Blagdon Farm since 1700

Blagdon House, Blagdon Lane, built 1826 (M A Claridge 2000)
Outbuildings to Blagdon House, Blagdon Lane (M A Claridge 2000)

Blagdon Farm since 1700

In 1732 Richard Dallett of Merton left the lease of Blackdowne to his son Matthew, who was already in occupation. Dallett had also leased two other farms in Merton, one called Cannon Hill, the other probably the Bond family’s farm later known as Merton Hall Farm. He also owned two small freehold cottages in Lower Morden. The family later bought several copyhold properties in Merton.¹

In 1764, on the death of John Lawson of Chancery Lane and Southside, Wimbledon, his son Francis Lawson inherited Blagdon, and owned it until the 1830s.²

From 1780 to 1795 the Merton Land Tax lists John Golden as Lawson’s tenant at Blagdon.

And from 1796 to 1814 John Watney was listed as Lawson’s tenant.

The tenants in 1815 were Messrs Berrenger, followed by Daniel Deacon in the 1820s.

Charles Lawson sold Blagdon in the 1840s to Philip Matthews. When the Tithe Surveys were undertaken, Blagdon consisted of 120 acres in Merton, 80 acres in Kingston and 16 acres in Malden. The tenant, since 1833, was Edward Rayne, who also owned neighbouring West Barnes Park:

In Merton:

9 Nine Acres (arable) 9a 3r 0p

10 Ten Acres (pasture) 10a 1r 8p

11 Cottage & Gardens 0a 0r 16p

12 Two Acres (pasture) 4a 1r 5p

13 Eight Acres (arable) 7a 3r 27p

14 Thirteen Acres (arable) 14a 0r 27p

15 Fourteen Acres (arable) 14a 1r 4p

16 Lower Eight Acres (arable) 8a 3r 11p

17 Middle Eight Acres (arable) 8a 2r 5p

18 Sculy Meadow & Six Acres (arable) 15a 3r 10p

19 Six Acre Meadow (meadow) 7a 0r 14p

20 Carters Field (meadow) 5a 0r 30p

21 lane 1a 0r 0p

22 Farmhouse, yard, etc 1a 1r 18p

23 Long Two Acres (meadow) 3a 3r 0p

24 Three Acres & Home Close (meadow) 7a 3r 11p

In Kingston:

275 Wood (wood) 3a 1r 23p

276 Six Acres (meadow) 6a 1r 35p

277 Wood (wood) 2a 0r 37p

278 Arable (arable) 6a 2r 30p

279 Three Acres (meadow) 3a 0r 7p

280 Furze Field (rough pasture) 10a 3r 22p

281 Nine Acres (arable) 9a 0r 4p

282 Lane Field (arable) 11a 2r 35p

283 Common Close (arable) 16a 0r 22p

284 Wood (wood) 7a 0r 22p

285 Five Acres (arable) 5a 3r 5p

In Malden:

131 Malden Field (arable) 16a 1r 22p

The Kingston and Malden properties would be the land called Appuldore, held by Merton priory, and leased to Thomas Fromond at the Dissolution together with their Hobalds estate in Morden.³

Tithe Apportionment Surveys calculated a rent-charge to replace traditional tithes. Because Blagdon had been part of the old West Barnes estate, which had always had the right to its tithes, the rent-charge was payable to the owner of Blagdon. The Merton Survey of 1844 listed Matthews as owner, but Lawson as receiving the rent-charge, perhaps indicating that the sale had only just taken place.

Matthews was still owner in the 1870s, but had sold to Joseph St John, a builder, by 1881. Tenants included James Allen in 1851, John West in 1861, Henry Willis in 1871 and Henry Hatch in 1881. In 1891 Clement Keevil ran the Blagdon Stud Farm for shire horses.

Blagdon Farm house still stands among its outbuildings, serving the adjoining Emanuel School Playing Field, though sadly the house called Little Blagdon, in Burlington Road, has recently been demolished for development. Along Burlington Road the Sacred Heart School in Merton Borough and Burlington School in Kingston Borough are both on former Blagdon lands. Residential streets lie to the south of Burlington Road and to the north by the Beverley Brook. Beverley School occupies the field known in the 17th century as Appledore. Other land by the Bypass became a centre for light industry, famous names including Shannon, Decca, Senior’s Pastes, British Salmson Aero Engines and Champion. Now most of the sites are retail developments. East of the Epsom Branch Railway, opened in 1859, Seaforth Avenue was started in 1901. It originally stopped at the edge of the Blagdon estate, and was not continued to West Barnes Lane until 1934. Estella Avenue is named after the daughter of the developer, William Furmage Palmer, who lived at Blagdon until around 1920.⁴

¹ LMA DW/PA/5/1732/34

² E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.101

³ TNA SC 6/HenVIII/3463 m.19

⁴ Beryl Friend - Named after my ancestors: a family history (undated: 1980s)