RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: Keitht on Monday 19 August 24 14:51 BST (UK)
-
Does anyone know anything of the history of Billesley Hall Farm, Springfield Road, Moseley, which ceased to function as a farm in 1892 when its land was leased to those who, by 1898, were able to found Moseley Golf Club?
The golf club's history is well documented but I can find no reference to the farm other than those relating to the club.
-
In the 1881 census there is George Frederick Whitehouse, 80 acres Billesley Hall Farm
In 1871 he is a farmer at Billesley, same acreage (but not named as Billesley Hall Farm)
In 1861 he is at Billesley Hall
iIn 1851 he is at Billesley Hall, 70 acres
He died in 1886, so it seems that George Frederick Whitehouse farmed there from before 1851 until his death. His probate says 'late of Billesley Hall Kings Heath’, states that he was 'gentleman' and that he left £4,451 15s 1d.
Unfortunately there is no tithe map for the corresponding parish so I can't check the status of the site at that time for earlier ownership.
-
Aris's Birmingham Gazette, 7 Feb 1853
-
Aris's Birmingham Gazette, 25 Mar 1844
Yardley Inclosure
-
Yes, the 1853 entry puzzled me, and now you have forced me to look into it. In looking at ‘Billesley Hall” newspaper hits I had already spotted that there is another Billesley, not far away, just west of Stratford-on-Avon. I have now found an 1851 census entry for a George Rowley, a farmer of 183 acres at that Billesley.
I agree that the other find is the correct Billesley, and I had hoped to tie that one down using the tithe map.
-
Looking at the Inclosure article I see that John Taylor Esq. is mentioned several times. There seems to have been a large landowner in the area, John Taylor of Strensham Court who was lord of the manor of Yardley, and who paid for a church built at Yardley Wood. I suspect that this is the man, but he wouldn’t have been the farmer at Billesley I guess.
Added: The Taylor family also owned Moseley Hall.
More added: John Taylor Esq died in 1848, so perhaps there was a lot of selling off of property, including Billesley Hall, King’s Heath.
-
The wonders of RootsChat! Thank you all for the information you've provided, it gets me started on a quest I had thought was going nowhere.
John Taylor did indeed own huge swathes of land and buildings in that general area so it's probable that he leased Billesley Hall Farm for many years. He and his family left the UK for South Africa in 1913, when his entire estate was put up for auction. I've owned a copy of the auction catalogue for several years but haven't consulted it for at least the last ten years. I don't, though, remember it containing any reference to either Billesley Hall Farm or Moseley Golf Club, which suggests that the land had passed out of his ownership some time earlier.
John Taylor was also a founder of Taylor and Lloyd, the banking group which ultimately became Lloyds Bank. His church at Yardley Wood, Christ Church, was completed in 1849 and intended to serve as a chapel of ease to St Edbugha's, Yardley.
-
From the 1851 and 1861 census returns George's father Daniel, whose address is given only as Kings Heath is described as a retired farmer, suggesting that he had run the farm before handing it on to George.
-
Owned by James Taylor according to Catalogue descriptions (mid 19th Century).
Birmingham City Archives
https://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/calmview/Overview.aspx
Taylor of Moseley & Strensham: estate and family papers
MS 3378/3/2/9
Billesley Hall Farm.
https://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/calmview/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=MS+3378%2f3%2f2%2f9
12th November 1849
Valuation of the Billesley Hall Farm in the parish of Yardley, belonging to James Taylor, esq., in the occupation of Alfred Greaves. Plan.
MS 3378/3/2/9/426771
Finding Number [DV 546a] 426771
1st April 1850
Schedule of lands in Billesley Hall Farm in the parish of Yardley belonging to James Taylor, esq., as let to Mr. Thomas Chilwell. Plan.
MS 3378/3/2/9/426772
Finding Number [DV 546a] 426772
Some documents were stored off site and required advance notice, when the Archives moved to the last new Library building.
----------
Taylor of Moseley (search 1750 to 1950)
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ep=Taylor%20of%20Moseley&_dss=range&_sd=1750&_ed=1950&_ro=any&_st=adv
Researchers of a particular named property will usually find these named in the Family Estate documents such as:-
Leases
Surveys
Rentals
Accounts (sometimes or by Tenant's name)
Arrears Book (by Tenant's name)
Repairs
If the property was Copyhold, transfers at the Manor Court are usually in the Manor Rolls or Court Rolls. Some Manors with Copyhold properties had a Copyhold Book and / or a Fines Book. The Fine (relating to property) was a percentage of the value.
----------
Because they were linked to Strensham in Worcestershire, documents may be at other archives
Taylor of Strensham
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ep=Taylor%20of%20Strensham&_dss=range&_sd=1750&_ed=1950&_ro=any&_st=adv
Google snippet ...
James Taylor of Moseley Hall & Moor Green, Sheriff (b 28.01.1783, d 08.10.1852) had issue. m1. (06.12.1814) Louisa Skey (d 18.03.1822, dau/coheir of Samuel ...
-
@BushInn1746
Excellent clarification – thank you. And while I have your attention, could you please explain what copyhold means?
-
@Keitht
I recall reading that the John Taylor Esq. who died in 1848 did not marry, so the inheritance must have been complicated, and the John Taylor that you mention can’t be a direct descendant.
-
5 April 1851: Birmingham Journal
This is another puzzle, since the 1851 census was 30th March.
-
1841 census
Parish of Yardley
Bildersley Hall
Alfred Greaves 25 farmer
Mary 20
Alfred 2
This is preceded in the schedule by Bildersley Common and Little Bildersley, this is definitely what is written. I can't find any newspaper references to this "Bildersley" so maybe this was an error by the enumerator. By 1851 Greaves was at Bells' Farm, King's Norton
-
Alfred Greves was baptised in June 1814, father Benjamin Greves, farmer, King's Norton,
Benjamin Greves died in 1821, and in a newspaper item on his death is described as a corn dealer, and of Headly Heath, King's Norton.
Since Alfred Greaves (1814) was only 7 when his father died (and in any case there is nothing to suggest that Benjamin Greaves was at Billersley when he died) it seems that Alfred Greaves (1814) had not "inherited" the tenancy of Billersley.
(note: Greaves seems to be interchangeable with Greves at this time)
-
Thank you BushInn1746. I will need some time to work through all that you have provided but it will undoubtely prove interesing. Looks like I will need to reconnect with Birmingham Library, though I've not found their archive to be as readily available as it was before the move.
Alan, I don't think that farm to let advert refers to Billesley Hall Farm. It appears to relate to the nearby Billesley Farm situated off what is now Trittiford Road but was then merely a farm track. I say that because a, it names the farm as Billesley Farm and b, it gives an acreage of 147 whereas Billesley Hall Fram only ever covered 80 acres and c, it refers to a nearby canal, which does run close to the site of Billesley Farm.
It is interesting that the Greves (Grevis) family were involved with Billesley Hall though I really shouldn't be surprised. They preceded the Taylors as the local bigwigs and had their fingers in every pie in the area. I am surprised though, because everything I've ever known about the area tells me that their prominence had diminshed almost completely by the 1850s.
On Taylor genealogy I will clearly need to do some recapping.
-
@BushInn1746
Excellent clarification – thank you. And while I have your attention, could you please explain what copyhold means?
Copyhold is a type of Tenure and the rules apparently differed slightly from Manor to Manor.
The Copyhold field my family purchased from a relative's Widow, could also be left in a Will, subject to it being transfered by the Manor.
The 19th Century paperwork we have from the Solicitor to the Manor, was asking the Manor to transfer from G. H. (a family member) to the Trustees of J. C. H. (another family member) saying the Trustees desired to occupy it and can the Manor supply my Client [our family] a valuation and the Trustees be admitted to the Manor.
The family member would attend the Manor Court and hold a straw whilst the transfer was dealt with. The transfer would be entered in the Court Roll. The one off valuation (a small percentage of the value) was entered in the Manor Copyhold Book (in date order) under the previous holder.
Some Manors kept Copyhold Registers or Indexes with brief details of the Transfer (a lot of records survive for this Manor and we went to Hull Archives years ago, to see them).
Several of my family Members (one in my direct line) also served and are listed as Jurors on the Manor Court and are mentioned in the Manor Court Rolls.
The land was not Rented, nor was the property Freehold.
The nearest type of Tenure was Leasehold but we didn't pay a ground rent each year, only what is sometimes called a Fine payment, when the property was transferred.
Manor Records Useful for Family Historians
If the Manor records survive in Archives, they might be useful in tracing lines, even Rentals and Leases in some Manors during certain periods, may name the outgoing Tenant.
The Copyhold Register Book and Court Roll may also say from whose Will the Copyhold property has come from who may be related, or who sold the property.
----------
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyhold
-
@BushInn1746
Thank you.
-
... Looks like I will need to reconnect with Birmingham Library, though I've not found their archive to be as readily available as it was before the move. ...
Archives that modernised and moved to new buildings, seem a lot poorer to find documents.
You could find the stubborn stuff much easier under drawers and drawers of Card Index cabinets or Handlists or Volumes of paper Catalogues of Collections.
Some Archives have also put their typed Handlists online as searchable pdfs searchable from a Google search in commas, or even just images of their handwritten handlists, as well as an Electronic catalogue, which are most helpful!
If you don't put the right search terms in, on a PC, it sometimes comes up as 'No Results'.
Some are slow in updating databases and some databases not so good.
-
5 April 1851: Birmingham Journal
This is another puzzle, since the 1851 census was 30th March.
Some properties were Let by one and then subsequently Sub-Let to another, or other parties, if allowed by the Agreement.
Just a thought.