Cataloguing a Basingstoke solicitors’ collection

A Hampshire Archives Trust grant funded project ‘Basingstoke has history’ has recently been completed. The project’s aims were to catalogue some previously uncatalogued collections relating to Basingstoke. Among the records completed as part of the project were the Basingstoke and Old Basing sections of a large collection of deeds from a Basingstoke solicitor’s firm, Lamb Brooks and Bullock (12M49). The work has revealed some unexpected gems. 

The Basingstoke deeds date from the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth centuries, the earliest of which include properties and lands in London Street, Oat Street, Church Street and Holy Ghost and Hackwood Fields. An exciting discovery was a large deed, which initially looked like an ordinary deed of appointment, release and assignment for the Angel Inn, dated 8 March 1820. Opening it up, however, revealed a three-page inventory for the Inn, covering all the rooms. 

Front cover of deed of release for the Angel Inn Basingstoke, 8 March 1820 (12M49/A7/1/160, item 12)

Extract from inventory of the Angel Inn (12M49/A7/1/160, item 12) 

Among the later deeds was a lease of a tenement and shop in Winchester Street to Alfred Milward, boot and shoemaker on 25 March 1862. This is believed to be the first shop of the Milwards chain of shoe shops.

Lease of shop in Winchester Street, Basingstoke to Alfred Milward in 1862       (12M49/A7/1/318) 

There were also several partnership agreements. The earliest dates from 1785 and was between John Lyford and Maurice Workman, surgeons and apothecaries, who created a partnership in ‘surgery, pharmacy, midwifery and buying and selling drugs’. John Lyford was the doctor who treated Jane Austen’s family when they lived in Steventon and is mentioned in several of her letters. Another partnership agreement was between Richard Raggett, David Graham, Roger Attwood and William Seymour who were already co-partners in the Basingstoke and Odiham Bank, when in 1811, they decided to form a new partnership as wine merchants (12M49/A7/5/4). 

Deed of co-partnership between John Lyford and Maurice Workman, 1785 (12M49/A7/5/1) 

As the cataloguing progressed, it became clear that unlike the rest of the collection, the Basingstoke section contained much more than just deeds. This is because it includes papers generated by the work of one or more of the solicitors, including William Challis, as clerk to various local organisations such as the Town Council, Burial Board, the Queen’s Free School  and various local Turnpike Trusts. A number of interesting documents emerged, including rentals for the manor of Basingstoke, 1769 and 1784 and a subscribers list for the Basingstoke and Eastrop relief fund, 1871.

Extract from the rental of the Manor of Basingstoke, 1784 (12M49/A7/3/6) 

List of subscribers to the Basingstoke and Eastrop Relief Fund, 1871 (12M49/A7/3/20) 

An important find in this section was a schedule of deeds, books, papers and documents belonging to the parish of Basingstoke , ‘late in the possession of Charles Shebbeare and delivered by his executrix to the churchwardens and overseers of the parish in 1860’. This schedule includes lists of all the Basingstoke parish removal orders, settlement certificates, apprenticeship indentures and bastardy bonds which then existed. These documents are not part of the Basingstoke parish collection held at Hampshire Record Office, so this list may be the only record of their existence.

List of removal orders to Basingstoke, 1814-1822 (12M49/A7/3/17) 

Completing the catalogue was a small selection of Basingstoke sale particulars for residential and business premises in Basingstoke, including the Wote Street Restaurant, 5 Nov 1902 (12M49/A7/4/5) and a house called Downsland fronting the Andover Road, Basingstoke, 25 Nov 1904.

Photograph of ‘Downsland’, Basingstoke, taken from sale particulars (12M49/A7/4/10) 

Sarah Farley 

Archivist