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4th December 1911 – Sale of Thomas Byrd Junior's houses and land at Badsey and Aldington

On 4th December 1911, E G Righton & Son were instructed to sell at auction property and land at Badsey and Aldington.  The notice which appeared in the newspaper did not say who the vendor was, but we know from the nationwide Valuation Survey that the owner was Thomas Byrd Junior of Ivy House, Aldington.    Thomas Byrd’s family had been major landowners in Badsey and Aldington since the time of Enclosure, but now they were in straitened circumstances.  He thus auctioned off all his Badsey houses and land and around a third of his Aldington houses and land.  The property had been inspected and valued two days earlier and was put up for sale in 20 lots.  

Thomas Byrd sale 1911

AT BADSEY

  • Lot 1 – The substantially built dwelling house, with the gardens and outbuildings and capital orchard running down to the brook, in the occupation of Mr John E Cull, baker, at £30 per annum rent.  [This was bought for £400 by the tenant, John Ernest Cull, who had been renting the house since the 1880s.  The present-day address is 18 High Street, Badsey.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.] 
  • Lot 2 – The roomy and convenient dwelling house is occupied by Mr H Wheatley on lease for 21 years from Michaelmas 1909 at £42 per annum rent, with the large and partly wall-in garden, greenhouse, stable, coach-house, barn and yard, and the excellent pasture orchard running down to the brook, and containing an area of 3a 1r 2p or thereabouts.  [This was bought by Horace Wheatley for £850, who had rented the house since 1909.  The house was known as The Poplars and was where he had his butcher’s shop.  The house was demolished in the 1960s in order to make way for a new housing estate of the same name; numbers 22 & 22A High Street, Badsey, are on the site of The Poplars.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.] 
  • Lot 3 – Three substantially-built freehold cottages, with large greenhouse, outbuildings and excellent gardens, in the occupation of Messrs Salter, Ballard and Jinks, at £29 per annum rent.  [These were bought for £400 by Henry Jinks who occupied what is now No 9 Old Post Office Lane, Badsey.  The present-day addresses are 5 Old Post Office Lane, 7 Old Post Office Lane, 9 Old Post Office Lane.  Here are the entries in the Field Book for the three cottages when inspected on 4th December:  No 9 Old Post Office Lane, No 7 Old Post Office Lane, No 5 Old Post Office Lane.]  
  • Lot 4 – The very valuable piece of land, path and roadway, occupied by Mr F Stewart, at £14 7s 8d per annum, 142 ft frontage 3a 1r 27p, path 38p.  [This was bought by the tenant, F Stewart, for £320.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 5 – Valuable piece of land occupied by Mr Emmanuel Dore at £5 15s 6d per annum rent, 83 ft frontage ,1a 3r 8p.  [This was bought by A Dore (Emmanuel’s son, Augustine) for £130.  Here are the entries in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December:  land and greenhouse, agricultural land.]
  • Lot 6 – Valuable piece of land occupied by Mrs Eliza Hall at £5 7s per annum rent, 107 ft frontage ,1a 2r 24p.  [This was bought by Thos Hall (her son, Thomas Henry) for £130.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 7 – Valuable piece of land  occupied by Mr George Geden at £14 12s per annum rent, 380 ft frontage ,4a 1r 0p.  [This was bought by the tenant, G Geden, for £270.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 8 – Valuable piece of land occupied by Mrs Hall at £16 10s per annum rent, 53 ft frontage ,1a 3r 16p.  [This was bought by Thos Hall (her son, Thomas Henry) for £140.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 9 – Two valuable pieces of land  occupied by Mr A G Kerr and Mr Knight at £7 16s per annum rent, 72 ft frontage ,2a 0r 33p.  [This was bought by one of the tenants, A Kerr, for £170.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 10 – Valuable piece of land  occupied by Mr Henry Geden at £9 8s 6d per annum rent, 99 ft frontage, 2a 2r 16p.  [This was bought by A Kerr for £175.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]

Lots 4-10 comprised strips of land running from the south side of Bretforton Road.

Thomas Byrd sale 1911

ALDINGTON PARISH

Adjoining the Evesham and Offenham Road, and having capital building frontages thereto.

  • Lot 11 – Let to Mr Thomas Hale, the excellent piece of land with dwelling house and buildings thereon, containing 12as 2r 17p.  Yearly rent £65.  [This was bought by J H Matthews for T Hale for £1480.  The present-day address is Upper Dene, Offenham Road, Aldington.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 12 – Let to Mr George Langston, another piece of land with a frontage of 152 ft, containing about 2a 0r 38p.  Yearly rent £8 11s.  [This was bought by G Langston for £280.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 13 – Let to Mr John Clements, the adjoining piece of land having a frontage of about 258 ft, and containing 4 acres or thereabouts.  Yearly rent £16.  [This was bought by John Clements for £485.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 14 – Let to Mr James Gladwin, the adjoining piece of land, having a frontage of about 295 ft, and containing about 4a 0r 15p.  Yearly rent £16.  [This was bought by James Gladwin for £495.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 15 – Let to Mr James Gladwin, the adjoining piece of land, having a frontage of about 229 ft, and containing about 3a 0r 4p.  Yearly rent £12.  [This was bought by James Gladwin for £295.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 16 – Let to Mr James Gladwin, the adjoining piece of land (next orchard, Lot 17), having a frontage of about 275 ft, and containing about 2a 2r 32p or thereabouts.  Yearly rent £10 10s.  [This was bought by James Gladwin for £250.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 17 – Let to Mr Thomas Hale, the valuable pasture orchard, situate adjoining Lot 16, and the cottage and garden let to S Moore, containing about 7a 1r 39p.  Frontage to the Offenham road of about 450 ft, and to the Aldington road about 750 ft.  Yearly rents £37.  [This was bought by Thomas Taylor for £1005.  The cottage and garden was the former tollgate cottage.  The present-day address is Toll Gate, Sidings Lane, Aldington.  Here are the entries in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December:  cottage, orchard.]
  • Lot 18 – Let to Mr George Witts, a piece of land, containing 3a 1r 15p or thereabouts.  Yearly rent £11 7s 6d.  [This was bought by E Collins for £200.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 19 – Let to Mr Oliver Harwood, the adjoining piece of land, containing 3a 0r 27p or thereabouts.  Yearly rent £10 18s 6d.  [This was bought by O Harwood for £220.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]
  • Lot 20 – Let to Mr Thomas Curnock, the adjoining piece of land, containing 3a 2r 28p or thereabouts and having a frontage of about 350 ft.  Yearly rent £12 18s 6d.  [This was bought by Thomas Edwin for £290.  Here is the entry in the Field Book when inspected on 4th December.]

Further particulars may be obtained from Messrs Lethbridge, Money & Prior, Solicitors, 25 Abingdon Street, London SW; Messrs Harrison & Winnall, Solicitors, Welshpool, Messrs Geoffrey & Oliver New, Solicitors, Evesham; Mr W Smith, Land Agent, Evesham; and Mr Raymond Webb, Surveyor, Evesham; or from the Auctioneers, Evesham.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Charles Archer for providing us with a copy of the sales notice which was stuck into a book and the names of the purchasers written against each lot.  It is assumed, but not known for certain, that this was done by an employee of E G Righton.