Preston’s Cottages: Crunnells Green and School Lane
The junction of Crunnells Green and School Lane
Top left, 1811c; middle,1844; right, 1898
Thus, in 1805, Henry Mardlin owned both cottages. By 1807, he had mortgaged them to William
Sheaf of Kings Walden.
In 1810, Henry again mortgaged the property to John Hawkins of Hitchin for £110. It was to be held in
trust to Joseph Darton who became its new owner.
1821 - occupied by Elizabeth Ward (widow) and Thomas Lawrence, who were still living there in
1827.
When Thomas Darton sold the Temple Dinsley estate to the Pryor family in 1873, these cottages
were included in the sale. However, it is impossible to pinpoint their occupiers until 1910, but its
owner thenwas Ralston de Vin Pryor.
There were two cottages - the one to the east, occupying 25 poles, was occupied by Jesse Smith.
John Jeeves lived in the cottage to the west which utilised 21 poles. Both were described as being
brick and tile cottages with a kitchen, pantry, two bedrooms and a garden. They were demolished by
Herbert Fenwick in around 1908.
On their plot, in 1918, Crunnells Green House was built for the manager of the Temple Dinsley estate.
Although not boasting the typical Lutyens chimney stacks, this impressive detached house is listed as
being designed by Lutyens. Indeed, when sold in 1945 as part of the Minsden Estate, the Sale
Particulars described it as having been ‘designed by the late Sir Edward Lutyens’.
In 1945, the ground floor comprised: a porch with tiled floor; a hall; a dining room (18’ by 14’) with an
open grate; a lounge (14’ by 17’ 3’’) with an open grate and double fitted cupboards; a drawing room
(18’ x 6’’ by 13’ 9’’) with open brick grate; an office (17’ x 14’ 3’’); a gentleman’s cloakroom; a kitchen
with a tiled floor; and a scullery, butler’s pantry and larder. On the first floor were six bedrooms, a
bathroom with w.c. and another bathroom with a separate w.c. Attached to the house was a tiled
verandah, a wash house and a brick and tiled garage (10’ by 18’ 3’’)
Occupiers of Crunnells Green House since 1918:
From 1918 until at least 1930 - Reginald Joseph Wilkinson Dawkins (Temple Dinsley
estate manager) and his wife, Annie Anderson Dawkins.
1951 Henry R Townshend and Alethea S Townshend.
1961 Anthony R Thompson and Elizabeth A Thompson.
1965 to 1996 Richard J L Altham and Rowena J Altham.
Cottages along School Lane
Maps. Left, 1811c; above, 1844; below, 1898
A comparison of the maps above and their awards tells the story of these cottages along School
Lane, all of which had been constructed by the 1660s.
On the 1811/16 map, there were just three holdings (consisting of four cottages which are labelled
above) which were occupied by five households - 1 had three households alone. However, in 1825,
these same sub-divided cottages housed no less than ten households.
By 1898, after some alterations, seven households lived along this lane. Ladies from two different
households occupying 1 are shown in the photograph at their front doors. So, how could so many live
in so few homes?
The answer can be found in the 1911 census and the Inland Revenue Survey of 1910. Cottages 2, 3
and 4 had been sub-divided into two-roomed dwellings with only a kitchen and a bedroom. Yet whole
families lived in these homes. At home labelled 3751, farm labourer Leonard Peters existed with his
wife and four children aged between 4 and 8 years. Next door, another labourer, Robert Crawley
squeezed into another two-roomed property with his wife and five children. That these homes were
soon to be demolished speaks volumes as to their dilapidated state - indeed in 1891 three of these
cottages were uninhabited
Cottage 1
Tracing the ownership of these cottages was a challenge. The cottage on the corner of School Lane
and Preston Green (in the foreground of the above photograph) was probably owned by Thomas
Browne in 1664 - being described as ‘a house (named ‘Homehouse’) on Preston Green and orchard’
with the relatively high manorial rent of £1 7s 4d. After the Hearth Tax was introduced, it was taxed as
having two chimneys in 1663. Probably the house and orchard occupied a substantial area as the
owner of the house that is the Red Lion today paid rent of only 18/-, which included three acres of
land. By 1714, ‘Homehouse’ was owned and occupied by the widow, Mary Browne.
Then, in the late 1660s,Thomas Browne gave up part of his land and had two properties built on it,
one of which which he gave/sold to Robert and Catharine Brown together with 16 poles of land. The
other cottage came into the possession of ‘the widow, Browne’. These had evidently been erected
before 1670, as both Robert and the Widow Browne were exempted from Hearth Tax in that year.
In turn, both of these two cottages were sold to Andrew Bowstred in 1681. He sold the larger property,
which had been converted into three homes, to John Austin in around 1697. The smaller cottage was
later purchased by Mary Browne before 1714.
Thus, the ‘Survey of Temple Dinsley Rents 1714’, shows Mary Brown owning two properties with
rents of £1 1/- and 1/6d and John Austin owning a property with a rent of 4/6d - making a combined
rent of the three properties of £1 7s 0d - which is 4d short of the rent Thomas Browne was paying for
his home and orchard in 1664. (I note Stephen Swain, owner of the adjacent ‘Red Lion’, was paying
rent of 4d for property/land in 1714) Incidentally, the three properties were listed consecutively in the
1714 Survey - which perhaps indicates their proximity.
Cottage 1 on the corner of School Lane and Preston Green - “Homehouse”
1662 - owned by Dennis Browne
1663 - owned by Thomas Browne. Described as a house on Preston Green and orchard with a
manorial rent of £1 17s 4d. Paid Hearth Tax for two chimneys.
1691 - owned by John Browne from father, Thomas.
1692 - owned and occupied by Mary Browne (probably wife of John Browne)
1714 - still owned by ‘widow, Mary Browne’ with rent of £1 1/-. Included an acre of pasture with
outhouses, edifices, barns, stables, yards waters and watercourses etc.
1719 - owned by Robert Brown on death of mother, Mary.
? - owned by John Newman
1769 - left to Samuel Newman.
1793 - purchased by Stephen Swain for £46 at an auction at the Sun Hotel, Hitchin.. Occupied
‘previously by Jeremiah Gazeley and Joseph Ward and now by William Ward’ (1793). Rent still £1 1/-.
1795 - Mortgaged (with the Red Lion) to Edward Bruton, Kimpton farmer for £500. Repaid 1811.
1811 - Stephen Swain sold the acre of land associated with the property to Joseph Saunderson.
1835 - Stephen Swain mortgaged the property (which had been divided into three dwellings) to
Joseph Morgan Pierson for £100.
1835 - bequeathed to Stephen’s daughter, Priscilla Swain.
1873 - owned by Joseph Darton.
The outline of the property and its gardens is
shown on the 1898 map (right). There was also a
well in one garden. In 1910, each property (which
was owned by RDV Pryor) was described thus:
3755 - brick and tiled cottage with kitchen, pantry
and two bedrooms occupied by Mary Ann Palmer
and five others.
3756 - brick and tiled cottage with kitchen and
bedroom occupied by George Turner.
3757 - brick and tiled cottage with kitchen and
bedroom, formerly occupied by William Boston, his
son and grandson, now by Osbourne.
All were in poor condition.
Cottages 2/3
Middle Cottage 2
Built in the late 1660s, probably by Thomas Browne, on the site of an orchard.
1670 - owned by Robert and Catharine Browne who were exempted from Hearth Tax on the property.
1673 - it and the house next door were described as two tenements and 16 poles in Preston
1681 - owned by Andrew Bowstred
1685 - described as cottage and 15 poles of land
1697 - owned by John Austin as three cottages ‘at Preston’.
1714 - in Survey of Rents as ‘John Austin, late Bowstred: Rent 4/6d
1727 - owned by Henry Wheeler, labourer, the late John Austin’s son-in-law. Now, two cottages.
1754 - left to Henry’s daughter, Ann Coe, wife of John Coe of Hatfield in will dated 24 November 1754.
1797 - left to Thomas Coe, 15, Ann Coe’s grandson on death of Ann and John Coe.
1801 - occupied by two households: William Ward (four occupants) and Samuel Morgan (seven
occupants)
1811 - sold to Joseph Darton by Thomas Coe, labourer of Essendon, Herts. Still occupied by William
Ward and Samuel Morgan.
Middle Cottages (with ivy) 3
Built in the late 1660s, probably by Thomas Browne, on the site of an orchard.
1670 - occupied by the widow Browne, who was exempted from Hearth Tax on the property.
1673 - owned by Robert and Catharine Browne.
1681 - owned by Andrew Bowstred.
1695 - owned by Ralph Bowstred
1704 - owned by Mary Browne as ‘a cottage and 6½ rods of land near Preston Green’.
1714 - in ‘Survey of Rents’ as Widow Browne, late Bowstred: Rent 1/6d
1717 - left to Dennis Browne, Mary’s son and a brickmaker, who was living in the cottage ‘near
Preston Green’.
1730 - left to Ann Brown, Dennis’ wife, a ‘copyhold cottage and 6 poles of land adjoining. Dennis had
also ‘lately purchased 10 poles of land from Benedit Ithell’ of Temple Dinsley.
? - owned by James Belsham, gentleman of Bedford.
1754 - owned by Peter Poulter snr, labourer of Preston’ who immediately mortgaged the property to
Daniel Joyner for £12.
1785 - left to Peter Poulter, jnr, labourer of Preston (his father had previously moved to Barnet,
Middlesex)
1801 - occupied by two households: Widow Poulter (one occupant) and William George (3 occupants)
1805 - owned by William Poulter, Peter jnr’s son.
1811 - sold by William Poulter to Joseph Darton.
In 1898, the sub-division of these cottages was clearly shown (right).
The 1910 Inland Revenue survey noted this:
3753 - brick and tiled cottage with kitchen and bedroom. In poor repair.
Occupied by J Nash.
3754 - brick and tiled cottage with kitchen and bedroom. In poor repair.
Occupied by Palmer (William Jenkins has been crossed out which
probably indicates that he was a previous occupier)
Both properties were owned by RDV Pryor.
Known occupiers of School Lane cottages from 1800 to 1919
It is impossible to state exactly in which of the cottages the following villagers lived, but here is a list of
who lived in them with an approximate date of their occupancy:
Thomas Horton - 1800
William Gentle - 1800
Thomas Woodley - 1800
William Joyner - 1800 - 1807
Richard Osbourne (a tailor) - 1800 - 1814
William Ward and Mrs snr - 1800 - 1807
Peter Poulter - 1785 - 1814
Mary Andrews - 1801 - 1814
Joseph Sharp -1801 - 1814
Samuel Morgan - 1801
William Ward jnr and wife - 1801 - 1837 (corner
cottage)
Thomas Caines - 1801 - 1814
Samuel Morley - 1806
John Sharpe - 1807
William George - 1807 - 1841 (middle cottage/s)
J Godfrey - 1807
Daniel Pratt - 1825 - 1841 (in corner cottage)
James Fitzjohn - 1825 - 1841 (corner cottage)
John Mead - 1825 - 1837 (middle cottage/s)
William Palmer - 1825 - 1841 (middle cottage/s)
James Buckingham - 1825 - 1837 (cottage 4)
William Crawley and wife - 1825 - 1841 (cottage 4)
Robert Thrussell - 1825 - 1841 (cottage 4)
Melton - 1825 - 1837 (cottage 4)
Daniel Ward - 1827
James Hornett - 1827
Thomas Palmer - 1827
George Freeman - 1841
William Mead -1841
George Cranfield - 1841
Joseph Sharpe - 1841
George and Mary Freeman - 1873 - 1881 (corner
cottage)
James Freeman - 1886
James Jenkins - 1873 - 1901 (corner cottage)
William Saunders 1873 - 1881 (cottage 2)
Mary Palmer - 1873 (cottage 3)
John Palmer - 1873 (cottage 3)
Thomas Sharpe - 1873 - 1881 (cottage 3)
Charles and Hannah Crewe - 1881 - 1891
Rebecca and Robert Crawley - 1881 - 1910/11
(cottage 4)
Samuel Peters - 1881- 1891
Elijah Peters - 1886
George Andrews - 1886
William Thrussell - 1891
William Jenkins - 1901 - 1911 (cottage 3)
Elizabeth and John Nash - 1901 - 1910
Mary Ann Palmer - 1910/11 (corner cottage)
George Turner - 1910/11 (corner cottage)
William Boston - 1908c - 1911 (corner cottage)
Frederick Nash - 1910/11 (cottage 2)
? Palmer - 1910 (cottage 3)
Leonard Peters - 1910/11 (cottage 4)
Demolition and re-building along School Lane
The tumble-down cottages along School Lane were demolished in 1919 and were partly replaced by
four bungalows in 1920 which were built by Douglas Vickers of Temple Dinsley. The first building was
a gift from Mr Vickers to his wife of a Woman’s Institute Hall. When Preston School was also flattened
in 1977, new houses were built on the vacant land.
Occupants of School Lane bungalows 1928 - 2001
1928
Fanny Louisa Deed
Thomas and Eliza Tuley
Frank and Margaret Wray
1951
Emilie M Gardner (The Bungalow)
William A and Helen Alexandra Moffoot
Kathleen Myers
Herbert and Eileen G Wilson (School Bungalow)
1961
James C Ashworth
Philip A Jacobs
William A and Helen Alexandra Moffoot
FA and Joan E Douglas (School Bungalow)
Alan F Petrie
John R Vince
1971
Gwladys E Harris (Bungalow 2)
Patrick R Lamond
Malcom and Margaret Newell (School Bungalow)
1981
Hugh B Davies (The Bungalow)
Gwladys E Harris (now ‘Juniper’)
John G and Doreen M Sansom (Old School
Bungalow)
1987
Huw G and Celia M Thomas (The Bungalow)
Mary A Tear (No 2)
John G and Doreen M Sansom (Old School
Bungalow)
1991
Edwin F and Karen LA Thomas (The Bungalow)
Robert J and Ruth Grierson (‘Juniper’)
John G and Doreen M Sansom (Old School
Bungalow)
1996
Anna M Morley (The Bungalow)
Christopher P Mennie and Suzanne P Currie
(‘Juniper’)
John G and Doreen M Sansom (Old School
Bungalow)
2001
Christina E Needs and John H Nurthen (The
Bungalow)
Jean M Davies (‘Juniper’)
John G and Doreen M Sansom (Old School
Bungalow)
‘Dinsley Field’
‘Dinsley Field’ was built between 1961 and 1971 on land previously taken up by allotments. It was
demolished a few decades later and the existing home was built in 2000
Occupants:
1971 - Richard J and Elizabeth Bizzey
1981 - 1996c John C and Rosalind M Cook
2001 - Brian and Vivienne Hayhurst
‘School House’ and ‘Tilehouse’
‘School House’ (below, left) and ‘Tilehouse’ were built on the site of Preston School between 1981 and
1987
This is a study of Preston by Hitchin artist, Samuel
Lucas (1805 - 1870). I believe it depicts School
Lane, looking from just short of the junction with
Preston Green It was painted in the mid-nineteenth
century. On the left is the low fencing of Temple
Dinsley, which pre-dates the present high brick wall
built in the early twentieth century. On the right is
the cottage numbered 3 in the earlier photograph.
It’s neighbour (2) is clearly set back a little from the
road, while beyond is the lower cottage which is not
of brick construction, but clap-board.
