MERTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY Author Archive: Peter Hopkins
Mitcham digital classics
In the 1920s two collections of Mitcham reminiscences were published under the title Old Mitcham I (1923) and II (1926). One of the articles included in these collections had been published separately in 1909 and another reprinted separately in 1932. They are all now out of copyright so, as none of them seem to be currently available online, we are very grateful to Merton Heritage Service for permission to scan photocopies of their copies found among the late Eric Montague’s papers.
Mitcham Gardens and Gardeners of the 18th Century
In Mitcham Gardens the author explores the surprisingly rich history of 18th-century horticulture in Mitcham, manifested by plantations, shrubberies, walled gardens, glasshouses and gravel walks, as local gentlemen vied with each other in this fashionable craze.
Mitcham Herbal Industries
THE MITCHAM HERBAL INDUSTRIES
Mitcham in 1838: A Survey by Messrs Crawter & Smith
Among the archives at Surrey History Centre, Woking, is a small folio volume entitled Collected Reference to the Parish of Mitcham in the COUNTY OF SURREY SURVEYED by Messrs Crawter & Smith 1838. Its 170 folios list every property in Mitcham – cottages, houses, shops, farms, gardens, fields, meadows, woods and wastelands – together with acreage and use – arable, meadow, pasture, wood or ‘sundries’. Each property is numbered, from 1 to 1438, and the names of the occupiers are listed, though often several buildings in the same ownership are grouped together. Thus the book gives a very detailed picture of Mitcham in 1838.
Mitcham in 1846: The Tithe Apportionment Map
The tithe apportionment records of 1846 supply a very detailed picture of Mitcham, including every property and providing field names for almost every field. The map identifies each field and building with a number, and the accompanying schedule also gives the name of the owner and the occupier of each field, its area (in acres, roods and square perches), and, in most cases, the use to which it was put. It also gives the same information for the larger houses, but most dwellings are listed together near the end of the schedule under the general headings of Sundry Owners and Sundry Occupiers.
Mitcham in the Mid-17th Century:
A Surrey Village under Stress
Using primary sources where possible, the author examines the impact of the Civil War on the semi-rural parish which was Mitcham at the time. Topics discussed include recruitment, taxation, parish administration, social structure and even the property market.
Moated Sites in Merton, Mitcham and Morden
In this study, produced to accompany a display and short talk contributed to a seminar on ‘Moated Sites & Churches in the Landscape’ organised by Surrey Archaeological Society’s Medieval Studies Forum in March 2015, Peter Hopkins examines the evidence for nine local sites where the present or former existence of a medieval moat has been suggested.
Morden digital classics
A volume on The Registers of Morden, Surrey, 1634-1812 by F Clayton , published in 1901, is available from Internet Archive. It includes transcripts of inscriptions inside the church and in the churchyard, together with a brief historical introduction (though his attribution of the gift of the manor of Morden to Westminster Abbey by Prince Ethelstan is mistaken – the gift was to St Peter’s Winchester and the estate was Steeple Morden in Cambridgeshire).
Morden Fee in Ewell
Ewell was a royal manor until granted to Merton Priory in 1121, but there were several small estates, some of them independent manors and some held from the other manors. Westminster Abbey claimed 2 hides of land in Ewell by right of a charter of archbishop Dunstan and king Edgar in 959AD, which exists only in a 12th-century fabrication This holding was not specified among the Abbey’s estates in 1086, but its estate in Morden, described in 969AD as 10 hides, was assessed at 12 hides in Domesday Book, suggesting that the Ewell lands were already part of the Morden estate. By the late 13th century, when the extant manorial court rolls and manorial account rolls begin, the tenants of these Ewell properties formed a separate tithing within Morden manor, with its own head tithingman [capitalis decennarius] and ale-taster [cervisie tastator] and, according to a survey of Ewell undertaken in 1408 by Merton Priory, Westminster Abbey’s holding there was called Morden fee.
Morden Hall
In this booklet Bill Rudd recounts the history over more than 400 years of the building and the two principal families connected with it, the Garths and the Hatfeilds. Illustrated with drawings, maps and a family tree.
Morden in 1838: The Tithe Apportionment Map
The tithe apportionment for Morden, which is the earliest for the four ancient parishes which make up the present London Borough of Merton, dates from 1838. It is also one of the most detailed, covering every property in Morden, and providing field names for almost every field. The map identifies each field and building with a number, and the accompanying schedule also gives the name of the owner and the occupier, its area (in acres, roods and perches), and, in most cases, the use to which it was put.
Morden in 1910: The Land Valuation Records (‘Lloyd George’s Domesday’)
A unique view of Morden just before it was overwhelmed by suburbia. Every property, including building plots, is listed, with details of owner, occupier, leases and rents. Many properties have full descriptions, some with plans. The original maps are missing but Rosemary Turner has reconstructed them and plotted each property onto the 1912 OS map.
Morden Manorial Account Rolls
A major source of information for the study of the manorial economy is the sequence of manorial account rolls that begins in 1280. Though there are many gaps – no accounts survive for the period 1359-1387 or from 1412-1440, and only a dozen thereafter – over 100 can be consulted at the Muniment Room (WAM), a dozen at the Society of Antiquaries London (SAL), and one at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Morden Manorial Court Rolls
A number of manorial court rolls survive, though many are missing. Those covering the period 1296-1300 and for 1327-28 are in the Muniment Room at Westminster Abbey, while the British Library has those for 1378-1422, 1435-58, 1461-1503, 1507-9, 1512-29, 1534-43, and 1655. Extracts and copies of entries from 16th-century court rolls can be found at the British Library, at Lambeth Archives and at Surrey History Centre, which also holds the court rolls from 1594 to 1901 and a 1535 Steward’s memorandum of the rents and other payments made at the manorial courts.
Morden Manorial Leases
From 1359 the abbey’s demesne at Morden was leased to tenant ‘farmers’. Unfortunately the early manorial leases have not survived, but the abbey’s Registers or Lease-Books, dating from 1485, contain copies of the last three leases of the demesne at Morden. The final lease of 1511 included the rectorial tithes of the parish, and the right to hold manorial courts, in addition to the lease of the demesne lands of the manor. It was for 60 years, and was subsequently assigned to other lessees. Surrey History Centre has two assignments of this lease, as well as sub-leases of the tithe corn.
Morden Manorial Records
Westminster Abbey had owned an estate in Morden (usually spelt Mordon) from before the Norman Conquest. It is fortunate that many of the medieval manorial records are still in existence, mostly in the Muniment Room at Westminster Abbey, though some documents have found their way into other archives. Translations of all the known documents have been added to this website and can be viewed or downloaded from these pages. Images of these documents have also been added alongside the translations, by courtesy of the various archives.
Morden Park
A booklet on Morden Park, by former Borough librarian Evelyn Jowett, was published by Merton Historical Society in 1977, but has long been out of print. Since then further information has come to light, not least during the survey undertaken prior to the renovation and conversion of the house for use as Merton’s Register Office. This new edition has been prepared by William Rudd and Peter Hopkins of Merton Historical Society.
Morden Park Golf Course
Click on the Audio clip to discover more about the origins of the golf course.