1551 - Release of 'a cottage in the Nave Street'

Click HERE to read Richard Stilgoe's description of the contents of an MSS in his possession recording the release of this property from Henry Milward to William Arys.

A house 'situate in Castell Strete'

"Passing along Council Street towards Castle Green a low stone house of considerable charm, with a very long diamond shaped window under the eaves on the near side, attracts attention. It bears dates 1655,1735 and 1917, the last two with initials Z.S (Zachariah Stilgoe) and H.E.S. respectively." so says Mary Vane Turner (MVT) in her book The Story of Deddington


1655ZS1735
oldschoolhouse1.red HES1917
 

Anthonie Stilgoe (AS) comments "  I presume that ZS 1655 refers to the Zachariah who died in 1669. By 1655 he had become established as a husbandman and possessed a Coat of Arms, and it would be reasonable to expect him to have owned a house and to have displayed its ownership in the same manner as he displayed his Coat of Arms on his brass tobacco box. I am certain that ZS 1735 refers to the owner of the silver watch watch and the apple corer (1717-1748/9) both of which bear his initials and the dates 1742 and 1738 respectively, as well as the Coat of Arms, also dated 1738, which must have been copied from the brass box as the shield on both is upside down!"  (Editor: Follow this link for more information about all three artifacts)

The significance of 1917 is explained by Mary V-T in a quote from her book:
"Mr H.E.Stilgoe supplies some interesting information connected with it. Quoting from the Will of Anthony* Stilgoe, 1606, he writes that the testator bequeathed to Elizabeth his wife "a house situate in 'Castell Street'#. This may be the house in Council Street, previously named School Lane, which house and farmyard have been held by the Stilgoe family under the Windsor Manor of Deddington since the early part of the 17th century and probably earlier. In the year 1917 it was enfranchised by the Copyholder and is now in the occupation of D.Bliss as tenant." (MV-T).

#  Appendix VI of MVT's book contains the will of Anthonie Stilgoe (28 May 1606). The full quote reads as follows "I give and bequeathe.......One Kymbell's House situate and being in Castell Street..."

An earlier piece of litigation (1556-1558) concerns a dispute 'Chaundeler V Stilgo' over a property 'in a strete there called Castell Strete' in which Thomas Stilgo seems to have been the tenant of John Chaundeler who had died. His son, William Chaundeler, appeals to the Lord Chancellor for return of the property but Thomas refuses to vacate as he possesses the deeds! The transcription of the document can be found HERE.

We do not have a record of whether Thomas was successful with his litigation nor whether this is the same property in 'Castell Strete' that Anthony* left to Elizabeth only a few years later. In her book MVT quotes HES as saying that Council Street was formerly Castle Street so there must be a good probability that they are one and the same house.

We cannot turn to parish records for clarification because, as MVT helpfully explains: 

"The Deddington Parish Registers not commencing until the year 1631, earlier information from that source is unobtainable. The burial of a Zachary Stilgoe is recorded there in 1669, and that of his wife Mary in 1651. He left property here to his son Hugh, and directly from that line the present family of Stilgoes are descended. From the list of Quit Rents given at a Presentment of the Court Baron held on June 14th, 1710, the Zachary Stilgoe of that day appears to have been the principal leaseholder, having the

Parsonage House and Garden and
The Vicarage Garden £10.
The Great Fishurie £24.
(held jointly with Nathaniel Parsons).
The Castle £10.

And 'Zackariah* Stilgoe' is quoted in the same as paying the nominal sum of 6d. 'for a Freehold house called Stony House'.

He was a Malster."

* Misspellings by MVT. They should be spelt Anthonie and  Zachariah.

Victoria County History contains some architectural comments about this building and its use as a school.

"Hopcraft Lane (until recently Council Street, and in the 19th century School Lane) was the site of Deddington's first National schools until they were removed to their present site on the Banbury road in 1854; the schools were on the site of Appletree Farm on the east side of the street. The surviving house called School House had no connexion with the National schools, but seems to have housed a small private school in the 1870s;  it was earlier a farmhouse belonging to the Stilgoe family and bears the initials and dates of Zachary (1735) and H. E. Stilgoe (1917), and the family arms. The earliest part of the house, dated 1655, is a distinctive regional house with elaborate stone dressings and a fine projecting stair; the extension of 1735 doubled the size of the house and provided on the first floor an unusually large chamber lit by a long seven-light window, perhaps a workshop for weavers."

1808 - Land belonging to Henry, Nathaniel and Zachariah

This record dated c.1808 provides considerable detail of their holdings. Click HERE to view.

The Orchards

"The Zakariah* who died in 1831 had a son, Nathaniel Stilgoe. Nathaniel lived in Deddington, during the latter part of his life in the house in Council Street now owned by Mr. W. J. French# . He died there in 1867. A picture of him with his servant Thomas Hayward, photographed from a sepia drawing by Joseph Wilkins of Deddington, shows him on horseback, with Deddington Church tower in the distance. Nathaniel Stilgoe is depicted in the typical dress of the period, which would be blue coat with gilt buttons, chamois leather colour waistcoat, silk hat, etc." (MVT)

* A misspelling by MVT. It should be spelt Zachariah.
#
The Orchards - it is is still called by the same name and details can be found HERE

Park Farm & Grove House/Lodge

"Page 41 of the first volume of the Cotton-Risley Diaries states that John Stilgoe (1772-1839) farmed at Grove Lodge. As his son, John  (1806-1843), who may have followed his father at Grove Lodge, died before 1846, there is the possibility that his widow, Mary, lived in the house before dying in 1847.This family were very distantly related to Nathaniel Stilgoe - their most recent ancestor in common dying in 1709" (AS)

"On the west side of the street are Park Farm, a largely 17th-century house which from the 19th century served a large farm, and Grove Lodge, another 17th-century farmhouse, which belonged until 1846 to the Stilgoe family. Grove House, north of the lane, is a late 17th-century house with a symmetrical front of 5 bays, and unusual windows with stone mullions and latticed lights; the interior contains a fine staircase of c. 1700. It was formerly Grove Farm, a Christ Church property, but earlier, with the 17th-century house abutting to the south, it formed the ancient college leasehold estate called Maund's Farm after a 16th-century tenant. (Victoria County History)

Deddington Terrier

Sometime just prior to the enclosures a list of holdings was drawn up - known as a 'Terrier' * - for the 2000 acres of open field system around Deddington. Henry Edward Stilgoe wrote to his brother Hugh about this in 1933. His letter explaining it can be found HERE (pdf).

* A 'Terrier' is a list of land or property holdings derived from the Latin 'Terra'. However the original (pdf) of the document appears to use the word 'Tarrier' and this spelling is then used by HES in his letter and also by the unknown typist of a transcription (pdf) of the document.

...and a more accessible formatted transcript compiled by Jon Malings - whose 5 * great Grandfather Samuel Malings is mentioned - can be downloaded as a pdf (28k) HERE; on the other hand, if you wish to down-load a sortable EXCEL spread sheet then you can do so HERE. NB: you will need to save to your hard drive.

1807 - The Deddington Quality Book

The Deddington Quality book was copied by Henry Stilgoe. It was a child's home made exercise book in which he had been told to practice writing his name when he was only 6 or 7 and the words  "no gains without pain". and subsequently, in 1807 aged 11 or 12, to copy the Deddington Quality Book containing information that was clearly used in the enclosure process, culminating in the award of 1808.  It lists, in detail, nearly 300 subdivisions of land in the Deddington and Barford St. Michael common fields and divides much of the land into differing qualities. The book also lists approximately 100 Deddington homesteads and proprietors.

1808 - Deddington Enclosure Awards

The Enclosure acts of the 18th and 19th centuries provided comprehensive mapping of many towns and villages.  The maps and associated information contained in the 1808 award give a clear picture of the division and ownership of all the property and land in the parish of Deddington.

An account of land belonging to Henry, Nathaniel and Zachariah Stilgoe taken just after the Enclosure Award of 1808, details the holdings of the three brothers. It gives a brief description of each property, the occupier, size, annual value, poor rate, church rate and land tax.

Click here to see the document (a PDF of 444Kb.)

Click here to see the transcription. (a PDF of 344)

25 July 1840 - Philcock Street (now Philcote)

John Stilgoe sells three cottages. The sale details give the tenants names as: Benjamin Durran, William Miller and Widow Painton. It also says it is held for the life of a person aged 87 and gives details of what accommodation (small!) the cottages comprise.

Paper Mills

"In the 1870s Zachary* Stilgoe of the adjoining Adderbury Grounds farm bought the mill and reconverted it into a corn mill. The site was sold to Christ Church in 1907.  The mill has disappeared, but the cottages survive and some paper-making equipment has been preserved." (Victoria County History)

* Incorrect spelling. His great grandson Anthonie confirms it should be Zachariah. 

Further afield

" Another Zachariah farmed at Blakesley, and subsequently at Maidford, building Maidford Grange. He died in 1831 and is buried with his wife in Deddington Church. Their son—the first to be christened 'Zachariah Waldin'—died in 1823, aged only 25 ; he is also with the Zachariah Walden Stilgoe (1829-1878) of the Grounds, Adderbury, commemorated near by in the Parish Church." (MVT)

" Henry, brother of this Nathaniel*, had Plummer's Furse, Evenley, a farm of 499 acres, but left there in 1830, and went to Adderbury Grounds where he died. This farm is now occupied by Mr. Hugh William Stilgoe, J.P., brother to Mr. Henry Edward Stilgoe. It has been continuously in the occupation of the family since 1830." (MVT)

 * MVT is referring to Nathaniel (1793-1867)

Jackson's Journal

Jon Malings has researched a number of entries over the years relating to sale of land, property and stock belonging to the Stilgoes. They can be found HERE

Jacksons Journal of 8 March 1851 reported " To be sold at auction, The Wheatsheaf, Adderbury – Mr. Stilgoe, the proprietor ". On 10 April next year it also reported " Henry Stilgoe, late of the Wheatsheaf, charged with having a gun but no game licence." One presumes it is the same person.

Henry was not the first Stilgoe involved with public houses. Jacksons Journal had reported in the 1840's " Mr Stilgoe married Miss Hester Merry, d. of Merry, publican of the The Sportsman, Steeple Claydon."