The Crown Public House with the ‘Cottage’ adjoining on the right (then two shops)
Postcard courtesy Carol Ewin
Cottage Adjoining the Messuage known as The Crown
Historical deeds are extremely helpful when piecing together the history of a house. However even where old deeds survive, those earlier than the 20th century can be fairly complex to interpret.
Here in Part I (of a series of six articles), we look at the earliest evidence I have so far discovered regarding the history of the house which adjoins the Crown Public House in Great Ellingham.
1749
In 1749 the deeds refer to the house as a ‘cottage’. This wording of the description is ‘brought forward’ and repeated in many of the subsequent deeds.
Like many other historical houses in the village, the cottage will have undergone many changes over the centuries. There may, of course, be nothing of ‘the cottage’ referred to in 1749 within the house we see today. However, I suspect there will be some evidence of earlier times.
Cottages near to the Crown Public House
In the past, there were several cottages near to (or adjoining) The Crown Public House. At least three were owned by the then owner of the Crown.
Widow Caddy’s House
In May 1787, The Times reported of a ‘terrible fire‘ in Great Ellingham which not only destroyed ‘Widow Caddy’s house’, but spread to the ‘adjoining Crown Public House’. The Crown itself was also said to have been ‘entirely consumed‘ by the fire. A similar story was reported in the Bury & Norwich Post of the 16th May 1787.
Nevertheless, I do not believe that this house adjoining the Crown was ‘Widow Caddy’s house’. I think it likely that the Crown had more than one cottage adjoining.
Isaac Meek’s House
Historical deeds to the Crown Public House (which included the several cottages) also refer to “the scite of a messuage or tenement” formerly in the occupation of Isaac Meek. It was also referred to as ‘lately destroyed by fire’.
Given that usually the wording for the description of property is repeated in subsequent deeds, it is difficult to determine exactly when this wording was first used. Accordingly, I do know when this fire occurred.
Is this the same fire which destroyed Widow Caddy’s home or a different fire?
I think a different and much earlier fire, but this is little more than a hunch.
Furthermore, I do not know whether this house was affected by any of the newspaper reported fires.
Early Owners & Occupiers
Although the historical deeds I have seen for this cottage begin at 1819, the deeds contain ‘Abstracts of Title’ which recite (or refer to) much earlier deeds.
William Bond
One such earlier deed is an Indenture dated 30th September 1749.
It tells us that the cottage with garden adjoining the Crown Public House, was owned by William Bond. Bond’s occupation was a lath river. Basically, he split wood to form laths, which were used to form a foundation for the plaster of a wall.
Church of St James, Great Ellingham
He may well be the ‘William Bond, widower’ who was buried in the churchyard at St James’s Church, Great Ellingham on January 5th, 1767. Around 12 years earlier, William had buried his wife Rachel in the same churchyard on the 21st December, 1754.
The couple had at least one child, a daughter Elizabeth. She was baptised in St James on the 29th October, 1742. Elizabeth Bond later married widower Henry Hinsby on the 31st March, 1761.
Mortgage to Jeremiah Burroughes
Extract from 1868 Abstract of Title to a Cottage in Great Ellingham late belonging to William Rose.
This includes reference to the Indenture of 30th September, 1749.
Courtesy Sue Simpson
The Indenture dated the 30th September, 1749, also tells us that William Bond mortgaged the cottage to Jeremiah Burroughes.
Bond borrowed the sum of £73 10s 0d (seventy three pounds and ten shillings) over a term of 1000 years. Nevertheless, the deed provided for the repayment of the debt.
In these times, it was common to find a mortgage term of 500 or 1000 years. However on a subsequent sale of the property, the residue of the term would need to be assigned by deed to a third party who would hold it in trust for the new owner. In this case, the deeds reveal later assignments of the mortgage term.
More about William Bond
The Great Ellingham Town Book shows that in 1752 and 1753 William Bond was appointed an Overseer of the Poor of the Parish.
Although I know that William Bond owned the cottage, I do not know whether he and his wife Rachel lived there but, it is, of course, more than possible.
Death of William Bond
William Bond died in 1767. However, I do not know whether he still owned the cottage at the time of his death.
Jeffrey Warren
The deeds also show that on or about the 15th July, 1784, the cottage was purchased by Jeffrey Warren.
Warren purchased the property from the Reverend Randall Burroughes (who I believe is a son of Jeremiah Burroughes, the lender in 1749) and William Henry Hinsby (who may well be William Bond’s grandson).
At the same time, the residue of the term of the 1749 mortgage of 1000 years was assigned to John Stockton. He would hold this in trust for the purchaser, Jeffrey Warren. As mentioned earlier, it is usual to find the residue of a mortgage term assigned to a trustee to hold ‘in trust’ for a purchaser.
At the time of his death in 1800, Jeffrey Warren owned some five cottages and three houses in the village. However, I do not know for certain whether Warren still owned the cottage adjoining the Crown at the time of his death. Further, I doubt that Jeffrey Warren ever lived in the cottage.
Alice Jessup at The Crown
Whilst I can find reference to the Crown Public House in the Great Ellingham Inclosure documentation (dated c.1800), I cannot find any specific reference to the adjoining cottage. However, the cottage may well be one of the properties listed as belonging to Jeffrey Warren.
In 1800, the Crown Public House and at least two nearby cottages (but not the cottage adjoining the Crown) were owned by Alice Jessup. Alice had married William Jessup after the death of her first husband Richard Leath, who once owned the Crown. Alice had three daughters with Richard Leath, including Frances, who later married Benjamin Dennis.
Benjamin Dennis
I believe that it was around this time that Benjamin Dennis acquired (or purchased) the cottage adjoining the Crown Public House. I wonder whether he purchased it from Jeffrey Warren or Warren’s executors?
In any event, Benjamin Dennis and his wife Frances (née Leath) also owned a share in the Crown Public House – by way of Frances’s inheritance from her late father, Richard Leath.
Nevertheless towards the end of 1819, Benjamin Dennis agreed to sell the cottage adjoining the Crown to William Rose.
Sale to William Rose
Before the 1840s, two separate documents (Lease & Release) were commonly used to convey land or property.
Firstly the ‘Lease’. This conveyed the leasehold interest in the land for nominal consideration (usually five shillings) with a peppercorn rent.
Secondly the ‘Release’. This was usually dated the day after the Lease (but can be any date after). This deed conveyed the freehold part of the property. The Release also recited the amount paid by the buyer to the seller.
Extract from Lease for a Year between Parson, Parson & Dennis to Rose dated 30 December 1819
Courtesy Sue Simpson
Lease & Release to William Rose
Although I have seen the Lease dated 30th December 1819, I have not seen the corresponding Release dated 31st December, 1819.
The Lease was made between William Parson of Attleburgh, auctioneer, Edward Parson also of Attleburgh, printer and Benjamin Dennis of Great Ellingham, shopkeeper (of the one part) and William Rose of Great Ellingham, shopkeeper (of the other part).
Having said that, a later Abstract of Title does refer to the 1819 Release and provides some details.
This was in seven parts – i.e. that there were seven parties to the deed, namely:
1. Benjamin Dennis
2. James Barnard of Great Ellingham, farmer
3. William Parson and Edward Parson
4. William Parson
5. William Rose
6. Edward Palmer Clarke of Wymondham, gentleman
7. John Mitchell of Wymondham, gentleman
Benjamin Dennis agreed to sell the cottage for £149 ‘free from incumbrances’.
However, there were two outstanding mortgages secured on the cottage.
Outstanding Mortgages
Seven years before the sale of the property to William Rose, Benjamin Dennis mortgaged the cottage to James Barnard, by way of a Deed dated the 14th October, 1812. Dennis had borrowed £140 plus interest over a term of 2000 years.
Barely four years later, Benjamin Dennis borrowed an additional £300 plus interest from William and Edward Parson. Again the cottage was used as security for the loan.
At the time of the 1819 sale to William Rose, Benjamin Dennis had not repaid any of the monies owing under either mortgage.
Agreement
Nevertheless, Benjamin Dennis reached an agreement with William Parson and Edward Parson that £140 plus £9 arrears of interest (i.e. the total purchase price of £149), would be paid to James Barnard in full satisfaction of Barnard’s mortgage.
I have no doubt that Parson and Parson secured their outstanding mortgage debt of £300 plus interest against other property owned by Benjamin Dennis.
Assignments of Mortgage Term
The residue of the term of 2000 years in relation to the repaid 1812 mortgage to James Barnard, was conveyed to Edward Palmer Clarke in trust for William Rose. There is reference to an annual land tax of one shilling payable in relation to the property.
In addition, the residue of the 1749 mortgage term of 1000 years (which was comprised in the 1749 Indenture between William Bond and Jeremiah Burroughes), was assigned to John Mitchell – again in trust for William Rose.
I did mention that early conveyancing appeared at times to be somewhat complex!
Dennis completes the sale to Rose
On the 31st December, 1819, Benjamin Dennis completed the sale of the cottage adjoining The Crown Public House to shopkeeper William Rose. At this time, the deeds describe the property as:
ALL THAT Cottage or Tenement with the outbuildings yard garden land and appurtenances thereto belonging situate lying and being in Great Ellingham aforesaid adjoining the Messuage tenement or inn commonly called or known by the name of the Crown as the said premises were formerly in the occupation of Edward Steel but are now or lately were in the occupation of the said Benjamin Dennis or his assigns And all houses outhouses edifices buildings yards gardens walls ways paths passages rights members and appurtenances whatsoever to the said Cottage or Tenement and premises belonging or appertaining ..
The description which, no doubt, would have been recited in earlier deeds, tells us that Edward Steel had occupied the cottage in the past – but not when.
However Edward Steel’s occupation was probably earlier than 1800, as the Great Ellingham Inclosure records show that at that time an Edward Steel and Robert Tooke occupied Alice Jessup’s cottages near to the Crown Public House. However it may well have been a different ‘Edward Steel’ who, much earlier, occupied the property.
‘The Cottage’ also became a shop. However at this point, the deeds make no reference to a shop.
Rose’s Ownership
Part II takes the history of the cottage forward from William Rose’s purchase in 1819 until 1868.
Sources:
Private Deeds Collection. Sue Simpson
16th May 1787 Bury & Norwich Post View via The British Newspaper Archive
The Times, 18 May 1787, p. 3. The Times Digital Archive, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS51119282/TTDA?u=nl_earl&sid=TTDA&xid=49ded6f3. Accessed 11 July 2020
Great Ellingham Parish Registers. Norfolk Record Office PD 609. Also available at FamilySearch.org
Great Ellingham Town Book. 1741-1775. Norfolk Record Office. PD609/37
University of Nottingham. Manuscripts and Special Collections. Lease & Release. accessed 18.11.2023
1802 Russell James Colman Plans. Great Ellingham. Norfolk Record Office. Catalogue Ref. C/Ca 1/84.
1799-1842 F W Horner, Records of the Surveyors to Commissioners for Inclosure in Parishes in Norfolk and Suffolk. Great Ellingham (Act 1799). Norfolk Record Office. Catalogue Ref: NRO, BR 90/2
1800 Inclosure Commissioner’s Particulars and Valuation, Great Ellingham. Norfolk Record Office. Catalogue Ref: NRO, MC 2213/119
1799 Statement of Claims. Great Ellingham Inclosure. Norfolk Record Office. Catalogue Ref: MC 2213/118