The Englefield Meadow in 1829
The rearrangement in 1791 had consolidated the 39 separate parcels of land in the River Furlong, held by seven people, into just 10 with the same owners and Richard Benyon already owned over half the acreage. By the time of the parliamentary enclosure starting in 1809 some further rearrangement must have happened for, even allowing for the death of some of the earlier owners, the situation is clearly different, as shown in the graphic.
At the western end is Garrets, including the Fishery, a moated house reached from the Bath Road by Garrets Lane, now known as Wigmore Lane, and at opposite end is the Ten Acres. Both of these were always owned by Richard Benyon and are re-allocated to him in the enclosure agreement (shown in light blue below). The area between the road from Theale to Sheffield Mill and the boundary of the old River Furlong, previously consisting of the Hides and Claper Acre Furlong, are allocated by the Commissioners to a number of people, including Richard Benyon, as shown. The Corporation of Reading had previously had land in River Furlong. James Draper had no land here in 1791 but may well have inherited the entitlement of Richard Carter and William Toovey in the River Furlong for the Drapers were related to them by marriage.
Adjacent to the access road along the north side of the River Furlong, but not stretching right across to what is called the Burghfield Brook at this time, as they had in 1791, were nine small parcels of land, some very small. From right to left on the image below these belonged to:
The Rector of Englefield
John Horn
Robert Hopkins
James May
Mary Ann and Thomas Welch
Elizabeth and William Keep, inherited from Richard Keep
William Horn
William Stone
Of these, only the Rector and John Horn had land here in 1791. All of these plots were either exchanged for other land in Englefield belonging to Richard Benyon or sold to him so that the entire former River Furlong became the property of Richard Benyon.
The Land
© 2021 Richard J Smith