Held at:

Private Collection

Reference:

MMC

Source:

Copies and Original documents

Title:

Digital Archive: Michaelchurch Mill Collection - Index of legal documents relating to Michaelchurch Mill

Place name:

Michaelchurch Escley

Date:

1878 - 1998

Description:

The Michaelchurch Mill Collection is a set of documents that in the days before the Land Registry would have been held by a property owner as the ‘Title Deeds’ and used by solicitors as evidence of legal ownership when the property was to be bought or sold or mortgaged. The collection is in two parts; the first relates to title to The Corn Mill at Michaelchurch Escley and adjacent land, which until it was sold freehold in the 1980s was historically part of the wider Michaelchurch Estate. The title documents therefore include photocopies of records relating to the Estate as a whole; these are of variable quality and legibility. The second part relates to a separate purchase of adjacent land from the Michaelchurch Estate at a later date where the Epitome of Title contains a significant number of duplicate copies taken from the originals of the same documents. In such cases photographs of both documents are included in the Digital Archive so that if one copy is in poor condition the second may provide greater clarity.

A full index of the amalgamated collection is given below [including duplicates] in ascending date order; those from the later land purchase transaction are identified with an ‘a’ suffix to the ELSG index number. Photographs of the individual documents grouped by date can be viewed by downloading them as PDF files using the following links:

 

1878-1890

1891-1928

1929-1944

1945-1958

1959-1962

1963-1989

 

Michaelchurch Mill Collection: ELSG Register of Documents

 

No.

Date

Year

Description

1

16 Aug

1878

Will of Elizabeth Rawson and 6 Codicils. Title in Michaelchurch Mill derives from the purchase in 1863 of the Michaelchurch Estate by Elizabeth Rawson for her nephew Charles Guy Trafford. The Estate included Michaelchurch Mill and Mill lands [sometimes referred to as Mill Farm], and the will ‘entailed’ the property in the hands of Trustees to the Trafford descendents

2

12 Mar

1891

Grant of Probate for the Will of Elizabeth Rawson

3

31 Dec

1926

Vesting Deed for the Michaelchurch Escley Court Estate and the Manors of Ewyas Lacy and Craswall; reciting the provisions of Elizabeth Rawson’s will for the descent of the estate in trust to the Trafford family and heirs and the appointment of trustees, the vesting of the property in the trustees for the purposes of the Settled Land Act 1925, and schedules detailing the individual farms and field numbers with acreages.

4

4 Apr

1928

Conveyance of the Michaelchurch Estate from the trustees, Guy Rawson Trafford and Lionel Guy Trafford to Richard Randolph William Rawson Trafford, legal heir to the property, following his attainment of the age of majority.

5

4 Apr

1928

Disentailing Assurance by RRW Rawson Trafford discharging the trustees from their stewardship of the property and trust fund of £60,000; this terminated the ‘entail’ or settlement arrangements specified in Elizabeth Rawson’s will and took full possession into his own hands

6

11 Sep

1940

Will of RRWR Trafford; it is one page and leaves the bulk of his estate to his mother Bettina Maud Capper

7

5 Jul

1943

Grant of Probate of the will of RRWR Trafford RNVR; specifies date of will 11 September 1940; Date of death 18th January 1943; the estate is valued at £81,560 gross, £48,875 net.

8

1 Jun

1944

Assent to the vesting in Bettina Maud Capper of ‘all the manors of Ewyas Lacy and Crasswall and the Advowson of St Margarets and Michaelchurch Escley and… the Michaelchurch Court Estate’

9

27 Jun

1944

Conveyance by way of gift of the majority of the Michaelchurch Court Estate from Bettina Maud Capper to Mrs Clare Margaret Hunter [her daughter]; complete with schedules showing field OS numbers and acreages together with a map. Firs Cottage and about 42 acres of pasture and woodland were retained by Mrs Capper for her own use. Memorandum notes on this conveyance show that Mrs Hunter disposed of much of the estate piecemeal over the following 30 years as follows [original documents not in collection]:

2 Aug 1950

Conveyance of Rhuinsford Farm, Craswall with 22.5 acres to Thomas John Watkins

2 Oct 1950

Conveyance of land to Sidney Ivor Williams

30 Sep 1953

Conveyance of Forest Mill and 28 acres to Blanche Jones

2 Nov 1953

Conveyance of Bridge Farm and 111 acres to Charles Rowland Stephenson and Graham Theodore Walter Mould

21 Oct 1955

Conveyance of Lower House Farm and 93 acres to Thomas Price Howells

1 Dec 1955

Conveyance of 2 acres of land to Arthur Beechie Lewis

10 May 1956

Conveyance of Goods Farm of 35 acres and other parcels of land to Sydney Ivor Williams

25 Jun 1956

Tenancy agreement for Wilderness Farm and 96 acres let to Aubrey Harry Morris at £140 pa

2 Aug 1956

Lease of small parcel of land to the Postmaster General for 99 years at £4 pa

12 Mar 1957

Deed of Dedication of land to Herefordshire County Council to form part of the public highway along the Michaelchurch to Craswall road

1957

Conveyance of Cefn Ceist farm and 100 acres to Michael Henry Hunter

15 Mar 1960

Conveyance of Coed Poeth farm and 114 acres to Michael Henry Hunter

23 Sep 1960

Conveyance of Marsh Farm of 14 acres and White House farm of 106 acres to David Howells

28 Jul 1976

Conveyance of Michaelchurch Court and land to John Macpherson

10

31 Aug

1950

Mortgage [Legal Charge] between Clare Margaret Hunter and Constance Marguerita Wright and others securing £5,000 on Lower House Farm, Cefn Ceist Farm, Coed Poeth Farm, Gigfrau Farm, Bank Farm Bridge Inn and Bridge Inn land.

11a

31 Aug

1950

Mortgage [Legal Charge] between Clare Margaret Hunter and Michael John Hunter and William Howson securing £4,000 on Wilderness Farm, Firs Farm, Grove Farm and the Mill and land.

12

12a

11 May

1951

Mortgage [Legal Charge] between Clare Margaret Hunter and Bettina Maud Capper and others securing £4,125 on White House Farm, Forest Mill, Marsh Farm, Llandraw Farm and Goodes Farm.

13

13a

1 Oct

1953

Mortgage [Legal Charge] between Mrs CM Hunter and Mrs BM Capper and others releasing Forest Mill and Dukes Farm from the security, and substituting Bank Farm, Bridge Inn lands and Gigfrau Farm

14a

21 Mar

1958

Transfer of Mortgage from Bettina Maud Capper to BM Capper and Michael Henry Hunter

15

15a

1 Aug

1962

Conveyance of part of the Michaelchurch Court estate from Clare Margaret Hunter to Michael Henry Hunter, comprising Bank Farm, Gigfrau Farm, The Mill Farm and lands, The Bridge Inn and lands, part of Firs Farm, Quarry Cottage, Church House, Belle Vue Cottage and the Smithy Cottage. Detailed schedules of field OS numbers and acreages are included, with maps. Memorandum notes on this conveyance show that Mr Hunter later disposed of parts of this property as follows:

15 Feb 1978

Conveyance of Mill Cottage Buildings [later The Gables and The Gables Cottage] to Jacqueline Stewart [original document not in collection]

18 Oct 1979

Conveyance of the Bridge Inn and land to William and Joyce Crane[?][original document not in collection]

16 Dec 1980

Conveyance of a parcel of land to Jacqueline Stewart [original document not in collection]

17Feb 1984

Conveyance of the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley, to Ronald John Stewart

10 Apr 1981

Conveyance of The Firs Farmhouse to John Michael Bracey and Susan Rosemary Bracey [original document not in collection]

16

16a

1 Oct

1962

Transfer of Mortgage by Michael Henry Hunter secured on Llandraw Farm, Michaaelchurch Court and lands, Bank Farm, Bridge Inn lands and Gigfrau Farm.

17

17a

14 Oct

1977

Acknowledgement by MAR Hunter of the right of MH Hunter to production of documents

18

14 Oct

1977

Acknowledgement by CM Hunter and others of the right of MH Hunter to production of documents in respect of Michaelchurch Court, the Mill Stores and manorial rights

19

19a

14 Oct

1977

Deed of Release between Clare Margaret Hunter [now of Casa Melita, Alfanzina Lagoa, Algarve, Portugal and Michael Henry Hunter of Escley House

20

26 Nov

1977

Land Charges Act search certificate and correction of a land charge registration for the Mill Cottage buildings

21

6 Feb

1984

Land Charges Act search certificate noting that entries do not relate to Michaelchurch Corn Mill

22

17 Feb

1984

Conveyance from MH Hunter to RJ Stewart of the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley for £22,500; includes a variety of rights and easements including use and maintenance of the mill leet, tail and weir; Memorandum note of a subsequent sale of part of the land to Terence and Daphne Clements on 26 November 1992

23

4 Dec

1987

Conveyance by Jacqueline Stewart to TA Clements of The Gables [formerly The Mill Cottage] for £104,000; map attached

24

4 Dec

1987

Conveyance by Ronald John Stewart to Terence Clements and others of a parcel of land formerly part of the Corn Mill, with map

25a

5 Apr

1989

Grant of Probate to the will of Michael Henry Hunter, who died 8th November 1988

26a

15 Feb

1990

Certificate of Search under the Land Charges Act

27a

20 Feb

1990

Conveyance of the Michaelchurch Estate from Mrs RC Hunter and others to Mr John Williams and Mrs PM Williams, with detailed schedules and maps of the properties including field  numbers and acreages.

28a

20 Feb

1990

Legal Charge on the Michaelchurch Court Estate

29a

31 Jan

1991

Certificate of search under the Land Charges Act

30a

6 Apr

1991

Deed of Gift

31

26 Nov

1992

Conveyance by Ronald John Stewart to Terence Clements and others of a parcel of land formerly part of the Corn Mill, with map

32

17 Dec

1992

Land Charges Act search certificate and map relating to Michaelchurch Corn Mill

33

20 Jan

1993

Statutory Declaration by Warren Lewis regarding land at the Michaelchurch Corn Mill

34

28 Jan

1993

Land Charges Act search certificate noting that entries do not relate to Michaelchurch Corn Mill

35

28 Jan

1993

Land Charges Act search certificate relating to Michaelchurch Corn Mill

36

5 Feb

1993

Statutory Declaration by RJ Stewart regarding land at the Michaelchurch Corn Mill

37

5 Feb

1993

Land Registry Transfer from RJ Stewart to Robert and Margaret Steele of The Corn Mill Michaelchurch Escley and lands

38a

8 Jun

1993

Certificate of search under the Land Charges Act

39a

10 Jun

1993

Sale Agreement for land adjacent to the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley

40a

2 Jul

1993

Grazing licence for land adjacent to the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley

41a

2 Jul

1993

Deed of Release of Mortgage on land adjacent to the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley

42a

2 Jul

1993

Transfer under Rule 72 of land adjacent to the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley

43a

17 Aug

1993

Land Certificate; HM Land Registry entries relating to land adjacent to the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley

44

12 Feb

1996

HM Land Registry; Land Certificate and Registry entries for the Corn Mill, Michaelchurch Escley, proprietors Robert  and Margaret Steele, with maps

 

Observations:

Photographs of documents dated after 1989 are not included in the online Digital Archive for data protection reasons.

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