‘Selly Manor’

The manor house that never was

George Demidowicz

28 February 2015

The original site in Bournbrook Road

c.1898

c.1870-1880s

∎

Fig 9 1840 tithe map with boundaries and field names

Owner: Edward Waldron

Abstract of Title to the Selly Grove estateBirmingham Archives

23/24 June 1815 Rev John Berry sells to David Owen a new house [Selly Grove] and ‘an old half timbered house’ with six closes:The White MoorThe moorThe HillThe Hanging CloseSlough and The middle leasow containing 31a 1r 4p

David Owen sold the estate to Edward Waldron before 1827

Grant of six leases from John Gower24 October 1597

[A lease of ] ‘the site of Manor or place where the Mansion house or site of the manor of

Selly….did sometimes stand and now commonly called the Hallonde [Hall Land] Orchard leased by William Gower and Eleanor his wife, father

and mother of John Gower….subsequently leased to William Pritchett alias Cowper,

yeoman and Isabella his wife, and Michael, their son on 11 March 1595’

Northfield Court 10 October 1796

Court roll 10 Oct 1796 recitingthe will of John Allen, gent, formerly of Exeter Row [B’ham] but then of Selly Hill in the parish Northfield [12 Sept 1791]bequeaths to his nephew, the Rev John Berry, dissenting minister at Romsey, Co Hants:six closes lying together on the right-hand side of the road leading from Birmingham by a place called Bourn Brook towards Kings Norton being part of his farm called Selly Hill Farm in the parish of Northfield, now held by David Owen, builder under a lease for a term of 120 years from the 25 March [1791] at the yearly rent of £46…and nine closes on left hand side of the road and a new erected messuage [Selly Hill House] bequeathed to his cousin Benjamin Allen

26 Oct 1776 Noble Reeve to John Allena messuage and land …containing 65 acres…being part of the demesne lands of the Manor of Selley…sometime the land of Agnes Jenettes, afterwards John Pritchetts, afterwards Thomas Halls and afterwards George Larkins, afterwards William Lilley and since Noble Reeve

5 Oct 1744 John Worsey to George Larkin

9 Oct 1741 Thomas Hall to John Worsey, husband of his daughter Eleanor…messuage and 65 acres…one time the land ofAgnes Jennettes Court of Survey 2 Henry VI [1423-4]then Barnbrook Rental 1549then Gowers and Andrews 4 Edward VI [1550-1551]then John Pritchett 22 James I [1624-1625]late John Pritchett Court Rolls 1700 and 1734

Deed 20 August 1602

20 Aug 1602 William Pritchett of Northfield yeoman [conveys]to named trustees…messuages and lands acquired from Thomas Chaunce and Robert Gower on 26 Oct 1601 including:a messuage in the tenure of Felice Setterforde, widow, now orlate called Smythes Tenement and closes…called hanging closes,myddle leasowe, the hill, the Rowghe, Whitmarshe, the Stockinge,being together between:A highway leading from Kings Norton to Selly, a river or watercalled Selly Bourne, a lane called hatherley lane, the land of William Androwes, gent. called hatherley landes and a lane called Well lane…..and a messuage called Bailyes tenement [with land described on opposite side of the lane from Kings Norton to Selly]

A 16th century abstract of title of Selly deeds in the Jervoise collection, at the National Archives, Kew London

25 March 1476 William Jenette grants to John Othe’feild and Thomas his son Bayleys tenement and Smythes tenement

28 June 1561 William Gower grants lease of Smethes tenementto John Seterford and William Prytchett

Will of William Pritchett 2 April 1605The National Archives

bequeaths to his two sons, John and Michael, his lands and tenements…lately purchased off Thomas Chaunce…John is to choose ‘one of the two mansion houses oneley called Holders and Smithes,’ leaving the other to his brother.

William, yeoman, the new owner of the Smiths and Bayleys tenements is buried at Northfield church on 8 April 1605

Will of Felice/Phyllis Setterford23 February 1608Worcester Record Office

Inventory of Felice/Phylis Setterford29 June 1608

Worcester Record Office

The rooms at Smythes tenement listed in Felice Setterford’s inventory, 2 July 1608

in the hallin the buttery

in parlourin the coffer therein the cupboard

in an other cofferin the other cupboard

in the pressin the buttery in the parlour

in the chamber over the same butteryin the chamber over the parlour

in the chamber over the entry and the hallin the entry

in the kitchenin the dayhousecattle and corn

total value £69 8s 5d

[A lease of ] ‘the site of Manor or place where the Mansion house or site of the manor of

Selly….did sometimes stand and now commonly called the Hallonde [Hall Land] Orchard leased by William Gower and Eleanor his wife, father

and mother of John Gower….subsequently leased to William Pritchett alias Cowper,

yeoman and Isabella his wife, and Michael, their son on 11 March 1595’

20 Aug 1602all those closes of grounde… between….Selly

Grove, the water called Stretley Brooke, the lane called Sloughe lane…now or late called hall

landes….now or late in tenure of Felice Setterford…

The ditch c. 1890

APPENDIX 2 A CHRONOLOGY OF OWNERS AND TENANTS (1497-1916) Date Owner Tenant 25 March 1497 William Jenette John Othe' feild and Thomas his son 28 June 1561 William Gower John Seterford, his wife and William Prytchett 24 Oct 1597 John Gower Felyce Pritchett alias Cowper and William, her son 1598 Thomas Chaunce [Felyce Pritchett/Corser] 1601 William Pritchett [Felyce Pritchett/Corser] 1603 William Pritchett Phelicia Corser [Setterford] 1605-8 John Pritchett [I] Phelicia Corser [Setterford] 1608-1652 John Pritchett [I] John Pritchett [I, II] 1652-1674 John Pritchett [II] John Pritchett [II] 1674-1692 John Pritchett [III] John Pritchett [II] 1692-1699 Elianor Pritchett/ John Pritchett [II] to 1695? William Phillips 1699/1700-? William Phillips/John Swift ? 17??-1734 heirs of John Pritchett ? 1734 Thomas Hall ? 1741 John Worsey Francis Partridge, John Spiller 1744 George Larkin Francis Partridge, James Ingley 1746 Margaret Webster, Francis Partridge

Mary Whitchurch 1751-1763+ Francis Blount Francis Partridge 176?-1771 William Lilley William Hibutt 1771 Noble Reeve John Oakley 177?-1775 Noble Reeve Noble Reeve 1775 Nathaniel Reeve, ? Benjamin Lewis 1765 John Allen ? 1788-92 John Allen John Brookes 1792 John Allen ? David Owen (Selly Grove) 1795 Rev John Berry ? David Owen (Selly Grove) 1800-1805 Rev John Berry David Hewitt/Hewett, Widow Baron David Owen (Selly Grove) 1815 David Owen ? 1823 Mary Owen ? 1832 Mary Waldron ? nee Parker/adopted name Owen 1838 Edward Waldron/ ?

Mary Waldron 1839 Edward /Mary Waldron Charles Stuckley/Charles Holyoake 1841 Edward/Mary Waldron Charley Strickley/Charles Holyoak 1851 Edward/Mary Waldron Charles Strickley/John Heaton 1855 Mary Waldron ? 1857 Mary Postlethwaite (2nd marriage)

Birmingham Daily Post9 July 1895

Letter from Frank S Pearson

‘I have every reason to believe that the cottages your correspondents mention were formerly the manor house or hall of

the manor of Selly...It would, I fear, take far too much of your space to trace the facts of the manor of Selly…and the reason for the belief that the cottages are the old manor hall…I cannot at the moment find the entry…but I believe about the year six of Henry VI [1427-28] the hall was reported in a ruinous condition and that Thomas Jonettes built a new house altogether…if there are any

ancient deeds to the property, they might throw some light on the matter…’

‘Selly Manor’should now be properly known as

Smythes tenement or Selly Hill House or the Rookery (cottages)an important example of a medieval yeoman’s house