Clovelly

Research by Joan West from the deeds of Clovelly Cottages, lent by Teresa Foster, nee Teresa Rixon

Teresa Foster wrote the following foreword for the book 'A Chiltern Village School' by Joan West-

Before St John's - A Village School Room?

"I am always proud to tell people that my grandparents, mother, myself and my children have all attended St Johns at one time or another throughout the schools history and hope my grandchildren (if I have any that is!) will carry on the tradition.

Some childhood memories are for some reason more easily remembered and no more so than anything which has a slightly spooky feel to it. This for me was a flight of old stairs and rail in the family room - Clovelly. This was formally my grandparents, Horace and Ivy Rixon's house. These stairs and rail (painted bright green and full of woodworm I recall) came from, so my grandfather told, an old Chapel that once stood on our grounds and that the aforementioned stairs were used in the house when this Chapel was demolished.

I was caused many nights of fright and panic as I ran up these stairs to bed imagining all the devils in hell chasing me (not to mention the ones with grabbing hands under the bed).

It seems very likely that the Chapel was used as a schoolroom before St Johns was built and that a teacher by the name of Ann or Mary Ann lived nearby. No excuse to be late for work, come rain or shine. Evidence that the Chapel did exist is backed up further by paperwork relating to a will written by a Mr John Carter Dell leaving it to his wife. Now we have to find out if it was passed on to their children. More information found could well uncover whether it was indeed used as a schoolroom.

The stair unfortunately no longer exists but I do have, luckily, photographs of them. They were certainly part of the Chapel, could they have been part of the first teaching place in Lacey Green?"

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The house called Clovelly was originally two attached cottages. Situated on the west side of Main Road, Lacey Green, beside a track on the south side leading to Floyds Farm which lay behind the cottages.

The first time a property name has been found was in the 1939 Register (census) when it is listed as two cottages - no 1 Groverick and no 2 Groverick.

The history of the two was very similar for some time.

ENLOSURES OF PRINCES RISBOROUGH 1823

In the enclosures of 1823, 3 plots of land were allotted to Thomas Hearn. There was a Thomas Hearn living in Penn who had property in the parish of Princes Risborough at that time, but no further trace of him has so far been found.

THOMAS HEARN'S ALLOTMENTS

Allotment no 681, freehold, an old plot

Allotment no 680, Land freehold, an old plot.  These are the site of the two cottages that later became 'Clovelly'.

Allotment no 682, Cottage and garden, freehold, an old plot.   This is the site of Ye Olde Cottage and Rose Cottage, near Floyds Farm

1838 CONVEYANCE

January 24^th1838.   Indentures to brothers Joseph Loosley and Thomas Loosley of Summerleys, Princes Risborough.

SCHEDULE

To Joseph Loosley the cottage on the north side later named No1 Clovelly Cottages, together with garden and outbuildings.

To Thomas Loosley the cottage on the south side later named No 2 Clovelly Cottages together with garden and outbuildings.

FROM 1838 for the separate histories of these two cottages see Clovelly 2 formerly Groverick and Clovelly 1 formerly Groverick

16^th OCTOBER 1874  CONVEYANCE

Joseph Loosley of Summerleys, Princes Risborough, farmer, sold to Benjamin Saunders of Lacey Green, labourer at Speen Farm, for £70 no 1 Cottage See Clovelly 1 formerly Groverick . (a copy of this document is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall)

16^th OCTOBER 1874     CONVEYANCE

Thomas Loosley of Summerleys, Princes Risborough, farmer, sold to Benjamin Saunders of Lacey Green, labourer at Speen Farm for £70 no 2 Cottage   See Clovelly 2 formerly Groverick (a copy of this document is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall)

1st APRIL 1899 CONVEYANCES of No 1 Clovelly Cottages and No 2 Clovelly Cottages see Clovelly 1 formerly Groverick and Clovelly 2 formerly Groverick

Jane Saunders, executrix of Benjamin Saunders, her husband, conveyed by inheritance to William J. Saunders of Speen Farm, his son, chairmaker.

Clovelly
Construction Era	1823 Enclosures Record, 1824-1899
Type of Property	House, Cottage
Use of Property	Residential
Locations	Lacey Green

28th DECEMBER 1950 CONVEYANCE

The executor of William. J. Saunders lately of Woodfield Cottage, John William Saunders of The Ferns, Lacey Green, cousin, retired builder sold to the tenants, Horace Rixon and Ivy May Rixon, his wife of no 1 Clovelly Cottages (the purchasers).

SCHEDULE Both semi-detached cottages with the outbuildings, now in the respective occupancy of no. 1 Horace Rixon and no 2 D. Wallington See Clovelly 1 formerly Groverick and Clovelly 2 formerly Groverick. (A copy of this Abstract of Title following this conveyance is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall.)

1954 CONVEYANCE OF LAND

Horace and Ivy May Rixon sold to Emily Hickman, widow of Harold Hickman of Hickmans Stores, Main Road Lacey Green. SCHEDULE All that piece of land at Lacey Green, having a frontage of 68 feet to the road from Naphill to Princes Risborough and a depth therefrom of 36 feet, adjacent to Hickmans Stores. (A copy of this conveyance document is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall)