Deeds of 5 St James Street, Southover (SX 125216)

AMS6499

Deeds of 5 St James Street, Southover (SX 125216)

1773-1993

Numbers 5 and 6 St James Street formed a single title until the latter was sold off on 21 July 1939 (38 below). The properties were rebuilt by George Pumphery between his purchase in November 1821 and February 1824 (13, 15 below)

The early descent of the site cannot be traced with confidence. The deeds of Rosedene, the neighbouring house to the south (HIL 6/27, from which this list has been augmented and from which the details on the map above are taken), make it clear that that property, a single room wide with a frontage of only ten feet onto St James Street, had originally been the southern portion of a larger house which included the sites of 5 and 6 St James Street; by 1859 it had been greatly extended by further purchases of land. No link can be established between William Hodgson, gent, the earliest recorded owner of this property, and William Clarke, owner of the present Rosedene until his death in 1775. Rosedene was purchased from Clarke's executors by Edward Collins of Carnaby Market in Westminster, who had bought 5 and 6 St James Street two years earlier. He sold his Southover property in 1781, numbers 5 and 6 in June and Rosedene in May

That the three houses were originally one may be suggested by a contract of 1821 (7 below), by which the owners of the respective properties agreed to block an overlooking window and a connecting door, and to dig a new well in the yard of Rosedene

Inspection in 1999 suggests that Rosedene retains a structure of at least 18th-century date

A single messuage in the occupation of Henry Basset and Ann Sargeant belonged to William Hodgson, gent, before 1773. On 19 and 20 March 1773 his eldest brother and heir, Thomas Hodgson of Great Aycliffe in Durham, gent, sold the property for £42 to Edward Collins of Carnaby Market in St James Westminster, butcher. It was described as

A messuage, garden and backside in St James Lane, Southover (S: garden of Dame [Sarah] Clark; W: orchard late Mr [Drew] Walter; N: John Kenard's garden; E: the Town Street)

Hodgson gave a covenant against the dower of his wife Mary, and the deed was witnessed by Hugh and Ralph Hodgson (1)

On 26 and 27 June 1781 Edward Collins, then of Beckenham in Kent, sold the property, occupied by Edward Blaber and Mrs Randall, to Stephen Towner of Southover, yeoman, for £45 (2, 3)

By his will of 27 July 1784, Stephen Towner bequeathed the property, now described as two houses, occupied by Edward Blaber, Sarah Randall and Richard Wickham, to trustees for the benefit of his reputed son William New, son of his housekeeper Mary New, together with four fifth shares of two houses, buildings, yards and gardens in St James Lane, occupied by James Hilton. Towner also bequeathed a freehold house in Southover, occupied by Richard Stephens to Mary New for life with remainder to William New, and a messuage, barn and land in Kingston, copyhold of Swanborough manor and in his own occupation to William New in tail, remainder to William Bean of Wivelsfield in trust for sale for the benefit of members of the Bean family (4). The will was proved at Lewes on 8 March 1786 - WA 65 201

On 28 and 29 September 1796 William New of Selmeston, farmer, sold the property to John Motion of Southover, news-carrier, and his trustee John Fisher of Lewes, gent, for £71. The property, occupied by William Acton and William Morton, had the house of John Carter on the S, John Carter's orchard occupied by Bannister Flight on the W and a house and garden occupied by William Cheale on the N. The garden was said to be 'now stumpt off', perhaps suggesting a readjustment of boundaries, or that the property sold was only one of the two houses which Stephen Towner had left to William New in 1784 (5, 6)

On 23 February 1806 John Morton wrote a will, in which he bequeathed his two houses in Southover, one in his own occupation and one occupied by Bartholomew Bartholomew, to his wife Sarah and only son Joseph Morton at 21 in equal shares. Arthur Lee, printer, was an executor of the will. The will was not proved, and on 17 November 1821 Morton's brother William Morton of Southover, newsman, made a statutory declaration of its authenticity and of the descent of the estate to Joseph Morton (9)

Before investigation of the title began, on 13 November 1821 the prospective purchaser George Pumphery made an agreement with the neighbour John Carter concerning a well and window on the premises. Although the agreement no longer survives in this bundle, a copy (7) has been added from the counterpart in the deeds of the neighbouring property (HIL 6/27/13)

A door and a window in John Carter's wash-house were to be blocked, and a new well was to be sunk in his yard in exchange for his permissive use of the well in this property (7)

In order to prove title, certified copies were obtained of the marriage of John Morton and Ann Hayward, both of Ewhurst, at Ewhurst on 27 September 1790, of Joseph Morton's birth at Southover, 22 August and baptism at the Rev Jenkin Jenkin's [Chapel Hill] chapel in Cliffe on 16 November 1795, and of the burial of John Fisher at Lewes St Michael on 24 July 1811 (8-11)

On 20 and 21 November 1821 Joseph Morton of North Street, Manchester Square, Mx, cabinet-maker, sold the property for £84 to George Pumphery of Lewes, carpenter, and his trustee Isaiah Weller. It was occupied by Matthew Huggett and Benjamin Allen, the garden on the W was occupied by the owner John Carter and the house on the N by vendor's uncle William Morton (12, 13). The account of Thomas Cooper and John Allin of Lewes, solicitors, includes a sum for negotiating the contract with Carter, is also present (14)

Pumphery rebuilt the houses and on 2 February 1824, now described as a builder of Southover, he mortgaged them for £150 at 5% to Ann Divall of Framfield, spinster. Pumphery occupied one of the houses himself and the other was occupied by Matthias Hugget; John Carter no longer owned the property to the S and W but the house to the N was still occupied by William Morton. The schedule of deeds, which included an agreement between John Carter and George Pumphery of 13 November 1821 but was otherwise identical to those still surviving, was signed by Mr [?William] Carter 'for Mrs Carter', perhaps indicating Ann Divall's intended marriage to him (14-17)

Receipts for payments of interest were endorsed on the bond on behalf of Miss Divall, by William Carter from 1824 to 1830 and by Elizabeth Mabbott from 1830 to 1833 (16). On 4 April 1833 the property was vested in Samuel Lidbetter, gent and William Carter, trustees of the settlement on Miss Divall's marriage with Philip Woolgar; Lidbetter received the interest on Mrs Woolgar's behalf from 1833 to 1841 (16)

On 2 February 1844 Philip Woolgar of Plumpton, labourer and his wife Ann assigned the mortgage to William Carter of Falmer, blacksmith, and his trustee Richard Green the younger of Lewes, ironmonger (18)

By his will of 28 April 1835, George Pumphery left his property to his wife Elizabeth; he died on 4 May 1854 and Elizabeth proved the will at Lewes on 30 June 1854. By her will of 5 July 1856, Elizabeth Pumphery left her property to her brother Thomas Richardson of Iford, labourer; she died on 27 August 1858 and Thomas proved the will at Lewes on 24 September 1858. The succession duty account of 3 February 1859 shows that the two cottages were let at weekly rents of 3s and 2s 6d respectively (19, 20)

Richardson was born on 29 July 1774 and died on 15 December 1864. By his will of 20 August 1864, described as of Iford, farm bailiff, he left his property to Joseph Shelley of Lewes, miller, who proved the will at Lewes on 26 May 1865 (19, 20)

John Lewis's requisitions were answered by Blaker and Son on 28 July 1865, William Carter's receipt for the loan of £150 and £7 10s interest was endorsed on the deed of 1844 on 31 July 1865 and the property conveyed for £175 by Joseph Shelley of Lewes, miller and baker, to James Leonard of Lewes, gunsmith and his trustee, [his stepson] Thomas Simmons of Lewes, cabinet-maker, on 1 August 1865. The houses were then occupied by John Watson and Sarah Baker, the house to the N belonged to John Harland and that to the S and W to [blank] Harris (19-22)

John Leonard died on 23 August 1867. His will of 29 April 1839 was proved by his executrix and sole beneficiary, his wife Harriet Leonard, on 23 September 1867. Harriet died on 7 June 1869. Her will of 4 September 1867 was proved by her executor and sole beneficiary, her son Thomas Simmons, on 6 August 1869. Thomas Simmons, of 163 High Street, Lewes, died on 10 March 1898. His will of 28 December 1896 was proved by his wife Mary Ann Simmons, his son Edward Simmons and son-in-law William Bussey on 30 April 1898 (23, 24)

Mary Ann Simmons died on 17 September 1904, an estate-duty certificate, naming the occupiers as C Rider and A Langridge, was obtained on 15 April 1905 and the property, then occupied by Alfred Stephen Langridge and George Earl, was sold by Edward Simmons of 163 High Street, cabinet-maker, and William Bussey of Malling Street, builder, to Clifton George Turner of Uckfield, solicitor's clerk for £280 on 20 April 1905 (23-25)

On 10 November 1905 Turner mortgaged the houses for £200 at 4% to Sarah Attenborough of White Lodge, Fletching, widow, who died on 15 September 1907 and whose executors (Henry Whiteway Attenborough of 160 Marine Parade, Brighton, esq and Frederick Luscombe Attenborough of White Lodge, naval commander) assigned the mortgage to Samuel Stapleyhurst Avis of Uckfield, gent on 7 May 1908 (26, 27)

The property was auctioned at Lewes 'by order of the owner, who is going abroad' on 1 July 1919. The particulars give a detailed description of the houses, number 5 occupied by Mrs Langridge at 5s and number 6 by Walter Burchell at 5s 3d. Turner's other property was also included in the sale: 7 Priory Street, occupied by Mrs Moppett, and 13-15 Mount Street, let to Messrs Woolgar, Dunn and Avis. The houses were conveyed to Edward Arthur Glover of Brookside, Lewes, Portland Cement Manufacturer, for £260 on 7 August 1919, and by him to Frederick Charles Huggett of North Street, Lewes, baker and confectioner on 6 December 1820 for £290, of which £80 was raised by mortgage to his solicitor Harold Montagu Blaker the following day (28-37)

Huggett paid off the mortgage in instalments, clearing it on 28 October 1932, and on 21 July 1939 sold number 6 St James Street for £265 to Ethel Ruth Madgwick of 2 St Annes Crescent, Lewes, wife of Frank Madgwick (37, 38)

On 1 April 1958 Huggett, of Hazelhurst, 12 Prince Edwards Road, Lewes, retired insurance agent, sold 5 St James Street to John Tennant Bunn of Flat 2, 34 King Henrys Road, Lewes, architect for £850, of which £750 was raised by mortgage to the vendor. Bunn paid the mortgage off to Huggett, then of 30 Prince Edwards Road, and sold the property for £3650 to Nellie Crabtree of 12 Mount Harry Road, Lewes, widow on 17 December 1962

Mrs Crabtree, the occupier, agreed to sell the property for £5950 to Muriel Florence Mary Stopford of Combehurst, The Paddock, Westcott, Dorking on 4 June and the sale was completed on 25 June 1970. In June or July 1980 Mrs Stopford sold to Charles Roger Halliday Bryson who sold the property in 1993 (39-44)

English

Documents given 16 February 1999 (ACC 7838)