Deeds of 14 St Peters Place, Lewes

Records deposited on 11 March 1999 (ACC 7853)

129-133 High Street and St Peters Place in 1873, before the demolition of the two northermost houses blue: approximate extent of the land bought from Joseph Lipscombe in 1866 EAST SUSSEX RECORD OFFICE AMS 6505 Deeds of 14 St Peters Place, Lewes, [1867]-1950 As to the whole of St Peters Place The abstracts of title provided in 1928 on the sale of St Peters Place by the Abergavenny estate assumed that the entire property had formed part of the estate in 1555, when the attainder of Sir Edward Nevill, pronounced on 4 October 1538, had been reversed by act of parliament (1). By a lease of 23 August 1867, William Nevill, 4th earl of Abergavenny granted a 99-year term in the site of St Peters Place (plan) to his heir William Nevill at a rent of £25. The lease contained a power to demolish any buildings on the site and to erect 25 messuages or cottages at a minimum cost of £4000. On 20 September 1867 Nevill borrowed £5000 at 4½% from John Hillman and Alfred Hillman of Lewes, gents, and charged an insurance policy of £5000 on his life of 19 July 1867. The loan was discharged on 25 August 1877 (2). Five new houses were built on the High Street frontage and a road of 18 houses, called St Peters Place, was built behind them (ABE 29/1). The 4th earl died on 17 August 1868 and was succeeded by his second son William Nevill, the 5th earl, who in 1848 had married Caroline, daughter of John Vauden Bempole [recte van den Bempde] Johnstone, bt, and who was created Marquess of Abergavenny on 9 August 1878. By an order of the Master in Lunacy of 11 August 1898, the custody of the marquess's eldest son, Reginald William Bransby Nevill, the Earl of Lewes, was committed to his brother Lord Henry Nevill (1). By his will of 13 August 1915, lord Abergavenny bequeathed his estate to his sons Lord Henry Nevill and Lord George Nevill. The marquess died at Eridge Castle on 12 December 1915 and by an order of chancery of 1 May 1917 his son-in-law Charles Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy (died 17 February 1919) and Lord Richard Nevill were appointed trustees of the settled estate; Gathorne-Hardy was replaced by John Charles [Pratt] Marquess Camden on 25 November 1919 (1). The brothers agreed on a partition of the estate but no deed was executed before Lord George's death on 10 August 1920. The houses in St Peters Place were among the estate vested in Lord Henry Nevill on 19 November 1921 (2); Lord George's widow took the five houses on the High Street (ABE 29/1). Reginald William Bransby, Lord Abergavenny died intestate on 13 October 1927 and was succeeded by his brother, Lord Henry. By an assent of 30 May 1928 the representatives of the 2nd marquess vested the estate, including 18 houses in St Peters Place, in the 3rd marquess Henry Gilbert Ralph Nevill (1). On 15 June 1928 Lord Abergavenny sold the 18 houses for £2200 to Arthur Ebenezer Rugg of Warecliff, The Avenue, Lewes, esq (3) and the five houses on the High Street to Robert Dine for £175 (ABE 29/1, 17/11). Arthur Rugg was the secretary of the Lewes Building Society and it seems likely that he purchased with a view to immediate resale to the sitting tenants. [At its meeting on 26 June 1928 the board of the Society granted mortgages to five purchasers of property in St Peters Place: SBS 3/1/7]. EAST SUSSEX RECORD OFFICE AMS 6505 Deeds of 14 St Peters Place, Lewes, [1867]-1950 As to 14 St Peters Place On 10 July 1928 Rugg sold 14 St Peters Place for £250 to the occupiers, William Henry Jeffery, club steward, and Affee Elizabeth Jeffery, spinster, who borrowed £200 from the Lewes Building Society. On 22 August 1938 the Jefferys conveyed the property to Albert Frank Jeffery of 14 St Peters Place, fencer, who paid off the mortgage on 22 January 1943 (4-8). On 28 August 1950 Albert Frank Jeffery of Number 3 Holding, Kingston near Lewes, smallholder, sold the property for £750 to Nora Frances Payne of 124 Framfield Road, Uckfield, widow (9).