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1 South View, Quarry Hill Research and photos Michael Breakspear August 2018 When long-time Box resident Michael Breakspear read the article about the Eyles Family he knew exactly where they lived on Quarry Hill, because it was his house. He kindly allowed us to record the story of the property. In 1861 John Eyles, shoemaker, sold to his son, Henry Eyles, mason, a plot of land measuring 27 perches with its hereditaments (commodities like coal and stone attached to land) for the sum of £20.[1] The sale document is long for several reasons: to ensure that title passed on land once owned by the Northey estate; to protect Henry against challenge by his nine siblings; and also because it was uncertain if any valuable building stone would be discovered on the site. The plot was clearly identified, bounded by properties owned by the Oatley Family, George Aust, Quarry Hill and Barn Piece. |
Aerial view of number 1 and 2 South View
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Building South View Properties
The Eyles family acquired the land from the Northey Estate and Henry built a house there (now called number 1 South View). We get some idea of how complicated the Northey property ownership had become from the way they administered a rent charge (a ground rent payable to the lord of the manor) on the land.[2] When he died on 21 December 1878 Edward Richard Northey of Epsom, Surrey, wanted to leave £100 to each of his daughters, Harriett Isabella Ross and Agnes Constance Northey, for their lives out of the Box and Ditteridge rent charges. But this land had been devised to his son George Wilbraham Northey. So, in a hugely complicated way, it was decided that the charge should be paid out of hereditaments from the land lying to the east of Box Brook, from Drewetts Mill to a field called the Two Paddocks ... between the River and the High Road. In 1896 a document was needed to confirm the liability of George Wilbraham Northey, lord of Box manor. It is reminiscent of the dispute with the Northey Estate over Rokeby Villa, just up Quarry Hill.
The Eyles family acquired the land from the Northey Estate and Henry built a house there (now called number 1 South View). We get some idea of how complicated the Northey property ownership had become from the way they administered a rent charge (a ground rent payable to the lord of the manor) on the land.[2] When he died on 21 December 1878 Edward Richard Northey of Epsom, Surrey, wanted to leave £100 to each of his daughters, Harriett Isabella Ross and Agnes Constance Northey, for their lives out of the Box and Ditteridge rent charges. But this land had been devised to his son George Wilbraham Northey. So, in a hugely complicated way, it was decided that the charge should be paid out of hereditaments from the land lying to the east of Box Brook, from Drewetts Mill to a field called the Two Paddocks ... between the River and the High Road. In 1896 a document was needed to confirm the liability of George Wilbraham Northey, lord of Box manor. It is reminiscent of the dispute with the Northey Estate over Rokeby Villa, just up Quarry Hill.
Ordnance Survey 1900 (courtesy Wiltshire History Centre)
This piece of land was valuable because the Eyles family owned the property outright in fee simple, so Henry declared that neither his present nor any future wives should inherit it! The property situated in the picturesque village of Box gives outstanding views towards Bath and Colerne.[3] It has sizeable gardens to the front which includes ... a stone well, important as a local water supply before domestic running water.
Map recording the site from Abstract of Title, 1896
We can see how the large family caused issues of a clear title of inheritance when Henry died on 10 July 1890 without leaving a will.[4] The property might have been expected to be left at law to the oldest child, Edwin William, and obviously Henry's widow, Ann Upright, had to be involved in the 1891 documentation as she was living with Edwin and his family. Edwin's siblings, Charles Upright Eyles, Catherine Ann, Arthur Henry, and under-age siblings Thomas, Francis John, Elizabeth Louise and Constance Nellie, all had to be mentioned in the deeds as did the trustees of Henry's will, Thomas Vezey, solicitor, and Edwin William Eyles.
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The view from back garden which gave the house its name and the well in the garden (courtesy Carol Payne)
Edwin William Eyles
Edwin William Eyles then did a remarkable thing. The 1891 document says that he passed the property to be held on trust for the family in order to carry out what he believes to have been the wishes of his father ... to make some provision for his mother and brothers and sisters. Henry left cash amounting to £186.9s.8d which shall be expended in the erection of another ... dwelling house upon the said plot - number 2 South View. The mother Ann died the next year and the trust was then held equally between all eight surviving children.
Clearly, there was a need to acquire cash to pay out some of the siblings and the second property (later known as number 2 South View) required to be sold to fund their needs. It appears that Edwin William's brother Thomas, a mason, had paid for the stone and did the building work and on 16 June 1891 the trustees agreed to sell the property to Thomas for £320.[5] It didn't happen quickly and the sale conveyance was only completed on 16 June 1896 when the whole site was mortgaged by Thomas to Sarah Vezey for £200.[6] Sarah Vezey lived at Netherby, Hazelbury Hill, just around the corner and was related to the Candle Makers on Quarry Hill.
On 11 January 1905 Thomas Eyles sold back to Edwin William Eyles his interest in the whole of the plot for £120.[7] The sale was still subject to Sarah Vezey's mortgage and, on her death on 12 January 1919, the mortgage required to be settled.[8]
Edwin William Eyles then did a remarkable thing. The 1891 document says that he passed the property to be held on trust for the family in order to carry out what he believes to have been the wishes of his father ... to make some provision for his mother and brothers and sisters. Henry left cash amounting to £186.9s.8d which shall be expended in the erection of another ... dwelling house upon the said plot - number 2 South View. The mother Ann died the next year and the trust was then held equally between all eight surviving children.
Clearly, there was a need to acquire cash to pay out some of the siblings and the second property (later known as number 2 South View) required to be sold to fund their needs. It appears that Edwin William's brother Thomas, a mason, had paid for the stone and did the building work and on 16 June 1891 the trustees agreed to sell the property to Thomas for £320.[5] It didn't happen quickly and the sale conveyance was only completed on 16 June 1896 when the whole site was mortgaged by Thomas to Sarah Vezey for £200.[6] Sarah Vezey lived at Netherby, Hazelbury Hill, just around the corner and was related to the Candle Makers on Quarry Hill.
On 11 January 1905 Thomas Eyles sold back to Edwin William Eyles his interest in the whole of the plot for £120.[7] The sale was still subject to Sarah Vezey's mortgage and, on her death on 12 January 1919, the mortgage required to be settled.[8]
Plot shown in 1958 documents
Later Years
Edwin took out a mortgage from The Bath Liberal Permanent Mutual Benefit Building Society for £175. It was relatively unusual for a mortgage in the years immediately after the First World War, but the society's solicitor was Thomas Vezey and all parties were comfortable with the arrangements out of personal knowledge. On 18 February 1927 Edwin extended the mortgage by borrowing a further £75.[9]
Edwin took out a mortgage from The Bath Liberal Permanent Mutual Benefit Building Society for £175. It was relatively unusual for a mortgage in the years immediately after the First World War, but the society's solicitor was Thomas Vezey and all parties were comfortable with the arrangements out of personal knowledge. On 18 February 1927 Edwin extended the mortgage by borrowing a further £75.[9]
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This was probably to fund his son Percival Henry who had recently married. There followed several moves for Edwin and his family. In 1901 they lived at Lyndale, Devizes Road, which they had bought from the Northey family (buying the ground rents off the Northey estate in the Sale of 1912). Before then in the 1911 census Edwin and family were living temporarily at West View, Quarry Hill, presumably a rented property.
In his will of 1938, Edwin appointed Thomas Vezey and his nephew Alfred John Eyles, bank manager of 4 The Bassetts, as his executors. Edwin's child Percival had predeceased him and on Edwin's death on 19 November 1951 he left the two cottages at South View, Quarry Hill, to his grandson, Graham.[10] The old mortgages were still outstanding and required to be redeemed. The properties themselves were tenanted, number 1 by Mrs Stella Clarke and number 2 by Frank Nowell and the value correspondingly poor. On 10 October 1958, the whole of South View was sold to Mrs Elsie Kathleen Higgins of Townsend, who lived in number 1 until her death in 1980. She left the property to her daughter Kathleen Joan who had married Harold Hill and lived next door at number 2.[11] |
No 1 South View by Pat Jacobs, Ledbury
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The size of the plot had been reduced slightly because the area coloured blue, brown and green on the map above had been acquired by the Rural District Council to be part of the public highway in about 1930.[12]
1 South View was sold to Paul Langley in 1980, who sold it to Mike Breakspear in 1983, who while working one day came down Quarry Hill, saw the house was for sale and fell in love with it.[13] Number 2 is still owned by the Hills Family.
1 South View was sold to Paul Langley in 1980, who sold it to Mike Breakspear in 1983, who while working one day came down Quarry Hill, saw the house was for sale and fell in love with it.[13] Number 2 is still owned by the Hills Family.
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Michael Breakspear
Michael was a Civil Engineer, born in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, who later worked in the County Surveyors Department in Trowbridge. Locally he is known as a caver who surveyed extensively in Bradford-on-Avon and was involved in caving with clubs in the Forest of Dean and the Mendips. For Box, Mike compiled a Chronological History of Bath Stone Quarrying and you can read more of his work about Free Miners in the Forest of Dean at http://www.cerberusspeleo.org.uk/ Left: Mike in quarry times on the Mendips |
References
[1] Conveyance, 2 February 1861
[2] Abstract of Title, 1896
[3] Allen & Harris Sale Particulars, 1983
[4] Letters of Administration and Conveyance, 13 April 1891
[5] Indenture, 16 June 1891
[6] Conveyance, 16 June 1896 and Mortgage Indenture, 17 June 1896
[7] Conveyance, 11 January 1905
[8] Indenture, 16 June 1919 and Mortgage, 19 June 1919
[9] Further Charge, 18 February 1927
[10] Abstract of Title, 22 September 1958
[11] Conveyance, 10 October 1958
[12] Wiltshire County Council Search 1556, 24 July 1980
[13] Conveyances, 5 September 1980 and 15 April 1983
[1] Conveyance, 2 February 1861
[2] Abstract of Title, 1896
[3] Allen & Harris Sale Particulars, 1983
[4] Letters of Administration and Conveyance, 13 April 1891
[5] Indenture, 16 June 1891
[6] Conveyance, 16 June 1896 and Mortgage Indenture, 17 June 1896
[7] Conveyance, 11 January 1905
[8] Indenture, 16 June 1919 and Mortgage, 19 June 1919
[9] Further Charge, 18 February 1927
[10] Abstract of Title, 22 September 1958
[11] Conveyance, 10 October 1958
[12] Wiltshire County Council Search 1556, 24 July 1980
[13] Conveyances, 5 September 1980 and 15 April 1983