The final stage was when the valuation was finally approved and Form 37-Land was completed. Form 37-Land was the statement of Provisional Valuation (often referred to in the Field Books as PV) made on completion of the survey and retained in the district valuation office; a copy was sent to the landowner as Form 36-Land. One form was completed in respect of all properties being valued together. For example, Aldington Manor House and Farm is featured in the Field Books under two reference numbers, 1 and 3, but a combined valuation was given under number 1.
The first page of the form gives the description and situation of the property, the reference (hereditament) number, occupier’s name and extent, as per the Field Book. The information needed to determine assessable site value is then given: original gross value, deductions to arrive at original full site value and original total value, and then deductions from total value to arrive at assessable site value. Lastly there was the value of agricultural land for agricultural purposes where different from assessable site value. The last item was initialled by RDW, assumed to be Roland Drury Webb. (Both Roland and his brother, Raymond, were land agents, the latter being agent for the Lord Estate – the trustees of Captain J P Lord, who had died in 1871, owned over 600 acres in Aldington, Badsey, Bengeworth and Wickhamford). It was then signed by S W Lander, the Valuer appointed by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for Worcester District, and date-stamped.
The reverse of the form gives details of the owner, including full address (the latter is not normally available in the Field Books), and the date on which a copy of the Provisional Valuation was served and details of how sent (normally RP, registered post). It also recorded details of anyone interested in the land who had applied for copy.
Below is an example of a Provisional Valuation Form for Montpellier House (the present-day Badsey Hall, No 42 High Street). It was owned by the trustees of the late Captain J P Lord and was then sold to the Reverend J Ludlow Lopes, who later opened it as a children’s home.
Occasionally the Provisional Valuation was amended, in which case Form 39-Land was completed. For example this one below for No T J Sears. The original valuation was served on 29th July 1912, but was amended on 14th May 1914.
