Badsey Society member, Anna Tucker, has very kindly donated to The Badsey Society some old documents relating to property in Badsey that was demolished in the 20th century. Her husband, Peter Tucker, a Solicitor, had the foresight to rescue the documents in the 1980s, before they ended up in oblivion. The pertinent points have been extracted from the documents, and the documents themselves will be on display this summer at The Badsey Society stall at both Badsey First School Summer Fete on 28th June 2003 and Badsey Flower Show on 26th July 2003. They will then be given to the Worcestershire Record Office for safe keeping.
The documents relate to two sets of property: Sharps Row, a row of cottages where the Garden of Remembrance in the church is now located, and two thatched cottages by the church lychgate, which, until the end of the 19th century, also housed the Blacksmith’s shop. If anyone has any photographs of these properties, we would love to see them.
Sharps Row
Description of the property
Sharps Row was a row of terraced cottages backing on to Rose Cottage and Vine Cottage, situated south-east of the church where The Garden of Remembrance is now located. Originally, there were four cottages, dating back to at least the 1770s, and these were used to house the poor of the parish. However, after the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, responsibility for the poor was removed from parishes to elected "Boards of Guardians of the Poor" serving a "union" of parishes. Evesham Union Workhouse was built in 1837, and it was to this place that surrounding rural parishes were to send their poor.
There was thus no need for the cottages, and so these were sold in 1837 to a local farmer, Joseph Knight. After Joseph Knight’s death in 1843, his daughter, Harriet Sharp, inherited the cottages and built four more. For the majority of the 19th century, houses and cottages did not have names, but by 1891 (when the postal service was beginning to become more widespread), the name "Sharps Row" appears in the census for the first time. At some time in the 1870s, three of the cottages (presumably the older ones) were pulled down, thus leaving five in total.
Harriet Sharp died in 1899, and the property passed in 1900 to John Idiens & Sons Ltd. The cottages continued to be occupied until around the early 1930s, but gradually became very run-down. It is believed they fell out of use in the 1930s, after the building of new council houses at Synehurst Crescent. Certainly, village historian, Terry Sparrow, as a child growing up in the 30s and 40s, recalls only one ever being occupied and that was for a period during the war when an old couple who had been bombed out in Coventry lived there. They were pulled down around 1951 when an extension to the churchyard was made.
Outline history
c1777-1837 – The cottages belonged to the Overseers of the Poor.
1837 – Joseph Knight, the Elder, Farmer, bought the four cottages for £107.10.0.
1843 – Joseph Knight died and left one cottage each to his sons, Charles and William, and two cottages to his daughter, Harriet Sharp, and son-in-law, Thomas Sharp, of Bengeworth. Charles and William sold their cottages to Harriet and Thomas.
1844 – Thomas and Harriet Sharp had four more cottages built on the site.
1871-1881 – Three of the cottages pulled down, leaving five.
1899 – Harriet Sharp died.
1900 – Cottages sold to John Idiens & Sons Ltd.
c 1951 – Cottages demolished, after having fallen into disrepair some time previously.
Main protagonists
- IDIENS, John (c1852) – Born at Birmingham, living in High Street, Evesham, at the time of the 1881 census. He was a merchant and, by the beginning of the 20th century, was living at Wickhamford Manor.
- KNIGHT, Joseph (1774-1843) – Joseph came from a long line of Badsey and Aldington Knights. His Great-Grandfather, Joseph, had moved to Aldington at the end of the 17th century. He was the eldest son of Francis and Ann Knight, and had married Sarah at the beginning of the 19th century. They had four children: Robert (1806-1875), Charles (1808), Harriet (1811-1899) and William (1813). Joseph was a farmer. In 1837, he bought the four cottages which had belonged to the Poor Law Officer.
- KNIGHT, Charles (1811) – Farmer, second son of Joseph Knight. Inherited one of the cottages (later to be known as Sharps Row) which he sold to his sister, Harriet Sharp. Had left Badsey by 1851.
- KNIGHT, Robert (1806-1875) – eldest son of Joseph Knight. Married Mary Dowsil in 1832, had three sons and six daughters, lived at Aldington for most of his life. Inherited his father’s main dwelling and all his "wearing apparel".
- KNIGHT, William (1813) – Farmer, youngest son of Joseph Knight. Inherited one of the cottages (later to be known as Sharps Row) which he sold to his sister, Harriet Sharp. Had left Badsey by 1851.
- SHARP, Harriet (1811-1899) – daughter of Joseph Knight, married Thomas Sharp at Badsey in 1832. At the time of the 1881 census, she was widowed and living at 4 Avon Terrace, Waterside, Bengeworth with her son and his family. Inherited two cottages from her father (in the terrace to be known as Sharps Row) and bought the other two from her brothers. She also arranged for four more to be built in the 1840s and for three to be pulled down in the 1870s.
- SHARP, Thomas – married Harriet Knight at Badsey in 1832. He was a Joiner and lived in Bengeworth; he died prior to 1881.
Documents relating to Sharps Row
Document 1
Dated: 19th December 1837
The Guardians of the Evesham Union and the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Parish of Badsey (with the consent of the Poor Law Commissioners) to Mr Joseph Knight
Conveyance of four freehold cottages and hereditaments at Badsey to uses and with a declaration to bar Dower
This document states that by virtue of an Act passed in the fifth and sixth years of the reign of his late Majesty King William IV, entitled "an Act to facilitate the Conveyance of Workhouses and of other Property of Parishes and of Incorporations or Unions of Parishes in England and Wales" with the approbation of the Poor Law Commissioners, they had the authority to sell the property. The Guardians of the Poor of the Evesham Union; John Jones and Edward Appelbee, the Churchwardens; and William Collett and William Henry Smith, the Overseers of the Poor of the Parish of Badsey, sold the cottages for £107.10.0 to Joseph Knight the Elder, farmer:
All those four several cottages or tenements with the outbuildings, gardens and appurtenances thereunto adjoining and belonging situate lying and being at Badsey aforesaid and now or late in the several occupations of Charles Hartwell, John Edginton, Thomas Knight and William Uckfield All which said hereditaments and premises have been in the possession of the Parish Officers of Badsey aforesaid for upwards of sixty years.
The deed stated that no widow of Joseph Knight was to be entitled to dower in or out of the hereditaments.
John Jones, Edward Appelbee, William Collett and William Henry Smith signed their names, but Joseph Knight signed with a cross.
Document 2
Dated: 23rd February 1838
Mr John Knight the Elder and Miss Sophia Hands
Mortgage in Fee of four cottages and gardens at Badsey in the County of Worcester for securing £70 and interest with power of sale and covenant to insure
Joseph Knight obtained a mortgage from Sophia Hands for £70. The cottages were still in the occupation of Charles Hartwell, John Edginton, Thomas Knight and William Uckfield.
Document 3
Dated: April 1843
Probate of the Will of Mr Joseph Knight Deceased
Joseph Knight left his son Robert Knight "All that my freehold cottage or tenement with the garden and appurtenances thereto belonging situate in Badsey in the County of Worcester and now in the occupation of John Roberts" (it is not certain which property this refers to) and "all my wearing apparel". He left the two freehold cottages (later to be known as Sharps Row) in the occupation of John Heeks and Charles Knight to his daughter, Harriet Sharp, of Bengeworth. He left the two freehold cottages (later to be known as Sharps Row) in the occupation of Charles Hartwell and John Edginton, to his sons, Charles and William Knight. John Hopkins of Willersey and Charles and William Knight were appointed Executors.
Document 4
Dated: 29th September 1843
Messrs Charles and William Knight to Mr Thomas Sharp
Release of two cottages and gardens at Badsey, subject to a mortgage thereon to Miss S Hands for £70 of interest
19 Jan 1842 – By the will of Joseph Knight, the Executors, after discharging the mortgage debt due to Miss Sophia Hands and paying off his other debts and funeral expenses, if insufficient funds, then his two sons were to sell the cottages:
All those his two freehold cottages or tenements situate in Badsey aforesaid then in the several occupationf os Charles Hartwell and John Edginton with the gardens and appurtenances thereto belonging And all those his two freehold cottages or tenements situate in Badsey aforesaid then in the several occupatons of John Heekes and Charles Knight with the gardens and appurtenances thereto belonging unto his daughter, Harriet, the wife of the said Thomas Sharp.
March 1843 – Joseph Knight died. Charles Knight and William Knight had not paid £70 to Sophia Hands, the Mortgagee. They agreed with Thomas and Harriet Sharp to sell them the two cottages for £80. The Sharps did not have the whole purchase money, so they gave £10 to Charles and William and took over the mortgage with Sophia Hands. These two cottages which Charles and William sold were then in the occupation of Charles Hartwell and Elizabeth Edginton.
Document 5
Dated: 11th July 1844
Mrs & Mrs Sharp to Mr Henry Workman
Mortgage of eight cottages and gardens at Badsey (subject to a prior security for securing £130 and interest with power of sale and covenant to insure)
Indenture between Thomas and Harriet Sharp of the one part and Henry Workman of Bengeworth, Gentleman, of the other part showing the Sharps’ entitlement to the four "ancient cottages" and also to the four newly erected cottages. The Sharps needed £130 and so applied to Henry Workman to lend them the money:
All those four several ancient cottages or tenements with the outbuildings, gardens and appurtenances thereto adjoining and belonging situate in the parish of Badsey aforesaid and now in the several occupations of Charles Hartwell, Elizabeth Edginton, Joseph Knight and John Heekes Also all those four other cottages or tenements lately erected and built upon part of the above described gardens and all of which are at present untenanted.
Document 6
Dated: 15th May 1849
Mrs Thomas Sharp and wife and others to Mr George William Penney
Transfer of Mortgage on the eight cottages and gardens at Badsey in the County of Worcester (with further advance) for securing £300 and interest
The mortgage was transferred to George Penney:
All those four several ancient cottages or tenements with the outbuildings, gardens and appurtenances thereto adjoining and belonging situate in the parish of Badsey aforesaid formerly in the several occupations of Charles Hartwell, Elizabeth Edginton, Joseph Knight and John Heeks and now of Charles Hartwell, Elizabeth Edginton, William Knight and John Heeks Also all those four other cottages or tenements lately erected and built upon part of the above described gardens and now in the several occupations of William Alchurch, William Watkins, John Harris and Henry Heeks.
Document 7
Dated: 24th April 1889
Mr G W Penney to Messrs F P Webb, AA Stokes and G H Garrard
Transfer of the within written Mortgage Security
Indenture between George William Penney of the one part and Frederick Pace Webb of Evesham, Surveyor, Alfred Allen Stokes of Godalming, Surrey, Esq, and George Henry Garrard of Evesham, Gentleman, of the other part. £300 was still owing but all interest was paid and the mortgage was transferred to them.
This Transfer has been added to the same document as the one of 1849. From census returns, it would seem that the number of cottages had already been reduced from eight to five, but there is no indication in this entry as to the number:
All those the messuages, cottages, gardens, lands, hereditaments and premises comprised in the within written Indenture.
Document 8
Dated: 24th July 1894
Frederick P Webb, Esq, and Others to Himself and Others
Transfer by supplemental Indenture of Mortgage for £300 and interest on freehold cottages and gardens at Badsey in the County of Worcester
The mortgage was transferred from Frederick Webb, Alfred Stoke and George Garrard to Frederick Webb, Alfred Stokes and William John Clarke Whitfield of Hereford, Surgeon.
Document 9
Dated: 25th June 1900
The Mortgagees and Trustees of Mrs H Sharp deceased to John Idiens & Sons Ltd
Conveyance of five cottages and hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Indenture between Frederick Pace Webb, Alfred Allen Stokes and William John Clarke Whitfield (the Mortgagees) of the first part; John Sharp of Bengewroth, Evesham, Carpenter, and William Gardner, late of Bengeworth but now of Evesham, Gentleman (the Trustees) of the second part); and John Idiens & Sons Ltd, Evesham (the Company) of the third part.
19 Mar 1895 – Will of Harriet Sharp, widow, appointed John Sharp and William Gardner as Executors, and left them the real and personal estate upon trust to sell as soon as possible after her death.
11 Dec 1899 – Harriet Sharp died.
14 Feb 1900 – Will of Harriet Sharp proved at Worcester.
£300 still owing to the Mortgagees, so Sharp and Gardner agreed to the sale of the five cottages to John Idiens & Sons for £280 and paid £20 to the Mortgagees:
All those five cottages with the gardens and appurtenances thereto belonging situate and being to the south-east of and near the church in the village of Badsey in the County of Worcester, now in the occupation of Louisa Malin and others, four of which adjoin each other and the remaining one being near thereto (there formerly having been eight cottages on the land comprising the site of the said five cottages and gardens but three of the former cottages were some years since pulled down).
Document 10
Dated: 23rd October 1902
Messrs John Idiens & Sons Ltd to The Refuge Assurance Company Ltd
Mortgage in Fee of a plot of land and the messuages or cottages thereon situate in the village of Badsey in the County of Worcester to secure the repayment of £300 and interest
John Idiens obtained a mortgage from The Refuge Assurance Company Ltd.
Document 11
1902
Abstract of the Title of Messrs John Idiens & Sons Limited to five cottages and hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Solicitors: Byrch Cox & Son
The Abstract of Title summarises the right of the person to buy the property:
All those five cottages with the gardens and appurtenances thereto belonging situate and being to the south-east of and near the church in the village of Badsey in the County of Worcester, then in the occupation of Louisa Malin and others, four of which adjoin each other and remaining one being near thereto (there having formerly been eight cottages on the land comprising the site of the said five cottages and gardens but three of the former cottages were some years since pulled down).
11 Jul 1844 – Mortgage made between Thomas Sharp and Harriet Sharp of the one part and Henry Workman of the other part.
15 May 1849 – Transfer of mortgage made between Thomas and Harriet Sharp of the first part, Sophia Hands of the second part, Henry Workman of the third part and George William Penney of the fourth part.
24 Apr 1889 – Transfer of mortgage made between G W Penney of the one part and F P Webb, A A Stokes and George H Garrard of the other part.
24 Jul 1894 – Transfer of mortgage made between F P Webb, A A Stokes and G H Garrard of the one part and F P Webb, A A Stokes and William John Clarke Whitfield of the other part.
19 Mar 1895 – Will of Harriet Sharp, widow, late of Bengeworth, stating that the Trustees and Executors should sell the cottages as soon as possible after her death.
11 Dec 1899 – Harriet Sharp died.
14 Feb 1900 – Will proved at Worcester. £300 was still owing to the mortgagees. The Trustees agreed for the sale to the Company of the cottages at a price of £280. The Company paid £280 to the Mortgagees by the direction of the Trustees and the Trustees paid £20 to the Mortgagees, making the full total of £300.
25 Jun 1900 – Indenture made between Frederick Pace Webb of Evesham, Surveyor, Alfred Allen Stokes of "Beaumont", Cheltenham, and William John Clarke Whitfield, Hereford, Surgeon, the Mortgagees, of the first part, and John Sharp of Bengeworth, Evesham, Carpenter, and William Gardner, late of Bengeworth, but then of Evesham, Gentleman, the Trustees, of the second part, and John Idiens & Sons Limited, a company incorporated under the Companies Acts and having their registered office at Evesham, of the third part.
Document 12
1909
Abstract of the Title of the Refuge Assurance Company Limited to five cottages and hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Solicitors: William P Green, Manchester
This largely repeats the 1902 Abstract.
Who lived at Sharps Row?
The early property documents give us clues as to who was living there in the 1830s and 1840s and from the census returns, it can be deduced who was living there. Some of the families who lived there had close family connections, and some of the cottages were occupied by the same family group for many years, eg Hartwell and Knight predominated throughout the period, often most of the cottages being occupied by the extended family. By the late 1840s, the number of cottages had increased from four to eight, and then a few decades later, three were knocked down to make five in total. From the years 1851-1881, it is difficult to tell with certainty who lived there, but by 1891, when five cottages existed, it is easy to tell who lived there as the 1891 and 1901 census returns specifically name Sharps Row. As the number of cottages varied over the years, and families frequently swapped between the houses, I have listed the main families that lived at Sharps Row in the 19th century, and then indicated who lived in each of the five cottages from 1891.
Hartwell
Charles Hartwell is mentioned by name in all the documents from 1838 to 1849, and was one of the original occupants of the old cottages. Charles Hartwell (1789-1868) married Maria Collett in 1814. Charles and Maria had six sons and three daughters: John, William, Mary, Charles, Elizabeth, George, David, Joseph and Anna. At the time of the 1841 census, Charles and Maria lived there with four of their children. They were still there in 1851, Charles being described as a "Pauper Farm Labourer"; their unmarried son, George, still lived with them. Their daughter, Elizabeth, now married to William Knight, lived in one of the other cottages. By 1861, Maria was dead, and Charles was lodging with his son, George, and family at The Leys (other cottages which have also been demolished).
In total, four of Charles and Maria’s children inter-married with other occupants of Sharps Row and continued to live in the cottages. William Hartwell (1815-1889) married Sarah Knight (1819-1893), had five sons and one daughter, and lived there until their deaths. Mary Hartwell (1818-1854) married John Hicks and lived there after her marriage until her untimely death. Charles Hartwell (1822-1893) married his cousin, Sarah Hartwell, in 1866 (Sarah’s parents, William and Mary, lived at Sharps Row at the time of the 1861, 1871 and 1881 census, and then Charles and Maria lived there). Elizabeth Hartwell (1825-?) married William Knight (1825-?) and was there in 1851.
Knight
The name Knight is mentioned in all the documents from 1838 to 1849, firstly Thomas in 1838, Charles in 1842 and 1843, Joseph in 1844 and William in 1849. It is likely that this family was that of Thomas Knight (1788-1856) who had married Elizabeth and had seven sons and one daughter, three of the sons being Charles, Joseph and William. They were not immediately related to the owners of the cottages, Joseph Knight and his children (there was a common ancestor five generations back); the name Knight was, at that time, the commonest surname in Badsey, so it was probably just a coincidence that they shared the same surname.
Thomas and various members of his family lived there at the time of the 1841 and 1851 census. By 1861, Charles (1826-?) and Mary Knight and family were living there; they were still there in 1871, but had gone by 1881. Charles was the son of Thomas’ first cousin, Charles. There were 13 children in the family in total, and four of Charles’ siblings also lived at Sharps Row at various times. Sarah Knight (1819-1893) was married to William Hartwell (1815-1889) and they lived there until their deaths. Hannah Knight (1821-?) married William Robins and lived there with her family in 1861. John Knight (1833-1878) married Dinah Malin and lived there in 1871. Richard Knight (1837-1891) lived there with his wife and family from 1861-1891.
Edginton
The name Edginton is mentioned in all the documents from 1838 to 1849, firstly John, then his widow, Elizabeth. John Edginton (1804-1843) married Elizabeth Hicks about 1824. They had eight sons and two daughters, though only four survived to adulthood. Elizabeth Edginton stayed on at Sharps Row after her husband’s death in 1843, until she married John Tandy in 1850.
Hicks
Around 1840, William Huckfield and family, who had been living in one of the cottages, moved to Aldington, and the cottage was taken over by John Heeks (or Hicks, as the name later came to be known as). John was the brother of Elizabeth Edginton, who already lived at Sharps Row, and was also married to Mary (née Hartwell). They were still at Sharps Row in 1851, with their young daughter, Mary Ann.
Occupants of the Five Cottages from 1891
1 Sharps Row - In 1891 in the first house (described in 1891 as Sharps Cottage), lived David Harris, his wife, and young daughter, Florence. David, although himself born in Hampton, was from a family which had been in Badsey for several generations; both his father and grandfather had been born in Badsey. By 1901, he was living elsewhere in the village, and the Cotton family had moved into the house. Frank Cotton, a Market Gardener, had been born in Bretforton, but his wife, Florence, was from Northamptonshire, and the first two of their three sons was born in Northamptonshire.
At the time of the 1924 Electoral Register, William John Heritage lived there. According to information in the School Registers, Donald, Evelyn and Peggy Heritage, children of Myra Heritage (1928-1932). The Heritages lived at 1 Sharps Row. By 1936, when Peggy enrolled in the Mixed Department at Badsey School, they were living at 8 Synehurst Crescent.
2 Sharps Row - In 1891 in the second house, lived Louisa Malin, two of her sons, Thomas and Charles, and a granddaughter and great-granddaughter. The Malins had moved from Offenham in the late 1850s. It is believed they did not initially live at Sharps Row, but seem to have been there from 1871. They were connected to the Knights (the occupant Knights rather than the owner Knights) through Dinah Malin's brief marriage of three years to John Knight in the 1870s (until his death in1878); John Knight was lodging with Dinah in 1871. John Knight (1833-1878) was the brother of Charles Knight. Charles (1826) was married to Mary, and lived at Sharps Row from at least 1861 until the 1870s, when he left the village. By 1881, his youngest brother, Richard Knight, had moved from Cottage No 5 to Charles' one at No 3.
By 1901, Thomas and Charles had both died and Louisa had moved to a new house on Badsey Fields Lane. John and Phillis Barnard, with five-year-old William, had now moved in. John’s grandfather, William Barnard had first moved to Badsey in the early 1840s and was the Parish Clerk for many years, until his death in 1892.
At the time of the 1924 Electoral Register, Agnes Clara Hall lived there. According to information in the School Registers, Ronald, Alfred, Sylvia, Clifford, Basil and Beryl, children of Morris and Agnes Clara Hall (1913-1925), lived there. The Hall family had moved from Bretforton; from Sharps Row they then moved to Silk Mill Cottages.
3 Sharps Row - In 1891 in the third house, lived 72-year-old Sarah Hartwell and her two eldest sons, Charles (described as an idiot from childhood) and John, both unmarried, plus her grandson, David, who was the illegitimate son of her daughter, Ann, now married to Thomas Taylor. Sarah was the widow of William Hartwell who died in 1889. Sarah had been born Sarah Knight, in 1819, in Aldington, though the family shortly moved to Badsey. Her husband, too, was Badsey-born, as was his father.
Sarah’s youngest brother, Richard, lived next door. Sarah died in 1893 and Charles in 1900; the other two members of the household had gone from Badsey by 1901. In 1901, the Stanley family was living there. Robert and Jane Stanley had moved to Badsey fairly recently with their young family.
At the time of the 1924 Electoral Register, Albert Edward Knight lived there. According to information in the School Registers, Gladys, John and Alan Knight, children of Albert and Isabel Knight (1926-1930). The Knights lived at 3 Sharps Row. By 1934, when Alan enrolled in the Mixed Department at Badsey School, they were living at 5 Synehurst Crescent.
4 Sharps Row - In 1891 in the fourth house, lived Richard and Jane Knight, with their three youngest children, Emma, Henry and Ellen. Richard Knight was the youngest brother of Sarah Hartwell, who lived next door; he was her junior by 18 years. Richard died in 1891. By 1901, his widow, Jane, was living in a new house almost opposite the cottages: the present-day No 15 Chapel Street, a semi-detached red-brick house. Two of her children, Sam and Ellen, lived with her. Emma was by this time married to William Collett and living elsewhere in the village and Henry had married Ann-Maria Wilkes and was also living in the village. Instead, at No 4, was Sarah Hartwell, her brother, and son.
At the time of the 1924 Electoral Register, Joseph Hartwell lived there.
5 Sharps Row - In 1891 in the fifth house, lived Charles and Sarah (née Hartwell) Hartwell, their sons, Joseph and Daniel, and James Hartwell, an army pensioner and agricultural labourer, Sarah’s unmarried brother. Charles was the younger brother of William Hartwell, who lived just two doors away. He did not marry until 1866, in his mid-forties, when he married his first cousin, Sarah Hartwell. Their first-born son, Eli, had died at the age of one. Charles Hartwell died in 1893, and in 1901, Sarah was living with her brother, James, and youngest son, Daniel, at Sharps Row, though they appear to have moved into the fourth house. Instead in the fifth house, was widow Emma Adams from Evesham, and her children, William, Edith and Jessie.
At the time of the 1924 Electoral Register, Francis Robert and Edith Annie Wheeler lived there. According to information in the School Registers, Doris Wheeler, daughter of Francis Wheeler (1922) lived there. By 1931, when Doris’ younger sister, Muriel, enrolled in the Mixed Department at Badsey School, they were living at 33 Synehurst.
It is likely that the Grinnell family then moved in (or No 4). The Grinnells had previously been living at Wickhamford (they were living there in 1926 when their eldest son, Douglas, started school), were definitely at Sharps Row by 1929 and by 1936 were living at 2 Synehurst Crescent (they had probably moved there around 1933).
Mr Roberts who lives in Manor Close, was born at Sharps Row. Probably he is from the same family as Edward John Roberts, son of William Roberts (born 1902), who entered the Mixed Department of Badsey School in 1909 and his address was given as "Church back passage".
The Blacksmith's Shop
Description of the Property
The property consisted of two thatched cottages with outhouse which was used as a blacksmith’s shop until the 1870s. The cottages were located close to where the church lychgate is in Chapel Street, and were demolished in the mid 20th century.
Outline history
Pre 1774 – James Bird, and subsequently Henry Bird, his son, occupied the premises.
1774 – William Collet, Yeoman, sold the premises to Richard Oldaker, Blacksmith.
1774-1866 – The Oldakers were in residence for almost a century.
1866 – Elizabeth Oldaker, widow of Samuel Oldaker, died.
1867 – John and Elisha Redgrave appointed trustees of Samuel Oldaker’s will in place of Charles Drury and Edward Laugher Blew. Messrs Redgrave borrowed £120 from John Unett in order to pay Samuel Oldaker’s daughters their legacies. They conveyed the premises to him by way of mortgage only, subject to redemption.
1873 – John Redgrave bought back the premises for £120 and interest out of his own private money.
1870s – Mary Oldaker lived there until her death in 1872. It was then occupied by John Cornelius Simpson (John Simpson died December 1874), then David Walker.
1877 – Alfred Berrington bought the property for £120 and then sold it to Thomas Walter Green for £160.
1885 – Thomas Walter Green (Senior) died and the property passed to his son, Thomas Walter Green, and daughter, Mary Ann Cox.
1902 – Thomas Walter Green (Junior) and Mary Ann Cox sold the property to John Idiens for £100.
Main protagonists
- BERRINGTON, Alfred – Hotel Keeper, of 22 Lake Street, Chicago, USA, but temporarily residing in Evesham in 1877, bought the property in 1877 and then sold it almost immediately
- BLEW, Edward Laugher – Baker of Badsey, joint trustee (with Charles Drury) of the will of Samuel Oldaker, from 1839-1867, until being discharged of his duties
- COLLET, William (1742-1814) – Original owner of the property, sold it in 1774
- DRURY, Charles – Farmer of Badsey, joint trustee (with Edward Laugher Blew) of the will of Samuel Oldaker, from 1839-1867, until being discharged of his duties
- GREEN, Mary Ann (c1849-) – Inherited the property from her father. Married Frederick Cox, Grocer; in 1902, living in Manchester
- GREEN, Thomas Walter (c1824-1885) – Confectioner and Toy Dealer, bought the property in 1877
- GREEN, Thomas Walter (c1853-) – Inherited the property from his father; in 1902, living at 58 High Street, Evesham, Confectioner and Toy Dealer
- IDIENS, John (c1852-) – Merchant, bought the property in 1902; in August 1902, living at High Street, Evesham, but by October 1902 had moved to Wickhamford
- OLDAKER, Elizabeth (c1776-1866) – wife of Samuel Oldaker, carried on the business after her husband’s death
- OLDAKER, Elizabeth (1804-) – Daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Oldaker
- OLDAKER, John (1856-?) – Groom, working in Chicago, USA, grandson of Samuel Oldaker, son of Richard Oldaker by his second marriage, inherited the property, but sold it to his employer, Alfred Berrington
- OLDAKER, Mary Ann (1800-1872) – Daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Oldaker, never married
- OLDAKER, Richard (c1738-1796) – Blacksmith, bought the property in 1774
- OLDAKER, Richard (1806-1860) – Blacksmith, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Oldaker, married Elizabeth Knight, had one son, Richard, who died of consumption, aged 20, and then five children by a second wife, Louisa
- OLDAKER, Samuel (1775-1839) – Blacksmith, son of Richard Oldaker, inherited the property from his father
- REDGRAVE, Elisha – Auctioneer, of Birmingham, joint trustee (with John Redgrave) of the will of Samuel Oldaker, from 1867, after being appointed by the former trustees, Drury and Blew
- REDGRAVE, John – Gentleman, of Birmingham, joint trustee (with Elisha Redgrave) of the will of Samuel Oldaker, from 1867, after being appointed by the former trustees, Drury and Blew
Documents relating to the property
Document 1
Dated 3rd April 1774
William Collet to Richard Oldaker
Lease for a Year
William Collet of Badsey, Yeoman, leased the property to Richard Oldaker of Badsey, Blacksmith, for five shillings:
All that messuage or tenement with the stable, blacksmith’s shop, yard and garden, thereunto belonging situate standing and being in Badsey aforesaid in the said county of Worcester, formerly occupied by James Bird and afterwards by Henry Bird his son.
William’s wife, Nancy (née Bird) had died in 1770.
Document 2
Dated: 4th April 1774
Mr William Collet to Mr Richard Oldaker
Release of a Messuage and Garden at Badsey in the County of Worcester
William Collet sold the property to Richard Oldaker for £50.
All that messuage or tenement with the stable, blacksmith’s shop, yard and garden, thereunto belonging situate standing and being in Badsey aforesaid in the said county of Worcester, formerly occupied by James Bird and afterwards by Henry Bird his son.
Document 3
Dated: 24th July 1867
Messrs Charles Drury and Edward Laugher Blew to Messrs John and Elisha Redgrave
Appointment of new Trustees under the will of Mr Samuel Oldaker deceased
Charles Drury, Farmer, and Edward Laughter Blew, Baker, both of Badsey, had been appointed Trustees under the terms of Samuel Oldaker’s will of 1839.
After payment of his debts, funeral expenses, Samuel Oldaker gave to his friends, Charles Drury and Edward Laugher Blew upon trust:
All that his freehold messuage or tenement with the blacksmith’s shop, land and premises thereto belonging situate at Badsey and then in his own occupation, and also all that freehold cottage or tenement situate at Badsey aforesaid then in the occupation of Giles Dobbins with their appurtenances and all other his real estate wheresoever situate and also all and singular his household furniture, plate, linen, china, books, pictures, prints and other houshold effects and likewise all his stock in trade tools and implements of trade, then in his possession, custody or power and all his book and other debts ready money and securities for moneys, bonds, bills, notes or other securities and all and singular other his personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever and of what nature or kind so ever.
Drury and Blew were to hold this in trust for his wife, Elizabeth, for her lifetime, "to have the sole use and enjoyment of his said household furniture and effects for her life and also the use of his stock in trade, tools and implements of trade to carry on his said trade of a blacksmith if she should think proper for her own use and benefit". Within 12 months of the death of his wife, £45 was to be paid to each of his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, and his son, Richard, to have the rents and profits from the tenements and blacksmith’s shop for his lifetime. On his wife’s death, all the household furniture and effects to be equally divided between the three children. His tools and implements of trade were, on the death of his wife, to go to his son, Richard, and after his death, to his grandson, Richard and any other children of his son, Richard.
20 Apr 1839 – Samuel Oldaker died.
5 Oct 1839 – Will proved at Worcester.
6 Jan 1860 – Richard Oldaker died.
24 Jan 1866 – Elizabeth Oldaker died.
Document 4
Dated: 25th July 1867
Messrs J & E Redgrave to John Unett, Esq
Mortgage of Freehold Land, messuage, blacksmith’s shop and premises situate at Badsey in the County of Worcester for securing £120 and interest
Indenture between John Redgrave, Gentleman, and Elisha Redgrave, Auctioneer, both of Birmingham, of the first part, and John Unett, Gentleman, of Birmingham, of the second part, mortgaging the premises to John Unett for £120.
All that messuage or tenement, blacksmith’s shop, land and premises thereto belonging situate at Badsey aforesaid late in the occupation of Mary Oldaker and now of John Cornelius Simpson And also all that cottage or tenement with the land and appurtenances thereto belonging situate at Badsey aforesaid formerly in the occupation of Giles Dobbins but now or late of Oliver Rogers
9 Apr 1839 - Samuel Oldaker, late of Badsey, Blacksmith, deceased, by his will, gave and devised the two messuages, blacksmith’s shop and premises to Trustees, upon certain trusts for the benefit of his wife, Elizabeth, his son, Richard, and his grandchildren, and upon further trust by mortgage of his real estate to raise and pay within 12 months after the death of his wife, the sum of £45 to each of his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.
5 Oct 1839 – Will proved in the Consistory Court of the Bishop of Worcester.
24 Jan 1866 – Elizabeth Oldaker died.
25 Jul 1867 – Messrs Redgrave needed to pay £45 to each of Samuel Oldaker's daughters, so mortgaged the property to John Unett for £120.
Document 5
(Missing)
Document 6
Dated: 31st December 1873
John Unett, Esq, to Messrs J & E Redgrave
Reconveyance
31 Dec 1873 – This was written on the same document as that of 1867. John Regrave redeemed the mortgage for £120 out of his own money.
Document 7
Dated: 29th September 1877
Messrs J & E Redgrave with the concurrence of Mr John Oldaker to Mr A Berrington
Conveyance of messuage, cottage, blacksmith’s shop and other hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester to uses in bar of Dower
Indenture between John and Elisha Redgrave of Birmingham of the first part; John Oldaker of 22 Lake Street, Chicago, USA, Groom, but now temporarily residing at Evesham of the second part; Alfred Berrington, also of 22 Lake Street, Chicago, USA, Hotel Keeper, but also temporarily residing at Evesham of the third part; and George Henry Garrard of Evesham, Gentleman, of the fourth part.
1873 - John Redgrave had bought back the properties out of his personal money. John Oldaker attained the age of 21 and thus was eligible to inherit the properties (being the son of Samuel's son, Richard, by his second marriage, and not born at the time his grandfather made the will). John Oldaker at the time was working as groom for Alfred Berrington of Chicago, USA. Elisha Redgrave and John Oldaker were unable to pay back John Redgrave the money he had paid for the properties. John Redgrave agreed to discharge of the interest and John's employer, Alfred Berrington, agreed to buy the properties.
Document 8
Dated: 27th October 1877
Mr Alfred Berrington to Mr Thomas Walter Green
Conveyance of messuage, cottage, blacksmith's shop and other hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Alfred Berrington sold the property by Public Auction for £160 to Thomas Walter Green, a confectioner, of Evesham.
Document 9
1877
Abstract of Title to a messuage, blacksmith’s shop and other hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Solicitors: New, Prance & Garrard, Evesham
This gives details of the entitlement to the property, as outlined in all the previous documents.
All that messuage or tenement with the Blacksmith’s shop, land and premises thereto belonging situate in Badsey in the County of Worcester, late in the occupation of Mary Oldaker, afterwards of John Cornelius Simpson, late of David Walker and then void, And also all that cottage or tenement with the land and appurtenances thereto belonging situate adjoining the hereditaments described at Badsey aforesaid, formerly in the occupation of Giles Dobbins, afterwards of Oliver Rogers and then void, And all other of any the hereditaments at Badsey aforesaid devised by the said Samuel Oldaker deceased and comprised in the therinebefore recited Indentures
Document 10
1902
Abstract of the Title of the Trustees of the Will of Mr Thomas Walter Green deceased and of Mr Thomas Walter Green and Mrs M A Cox to two messuages cottages and other hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Solicitor: Byrch, Cox & Son, Evesham
This summarises the entitlement of Thomas Green and Mary Ann Cox to property at Badsey.
29 Sep 1877 – By an Indenture between John Redgrave and Elisha Redgrave of the first part, John Oldaker of the second part, Alfred Berrington of the third part, and George Henry Garrard of the fourth part, the messuage, cottage, blacksmith’s shop and other hereditaments were sold to Alfred Berrington for £120.
27 Oct 1877 - By an Indenture between Alfred Berrington of 22 Lake Street, Chicagol, USA, Hotel Keeper, but then temporarily residing in Evesham, and Thomas Walter Green of Evesham, Confectioner, the property was sold to Green at a Public Auction Sale for £160.
20 Jun 1884 – By his will, Thomas Green bequeathed to his wife, Ann Green, an annuity of £50 for the term of her life, to be payable in half-yearly portions, and bequeathed the property to his son, Thomas Walter Green, and to his daughter, Mary Ann Cox, wife of Frederick Cox, and all the rest of his estate to his son and daughter equally, Thomas Green, his son, and Frederick Cox, his son-in-law, were appointed executors.
31 Mar 1885 – Thomas Green died.
22 Aug 1885 – Will proved in the District Probate Registry at Worcester by Thomas Green and Frederick Cox.
13 Sep 1898 – Indenture of Statutory Mortgage made between Mary Ann Cox, wife of Frederick Cox, of Cambria Road, Evesham, Grocer, of the one part, and Albert William Byrch and Thomas Cox of Evesham, Solicitors and Co-partners, of the other part.
Document 11
Dated: 5th August 1902
Mr T W Green, Mrs M A Cox and others to John Idiens, Esq
Conveyance of two messuages, cottages and premises situate at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Solicitors: Byrch, Cox & Son, Evesham
Conveyance between Thomas Walter Green of 58 High Street, Evesham, Confectioner and Toy Dealer, of the first part, Mary Ann Cox, wife of Frederick Cox of 12 Whiley Street, Dickenson Road, Longsight, Manchester, Lancashire, Grocer, of the second part; Thomas Cox of Evesham, Solicitor, of the third part; Thomas Walter Green and Frederick Cox of the fourth part; and John Idiens of High Street, Evesham, Merchant, of the fifth part.
Thomas Green and Mary Cox sold the property to John Idiens for £100. It had ceased to be a blacksmith’s shop by this time and was described thus:
All those two messuages or cottages and outoffices with the stable and other out-buildings, garden and appurtenances thereto adjoining and belonging situate and being in the parish of Badsey in the County of Worcester formerly in the occupation of David Walker and Oliver Rogers and now or late occupied by William Keyte and John Keyte as tenants thereof.
31 Mar 1885 – Thomas Green died.
22 Aug 1885 – Will proved in the District Probate Registry at Worcester by Thomas Green and Frederick Cox.
13 Sep 1898, 10 Feb 1899, 26 Apr 1900, 4 Sep 1900, 14 Dec 1901 – Various mortgage agreements between Mary Ann Cox and Alfred William Byrch and Thomas Cox.
Document 12
Dated 23rd October 1902
Messrs John Idiens & Sons Ltd and Another to The Refuge Assurance Company Limited
Mortgage in Fee of a plot of land and two messuages thereon situate in Badsey in the County of Worcester to secure the repayment of £100 and interest
Indenture between John Idiens of Wickhamford, Merchant, of the first part; John Idiens & Sons Ltd, whose registered offices were at 89 High Street, Evesham, of the second part; and The Refuge Assurance Company Ltd, whose registered offices were at 81 Oxford Street, Manchester, of the third part. John Idiens’ name was inserted in the August Indenture as a Trustee only, for and on behalf of the Mortgagors, with the intention that subsequently the land should be conveyed to the Company.
Document 13
1902
Abstract of the Title of Mr John Idiens to two messuages, cottages and other hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Solicitor: Byrch, Cox & Son, Evesham
This summarises the entitlement of John Idiens to the property at Badsey.
Document 14
1909
Abstract of the Title of The Refuge Assurance Company Limited to two messuages, cottages and other hereditaments at Badsey in the County of Worcester
Solicitor: William P Green, Manchester
This again summarises the position. It appears that Julius Sladden of Seward House, may have been involved with the Company, as the name Sladden has been written on the document in pencil. Certainly, on a document connected with "The Pool House" dated 1920, there is a plan of the surrounding buildings and the name Sladden appears against these premises.
See also 'The Village Blacksmith' chapter in Aldington and Badsey: Villages in the Vale.