The Leycester Family
MOBBERLEY, GREAT WARFORD AND CHORLEY
An unusual (small) book dating to 1848 has come to light after Veryan Leycester-Roxby found it in some of her father’s papers in Toft. It measures only 4” x 3” but is titled ‘PLANS AND REFERENCE TO THE ESTATE OF RALPH GERARD LEYCESTER, ESQ’. It comprises 27 plans for each of the properties owned by the Leycester family at that time, mainly in Mobberley but also Chorley and Great Warford although part of Chorley and Great Warford in the 19th century was transferred to Mobberley in the 1930s. It is not in very good condition although the pages which show in detail the map of each property and its fields alongside a list of their ‘Quantities in Statute Measure’ as well as ‘Cheshire Measure’ are clear, albeit in miniature.
Ralph Leycester of Tabley came into the possession of Toft Hall in the 14th century through marriage and the Leycester family became significant landowners in Mobberley. The Cheshire Tithe Maps from the 1830s (free to view on-line) show Ralph Gerard Leycester as one of the four significant owners of land in Mobberley, the other three being the Peter Legh of Booths (mainly the southwestern part), Wilbraham Egerton of Tatton (mainly the north-west) and the estate of the late Thomas Wright.
Over the years the Mobberley properties have been sold off and Veryan manages what remains of the Toft Estate. But in 1848 amongst the nineteen Mobberley properties and their surrounding fields were Town Lane Hall and much of the fields and properties along the north of Town Lane, the Roebuck and its surrounds, Grimsditch Farm in Damson Lane, Smith Lane Farm and much of the land to the east of Smith Lane, Heald House (now Wee Bridge Farm off Slade Lane), Owen House Farm, Woodend, Stockinghey, Hollin Gee on Burleyhurst Lane, Lindow House at the end of Paddock Hill and several parts of the Paddock Hill area.
Veryan inherited the estate from her father Edmund Leycester-Roxby who in had also inherited from his uncle Cyril Leycester Maude Roxby who died in 1942 and in turn from his uncle Rafe Oswald Leycester who died in 1929 having no children.
The pages have been scanned and the link takes you to the pdf comprising all of them but below is the list and where the farms/properties were/are today:
Plan 1: Three isolated plots without tenants
Plan 2: Town Lane Hall and all of the land along the north of Town Lane and continuing up part of Broad Oak Lane. It also includes what was Town Lane Hall Farm on the south side, now divided into a few dwellings
Plan 3: The Roebuck and fields up Damson Lane and out to what used to be Cherry House. In the possession of Joseph Eden in the Roebuck itself and John Barrow.
Plan 4: Four small cottages and gardens in the possession of Thomas Eden, John Jones, John Barrow and James Wainwright
Plan 5: Enoch Simcock at what is now Greenbank Farm on Hobcroft Lane with fields around there and Small Lane
Plan 6: Caleb Simcock at Grimsditch Farm on Damson Lane
Plan 7: Smith House (Smith Lane Farm and fields to the east of Smith Lane in the possession of John Hayman and then the Colemans
Plan 8: Susannah Bracegirdle at Heald House on Smith Lane, later the Whiteleggs
Plan 9: Thomas Heald and John Merrall at what became Station Road and the Railway Inn
Plan 10: David Simcock at Owen House Farm
Plan 11: John Willett and John Knowles and land along the south of Wood Lane
Plan 12: Stockinghey in the possession of Isaac Brown and John Barrow
Plan 13: Woodend and Thomas Bracegirdle
Plan 14: Thomas Lounds and John Hayman on Blakeley Lane
Plan 15: James Norbury at Dicken Bridge (near Benkeyhurst Farm today) and Barnes Green
Plan 16: Thomas Pownall at Hollingee
Plan 17: Peter Cash at Lindow House at the end of Paddock Hill
Plan 18: Luke Lownds on Paddock Hill opposite the Plough & Flail
Plan 19: William Frost at what is now Badgers' Hollow next to Ivy House opposite Paulden House on Paddock Hill
Plan 20: 3 Moss Rooms in Chorley with no tenant
Plan 21: Robert Norbury off Carr Lane at what is now the Yew Tree Holistic Centre and down to Foden Lane in Chorley
Plan 22: Mary Norbury at Oswald Cottage and John Norbury at Oswald Farm at the end of Foden Lane on the other side of Chelford Road
Plan 23: John Forrest at Sandpit Farm further down the Chelford Road
Plan 24: J. D. Whitehurst at Little Moss Farm north of Sandpit Farm
Plan 25: Nathaniel Walley at Hillfield Farm on the Knutsford Roadin what is now Mobberley
Plan 26: James Pownall also at what is now Little Moss Farm west of the Chelford Road
Plan 27: Hugh Massey at what is now Croft Cottage to the east of the junction of Merrymans Lane and Chelford Road
An unusual (small) book dating to 1848 has come to light after Veryan Leycester-Roxby found it in some of her father’s papers in Toft. It measures only 4” x 3” but is titled ‘PLANS AND REFERENCE TO THE ESTATE OF RALPH GERARD LEYCESTER, ESQ’. It comprises 27 plans for each of the properties owned by the Leycester family at that time, mainly in Mobberley but also Chorley and Great Warford although part of Chorley and Great Warford in the 19th century was transferred to Mobberley in the 1930s. It is not in very good condition although the pages which show in detail the map of each property and its fields alongside a list of their ‘Quantities in Statute Measure’ as well as ‘Cheshire Measure’ are clear, albeit in miniature.
Ralph Leycester of Tabley came into the possession of Toft Hall in the 14th century through marriage and the Leycester family became significant landowners in Mobberley. The Cheshire Tithe Maps from the 1830s (free to view on-line) show Ralph Gerard Leycester as one of the four significant owners of land in Mobberley, the other three being the Peter Legh of Booths (mainly the southwestern part), Wilbraham Egerton of Tatton (mainly the north-west) and the estate of the late Thomas Wright.
Over the years the Mobberley properties have been sold off and Veryan manages what remains of the Toft Estate. But in 1848 amongst the nineteen Mobberley properties and their surrounding fields were Town Lane Hall and much of the fields and properties along the north of Town Lane, the Roebuck and its surrounds, Grimsditch Farm in Damson Lane, Smith Lane Farm and much of the land to the east of Smith Lane, Heald House (now Wee Bridge Farm off Slade Lane), Owen House Farm, Woodend, Stockinghey, Hollin Gee on Burleyhurst Lane, Lindow House at the end of Paddock Hill and several parts of the Paddock Hill area.
Veryan inherited the estate from her father Edmund Leycester-Roxby who in had also inherited from his uncle Cyril Leycester Maude Roxby who died in 1942 and in turn from his uncle Rafe Oswald Leycester who died in 1929 having no children.
The pages have been scanned and the link takes you to the pdf comprising all of them but below is the list and where the farms/properties were/are today:
Plan 1: Three isolated plots without tenants
Plan 2: Town Lane Hall and all of the land along the north of Town Lane and continuing up part of Broad Oak Lane. It also includes what was Town Lane Hall Farm on the south side, now divided into a few dwellings
Plan 3: The Roebuck and fields up Damson Lane and out to what used to be Cherry House. In the possession of Joseph Eden in the Roebuck itself and John Barrow.
Plan 4: Four small cottages and gardens in the possession of Thomas Eden, John Jones, John Barrow and James Wainwright
Plan 5: Enoch Simcock at what is now Greenbank Farm on Hobcroft Lane with fields around there and Small Lane
Plan 6: Caleb Simcock at Grimsditch Farm on Damson Lane
Plan 7: Smith House (Smith Lane Farm and fields to the east of Smith Lane in the possession of John Hayman and then the Colemans
Plan 8: Susannah Bracegirdle at Heald House on Smith Lane, later the Whiteleggs
Plan 9: Thomas Heald and John Merrall at what became Station Road and the Railway Inn
Plan 10: David Simcock at Owen House Farm
Plan 11: John Willett and John Knowles and land along the south of Wood Lane
Plan 12: Stockinghey in the possession of Isaac Brown and John Barrow
Plan 13: Woodend and Thomas Bracegirdle
Plan 14: Thomas Lounds and John Hayman on Blakeley Lane
Plan 15: James Norbury at Dicken Bridge (near Benkeyhurst Farm today) and Barnes Green
Plan 16: Thomas Pownall at Hollingee
Plan 17: Peter Cash at Lindow House at the end of Paddock Hill
Plan 18: Luke Lownds on Paddock Hill opposite the Plough & Flail
Plan 19: William Frost at what is now Badgers' Hollow next to Ivy House opposite Paulden House on Paddock Hill
Plan 20: 3 Moss Rooms in Chorley with no tenant
Plan 21: Robert Norbury off Carr Lane at what is now the Yew Tree Holistic Centre and down to Foden Lane in Chorley
Plan 22: Mary Norbury at Oswald Cottage and John Norbury at Oswald Farm at the end of Foden Lane on the other side of Chelford Road
Plan 23: John Forrest at Sandpit Farm further down the Chelford Road
Plan 24: J. D. Whitehurst at Little Moss Farm north of Sandpit Farm
Plan 25: Nathaniel Walley at Hillfield Farm on the Knutsford Roadin what is now Mobberley
Plan 26: James Pownall also at what is now Little Moss Farm west of the Chelford Road
Plan 27: Hugh Massey at what is now Croft Cottage to the east of the junction of Merrymans Lane and Chelford Road