Historical Documents

In 1925 William Long bought our little cottage for £90, the equivalent to £7000 in today's money:

This Indenture made the tenth day of November One thousand nine hundred and twenty-five Between Henry Gwyn Davies-Scourfield of Hertle Grove Patching in the County of Sussex Esquire hereinafter called the Vendor and William Long of New Moat in the County of Pembroke Postman (hereinafter called the Purchaser) Whereas Sir Owen Henry Philipps Scourfield of Williamston in the County of Pembroke at his death seized in fee simple of the hereditaments hereinafter described by his Will dated the eighteenth day of July One thousand nine hundred and fourteen devised all his freehold hereditaments To the use of the Vendor

This Indenture witnesseth that in consideration of the sum of Ninety pounds paid by the Purchaser by the direction of the Vendor The Vendor as Beneficial Owner by virtue of the powers vested in him by the Settled Land Acts 1882 to 1890 hereby conveys unto the Purchaser That messuage or dwellinghouse and garden known as ____ Cottage and the closes or pieces of land adjoining thereto containing by admeasurement One acre one rood and eighteen perches or thereabouts and also the two small plots of land situate on the opposite side of the pond to the said dwellinghouse on one of which there is a well of water situate in the Parish of New Moat in the County of Pembroke

• Signed Sealed and Delivered by the said Henry Gwyn Davies-Scourfield in the presence of:

  • William Lea, Clerk, Overbury Vicarage, Tewkesbury, Spinster (signed)

  • Millard Butler, Myrtle Grove, Patching, Butler (signed)

• Signed Sealed and Delivered by the said William Lea in the presence of:

  • Margaret Lea, Overbury Vicarage, Tewkesbury, Spinster (signed)

• Signed Sealed and Delivered by the said Arthur Owen Saunders Davies in the presence of:

  • Robert Eden, Pentre, Boncath, Gamekeeper (signed)

In 1935 William Long transferred the deeds to himself and his wife:

This Indenture made the 12th day of November One thousand nine hundred and thirty-five Between the within named William Long of the one part and the said William Long and Mollie Ann Long his wife of the other part Witnesseth that the said William Long as Beneficial Owner hereby conveys unto himself and the said Mollie Ann Long the dwellinghouse and garden and the closes or pieces and plots of land comprised in and conveyed by the above written Indenture Unto the said William Long and Mollie Ann Long in fee simple as joint tenants upon and subject thereto In trust for the said William Long and Mollie Ann Long during their joint lives and the survivor of them and after the death of either of them then for the survivor in fee simple

• Signed Sealed and Delivered by the said William Long in the presence of:

  • B. Morris, Solicitor, Narberth (signed)

• Signed Sealed and Delivered by the said Mollie Ann Long in the presence of:

  • B. Morris, Solicitor, Narberth (signed)

The deeds mention imperial amounts of land which I had not heard of before, so I looked them up:

A rood and a perch are traditional British units of land measurement from the Imperial system, commonly used in historical deeds, tithe maps, and property records.

The Rood - A unit of area equal to one-quarter (1/4) of an acre. Historically, a rectangular plot measuring 1 furlong (40 rods) long by 1 rod wide equals 1 rood.

The Perch - A unit that can mean either a length or an area (also historically called a rod or a pole). As a unit of area, a square perch equals one square rod. There are 40 perches in a single rood.

Then in 1987 the previous owner, Alex, bought the cottage and it's land for £3500, the equivalent of £13,000 today as it had been left empty since the death of Mrs Long in 1970:

THIS CONVEYANCE is made the 30th day of January One thousand nine hundred and Eighty seven BETWEEN JESSE ___ ___ of ______ in the County of Bedford (hereinafter called "the Vendor") of the one part and ALEXANDER ___ ___ of _____ Switzerland (hereinafter called "the Purchaser") of the other part

WHEREAS:- Matilda Ann Long late of ____ Cottage New Moat in the County of Dyfed (hereinafter called "the Intestate") died on the 24th day of September 1970 and Letters of Administration of her estate were granted on the 22nd day of January 1987 to the Vendor out of the Probate Registry of Wales

The Vendor has agreed with the Purchaser for the sale to him of the unincumbered fee simple in possession of the said property at the price of Three thousand five hundred pounds

SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED by the said JESSE ___ ___ in the presence of :-

30/1/1987 [Signature] Sub-postmistress