West Barnes Park 1723-1866

WB 1723 Harding

West Barnes Park 1723-1866

In 1723 Dr John Budgen commissioned a survey of this estate by John Harding³²:

The Lower Cannon Hill 10a 1r 11p

The Middle Cannon Hill 10a 2r 5p

The Great Cannon Hill 14a 1r 6p

The Little Twiry and Lane 5a 1r 33p

The Great Twiry 12a 2r 1p

The Middle Twiry 13a 2r 2p

The Outer Twiry 10a 1r 2p

The Long Twiry 8a 3r 13p

The Outer Long Twiry 7a 0r 8p

The Lower Brickfield 12a 3r 8p

The Upper Eastfield and Lane 10a 3r 30p

The Lower Eastfield 6a 0r 35p

The Eastfield Meadow 4a 3r 20p

The Homefield and Lane 14a 1r 8p

The Hill Field 11a 2r 30p

The Upper Brickfield 14a 3r 20p

The Broomfield 10a 2r 27p

The Upper Thistley Field 10a 0r 30p

The Lower Thistley Field 8a 3r 18p

The Old Barn Platt 0a 2r 1p

The Garden and Lane 1a 0r 9p

The House, Barn and Gates 1a 0r 17p

In 1732 John Budgen left the estate to his nephew, Thomas Budgen, Esq. of Dorking.Thomas was a Member of Parliament in the 1750s but was defeated in the election of 1761.³³

In the 1780s Budgen’s tenant farmer was John Cross.

In 1772, on Thomas Budgen’s death, the estate passed to his son John Smith Budgen.³⁴

In 1787 John Smith Budgen sold the estate to John Middleton for £4270.³⁵

Middleton leased part of the property to William Mollison of Cannon Hill. Mollison also leased a farm in Lower Morden, and by 1805 both of Mollison’s leaseholds were in the possession of John Dutton, who already farmed at nearby Hobalds in Morden. Dutton was followed at West Barnes by Joseph Booker around 1815, and then by Messrs Curtis around 1820.

In 1822 Edward Rayne, John Middleton’s nephew, became tenant farmer at West Barnes Park.³⁶

When Middleton died in 1833, he left the farm to six trustees to sell, and Edward set about buying the property from them. By 1840 he had bought five of the six shares, and the following year obtained the remainder by releasing 34 acres to one of the trustees, Richard Thornton of neighbouring Cannon Hill.³⁸

As Edward farmed the property himself, there was no need to calculate a rent-charge in place of tithes, so West Barnes Park was not included in the Tithe Survey of 1844. However, the sale map of 1833 survives.

Edward died in 1847, but his widow and sons continued at West Barnes until 1868, though they sold the freehold in 1866.

³² E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.18-20; original map now in Wimbledon Society Museum.

³³ E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.21

³⁴ E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.22

³⁵ E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.22

³⁶ E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.31,40

³⁷ E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.50

³⁸ E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.54

³⁹ E M Jowett - Raynes Park: A Social History (1987) p.76-111