Photos and articles about Brighton and Hove in the time of coronavirus. See our collection and add your own!

Copy of the Deeds Relating to the Division of the Tenantry Lands

Tenantry Lands; the 1822 Deeds

Firstly I’m sorry that the quality of these maps are not too good, they are old, creased and fragile.  The maps are from my book Brighton Tenantry Downs, the full title being “Copies of the Deeds, relating to the Division of the Tenantry Lands in the Parish of Brighthelmston in the year 1822″  The book was printed by “Sussex Daily News” by order of the Town Council in 1878, so it appears to be a retrospective public record of the deeds.

The Eight Landowners 

The book is very difficult to understand as its written in old legal jargon.  The best I can establish is that on 17th April 1822 it was agreed by the landowners, (1) Thomas Read Kemp and his wife Frances,  (2) Charles Scrase Dickins the elder, his wife Elizabeth and Charles Scrase Dickins the younger,  (3) John Wichelo,  (4) Nathaniel Kemp,  (5) Philip Mighell,  (6) Tomas Atree,  (7) Isaac Tree Rich and his wife Mary, and  (8) George Hoper, to divide the downland in proportion to their holdings for easier disposal.

Extracts of Minutes

The deeds run to 41 pages, which are followed by another 73 pages of “extracts of the minutes of the proceedings of, and copies of the reports to the late town commissioners and the town council, with reference to the portions of the above mentioned lands dedicated to public use”.  Images 3 and 4 show extracts of the deeds and the minutes.

Click the maps and then click again to show an enlarged version

1822 Map
Map from the 1878 book Tenantry Lands, owned by Peter Groves
1864 Map
Map from the 1878 book Tenantry Lands, owned by Peter Groves
Extract of the Deeds
Page 5 from the book Tenantry Lands owned by Peter Groves
Extract of the minutes
Page 85 from the book Tenantry Lands owned by Peter Groves

Comments about this page

  • The photos of the maps are unbelievable. Has anyone got any information or old photographs of Down Terrace? Would love to find anything on this street.

    By Stuart Taylor (03/03/2019)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.