Lewisham (Shroffold)lateMr. Flower and Mr. Hawes, now Elizabeth Reed;

Mess.and lands Lovendales, lateMrs. Knapp now Mrs. Forster

Messuagesat Southend, late Mr.West now Mrs. Orde

Watercourse,late Captain Clarke,now Mr. Clarke, a min;

Messuagelate Sir Purbeck Temple,now Clarke

Fields,Grange Field andDeepslades late Mr. Wake's heir now heir of Eleanor Brooker.

Housecalled Randall's, formerlySmetts, late Ephraim How, now - How, son and heir of Ephraim;

Landsin occup. Hawes, lateStoddard now Valentine. (tempted to associate with HawesFarm, West Wickham but could be land nearShortlands)

Landslate Nich. Stoddard nowJohn Penn

Landscalled Putroms, Bromley,late Andrew Devisme, were bought by William Duffie and now PeterThelluson;

Houseslate Mr. Brownson's now -Bailey;

Housecalled Langley's, lateJoseph Piper, now his widow;

4ac.land at Southend, lateRebecca Evans, now Francis Valentine.

Landsformerly Ed. King's, nowFrancis Valentine.

Landscalled Deepslands, lateEdward King, now Geo. Glenny;

Landcalled Kitley's, late LadyFalkland, now Francis Motley Austin;

Landcalled Rustless Grave or Russell'sGrove, late Lady Falkland then Francis Motley Auxstin not John Cator.

Date19Oct. 1790

1790– December 23rd, a great storm ofthunder and lightning destroyed the spire of St.George’sBeckenham, andthegreatest part of the church by fire; it had been repaired, and restoredto itsformer state but rebuilt later between 1885/87, it would appear withsome lossof heritage features such as effigy tombs.

Borrowman describes it as a fire which occurred on the 23rd December, 1790,when the spire and a portion of the old Church were destroyed. "a design (dated 1791) for rebuilding part of the tower and stone spiretoreplace the one destroyed in 1790." (Borrowman)

About this year or 1791 JohnCator buysthe Manor of Benchesham or Whitehorse at Norwood from the grandson ofJohnBarrett.

1790/93- John Cator is MP forStockbridge. This would be his final seat in parliament. His entry inHistoryof Parliament online makes interesting reading.

1791- Francis Motley Austin inheritsElmers End Farms, Thayers Farm and High Street property from hisfather.Although the Austins spend some time in Beckenham they have property atKippington in Sevenoaks and elsewhere. Francis Motley Austin is alawyer whoaccumulates more wealth and property through his land dealings,foreclosing ona mortgage of the Lennard family etc. In 1788 Jane Austen had visitedFrancisAustin/Austen her great uncle at Sevenoaks
source: http://www.janeaustenriceportrait.com/provenance/4580990034

1792– Cator publishes ‘Answers to theComplaints of Hester Lynch Piozzi and Cecelia Thrale’

JohnCator 1792 - 672 pages
Cator's 1793 Nov. 21 response (with fellow executor Jeremiah Crutchley)to acomplaint from Henry Thrale's youngest daughter Cecilia (later CeciliaMostyn),then a minor, filed by her advisor Bertie Greatheed. In the response,Catorexpands on his narrative of his handling of the Thrale estate,including transcriptsof schedule of accounts through 1785 Sept. (pp. 130-169), June 1787(pp.170-185), 1792 July (pp. 186-206), 1793 Mar. (pp. 206-212), and 1793Aug. (pp.213-237). It is signed by Cator and Crutchley on p. 129, by witnessJohn Ord(p. 1), and by James Trower (transcriber?) (p. 129). A payment from theestateto "Gabriel Piozzi, music master" is listed on p. 142.

Catorhad acted as money lender , jointwill executor and joint guardian of his children for Henry Thrale.HesterThrale had remarried Gabriel Piozzi. This is of no impact on the Parkbutindicative of Cator’s financial dealings.

1792/3- John Cator acquires theremainder of Foxgrove Manor in a land rationalisation exchange withPeterBurrell III of Langley who will attain the title Lord (Baron) Gwydyr.(source:Edward Hasted 1797)

FoxgroveFarm latercirca 1870?

However,some documents dated 1791 inLincolnshire Archive may date this exchange a year or two earlier. Thisexchange involved more of the lands Cator had amassed south ofBeckenhamvillage from the descent of Foxgrove land via the Tolsons, Tillys,Bridges andGroves. A later Cator estate plan of 1833 excludes any property southof thevillage. It appears that both Cator and Burrell are concentrating theirholdings into large contiguous areas, the 1809 Burrell map shows landall tothe south of the village.
Some details of the 1793 exchange, Burrell to Cator: Foxgrove &commoncalled Boyland, capital messuage or mansion house at Clay Hill withstable,appts, garden, orchard & fields late occ Rev Wm Rose and landsatClayhill.These latter may be the Oakery as Cator had earlier acquired WoolseysFarm, nowShortlands House/Bishop Challoner School through the purchase ofBeckenhamManor.

Catorto Burrell; Stone Farm, StoneField otherwise Barn Field formerly called the stone lands 4 pcsGattons Mead2a occ Samuel Parson then Robert Lloyd as bought from Joseph Grove(exceptGattons Mead) formerly given to Peter Burrell by John Cator, HomeField, GroveField occ Richard Henry Alexander Bennett Esq purchased by Cator fromLordBollingbroke and Pikehill Green.

Burrellholds Shortlands House in 1798(land tax redemption) though Lord Gwydir by now. Bromley archive hasthesedocuments: Abstract of title, 'number 5', of the trustees of the RightHonourable Peter Lord Gwydir, deceased to estates in Kent to be giveninexchange to John Cator, esquire. Begins with will of Lancelot Tolson,25February 1726[/7] and covering dates 1726[/7]-1793, with details ofdate ofdeed, type, parties, property and terms.

Alsoin this year; Part of the highwaybetween village of Beckenham and village of West Wickham, 563 &3/4yardslong, to be diverted to new line through lands of Sir Peter Burrell ofLangleyPark, baronet, 563 & 3/4 yards long, 36 feet wide.
Order: at Beckenham, 4 March 1793, with plan, surveyed by John Sale,Bromley.

Endorsed:consent of Sir Peter Burrell,same date; certificate of completion, 8 March 1793. The plan for thisdiversion(now missing) shows lands belonging to John/Jno Cator next toBurrell’sland.This may be associated with the aforementioned exchange and may meanthe ‘1780’map is neither 1780 nor 1768 but actually 1793. (source Kent Archive)

Ifit is a map of 1793 then maybe allthe ‘Cator’ sites are those exchanged that year.The map seems to befromBurrell records and maybe the missing half of the map is in Catorarchives sofar undiscovered or lost.

1793- Re Langley: The Times, 3rdDecember. On Thursday last a fire broke out in the stablesbelonging toSir Peter Burrell at Langley, Beckenham, Kent, which entirely consumedthepremises and a set of fine horses were burnt to death.

Thisimplies that an early building wasdestroyed and that replacement buildings are probably outlined on latermapssuch as the 1869 OS map.

1793– A Bill for the enclosure ofPenge Common is presented in the House of Commons. It prompts apetitionagainst it; Penge Enclosure Bill, Petition against.

Uponreading the Petition of severalOwners and Occupiers of Estates within the Manor and ParishofBattersea,in the County ofSurrey, whose Names are thereunto subscribed;takingNotice of a Bill depending in this House, intituled, "An Act fordividingand enclosing the Common or Parcel of Waste GroundcalledPengeCommon,lying within the Hamlet ofPenge, in the CountyofSurrey;"andpraying Their Lordships, "That they may be heard by their Counselagainstthe said Bill, and that the same may not pass into a Law:"

Itis Ordered, That the said Petitiondo lie on the Table till the said Bill be read a Second Time, and thatthePetitioners be then heard by their Counsel against the said Bill at theSecondReading thereof, and that Counsel be heard for the Bill at the sameTime, ifthey think fit.

1793- Beckenham Place or Clockhouse?; Mary Cator aged 8 is buried at St.Georges. She is the daughter of John Cator's brother Samuel who was arather wayward member of the family. Samuel had been intended to takeover the timber business but had a chequered career in Jamaica, oftenfalling into debt. He had died in 1788 and apparently the daughter cameto England perhaps for education. Whether she resided with thechildless John and Mary Cator or with Joseph Cator's familyatClockhouse is not known. Mary would be interred in the family tomb withother members of the family.

1794- Eden Farm; This relates to the lease ofEden Park or Farm to the Eden family - Abstract of two leases grantedby SirPeter Burrell and the trustees of his will to the Right Honourable EarlofAuckland of a farm in Beckenham, Kent. The first is dated 16 August1794 and isfor 60 years and the other is dated the 30 January 1824 and is for 32years.Also includes an abstract of the surrender of the property dated 25January1825. The lengths and dates of the leases is confusing as theEdens seem only to reside at Eden Farm for about 40 years from about1780. (BHC)

1794– John Cator sells the Bankside timberbusiness and property (source: P.Manning). Maybe this is prompted bythe deathof the younger brother Samuel in 1788 who was intended to be taken intothebusiness as apprentice and partner. Samuel had shown no interest intaking overthe business and some letters from John and Samuel’s motherdescribeSamuel asbeing a bit wayward in his personal life. We can only guess until moreinformation is forthcoming. John is aged 66 so without a family memberwantingto take over the business he is perhaps reorganizing his assets. Onewouldimagine that he had employees managing the business during his otherbusinessactivities and political career.

Catorgrants a lease 20/10/1794 Leasefrom John Cator of Beckenham, Kent, esquire to James Graham of LincolnsInn,Middlesex, esquire of a piece of ground called Smith's Croft adjoiningthemansion house of Graham and lands called Pond Croft, East Brook andWest Brooksin Beckenham for 30 years at the annual rent of £60. Includesanassignment ofthe lease to Henry Jackson of Beckenham, dated 25 December 1794.BromleyHistoric Collections ref 853/1/1/1/46

Grahamis apparently a lawyer of Lincolns Inn and his mansion may be either onVillage Place site or the mansion which was previously ThomasMotley's?Thisproperty is between what is nowthe High Street and Rectory Road and may be the grounds of VillagePlace. Shownbelow on the 1776 Foxgrove Manor map and was part of the exchangebetween Catorand Burrell having been part of the Burrells estate from before the1736Burrell map.

The Village in 1776 on theFoxgrove Map and in 1833 on the Cator Estate Map

1794/5– Probably outside of BeckenhamPlace ‘Park’ but on the edge by what isnow Brangbourne Road; Arecord ofa conveyance of a messuage, water corn mill and lands in Southend, KentfromJohn Forster Esq. of Lincolns Inn, Middlesex, to John Cator ofBeckenham, Kentin consideration of the sum of £1750. Maybe including somepart of thepark bythe Ravensbourne but unlikely? 02/01/1795Attested copy conveyance of amessuage, water corn mill and lands in Southend, Kent from John ForsterofLincolns Inn, Middlesex, esquire to John Cator of Beckenham, Kent inconsideration of the sum of £1750. Bromley HistoricCollections ref. 841/1/5/16

.....land at Southend purchased from John Forster Esq ofLincoln’sInn for £1750 on 1st/2nd Jan 1795 detailed as Flowers Garden,3r 1p,TreeCrafts, 4a 1r 31p and Sand Pitt field 3a 1r 22p. (numbers areacres,roods,perches) (from Kent Archive: P.Manning)

BromleyHistoric Collections Nat.Library of Scotland

The‘L’ in London is approximately the site of theGreen Man ex-pub andcompare with the 1870 OS map on the right.(Peter Pans pool at topright).

Thislast undated record is likely to be at least partly in BeckenhamPlace Park.

Thedocument relating to this is complex and involves an exchange withCator leasing the Green Man public house, a bakers and cottages to JohnForster. Cator acquires a mill with dwelling occupied by Mr. Nattress,Itdiscusses enlarging a mill pond to increase production by removing agarden andfish pond. This can help position the mill on the 1833 estate plans (Ihope).The 1833 Cator Estate map (part below) does indeed show a mill andmillpond,dwellings and a separate pond which does appear to have been used toextend themillpond on the OS map. However, this mill and the pond are long gone.Thissection of the map shows a small brook joining the Ravensbourne assumedto comefrom what is now Shaftesbury Park in Downham.

Thefifth abstract concerns land purchased from the widow JaneWeatherall of Deptford by John Cator of StumpsHill for £850.It isdescribed as“All that one close of pasture and arable called Broomfield 7acres andoneclose of pasture or arable. Called Two Acres adjoining Morrices Wood,also2acres of meadow lying in Rookey Meadow adjoining East lands, alsoBullocksMeadow 2 acres and a pasture called Three Acres.” Proof ofownershipwasprovided by the inclusion of the will dated 11.2.1735 of Robert Friendgardenerof Deptford who was Jane Weatherall’s father. (source: PatManning fromresearch at Kent Archive)

Ofthe above, the last one mentions Morrices Wood, called Morrifs(Morriss) Wood East and West on the Foxgrove Manor Map. It is likelythese arethe same plots and perhaps this land is around ‘A’Earl of Rockingham’sland onthe 1766 Foxgrove plan. The land at A on the Foxgrove plan is describedasbeing grazed by oxen which may be the Bullocks Meadow mentioned here?andperhaps East Lands is adjacent to Morriss wood and Lewisham Lands.Until wefind a relevant estate plan, if one exists, this is conjecture. TheOrdnanceSurvey drawing shows Southend in about 1799 and the estate plan of 1833shows amillpond and the mill? It is possible to identify the positions ofpubs, millsand Flower House as well as lodges at the park entrance. TheRavensbourne wasthe source of power for several mills along its course.

Fromthe 1833 Cator estateplan

BromleyHistoricCollections

Theblank area includes land around Flower House. William Flower died in1789 ‘Probate of will of William Flower of Southend,Lewisham, Kent,esquire,granted 15 August 1789. Bequeaths to his sister, Elizabeth Flowers, ahouse inSouthend and all other freehold and leasehold estates. Daughter FrancesFlowers. She is also to act as executrix.’

FlowerHouse survived until WWII and was an asylum for the insane in the1911 census. Despite some conjecture that it was part of the Catorestate itseems it was not. A housing estate now stands on the site.

1795– Between 1795 and 1806 John Catorhas the Paragon built as Blackheath on part of the Wricklemarsh estate.Designed by Michael Searles. Blackheath is extensively written about byotherauthors.

1795- The Hair Powder Act; a tax levied on the 'well to do' for the use ofhair powder. A certificate cost one guinea (£1.05) theequivalentof £100 to fund the Napoleonic War (in part). Thenames ofseveral local landlords etc and their staff who would be required towear powdered wigs. I assume the employer paid as the tax would beonerous on low paid domestic staff. This gives us some names of thestaff of those landlords.

1796– Daniel Lysons publishes Environsof London volume 4 with entries for Beckenham. He draws on informationfromThomas Phillipott and Edward Hasted with some additions.

1796– August; Joseph Cator’s sister inlaw Jane Bradford is buried at St. George’s. She was sisterof his wifeDianaBertie and widow of Captain Cornelius Bradford. She was residing withtheCators presumably at Clock House. She left several bequests torelatives andsome small bequests to Joseph Cator’s servants.

1797- The second edition of Hasted's History and Topography of Kent volume2 includes additions and corrections to the Beckenham entry with usefuldescriptions of the use of land etc. but some detail is questionable.Kent House had become a farmhouse. Lord Auckland's Eden Farmwasleased from the Burrells and not connected with Rucker. This is someconfusion with Clockhouse which Joseph Cator bought afterPiercyBrett's death perhaps from J.A.Rucker?

BECKENHAM.

PAGE528. This parish reaches to the confines of Surry, where it is boundedby that of Croydon, a small portion of Camberwell, and Penge, adetached hamlet of Battersea. It contains three thousand one hundredand seventy acres of land, of which, in 1793, about eighteen hundredand fifty were arable, ten hundred and eighty meadow and pasture, andabout two hundred and forty woods and orchards, but a considerablequantity has since been laid down in grass, the waste lands do notexceed thirty or forty acres; the number of houses are one hundred andforty.

Beckenham-placeisan elegant mansion, standing on an eminence, and commands a beautiful,though not an extensive prospect. Kent-house is now occupied as a farmhouse.

Amongother houses in this parish, the residence of gentlemen, is that oflord Auckland, near Elmer's-end, purchased of J. A. Rucker, esq. ofJoseph Cator, esq. formerly Sir Piercy Brett's; of R.H.A. Bennet, esq.about half a mile south east of Beckenham-street; and of Mrs. Hoare,widow of Henry Hoare, esq. opposite the church; which two last are theproperty of lord Gwydir and of Edward King, esq. F.R.S. and F. S. A.Author of the Disseriation on antient Castles, Morsels of Criticism,and other learned works.

PAGE538. Sir Merrick Burrell died in 1787.

Line5.For James read Jones Raymond.

PAGE545. Correct the time of Mrs. Amy Burrell's death: she died in 1789,æt. 89. It was the widow of her son, Peter Burrell,Elizabeth,daughter of Mr. Lewis, of Hackney, who died in 1794.

PAGE549. The following is an extract from a more correctlist of rectors, communicated by theRev. Mr. Denne, of Wilmington.

Dr.Epiphanius Holland was never rector; he served the curacy, and wasburied in this church in 1730.

1797- Croydon Enclosure Act; (sourceWikepedia) between 1750 and 1850 there were many Enclosure Acts whichallowedlandowners to exclude people from what was Common Land with access toall for grazing,growing some food, foraging and pannage. The Croydon act allowed theenclosureof what included Crystal Palace Park. There is some anecdotal evidencethat theCator estate had at least some of this land and sold it to the CrystalPalacecompany. This story needs confirmation and is included here toillustrate howpublic access and use can be lost all too easily. Of course you mighthave togo back to Adam and Eve for the first enclosure of the Garden of Edenforhistory of this aspect of property ownership.

1797– Kent House transfers; the date of acquisition of Kent Housebythe Barings; Indentureof Bargain and Sale dated 17 Feb. 1797 Joseph Paice, Thos. Plummer, SirFrancisBaring, Alexander Baring and Charles Wall.

Detailsof wills, dates of death, etc. of Elizabeth Angerstein, Sir FrancisBaring,Chas. Wall John Cator, Bridget Cator, Elizabeth Scott, Geo. Sparkes.The Catorwills will only be of interest after 1806 and the Act 6 Geo IV enablesJohnCator to grant building leases is dated 1825.

Thesedetailsof dates of death, wills etc. of Samuel Lethieullier, WilliamLethieullier,Mary Tooke, Sarah Loveday, Dame Anne Hopkins, John Loveday, JohnLethieullier,Smart Lethieullier, Charles Lethieullier, Elizabeth Lethieullier(marriage toJno. Goodere), Mary Hulse, who died intestate. Letters of Admon. toJonathanBrundrett may add substance to the transactions as would details offield namesand acreages of land on Kent House Farm and Penge Common, with names oftenantscontained in the bundle.

See1828.

1797– Mrs. Cator of The Terrace, Adelphi is listed as a donor of5 guineasto anorphanage. Reading the on-line book is ‘insightful’to say the leastabout theconditions of orphans at this time. The 'progress' made from theestablishmentof the Foundling Hospital in 1739 is slow, and extreme poverty persists.

1797– Court of Chancery, Sparkes v.Cator; a dispute beginning with the marriage settlement of JosephSparkes andMary Cator in 1765, the bequest made by John Cator the Elder in 1763for hisdaughter upon her marriage and the subsequent arrangements betweenJosephSparkes and his mother in law regarding payments. A complicated caseregarding subsequentbequests arising after the death of Joseph Sparkes in 1790 and his wifeMarySparkes nee Cator in 1794. Four of the Sparkes children are disputingthedivision of the estate by their mother Mary nee Cator. The caseconfirms thenumber of surviving Sparkes children and the executors of the wills ofbothJoseph and Mary Sparkes are Joseph’s brother Thomas Sparkesand Mary’sbrotherJoseph Cator. I am assuming that the Cator in the case is Joseph asexecutor.The relevance here is that the Sparkes family were beneficiaries ofJohnCator’s will in 1806 as well as joint trustees of his estateand due tountimely deaths, lack of some heirs and family members dying withoutmakingwills the surviving Sparkes family members lost their inheritance ofpart of BeckenhamCator estates (see 1825 Private Act of Parliament)

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Reports_of_Cases_Argued_and_Determined_i/XnADAAAAQAAJ?q=Joseph+Sparkes+Cator&gbpv=1#f=false

1797- Lawrence Banyer of Beckenham Lodge dies. Will at PCC. Leavesproperties in Wisbech, Norfolk and Suffolk. John Clarkson and HawkinsWall are named as executors but only Clarkson survives to becomeexecutor. His wife Dorothy has the house and effects for her naturallife. There are no children but several beneficiaries of his extensiveproperties elsewhere. Dorothy survives until 1823 and is buried at St.Georges. It appears that Beckenham Lodge is then sold to John Woolleyof Eden Farm and Kelsey Farm who resides at Beckenham Lodge on the 1838Tithe schedule. Although the Banyers appeared to be childless a daugherMarianne may have predeceased them.

1798- Land Tax: An Act of Parliament to raise aid for his majesty GeorgeIII probably for pursuance of the Napoleonic war;

Theregister showsowners, tenants etc. for the various Parishes of Kent. Some informationwe can glean is that John Catorhad atenant on part of his estate ie Robert Haggard, probably of Copers Copefarm,Foxgrove Farm or both. Joseph Cator would be of Clockhouse, Lord Gwydirhas aJohn Mathews as tentant of a small part, probably Stone Farm or similarproperty. Julius Angerstein posseses Kent House and is leased to ThomasRandall. Francis Motley Austin has leased Elmers End Farms to AlexanderJefferies.

Thislink can explain more about theland tax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Tax_(England)

Whetherthe sum payable is the‘redemption’ value that represents the lump sumpayable or the annualcharge Icannot say but appears to be the annual charge.

Source;Ancestry.co.uk

1799- The earliest version of theOrdnance Survey map of Kent. Not published by the OS until 1860's butprintedby other publishers such as Stanford's. Reproduced by kind permissionof theBritish Library. This map shows clearly how the lake is supplied withwaterfrom a stream and pond. The pond is now filled in and in a schoolplayground.By 1799 the Ordnance Survey surveyors working drawing (below) in theBritishLibrary and viewable on their website, shows the park and nearbydetails. Somefield outlines are still similar to the 1766 Foxgrove Manor plan. JohnCatorhas removed field boundaries inside much of his 'park' landscape.

Afarm to the south of the mansionstill exists as it had been on the 1785 road diversion plan and it isstillvisible on some early 1800 maps but gone by 1860. A house in the nowprivateroad “Tudor Manor” may have acquired its name ifsome remains werediscoveredat the time of its building (. The buildings of home farm are justvisiblebetween the stable block and Southend Lodge. The field pattern here mayrelateto the 1795 land transfer? Land marked with stripes is cultivated,woodland isapparent, mottled land is probably pasture and parkland marked withless denseconcentrations of trees.

This 1799 map is accessible on the British Library OS map collectionswebsite,this is only a small extract

1799– Hasted’s 2^nd editionof his Topography and History of Kent is published, perhaps prompted bytheLysons publication of Environs of London. The new publication is saidtocontain new material and edits.

TheYears 1800 to 1900.

Overview:

AfterMary and John Cator’s deaths, John left the estates in thehandsof several family trustees making complex bequests. Whether Johnintended theBeckenham estates to be developed is in doubt, by me and a few othersat least,although some development of the Wricklemarsh, Blackheath estate hadtakenplace. His will dictates restrictions on selling or developing theestate whichthe Cators will get altered by Private Act of Parliament in 1825.Between thetime of his death and a Private Act of Parliament in 1825 brought bytheremaining trustees, some of the trustees had died intestate thus theprimaryheir, John Barwell Cator, son of John Cator’s brother Joseph,gainscontrol ofthe estates and resides at the Place for at least some of the time. Hebuys estatesin Norfolk, visits Ireland regularly or for substantial periods andspends lessand less time in Beckenham. After about 1840 the Park is mostly leasedto aseries of tenants. But other events affect the park such as thebuilding of therailways and inheritance of the park by John Barwell Cator’sdescendents. TheTrust by which the estates are managed will perhaps never be fullyunderstood,but John Barwell Cator’s brother Peter is reported asmanaging theBeckenhamestate upon his return from being a magistrate in India. The pace ofbuiltdevelopment of the estates was dictated in part by the demand forhousing andat least once that process stalled when demand was low. J.Barwell Catoralongwith his father Joseph and siblings as trustees were involved infurtherpurchases of land including the enclosure of Penge Common anddevelopment ofthe Croydon Canal and later the railways. Apart from being landlords oftheproperties involved it seems the main protagonists for developmentwhere otherentrepreneurs.

Theother large estate under the Burrells, now Peter Burrell IV (BaronGwydir) will survive until his death in 1820 and then be dividedthrough sale. Langleyand Kelsey are divided between different buyers. Other properties suchasAustin’s Elmers End etc. change hands and the district beginsto becomesuburbanized.

Returnto timeline:

1800- Wricklemarsh, Blackheath; dated 1st April an engraving ofWricklemarsh in a state of demolition showing columns, window masonery.Described as Sir G.P.Turner's Houise, Blackheath and attributed toJames PellerMalcolm (Philadelphia 1767-London 1815).

Thepicture adds to my view that the addition of a portico toBeckenham Place with materials from Wricklemarsh is after John Cator'sdeath in1806.
source: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/732838

1800–Burials in Beckenham St. Georges from 1701-1800 total about 2500

1800–September 18th; TheTimes reports thatgrain producers in Bromley and Lewisham including John Cator and JohnForsterundertake to supply their crop at a supplemented price to amelioratesufferingof the poor due to the high price of wheat and bread. A degree of meanstestingis applied by bakers to control the scheme. (Times newspaper andAncestry.co.uk)

1800–The Croydon Canal; an act of parliament is passed to incorporate TheCroydonCanal company. In1841John Barwell Cator brings a case against the company.

.NextPage (Timeline 1800 - Present)