51-52 High Street

You are in [Places] [High Street Properties] [51-52 High Street]
[-->50 High Street] [-->53-54 High Street]

Caveat:

The history of ownership and occupation of the properties at the southern end of the west side of High Street (modern numbers 45-65) is very speculative.

Records are sketchy, and confusing. This page is the current "best attempt" to clarify the history of these properties, but much further work still needs to be done. It is possible that the historic boundaries do not match the modern ones.

Summary:

Earliest information: 1753
Original estate: Hungerford
Common Rights? Yes: 51 & 52 High Street, 28ft frontage total (each property: 1 horse or 2 cows)
Date of current building:
Listed? No

Description of property:

2 semi-detached houses, with a single roofline and a central chimney

Photo Gallery:

p2250894

uhs-101 mills

mills family c1910

- 51-52 High Street, February 2007.

- Mills' butchers, c.1910.

- Alfred Mills family 1912, taken at rear of 51 High Street before the family and business moved to 103HS. Standing, left to right (6): Sidney, who married Dorothy Bradley. He had two butcher shops in Swindon, one in Devises Road; Alfred, (whose wife Alice was a district nurse) was a butcher and moved from the original shop to 9 & 9a High Street; Elsie, who was a butcher in Bridge Street; Gertrude, who went to London until she returned to Walton Cottage, Eddington; Dorothy, who married Gilbert Savory and went to America as Missionaries; Ernest, who died (of appendicitis) in WWI. Middle row (6): Edith, who married Will Stenner who drove the royal train; Minnie, (later Mrs Brittain) who was a butcher at 7 Bridge Street with her sister (Elsie); Henrietta (Stella's Grandmother); Alfred (Stella's Grandfather); Rose, who died of breast cancer in the early 1930s; Douglas, who was a POW in WWI. He married Stella's mother Margaret who replaced Alice Mills as the district nurse. He had a butcher's business in Ramsbury. In front (1): Evelyn (later Mrs Dixie). Sisters Elsie and Minnie lived in Croft Villas for many years. Stella James (nee Mills) kindly contacted the Virtual Museum (Mar 2014) with information about the family members shown in the photograph. She was born in Hungerford in 1936 but was brought up in Ramsbury."

Timeline:

1663 (NH) Hearth Tax returns (El 79/243/25) for the southernmost end of the west side of the High Street contains entries (each for one hearth) arranged (proceeding northwards) in this order:
- Widow West (?53/54 HS)
- John Sandes (?51/52 HS)
- Edward Plasted (?50 HS)

As the burgage plots south of 53/54 High Street (i.e. 55-65 High Street) appear not to have been developed into dwellings until the 19th century, the Hearth Tax entries may well relate to 53/54 HS, 51/52 HS and 50 HS, but this is very speculative at this stage.

1690 onwards (NH) John Paty appears in Commoners' Lists

1714 Will of John Paty the elder, yeoman

1714 Inventories 1700-1750: Inventory of John Paty the Elder.

1715 (NH) DCW will of John Paty the elder, yeoman. Property:
- a. messuage, garden and appurtenances late in possession of Thomas Cummins deceased (1710), bequeathed to son John Paty
- b. messuage in which testator lived bounded on north by a tenement of Thomas Lewis and on south by his other little tenement lately in possession of John Sands deceased (1694), together with ½ barn, backside and garden, to son Thomas Paty, widow Alice to live there.
- c. the little tenement above mentioned and other ½ of barn etc to son Robert.
The inventory lists rooms in the house, q.v.

There is great confusion here!
The Paty will of 1714 places the properties in the order of Playstead (47-48 HS) to the north; Hidden (49 or 50 HS) in the middle; and Paty (51/52 HS to the south).
However, the Paty property becomes Spearing Dyer Miss Hoare in QR 1932, and this pushes Mills to 53 HS (when we know Mills the butcher was in 51/52 HS).
Mills and Miller are shown as paying 6d each at entry 49 in the 1932 QR – all part of the original split of Ann Poole's property which originated at a QR of 5s 4d. It is possible, although unlikely, that the "Mills" is not part of the butcher's business, which was definitely in 51/52 HS).
The first entries below are assuming that it relates to the Paty Spearing Dyer Miss Hoare property.:
- QR 2d.
- Paty -> Spearing -> Dyer -> Miss Hoare (1932)

In the right-hand column is an alternative plan, part of the division of the original 5s 4d properties:
Part of the QR 5s 4d
- Robinson -> Poole -> Pike -> Wiltshire -> Andrews -> Mills (1932)

1729 CL includes Thomas Paty, Robert Paty
1753-61 (QR) Thomas Paty for his house, q.r. 2d.

William Spearing, c.1770-c.1780:

1774-90 (QR) William Spearing (amended to Robert Smith) for house late Paty's, q.r. 2d.

1778 (NH) (Sun Fire Insurance vol 271): William Spearing of Hungerford, Berks, servant – on his house in 2 tenements under 1 roof in tenure of William Rosier and Thomas Bowsher, labourers. Brick and tiled. 28 Dec 1778

Robert Smith, c.1780-c.1823:

1795-1804 (QR) Robert Smith for house late Spearing's, q.r. 2d.
1805-17 (QR) Robert Smith for house late Spearing's, q.r. 2d.
1818-23 (QR) Robert Smith (amended to Richard Dyer) for house late Spearing's, q.r. 2d.

Richard Dyer (later trustees), c.1823-c.1860s:

1832 (QR) Devisees of Richard Dyer for House late Spearings, q.r. 2d.

1847 (CL) Trustees of Richard Dyer (own); Charles Taylor (occ)

1861 (CL) Trustees of Richard Dyer (own); William Moody (occ)

1910 Photo: 51: Alfred Mills, butcher's shop.

c.1932 (QR) Miss Hoare "House formerly Spearing's then trustees of Richard Dyer dec'd", q.r.2d.

1939 (Blacket's) 51:Miss Hoare
- 52: F. Howe

The QR entries (in the very large sum of 5s 4d) for <1753 1805 appear to include land, 51/52 and 53/54 HS, and became split into three parts in 1805:

<1753 Thomas Robinson

1753-61 (QR) Thomas Poole, for his house and land late Thomas Robinson's, q.r. 5s 4d.

1774-90 (QR) The widow Poole (amended to William and Thomas Pike) for house and land late Robinson's, q.r. 5s 4d.

1774-80 (QR) William and Thomas Pike.

1795-1805 (QR) William and Thomas Pike for house and land late Mary Pool's, q.r. 5s 4d.

Note: The quit rent of 5s 4d payable <1805 by Thomas Pike, seems to have become split in 1805 into three parts:
- 1. William Coxhead, for half … formerly …, q.r. 2s 2d [site of future Hungerford Waterworks]
- 2. Thomas Lanfear, for the remaining half and also for the house and land late Mary Poole's, q.r. 2s 2d [elsewhere in the town]
- 3. William Wiltshire for house and barn late Mary Poole's, q.r. 1s 0d. (Appears to be for 51/52 HS and 53/54 HS)

1805-17 (QR) William Wiltshire for house and barn late Mary Poole's, q.r. 1s 0d. [Thomas Pike for house and barn 5s 4d deleted. This rent was then split between William Coxhead, 2s 2d, and Thomas Lanfear, 2s 2d and William Wiltshire 1s 0d]

1818-23 (QR) William Wiltshire for house and barn late Mary Poole's, q.r. 1s 0d.

1832 (QR) Devisees of William Wiltshire for house and barn, q.r. 1s 0d.

1836 (QR) Thomas Andrews, for house and barn late William Wiltshire's. q.r. 1s 0d.

Note: The 1s 0d quit rent was further spilt into two equal parts of 6d each [53/54 HS and 51/52 HS] at some stage between 1836 and 1932 [when Miller and Mills are shown as q.r. 6d each], probably around 1836-1847.

1847 (CL)53: Devisees of Thomas Andrews (own); William Low (occ)

1851 (CS) 51: Benjamin Owls (60) lodging house keeper.
                   52: Ann Taylor (67), lodging house keeper.

1861 (CL) ??

1881 (CS) ?George Winterbourne

1891 (CS) ?George Baker

51 High Street:

1896 (CL) William Hoare (own); William Brown (occ)

1901 (CS) Henry Brown, provision shop keeper.

1902 (T&M Register) Devisees of William Hoare (owners)

1903 (T&M Register) Alfred Mills (occupier until 1915)
1914 (CL) Devisees of William Hoare (own); Alfred Mills (occ)
- ??52: Devisees of William Hoare (Own); William Bert Withall (occ)

1916 (T&M Register) Alice Beatrice Whitehead (occupier)

1920 (T&M Register) A R Harris (occupier)

1921 (T&M Register) Harry Kimber (occupier)

1926 (T&M Register) George Eliz Hoare (occupier)

1929 (T&M Register) Walter Lefroy (occupier)

1932 (QR) Mr. Mills: "House and Barn formerly Mary Poole's then Wm. Wiltshire's then Trustees of J. Andrews", q.r. 6d.

1939 (T&M Register (Mrs Alice Hunt (occupier)

1947 (CL) Alice Kate Hunt

1952 (CL) Charles James Wilkins

1956 (CL) Charles Fitzroy Cahusac
1963 (CL) Muriel Sylvia Collingwood Cahusac

1968 (T&M Register) Viola Marion Loraine Mustard (owner 1968-1979)

1968 (T&M Register) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz
1968 (CL) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz
1970 (CL) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz
1976 (CL) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz

1980 (T&M Register) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz & Una Loraine Rivaz (owners)
1983 (CL) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz
1984 (CL) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz
1985 (CL) Geoffrey Francis George Rivaz

2000 (CL) Ingerlise Hislop-Caisley

2005 (CL) Peter Joseph
2011 (CL) Peter Joseph
2016 (CL) Peter Joseph

52 High Street:

1896 (CL) William Hoare (own); Walter George Clifford (occ)
1902 (T&M Register) Walter George Clifford (occupier)

1911 (T&M Register) William Groves (occupier)

1912 (T&M Register) William Hewitt (occupier)

1914 (T&M Register) William Bert Withall (occupier)

1916 (T&M Register) Frank Howe (occupier)

1943 (T&M Register) R H Whant (occupier until 1973)
1947 (CL) Reginald Harold Whant
1952 (CL) Reginald Harold Whant
1956 (CL) Reginald Harold Whant
1963 (CL) Reginald Harold Whant
1968 (CL) Reginald Harold Whant
1970 (CL) Reginald Harold Whant

1975 (T&M Register) "now a joint property with 51 High Street"

1976 (CL) Void

1983 (CL) Wilfred Henry Ponsonby
1984 (CL) Wilfred Henry Ponsonby

1985 (CL) Void
2000 (CL) Void
2005 (CL) Void
2011 (CL) Void
2016 (CL) Void

See also:

- Will of John Paty, 1714

- Inventory of John Paty, 1714