| 16 | DACKOMBE The Dame, the Prison and the Pewterer |
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note that the following article is reprinted from a paper by G J
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by G. J. Gollin, M.a., C.ENG.
Leatherhead & District Local History Society
Set on 14th April, 1997
CONTENTS
(To go to the heading mentioned in Contents, click on heading in
Contents. Through the article there are 39 references, to go to
reference page, click on the reference number.
SYNOPSIS
INTRODUCTION
THE ENCLOSURE OF ASHTEAD COMMON FIELDS 1838
THE KNIGHTLEY FAMILY OF KINGSTON UPON THAMES
THE BROUGHTON FAMILY OF MARCHWIEL IN DENBIGHSHIRE
SIR
ROBERT KNIGHTLEY
THE
DACKOMBE FAMILY
On Lady Mary's death in 1694/95, her two families moved to Marchwiel, two miles south of Wrexham in Denbighshire - the centre of her Welsh estates. Her daughter, by her first marriage, Mary married a Wrexham man called Dackombe. With the passage of time this branch of the Broughton family failed in 1718. In 1772, the last of the Wykes died childless. In 1762 he had been left the Ashtead and Kingston estates by his cousin John Knightley. Between then and 1795 the Welsh and Surrey estates were owned by Aquila Wyke's nephew Charles Browne who married Aquila's niece Lucy. On his death, the Surrey estate passed to his cousin Aquila Dackombe. Lucy's death marked the end of the Wyke family and part of the Welsh estate passed to Daniel Dackombe, senior, son of Aquila Dackombe, Master in 1818 of the Worshipful Company of Pewterers of London - being in direct descent from Mary, Lady Mary's daughter of Aquila Wyke.
Daniel Dackombe, junior, dying in 1844 left a life interest to his wife and willed that the estates should be divided equally among his nine children. This resulted in the sale of the estates in 1851. The new owners transformed agricultural land into desirable building sites. The effect was to change a village essentially composed of two manors encompassing five farms, into a vast housing estate, the home of wage earners, commuting by the recently constructed railway, to earn their daily bread 17 miles away in London.
INTRODUCTION
J. E. Smith in his series of articles on the history of Ashtead
in the Parish Magazine 1901/2 included an account of Prior's Farm
or Little Ashtead Manor in Lower Ashtead.(1) Fifty
years later, the story was enlarged and reprinted by A. W. G.
Lowther, F.S.A., in the Journal of the Ashtead Resident
Association.(2)
Both authors relied heavily on the County histories of Manning
and Bray 1804/14 and Brayley 1850. The Manor, until the
Disolution of the monasteries, was in the hands of Merton Abbey
and then passed through the hands of several owners until it was
purchased at the end of the 17th century by Sir Robert Knightley,
Sheriff of Surrey. From that time, most of what is known derives
from Manning and Bray, repeated by Brayley and the improtant
paragraphs are quoted below:-
There is no information regarding the Wyke or Dackombe
families and no mention of the Broughtons or explanation as to
how they came to inherit the lands of Sir Robert Knightley, some
200 acres which stretched from Caen Farm, Ashtead Woods to
Addlestead Wood. There is no mention of the Broughton family and
their extensive properties in Denbighshire.
It is the purpose of this paper to supply the missing clues with
romantic story of the Gatehouse prison of Westminter Abbey, which
resulted in a Denbighshire family owning a large tract of land in
Ashtead, in addition to a string of water mills on the river
Clywedog and finally ends with Master of the Worshipful Company
of Pewterers of London.
THE ENCLOSURE OF ASHTEAD COMMON FIELDS 1838
A study of the precise Survey of Ashtead made in 1802 for Richard
Howard, Esq., by James Wyburd, Surveyor of Symonds Inn,(5) shows
the fields divided into some 480 strips each 10, 20 or 30 feet
wide. On the Survey, the strips belonging to the Howard Estate
are coloured brown or green, the former for arable and the latter
for pasture or meadow land. The strips not included in the Howard
estate are left uncoloured and are labelled with the owners
symbol, as set out on a Table. Next in importance to the Howard
320 plots totalling some 1603 acres are the 68 strips belonging
to Auila "Dacombe", which amount to some 228 acres.
On 4th October 1838, at the leg of Mutton and Cauliflower,
Ashtead, the Hon, Fulke Greville Howard, Daniel Dackombe, Esq.,
and the Rev. William Legge met three landowners, Joseph Syms,
George King and William Pinnion and agreed under the Act William
IV-6,7 "For facilitating the enclosure of open and arable
fields of England and Wales" to reorganise the lands of
Ashtead into larger more easily manageable units. This agreement
was confirmed at the King's Head, Epsom, on 17th October, 1838.(6)
The necessary adjustment in the Tithe distribution was made on
the basis of a new map made by the Commissioners in 1839.(7) This
gave the Howard estate 1699 acres and Daniel Dackombe 211 acres.
It of great interest to ascertain by what means the Dackombe
family came to own this land.
THE KNIGHTLEY FAMILY OF KINGSTON UPON THAMES
From a Surrey Visitation(8) it appears that William Knightley
of Kingston, who married Susan d, of John Price of Kingston, was
the son of John Knightley of Nottingham and Margerit Wodlands of
Rye. The registers of St Mary, Kingston, show the baptism of many
children among them Knightley(5) 1622, Robert 1625, Susan 1627,
Mary 1630, Elizabeth 1631, Martha 1632, Richard 1635 and Anna
1637, The father is described as William Knightle, gentleman,
Squior and Sargant. Of the family we know something of Robert and
Susan but Mary is the essential link in the history of Ashtead.
Her father held property in Kingston and by tradition was a
miller, probably owning the water mill where the Hogs Mills river
flowed in the Thames. on March 27th, 1650, at St James's
Clerkenwell, she married Aquila "Wykes".(9) In the
1677 "List of the Names of Merchants living in and about the
City of London",(10) her brother, Sir Rob. Knightley,
is mentioned as living in Seething Land. There are several other
Knightley entries in the Clerkenwell registers. mary's husband
was the lessee and governor of the Gatehouse prison, the property
of Westminster Abbey.(11) His name is quoted variously as
Wyke, Wykes and Weeks. Throughout the Will of Mary's second
husband, he is referred to as Weeks.(12)
The archives of Westminster Abbey have reference to the Wykes
family going back ot 1409. With origins in Cambridgeshire, they
held leases from Westminster Abbey in Herefeld Manor, Middlesex,
and North Mimms.(13)
At the west end of Westminster Abbey were two prisons. The
nearer, under the Bishop of London, called the Convict prison was
for Clerks convict, presumably for breaches in Canon Law. The
further, controlled by the Dean and Chapter, the Gatehouse prison(14)
spanned the beginning of Tothill Street. This housed prisoners of
the City of Westminster and State prisoner. In 1611, William
Wykes(15)
was in charge of the Gatehouse prison and in 1613, he was follwed
by Aquila Wykes (senior).(16) During the Commonwealth, his son
Aquila took over the prison. The registeres of St Margaret's(17)
Westminster, in the baptism of two children: Edward Knightley
1652, Edward 1657, There were at least two others: Aquila and
Mary, both mentioned in their mother's Will. Aquila Wyke senior
died in 1655 and his son Aquila in 1659, leaving a 29-year-old
widow, with four young children, in charge of the prison.
THE BROUGHTON FAMILY OF MARCHWIEL IN
DENBIGHSHIRE
The history of this family is told in great detail by Alfred
Neobard Palmer in his paper "The Broughtons of
Marchwiel" (Y Cymmrodor Vo. XIV 1900). They and the Dackombe
family receive frequent mention in the same author's
"History of the Town of Wrexham".(18) Sir
Edward Broughton's grandfather, Morgan Broughton of Plass Issa,
Iscoed, on the west bank of the River Dee, through his marriage
with Margaret Parry, came into possession of the manor of
Marchwiel about three miles south of Wrexham. WIth one exception,
he, his brothers and father were all Royalists in the Civil War.
In the summer of 1659, less than a year before the Resoration, a
Royalist uprising was planned to take place throughout the
country. The plans were betrayed and only in Lancashire, Cheshire
and the Welsh Border did the revolt materialise. led by Lord
Derby and Sir Charles Booth, Chester was swiftly taken. All but
one of the Broughtons were involved. Swiftly General Lambert
moved his army against the rebels, who retreated to Chirk castle,
where they surrendered. Among the prinsoners were Lieutenant
Edward Broughton with his father Sir Edward and his unlce Robert.
The prisoners were taken to Nantwich and thence ot London. Sir
Edward Broughton, junior, was lodged in the Gatehouse prison at
Westminster. Thomas Pennant in his "Tours in Wales",(19) tells
the sequel. In his version, Sir Edward falls madly in love with
his jailor's daughter and after a frantic incribed and witnessed
declaration, in which he handed over all his property (see
Appendix I), married the lady. Pennant was wrong. The jailor was
dead and the prisoner fell in love with his young widow. He
married her and not only took over the care of her three young
children but also took over the office of Keeper of the Gatehouse
prison (under the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey).(20)
Sir Edward and his Lady Mary had three chldren, Edward 1660/1,
Richard 1661/2, and John 1663. the last two died in infancy.(21) This
was Sir Edward'a aecond marriage, his first wife was Alice,
daughter of Sir Robert Honeywood of Charing, Kent. It is thought
that there may have been children of his first marriage, but no
provision is made for them in his will. Sir Edward only lived to
enjoy five years of his second marriage. He was on board a
warship at the battle of Lowestoft on June 3rd, 1665, and came
home severly wounded to Westminster where he died on June 20th
and was buried in Westminster Abbey. his widow, Lady Mary
Broughton, now with five young children, inherited the post of
Keeper of the Gatehouse prison. This she held until 1672, when
she was accused and convicted of Extortion of Fees and hard usage
of prisoners. She was fined 100 marks and removed from office.(22)
lady Mary Broughton died in March 1694.95. She had apparently
ammassed a large fortune in securities and property. She made
provision in her Will (23) for her lands and property to
go:-
The last is very significant with reference to her lagacy of £50
to "my unfortunate undutiful daughter Mary Dacombe daughter
of my first husband Aquila Wyke deceased she having formerly
inbeazled much of my Estate."
The genealogical chart (Fig. 2) shows how eventually Edward
Broughton in 1718 died a bachelor. Then Aquila Wyke, who married
Elizabeth Whitmore, of Thurstaston, Cheshire, died with issue in
1772, (24)
his sister Martha Wyke had married Stephen Browne and their son
Charles Browne married successively two first cousins, first Ann
Rockwood, whose mother was Mary Wyke and then Lucy Lewis, whose
mother was Catherine Whitmore, Mrs. Aquila Wyke's sister. There
were no children of either marriage and the Wyke line ended with
the death of Charles Browne in 1795. He died in Bath and in 1801
his widow Lucy Browne sold Marchwiel hall and 177 acres. In 1820
she formally demised her interest in the Manor of Ashtead. She
died in 1832 age 85.(25)
SIR ROBERT KNIGHTLEY
Sir Robert Knightley, brother of Lady Mary Broughton, was
sherriff of Surrey in 1676. He owned large estates in Surrey. His
son Robert in 1684 married an heiress Ann Chapman, who broughy a
dowry of £3000. Her husband died in 1690 leaving three young
sons, Robert, John and William. On his son's death, Sir Robert
created a Settlement which gave him a life interest in his
estates in Surrey at Kingston, Stoke D'Abernon, Leatherhead and
Ashtead, and his estate in Kent at Lewisham, Bromley and
Beckenham. After his death the estates oassed to his
grandchildre. Eventually it was John who became the sole owner of
the estate. When he died in 1761 he left it to his cousin Aquila
Wyke of Wrexham.(26)
Aquila Wyke, who had already inherited the estate of his
grandmother lady Mary Broughton, married Elizabeth Whitmore of
Thurstaston in the Wirral, Cheshire, and thereby acquired an
interest in the wealthy Whitmore estate. He did not live long to
enjoy his estates in the Home Counties. When he died in 1772 he
appears to have left his wife a life interest under the
administration of his sister Martha's son Charles Browne.
On Charles Browne's death in 1795 the Broughton, Whitmore and
Knightley estates were split. The first two became the property
of his widow Lucy while the Knightley estate passed to his
distant cousin Aquila Dackombe and his son Daniel of london. In
1773, Charles Browne and his first wife Anne had leased all his
southern estates for 61 years to George Patterson of East Sheen (27). George Patterson died in 1782
and in 1795 his executors sold the remainder of the lease to
George Glenny of Bloomsbury, Middlesex.
In anticipation of the reversion of the Knightley estate to them
on Charles Browne's death, the Dackombes sold the kent estates in
lewisham, Bromley and Beckenham to Charles Long of Bromley Hall,
who later became Lord Farnborough (28).
THE DACKOMBE FAMILY
the Dackombe family were originally at Steepleton Iwerne, some
miles north of Blandford in Dorset. A cadet branch was
established at Corfe Castle. In the 16th century both branches
spelt their name Dackombe although in the 18th and 19th centuries
their descendants in Dorset spelt in Dacomb or Daccombe.
In 1610 Sir John Daccomb was Chief Ranger of Clerndon and Melchet
forests in Wiltshire. (29). In 1617 he was Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster and was one of six Commissioners appointed by
James I to the Lordship of Dyffryn Clwyd near Denbigh for 99
years.(30) In 1630 the Daccombe
family sold their Dorset estate to Sir William Pitt (31). It
is feasible that some of the family moved in the first half of
the 17th century to the Denbigh-Wrexham area.
According to A. N. Palmer (32) "Mr. John Dycomb is often
referred to in the registers (Wrexham), his house was in the
lowest part of Pen y bryn, now called Bridge Street and next but
one to the Horns. The Dycombs appear to have been related to the
Wykes of Marchwiel Hall."
John Dackombe married Mary Davies at Gresford near Wrexham on
21st February, 1710.(33) It is probable that he was the
grandson of the "unfortunate undutiful daughter Mary
Dacombe" from evidence provided by the records of the
Worshipful Company of Pewterers of London. On March 20th, 1734,
Thomas Wheeler, Citizen and Pewterer, presented Aquila Dackombe,
son of John Dackombe of Wrexham in the County of Denbigh
deceased.(34)
The name Aquila is sufficiently rare to infer that the apprentice
was in direct lineal decent from Aquila Wyke governor of the
gatehouse prison. If so this Aquila Dackombe born in 1721 was the
great great grandson of Lady Mary Broughton.
Aquila Dackombe, being in fiancial difficulties, left the
Pewterers Company in 1773 but his son Aquila born in 1747 was
apprenticed in 1761, took the Livery in 1801 and became Master of
the Company in 1818.(35)
After her husband Charles' death in 1795, his widow Lucy Browne
lived in Worcester and enjoyed the fruits of the Marchwiel
estates and the Thurstaston estate in Wirral and Chester.(36) When
she died in 1832 she left legacies amounting to £50,000. Her
estates she left mainly to her godson Robert Owen of Liverpool
and the Gleggs of Cheshire. however, she left the water mills in
Township of Wrexham called Adenbury and Lower Hall, Dutton
Diffata, the original home of the Broughton to Daniel Dackombe
"of the Stamp Office, London".(37) As a result, the Dackombe family
in 1832 came to own both the Surrey and the Welsh estates. Daniel
Dackombe died in 1843 aged 65, and his son Daniel died the
following year, age 43. He left eight children. He, with his two
brothers and three sisters, received annuties from the estate in
kingston, Stoke D'Abernon, Leatherhead and Ashtead and all this
was sold by auction atGarroways, Cornhill, London, on 27th
August, 1851.(38)
Further information on Ashtead and the Dackombe can be found by clicking on this link which will take you to extracts from a book written by the Leatherhead & District Local History Society in 1977
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