West Barnes in 1545

West Barnes in 1545

The Patent Rolls record the grant on 12 September 1545 of 'West Barns formerly belonging to Merton Priory', to Sir John Gresham. The grant included the tithes from the estate:¹

Messuage called West Barns, etc. 34 acres

A close of pasture called Bromeselse 33 acres

Hoppyng Mede, a close of meadow, pasture and wood 45 acres

Hoppyng, a close of meadow, pasture and wood 55½ acres

Picles, a close of meadow, pasture and wood 25 acres

Eastfeld, a close of pasture 106 acres

Canondownhyll, a close of pasture 48 acres

A meadow called Twyrymeade 12 acres

A field of meadow, pasture and wood called Twyryfeld 33 acres

Meadow and pasture called Westfeld and Blaldenys 188 acres

TOTAL: 579 acres

Mention is also made of 'the coppice woods of West Barns in the parish of Merton', which totalled 20 acres, but it seems likely that this referred to woodland within the named parcels of land, rather than in a separate holding.

The 12-acre Twyrymeade was not mentioned in the 1536 lease, though a 20-acre meadow of that name was listed among the priory’s demesne lands, together with a 24-acre Hobbalds Mead in adjoining Morden. These are listed among the demesne lands until 1607, but in 1611 they were stated as totalling just 30 acres, and this acreage was repeated in later documents.² It seems likely that 12 acres of former demesne meadow had been added to the West Barnes estate as early as 1545, the remaining part being represented by the finger of meadowland that separates Twyryfeld and Westfeld on this map.

In an Exemplification of Common Recovery of 7 July 1557, the Gresham’s estate is described as 40 acres land, 200 acres meadow, 160 acres pasture, and 100 acres wood in Merton, but such figures were often rounded rather than reflecting true totals.³

^{1 TNA C 66 /768 m.11-12}

^{2 TNA SC 6/HenVIII/3463 m.6; TNA C 66/1535 m.36; TNA A 4/9 f.197; SHC 2575/2/4/1, 2575/2/4/2, 2575/2/7/4; SHC K85/2/87}

^{3 SHC 212/71/1}