Deeds of 6 and 7 Chapel Hill, Cliffe [1759] - 1983

These deeds form the title of a large part of the north side of Chapel Hill between Lamb House and the site of the Tabernacle Chapel

The land was purchased in two pieces by George Wille, the first in 1806 and the second in 1821

It is clear from the abuttals of the former purchase that Wille already owned land to the west, possibly that owned in 1875 (see 12) by Mary Ann Wille Knight. In 1815 the land on which Tabernacle had been built, the easternmost part of the site, was sold to trustees. All parties are of Lewes unless otherwise described

On 10 and 11 May 1759 Robert Cruttenden and his wife Ann sold to Thomas Davey surgeon a house, stable and garden once occupied by William Smith, then Samuel Botting, John Mills, Robert Osmant, John Burtenshaw and finally Thomas Davey. It was the easternmost part of a house divided into three dwellings and shared a well with the other two houses

Davey's will of 14 May 1768 bequeathing all his real estate to his son Thomas Davey was proved in PCC on 17 Mar 1769. On 6 Aug 1782 Thomas mortgaged the property, with others, to Thomas Tourle gent for £600 and on 22 Mar 1783 Tourle released the house, which Davey was about to sell to the occupier Robert Osmant, from the mortgage, which remained in force over the stable and yard (6)

It is clear from the abuttals that the house purchased by Osmant in 1783 was subsequently acquired by John Rickman of Cliffe brewer who, with John Godlee merchant his trustee, sold it to George Wille merchant and George Grantham turner his trustee for £324 on 4 and 5 Apr 1806. Wille already owned the house on the west, described as late John Ade coachmaker, which he had purchased from Sarah Osmant spinster; it had been occupied by John Brown, then James Bethell. The house purchased in 1806 was then in two dwellings, still occupied by Robert and Sarah Osmant, and the chapel yard still lay to the east (1, 2)

To return to the title of the remainder, on 13 Dec 1784 a house formerly the Angel Inn but not including any part of the premises was mortgaged by Davey to John Smith gent for £200. When Smith required payment of the money the mortgage was assigned to Francis Whitfield on 12 Nov 1789 and in return for a further advance of £200 a dissenting meeting house [The Tabernacle Chapel] and a stable added to the property charged

Davey's will of 7 Apr 1788 was proved in PCC 27 Mar 1800 and on 22 and 23 Dec 1802 Ebenezer Lovell Davey, brother of William Davey, Thomas's eldest surviving son, joined his mother Mary Davey and the mortgagee to convey the estate to Richard Braughton cooper and his trustees William Attwood ironmonger and John Kenward for £800. It consisted of the meeting house and also the Angel Inn, which on 24 Jul 1810 was sold by Braughton to Robert Ashdowne of Cliffe linendraper, who on that date covenanted to produce the deeds to the vendor (3

On 7 Mar 1815 Henry Jackson esq, as surviving executor of Thomas Tourle, conveyed to Braughton the term created by the 1782 mortgage, prior to Braughton's sale of the site of the chapel to the trustees; a description of the site is endorsed on a c1820 copy of a detailed plan made by A[mon] H[enry] Wilds in 1815 (6; 4, 5)

Between 1806 and 1821 Braughton had built four houses under one roof on the site of the former stable and on 24 and 25 Mar 1821 this property, all that was left of Thomas Davey the elder's purchase in 1759, was sold to George Wille of Cliffe maltster and George Stanford builder his trustee for £250; the houses were occupied by Heselden, Streeter, Newton and Ellis (7, 8)

On 25 Jun 1827 Charles Wille timbermerchant sold his moiety of two houses on Chapel Hill occupied by Funnel and Henry Valier to his brother George Wille of Cliffe gent for £100; if these houses are part of the title in recital, it is difficult to explain the origin of Charles Wille's moiety (9)

George Wille left his estate to his brother Charles Wille by his will of 31 Mar 1845, proved at South Malling on 29 May. Charles Wille's will of 29 Dec 1846 left his real property to his son Charles Wille and friend John Latter Parsons stonemason as trustee for the benefit of his daughter Mary Ann Cooper Berry wife of James Berry with remainder to her children. The estate consisted of six houses on Chapel Hill occupied by Leney, Diplock, Venus, Pryor, Piper, Goldsmith and Valler, five copyhold houses in Mount Pleasant, Lewes, three freehold houses in Mount Pleasant or White Hill, a copyhold house in Fisher Street, two houses in Sun Street, seven cottages and a garden near St John-sub-Castro church and a cottage, shop and schoolroom in Church Street, Lewes; this last property was left to the testator's housekeeper Harriet Bithell for life

Charles Wille died 8 July 1849 and the will was proved at Lewes 7 Jan 1850; his widow Sarah died 14 Mar 1860 and Mary Ann Cooper Berry on 2 Nov 1874 (10, 11). On 24 Feb 1875 an allotment of the estate was made by Henry Card, a Lewes surveyor, between the seven children of Mrs Berry, and this is recited in detail in a deed of 1 Jun 1875 by which the Chapel Hill property, a plan of which appears in the margin, was allotted to Mrs Berry's fifth child, James Frederick Berry of Cliffe gardener, who lived in one of the properties. The house on the west was owned by Mary Ann Wille Knight wife of Richard Knight (12)

On 29 Jun 1875 Berry borrowed £75 from Mary Ann Carter spinster on the security of the houses, which on 26 Oct 1876 he mortgaged to William Crundell of Cliffe gent for £250 and for a further £25 on 9 Feb 1886; after Crundell's death the mortgage was assigned to his widow Louisa, of New Town, Uckfield, on 9 Jul 1890 (13-17)

On 27 Aug 1895 Berry sold the houses, still subject to Mrs Crundell's mortgage, to Henry Constable builder for £125; she reconveyed on 25 May 1898 and on 20 Apr 1901 Constable sold the property to Thomas Venus of South Street cabinet maker for £600 (18-22)

Venus died on 8 Apr 1921 and by virtue of his will of 11 Jan 1890 the property passed to his widow Martha of 18 South Street, who on 7 Oct 1932 extinguished a freehold rent of 2d by apportionment payable to the manor of Ringmer, and on 19 Oct sold it to Alwyn Underdown of Seaford architect for £625 who sold to George Richard Pratt of Isfield storekeeper for £770 on 9 Dec 1932. On 7 Oct 1946 Henry Millyard Pannett and Spenta Cama, both of Brighton, joined Pratt, from whom they had purchased for £600, to sell to Henry Murton Inge of Brighton for £825 (23-28)

Inge sold all his houses to Cama for £515 on 19 Jan 1948; the deed is endorsed with details of his sales of numbers 4-6 and 8 and 9 Chapel Hill between 1949 and 1954 (29)

As to 7 Chapel Hill

Spenta Cama sold this property to Barbara Miriam Allchin, the owner of number 6, for £300 on 5 Apr 1954 who on 2 Apr 1958 sold to Violet Covington of Queens Square, London spinster for £550 (30-38)

Documents withdrawn 1991

Documents deposited 17 July 1986 (ACC 4689)