Rose Cottage, near Floyds Farm

One house in 1823. two cottages in 1841, Rose Cottage on left, Ye Olde Cottage on right. Altered c 1980 then called Eumana

Research by Joan West

One cottage in 1823, divided into two (Ye Olde Cottage & Rose Cottage) by 1841, then back to one property (Eumana) in circa 1970s

In the enclosures of Princes Risborough in 1823 the property was described as a freehold cottage and garden. It was allotted to Thomas Hearn. It had no name.

By 1841 it was the semi-detached Rose Cottage on the south side and Ye Olde Cottage on the north, although they were not named at that time.

There was no Main Road in Lacey Green either in 1823, nor was The Black Horse Public House built. That was just a plot of land allotted to James Tilbury in 1823.

Plan drawn by Edwin Williams who was born there.

Harry Floyd of Floyds Farm, nearby, had told Edwin Williams that it had once been one house. This was evidenced by a doorway from the main bedroom of Ye Olde Cottage into Rose Cottage that had been bricked up. Also confirming that it had originally been one cottage. Also explaining why the smaller Rose Cottage had a cellar, but not Ye Olde Cottage, the larger one. click Edwin & Daphne Williams for the life story of Edwin Williams

Edwin Williams (born at Ye Olde Cottage) takes up the story His parents moved in there in July 1937.

Late 1930s. In Rose Cottage lived Mrs Edie Randall, a widow with her four sons, Ken, John, Ted, and Alan, together with an older step son, Stan Stone (his brother Bill Stone had already left home) Mrs Randall worked for many years at the The Plough in Flowers Bottom.

The cottage had a cellar, but no mains water and no electricity. Water was drawn from a tank.

Rose Cottage and Ye olde Cottage were eventually sold, altered and modernised and made back into one house by a Mr and Mrs Green. They called it 'Eumana'.

An additional comment from neighbour 'Tup' Foster who lived at 'Clovelly'. click Tup & Teresa Foster for their life story

When the Greens started to alter the cottages, they removed some of walls and thinking to use some of the bricks again, they were left heaped outside over winter.   By spring, many of them had crumbled away.

Note. This was an indication of very old bricks, made before brick kilns did not heat all the brick well enough.   The old local brickworks down Kiln Lane had stopped production by about 1820, but it was already known that the cottages were built before 1823.

Tenants

1841 Census.   Thomas Janes 40 lab, Sarah 38 lacemaker, Sarah 17, Emma 15 lacemaker, Henry 9, Jane 6, Caroline 2.

1851 Census.  Thomas Janes 52, Sarah 50, Henry 19, Jane 16, Caroline 10, Charlotte 9.

1861 Census.   Sarah Janes, widow, 65, lacemaker

1871 Census.   Sarah Janes, widow, 69, lacemaker

1881 Census.   John Currell, 48, sawyer, Jane 46, lacemaker, George 23, farm lab, Ellen 13, lacemaker, Albert 9, Alfred 3. click John & Jane Currell for their life story

1891 Census.   Jane Currell widow 56, Free 26, general lab, Alfred 13.

1901 Census.   Jane Currell widow 66, lacemaker, Alfred 23, general lab.

1911 Census.   George Stevens 45, tailor, Emma 44, Annie 17.

1939 Census.   Edith Randell widow 44, Leslie 15, bakers assistant, Kenneth 17 office boy.

In 1968 Harry Floyd made a Declaration regarding the access to the property. See Harry Floyd