Records relating to the Wyeside and Welsh Estates

James Watt bought several farms from the Harley family in 1798, principally Stonehouse, near Gladestry. He retained the Harleys' land agent, James Crummer, to act on his behalf and to look for further land in the area. In 1803, Crummer found an estate owned by Penry Price, an absentee landlord, which consisted of Doldowlod farm and five other farms and a mill on the Breconshire side of the river Wye. Price had put the land up for sale in 1801, but it did not sell. Crummer agreed for Watt to purchase the property of just under 500 acres of land, for £6,000. watt then set about acquiring the farms which separated Price's holdings, to consolidate an estate, which he called 'Wyeside'. The farms purchased included Badland, Carregenvole, Doldowlod, Errw Vawr, Hergest, Penpntpren, Stonehouse, Tycwtta, Ystrad and others.
Watt visited the estate infrequently, perhaps four times after its purchase in 1803. Originally he planned to alter Ystrad so that he could stay there, but he seems to have lodged either at Rhyader or at James Crummer's house at Howey, near Llandrindod. James Watt jr. decided to convert Doldowlod for his own residence and made alterations to it after 1809 when it was no longer let to a tenant. He visited Wyeside regularly, ran the estate and helped plant substantial nurseries and tree plantations. After 1819 he built the southern half of the present Doldowlod Hall onto the end of the farmhouse.
The papers consist largely of correspondence with James Crummer, the land agent and with James Davies, solicitor, of Cheese and Davies, Kington, financial records and plans of the estates. Crummer lived at Howey and as agent to the Harleys, had an office at Berrington Hall near Leominster .
The subjects covered include descriptions of the land and farming practices; instructions and complaints about land purchases and problems of title; estate management and forestry; purchase of trees and fruit growing.

The records relating to the Wyeside and Welsh Estates have been arranged as follows:
Correspondence and papers.
Financial papers.
Maps and drawings.

Some estate material may still be at Doldowlod. Rentals are at the National Library of Wales.

Julian Gibson Watt: James Watt and the Doldowlod estate: extracts from the correspondence and notes of James Watt and James Watt jr., 1994. (In Wolfson Centre)

Outgoing correspondence of James Watt in MS 3219/4/118-121; Notebook of James Watt jr. MS 3219/6/42; 1833 maps of East and West Radnorshire MS 3219/6/215.