Finchampstead Inclosure Award 1818
Finchampstead Inclosure Award 1818
This document is available at Berkshire Records Office under reference Q/RDS/27, dated 11 April 1818. The associated map is available under D/P 56/26B. Examined by Ross Kennedy at BRO on the 7th October 2003.
It comprises a single bound volume. The document is hand written, and mostly clearly legible.
To begin with, the document initially sets down those involved, naming the Commissioners (George Smallpiece & Richard Crabtree), Surveyor (Henry Walter) and various local landowners.
Next, the authority for the enclosure is set down – which boils down to two Acts;
a) The “Inclosure Consolidation Act” 1801, 41Geo3 c.109
b) The “Windsor Forest Act” 1812, 53Geo3 c.158
Ideally this Award should be read in conjunction with the two Acts to understand the full effects and limitations. The first is a Public Act and should be generally available (for example, from the Berks Record Office reference library). The Second is a Local Act, and copies are available in BRO under refs D/EX 845/12 and WO Z 1/4.
The award then goes on to set out the ways –
In the first place They the said Commissioners have set out and appointed and do by these presents award and confirm the several public Carriage Roads and Highways Private Roads and Footways through and over the Lands and Grounds by the said first mentioned Act directed to be divided allotted and inclosed within the said Parish of Finchampstead hereinafter mentioned and described (that is to say) –
Public Carriage and Drift Roads
No. 1 – The Nine Mile Ride
A public Horse and Drift Road thirty feet wide leading out of the Eversley and Barkham Road in an Eastwardly direction over Long Moor Common into the parish of Wokingham near Wick Hill.
No. 2 – The Crowthorn Road
A public Horse and Drift Road thirty feet wide leading from the Village of Finchampstead in an Eastwardly Direction over Finchampstead Ridges into the Parish of Sandhurst at Sandhurst Cross
No.3 – The Sandhurst Road
A Public Carriage Road thirty feet wide leading from the parish of Wokingham in a Southward Direction in its present Course into the Parish of Sandhurst near Sandhurst Cross.
No. 4 – From the Crowthorn Road to Sandhurst Lane
A Public Horse and Drift Road twenty feet wide branching out of the Crowthorn Road in a Southwardly Direction over the Fuel Allotment No.4 and continuing by the side of Old Inclosures of John Moseley Esquire and others into the next described Road near Sandhurst Lane End.
No. 5 – The Moor Green Road
A Public Horse and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the Public Road near the Greyhound Public House and continuing in a Southwardly and Eastwardly Direction over Moor Green into the Parish of Sandhurst at Sandhurst Lane End.
No. 6 – Farley Hill Road
A Public Carriage Road thirty feet wide leading out of the Eversley and Arborfield Road near Lea Coppice in a Northwestwardly direction into the Parish of Swallowfield.
No. 7 – The Eversley and Arborfield Road
A public Horse and Drift Road thirty feet wide leading out of the Parish of Eversley near Eversley Bridge in a Northwestwardly and Northwardly direction over Finchampstead Lea and Westwood Common into the Parish of Arborfield.
No.8 – From Westwood into the Eversley and Barkham Road
A Public Horse and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the Eversley and Arborfield Road near Westwood in an Eastwardly direction by the Inclosures of Martha Banister and others into the Eversley and Barkham Road.
No. 9 – From the Ridges to Moor Green
A Public Horse and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the Crowthorn Road by the Wheelright’s Shop on Finchampstead Ridges in a Southwardly and Southeastwardly direction by old Inclosures of John Bartlett the Trustees for the Poor of Finchampstead Thomas Jeudwine and others to an Allotment for Forestal Rights and thence in a Southwestwardly direction into the Road No.5 on Moor Green.
No. 10 – From Gammon Corner into the Nine Mile Ride
A Public Horse and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the Wokingham Road at Gammon Corner in a Westwardly direction between Allotments to Nimrod Bailey John Goodchild and Charles Fyshe Palmer Esquire and Northwardly into the Nine Mile Ride.
No. 11 – From the Nine Mile Ride near the Warren to the Church
A Public Horse and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the Nine Mile Ride near the Warren in a Southwardly and Southeastwardly direction through Finchampstead Common Field towards Finchampstead Church.
No. 12 – The Eversley and Barkham Road
A public Horse and Drift Road thirty feet wide (except where it is bounded by old Inclosures) leading from the Parish of Eversley near at New Mill in a Northeastwardly and Northwardly direction over Finchampstead Lea and by West Court to the commencement of the Nine Mile Ride on Long Moor Common and from thence Northwardly of the width of twenty feet by Allotments to Henry Simonds and others into the Parish of Barkham
Private Carriage and Drift Roads
No. 13
One Private Carriage and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the public Drift Road No.5 near Sandhurst Lane End into the Inclosures of Carles Fyshe Palmer Esquire.
No. 14
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the public Drift Road No.5 near Sandhurst Lane End into Inclosures of Elizabeth Stephens the said Charles Fyshe Palmer and Sarah Minchin respectively.
No. 15
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the public Drift Road No.5 on Moor Green in a Southwardly Direction into Inclosures of Thomas Jeudwine or his Trustee.
No. 16
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road thirty feet wide leading from Pound Green in an Eastwardly direction into an Allotment to the said Charles Fyshe Palmer.
No. 17
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the last described Road in a northwardly direction to the Cottage of John Goodchild.
No. 18
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the Public Drift Road No.5 in a Westwardly Direction into Inclosures of and Allotments to the said Charles Fyshe Palmer and others.
No. 19
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road Twenty feet wide leading out of the Eversley and Arborfield Road on Finchampstead Lea in a Northwardly Direction to the Inclosures of Richard Marshall and others and Westwardly along the Southside of the said Inclosures to Lands now or late of Charles Fyshe Palmer and Sir John Cope respectively.
No. 20
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road Twenty feet wide leading out of the Eversley and Arborfield Road in an Eastwardly Direction to a coppice belonging to the Trustees of Richard Howes Charity
No. 21
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road Twenty feet wide leading out of the Eversley and Arborfield Road near the Cottage of the late Thomas Marshall in an Eastwardly Direction to Inclosures of and an allotment to John Banister.
No. 22
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road Twenty feet wide leading out of the Eversley Road near Eversley Bridge in an Eastwardly Direction by Inclosures of and Allotments to Marsha Bailey and others to the House of John Banister in the Occupation of – Boxall
No. 23
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road Twenty feet wide leading out of the Eversley Road near the Brick Kiln in a Southeastwardly direction to Inclosures of and an Allotment to John Banister.
No. 24
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road Twenty feet wide leading out of the Nine Mile Ride near Wick Hill in a Southeastwardly Direction to Inclosures of and Allotments to Charles Parker George Clacy and others.
No. 25
One other Private Carriage and Drift Road Twenty feet wide leading out of the Nine Mile Ride in a Northwardly direction to the Allotment to Charles Dickenson Esquire.
No. 26
And one other Private Carriage and Drift Road twenty feet wide leading out of the Public Drift Road No.5 to an old Inclosure of the Jeudwines Estate.
All which said Private Carriage and Drift Roads are set out and appointed for the Use of the Owners and Occupiers of each and every messuage cottage homestead Old Inclosure and Allotment adjoining to the said Roads respectively or to which the same may be a necessary communication.
Public Footways
No. 1 – four feet wide
A Public Footway four feet wide commencing at the boundary of the Parish of Finchampstead in the Wokingham Road near the three Oaks and continuing in a southwardly direction over the Allotments to Charles Fyshe Palmer No.100 and 108 into the private Road No.24 by the corner of Wick Hill Plantation.
No. 2 – four feet wide
A Public Footway four feet wide leading from the Eversley Road at Fleet Hill in a Southwardly direction over the Allotment to the Reverend Henry Ellis Saint John into the Private Road No.22.
Declaration as to all roads necessary
AND the said commissioners do hereby declare that the said several public and private roads and ways hereinbefore described and awarded are all that they do adjudge to be necessary to be set out and Awarded by them within the said Parish of Finchampstead.
Repairing Private Roads
AND the said Commissioners do hereby order and direct that all the said Private Roads and Ways so hereinbefore awarded shall for ever hereafter be made maintained and kept in repair by and at the Expence of the Owners and Occupiers of Estates for whose use the same Private Roads are so set out appointed and awarded respectively according and in Proportion to the number of Acres of Land of each and every such proprietor which shall be occupied used or enjoyed by means or by the use of such private Roads and Ways respectively.
Repairing Footways
AND the said Commissioners do hereby further order and direct that the several proprietors for the time being of the several Allotments and old Inclosures through and over which the said several Footways are hereinbefore directed to pass shall at their Own Expence respectively make and for ever after maintain good and sufficient Gates or Stiles in the Fences intercepting such Footways with proper Planks or Bridges and Hand Rails over the Ditches and Watercourses in their respective Allotments and old Inclosures
Grass and Herbage of Roads
AND the said Commissioners do hereby further order direct and award that all the Grass and Herbage growing arising and renewing in and upon the several Public and Private Roads and Ways hereinbefore set out appointed and Awarded shall for ever hereafter belong to and be the sole Right and Property of the several persons whose Allotments or Estates adjoin thereto respectively on either side thereof so far as such Allotments or Estates respectively extend as far as the Crown of such respective Roads or Ways as by the said Act of the forty first year of the Reign of His said present Majesty is directed
Watercourses
AND the said Commissioners do hereby order and direct that all the Public Watercourses within the said Parish of Finchampstead shall for ever hereafter be kept cleansed and scoured out by and at the Expence of the several persons whose old inclosed lands and Grounds adjoin thereto in the same manner as such Watercourses would or ought in right to have been kept cleansed and scoured out if the said first mentioned Act had not been made and passed and where such watercourses pass through or between any of the hereby allotted lands in that Case by the several persons to whom such Lands are so Allotted.
The commissioners then make some awards to the Lords of Manors, in lieu of their rights over common land. Then parcels 4 & 5 to the Trustees for the Poor for fuel.
Then -
Gravel Pit – No.76 The Ridges 2.0.0.
The said Commissioners considering it requisite and finding it practicable to get materials for repairing the Roads and Highways within the said Parish of Finchampstead have set out and allotted do hereby award and confirm -
Unto the Surveyors of the Highways of the said Parish of Finchampstead for the time being for ever as and for a Public Gravel Pit for the purposes aforesaid –
One parcel of land situate on the Ridges delineated on the Map and marked 76 containing two acres bounded on the North by the Crow Thorn Road on the East and South by an Allotment to the Trustee of the Jeudwine’s Estate and on the West by an Allotment to Robert Hewett – the boundary fences of this Allotment on the North and West parts thereof shall be made and for ever maintained by and at the Expence of the said Surveyors and their Successors for the time being.
The major part of the Award then follows, allotting parcels of land to various people. Many of the allotments are described as bounded in part by some of the previously awarded roads. As those roads are readily identified on the award map I have not reproduced those many awards. Longwater Road for example is mentioned by name several times to identify boundaries. The Pound at Pound Corner, the Greyhound pub, the New Mill cornmill, the Church, a wheelwright on the Ridges, and a smithy and a brick kiln near Eversley Bridge are also mentioned.
The Award Map
The map associated with this Award was carefully drawn and annotated to cover the whole parish, entitled “Plan of the Allotments 1817”. Much of the land mapped is annotated with parcel numbers which relate directly to award allotments. Land which was not allotted (ancient inclosures) was not coloured. Some land is labelled ‘Crown Land’, which corresponds to land described as ‘allotted for Forestal Rights’ in the text.
Most roads in the parish are shown coloured in brown. No distinction is made in the colouring of public or private, awarded or pre-existing roads. Awarded roads are annotated with their name or number.