Park View Farm

(Formerly known as “Deopham Close”)

Contents

1814 Inclosures

1814 Map

This shows that the land was Copyhold of the Manor of Shadwells otherwise Cockerells; there is no indication of any buildings on the land.
Mary Eldred was the owner of this property: she had come into its possession on June 22^nd 1799 under her maiden name of Mary Dowe of Holt, then aged 15, following the Will of John Boddenham, otherwise Bodney. As a result of the 1814 Inclosures, her 5 acres of Copyhold land became 6 acres. Because of the moving of boundaries that took place at the time of the Inclosures, it is not possible to see the extent of the original 5 acres: no earlier field level maps of this area have come to light so far.
Mary Dowe became Mary Eldred following her marriage to Henry Eldred of Stowe, Farmer.

1814 Text

The following continued with minor modifications to be the basis of descriptions of the property until last used in 1966.

And we assign, set out and allott unto Mary the Wife of Henry Eldred the four pieces of land next herein after described, namely ….
Fourth one other piece of land marked on the map hereto annexed No 59 containing six acres and ten perches, bounded
– by land allotted to John Francis, north west,
– by the Lower Hackford Road, north east;
– by land allotted to the Reverend John Howard¹ south east; and
– by land allotted to Thomas Kett and Thomas Back as trustees under the Will of John Bousell, south west,
And we direct the said Mary the wife of the said Henry Eldred to make and keep in repair the fences in the said allotments next hereinafter described, namely … in her fourth allotment against the allotments to John Francis and John Howard.

1815 Survey of Deopham

Reproduced courtesy of the Chapter of Canterbury; their ref 183720-17

The map accompanying the 1815 survey described piece no 26, which corresponds to Park View, as “Gravel Pit Close”; it was part of the estate owned by Mary Eldred and occupied by John Francis. The estate totalled 9 acres. The farmhouse for this farm (piece no. 12) was on the other side of the Park Lane.
The adjoining plot, piece no. 27 on the map, is described as “Handkerchief Piece”, owned by the Rev. John Howard as rector of Morley.

The land to which this 1815 survey gave the name “Deopham Close” was identified as pieces 397 & 398, which are located further south in the village, as shown on this extract. Nothing at all to do with “Park View”.

Reproduced courtesy of the Chapter of Canterbury; their ref 183720-17

1843 Tithe Analysis

At the time of this survey, the plot now known as Park View was called “The Six Acres”, and was owned by Henry Eldred. This is shown as No. 2 on the map below where it can be seen that there was then no sign of building or habitation. Plot No. 1 on this map is called “Deopham Close” in the accompanying analysis and was then owned by the Rev. Charles Beauchamp Cooper. The full details of the Tithe Analysis are available here.

1846 Sale to John Mann of Wicklewood

The Court Roll of the Manor of Shadwells otherwise Cockerells dated November 26^th 1846 shows that John Mann of Wicklewood bought the farm of 6 acres and 10 perches for £215 from Thomas Eldred, Sarah Eldred, James Parsons and John Greene. The farm had been in “four undivided pieces” (i.e. in the shared ownership of four individuals without being physically divided up) following the execution of the will of John Boddenham, otherwise Bodney. The description of the property at this time shows that there was no building on the plot, although it unambiguously assigns the name “Deopham Close” to this field. “Close” in this context means enclosed (i.e. fenced or hedged) rather than a cul-de-sac as in current usage.

The Court Roll of June 20^th 1848 for this Manor recorded that as soon as he had acquired the property, John Mann took out a mortgage from Edward Palmer Clarke of Wymondham for £260 + interest. This loan was redeemed in 1888. The description of the property at this time in 1848 shows that there was still no building on the plot.

1862 Sale by John Mann to John Semmence

The Court Roll of October 2^nd 1862 recorded that this property was sold to John Semmence in trust for Joseph Semmence of Wicklewood, Farmer. The sale price was £375; there was still £150 outstanding on the mortgage advanced by Edward Palmer Clarke of Wymondham. The description of the property in the Court Roll recorded that it included “the messuage, dwelling house & buildings lately erected on part thereof”: this was the first time that mention was made of any building on this site.
A solicitor’s “Abstract of Title” recorded that Joseph Semmence died on November 1^st 1871.

1881 Map

Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

1888 Farm bought by George Lake

The Court Roll for the Manor Shadwells otherwise Cockerells dated July 19^th 1888 recorded that George Lake bought the farm from John Semmence of Deopham, Cordwainer, and Ellen his wife by buying out the mortgage of £220 that had been advanced by Julia de Roubigne Beevor Clarke of Vicar St., Wymondham.

1889 George Lake raised a Mortgage

The Court Roll for the Manor Shadwells otherwise Cockerells dated July 19th 1889, one year after the purchase, recorded that George Lake of Morley St. Botolph was granted a mortgage of £150 + interest at 5% p.a. by Fanny Elizabeth Mays of East Rudham, Spinster.

1921 Replacement Mortgage raised

In August 1921, following the death of Fanny Elizabeth Mays, the executors of her will confirmed that the loan she had made to George Lake had been satisfied. This was recorded in the record of the Court held August 16^th1921.

The Court Roll for the Manor Shadwells otherwise Cockerells dated October 22^nd 1921 recorded that George Lake raised a mortgage of £150 + 6% interest from Martha Lowe of No 7, Clarendon Rd, Norwich, a widow.
This Martha Lowe bequeathed all her property to her daughter Kathleen Mary Weston Lowe, who was appointed testatrix, with John Pomeroy, following the death of her mother on October 3^rd 1924.
On March 10^th 1941 these executors confirmed that they had received the £150 + interest from George Lake thereby clearing his debt. This is a few months after George Lale sold the farm at auction on November 29^th 1940.

1940 Auction

The property is described in the particulars as being “owned and occupied by Mr G. Lake who gives vacant possession on completion”.
It is significant that the farm is sold as freehold; when Mr. G. Lake took out a mortgage in 1921, the farm was still copyhold of the Manor of Shadwells otherwise Cockerells.

Courtesy Wymondham Town Archive, their ref BF 61.

The auctioneer’s jottings on the above particulars indicate that the farm sold for £200 to “Howes”. The description refers to plots 395 & 396 on the 1906 Ordnance Survey Map – these are identified on the extract below:

Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

1941 Manorial rights

Before completing the sale formalities, in addition to paying off his mortgage, George Lake had to buy out the remaining manorial rights relating to the Manor of Shadwells otherwise Cockerells. The 1922 act had enfranchised the property, but the Lords of the Manor still retained mining, mineral and sporting rights. Extinguishment of these required a payment of £23 6s to the current Lords of the Manor who were:
– Jane Peele of 268, Bluebell Road, Norwich, Norfolk;
– Luke Foster Harrison of The Old Hall, Mattishall, Farmer;
– Sidney Thomas Tunbridge of 6, South Quay, Great Yarmouth, Accountant.
This transaction took place on March 11^th 1941, whereby

The Lords hereby grant and release unto the Purchaser ALL AND SINGULAR the mines minerals and mineral substances and rights in relation thereto (and all other rights) preserved to the Lords in respect of the said land by the Twelfth Schedule to the law of Property Act 1922 TO HOLD unto the Purchaser in fee simple.

The full document is available here.

1941 Sale finalised from George Lake to William Howes

Although the auction had taken place in November 1940, it was not until March 21^st 1941 that the conveyance was signed to transfer the farm from George Lake to William Henry Howes of Deopham, Roadman.

On the day after the above conveyance took effect, William Henry Howes took out a mortgage of £150 + interest at 4½% from John Bartle Pomeroy, his solicitor. This loan was confirmed by John Pomeroy to have been satisfied on September 22^nd 1948.

1941 Farm Survey

There are details of the 1941 Farm Survey for Park View Farm here. These show that at that time the farm was owned by Mr. William Howes.

1963 Auctions

William Howes died on September 19^th 1963; by his will of July 22^nd 1955, his wife Violet Lilian Howes was appointed Executrix. Shortly after, the following advertisement appeared in the Diss Express published on October 18^th 1963 for the sale of the house and land:

The following advertisement appeared in a panel presented by the auctioneers Thos. William Gaze & Son; the paper was published November 15^th 1963:

1964 Sale by the Executrix of William Howes to Dr. & Mrs. Rymer

The outcome of the above auction was that ownership of the farm was conveyed on January 24^th 1964 by
– Violet Lilian Howes, then living at 15, Harold Road, Upper Norwood, London, SE19
to
– Jolyon James Hugh Rymer, Doctor of Medicine, and
– Margareta Viktoria Emilie Rymer his wife, both of 12, Grange Gardens, Cambridge for a sum of £2,000.
The property being conveyed is again defined as pieces 395 & 396 on the Ordnance Survey map.
On March 26^th 1964 the Rymers took out a mortgage on the farm with Barclays Bank; this was redeemed on August 1^st 1966.
It was reported that the Rymers were divorced in April 1974².

1966 Sale by Dr. & Mrs. Rymer to Derrick Edward Smith

On August 1^st 1966 the farm was sold by
– Mr. & Mrs. Ryder of “Cornstalks”, Hillydeal Road, Otford, Kent,
formerly of 12, Grange Gardens, Cambridge
to
– Derrick Edward Smith of Jasmine Cottage, Church Road, Redmile, Nottingham for a sum of £2,850.
This would imply that the Rymers had never lived in Deopham.
The property being conveyed is again defined as pieces 395 & 396 on the Ordnance Survey map, but also a description based on the 1814 Inclosures Award as follows; this was not subsequently used again.

ALL THAT piece or parcel of land lying in Deopham aforesaid called Deopham Close marked on the Map annexed to the Deopham Inclosure Award Number 59 containing six acres and ten poles or thereabouts with the messuage or dwellinghouse and buildings erected on part thereof bounded
by land by the said Award allotted to John Francis on the north west
by the Lower Hackford Road on the north east
by land thereby allotted to the Reverend John Howard and afterwards belonging to the Reverend Charles Beauchamp Cooper on the south east and
by land thereby allotted to Thomas Kett and Thomas Back as Trustees under the Will of John Bousell and late belonging to Philip Pitts and respectively on the south west.

1970 Sale by Derrick Edward Smith to Roger Phoenix

On July 1^st 1970 the farm was sold by
– Derrick Edward Smith of Park View, Park Lane, Deopham
to
– Roger Geoffrey Phoenix of Valley Dale, Hingham Road, Deopham
The property being conveyed is again defined as pieces 395 & 396 on the Ordnance Survey map.

2018

Photo: Nate Brownhill, June 2018

2025

Photo: Liz Sankey, 5/25

Footnotes

On the map, the Rev. John Howard is described as Rector of Morley. There is more information on his career (which included responsibilities in Deopham) here. ↩︎
Divorce of Dr. & Mrs. Rymer:
The following report was published of a divorce in 1974:
A judge championed hard-working mothers who have to keep their husbands waiting for their evening meal, on Monday (29-4-74). South African-born Doctor Jolyon Rymer, 46, a consultant radiologist, of Sevenoaks, Kent, had complained that although he was home at 5 pm, by the time his wife had got the children to bed it was 8 pm before he sat down to eat. Mr. Justice Dunn said, in London’s High Court:
“Many a husband, I should have thought, would have found it pleasantly relaxing to chat for an hour with his wife and children, then put the children to bed so that they could dine together quietly – but not this husband. His primary thought was what a hard day he had had and how much he wanted his evening meal. It never occurred to him to consider that his wife had also had a hard day doing the household chores, the shopping and a great deal of washing with three children to look after.”
The judge granted a decree nisi to the wife, Swedish-born Margarets [sic], 38.
https://truecrimeconfidential.blogspot.com/2008/01/paging-doctor-rymer-your-wife-would.html
↩︎

Navigation

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Date	Change
3/9/25	2018 photo
15/5/25	Rymer divorce
12/5/25	Links to Court descriptions of the property
7/5/25	1941 Manorial rights and sales from 1964 onwards
14/4/25	Text of 1814 Inclosure award
31/3/25	1963 Auctions
28/12/24	1846 sale
28/11/24	1889 Mortgage
4/11/24	Details relating to Manor of Shadwells otherwise Cockerells
22/11/23	1881 Map
14/9/23	Renamed Park View Farm
30/8/23	Auctioneer’s copy of sales particulars
27/7/23	Published