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Timeline
1501 (NH) William Warnewell, clerk, gave this property to the
church c1501. From that time
onwards the rent of its lease provided a portion of income for the parish church.
Apart
from its ownership and the income from its rent, the house differed little if at all
from
any other rented burgage". It became known as "Church House".
1663/4 (NH) Hearth Tax: John Hudden. 3 hearths (E179/243/25)
1664 (NH) Hearth Tax: John Hudden. 3 hearths (E179/343/20)
1676/7 (NH) John Hudden died (buried Jan
1676/7)
1676 (NH) (QR) Widow Hudden
(Berks RO H/FR1) "for ye Church house" 6d.
1677 (NH) (Churchwardens Accounts): 12 April - £3.00 received from widow Hudden as ½ year's rent.
1680,81 (NH) (CL) Widow Hudden. This widow Hudden is Dorothy nee Mills (married Nov. 1669). A son John was baptised Nov. 1664, and therefore came of age 1685. Dorothy Hudden widow was buried 23 May 1703.
1698 (NH) On 2 Nov. 1698 a lease of Church House was made by the Churchwardens to
John Hudden junior
(Berks RO D/P71/6/1) of "a messuage called Church House on the west side of High Street was leased to John Hudden of Hungerford mercer, for 7 years @ £6 p.a.. In addition a consideration of £34 was paid for the lease. The lease is signed by John Hudden and was assigned to him on 8 April 1699 (Berks RO D/P71/6/1). The rent is the same as that paid by the lessor's mother in 1677 and as she pays quit rent for the Church House in 1676 immediately after her husband's death it is a reasonable assumption that they had previously lived at Church House. The apparent discrepancy in dates between John Hudden's death and his widow's name appearing on the quit rent roll may be explained if, for example, the quit rent roll meant to refer from Michelmas 1676 to Michelmas 1677.
1699 (NH) [D/P71/6/1] 8 April 1699 Assignment of lease for 7 years @ £6 p.a. rent for a consideration of £34
- (i) John Hamblen and Edward Harson, church wardens
- (ii) Thomas Butler, Constable of Hungerford, messuage called Church House on West side of High Street [previously] leased 2 November 1698 to John Hudden of Hungerford mercer, by (i)
above.
1720 (NH) John Hudden died in 1720, and his widow and family may have moved from the town at some date thereafter.
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1753 (NH) When the quit rent rolls resume
in 1753 the quit rent was listed as payable by Edward Popham
esq of Littlecote. This Edward Popham became M.P. for Wiltshire. He married John Hudden's daughter Rebecca at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1730, so presumably he acquired lease of the property as a result of his marriage to Rebecca. A portrait of Rebecca is said to remain at Littlecote House, ancestral home of the Popham family.
1754 (NH) [D/P71/6/2] 6 August 1754: Lease for 21 years @ £8.10.o p.a. rent
- (i) Edward Lovelocke, gent, and Thomas Woodroffe, plumber, church wardens
to
- (ii) Edward Lucas of Hungerford, mercer, property as in D/P71/6/1 above, now occupied by (ii); lease determinable at end of 7 or 14 years on 6 months notice.
1774 (NH) In 1774 the property is ascribed to the Churchwardens, so presumably any earlier Popham lease had by then expired. (In fact, Edward Popham died 1772).
1777 (NH) (CL) Fullbrook and Bance.
1781 (NH) (CL) Watts and Fullbrook [entries 101 & 102 on the CL together with Matthew Bance deleted] at the Town Hall site.
1786 (NH) A Royal Exchange Insurance policy of April 1786 was taken by the Churchwardens on 2 tenements in one building, brick and tiled, tenanted by William Watts and
Richard Fullbrook.
^ top ^
1793 (NH)
Churchwardens (own); Richard Fulbrook (occ) [see notes under 23 HS]
1808 (NH) Churchwardens (own); John Church (occ) [see notes under 23 HS]
1819 (EA) "Church Wardens"
1836 (QR)
Churchwardens for the Church Houses, q.r. 6d.
1836 (NH) Churchwardens (own); William Barnes (occ) [see notes under 23 HS]
1847 (CL) Churchwardens of Hungerford (own); William Barnes
(occ)
1859 (NH) [D/P71/65] 1 February 1859 Lease for 14 years @ £12 p.a. rent
- (i) George Willes of Hungerford Park esq. and Rev. Thomas Penruddock Michell of Standen House,
Hungerford, clerk, church wardens to
- (ii) Thomas Jelfs of Hungerford, auctioneers, property as in D/P71/6/1 above.
1861 (CL) Churchwardens of Hungerford (own); Thomas Jelfs(occ) (Auctioneer)
1868 (NH) Thomas Jelfs, Auctioneers, asked to surrender the lease for the eventual building of
the Corn Exchange.
1870 Corn Exchange and Town Hall built
1870 Mr. Killick, owner and occupier to the north, was given western end of Town Hall plot in compensation to have rear and
side access. There is a brick marked "Killick 1871" in this west wall [present 2007].
1896 (CL) Constable and Trustees
(Harold Clements) "Harold says he used to show the films in the Corn
Exchange, and that his uncle had invented the strike stop during night hours, using a penny!"
1914 (CL) Constable and Trustees
c. 1932 (QR) Town Trustees "Formerly houses of the
Churchwardens"
1939 (Blacket's) Corn Exchange and Town Hall and Fire Alarm (S.F. Bushnell, Town Hall keeper and town crier)
1947 (CL) Constable and Trustees
1952 (CL) Constable and
Trustees
1956 (CL) Constable and Trustees
1963 (CL) Constable and Trustees
1968 (CL) Constable and Trustees
1970 (CL) Constable and Trustees
1976 (CL) Void
1983 (CL) Void
1984
(CL) Void
1985 (CL) Void
2000 (CL) Robin Edwin Sidney Tubb
2005 (CL) Robin Edwin Sidney Tubb
2011 (CL) Robin Edwin Sidney Tubb
^ top ^
From Norman Hidden Papers:
The Town Hall at Hungerford – Part II
The Fourth and present Town Hall and Corn Exchange
By the 1860's Hungerford felt in need of a larger Corn Exchange and a new Town Hall. Times had changed and Berkshire now had a County Police Force. Hungerford had a
police station with cells in Hungerford, so this feature of the preceding halls could be omitted. The population of the Berkshire portion of the Hungerford Parish had dropped, no doubt due to the
loss of much business associated with the coaching trade. The railway was bringing other people and trade into Hungerford and an enlarged Corn Exchange was fast becoming a necessity and the
subject of much speculation and planning, whilst the whole of the old building was, naturally enough after 100 years, in constant need of considerable repairs.
In February 1861 a Mr. Hall offered to provide half the cost of a new Town Hall, in place of repairing the old one, but his offer was not accepted. However, an offer
from the same gentleman five years later to provide a clock for the old Hall was accepted.
Messrs. Wooldridge were instructed to build a suitable tower to house the clock and the Feoffees borrowed £150 at 5% interest to pay for the work.
In October 1866 Mr. Wooldridge was paid £107 5s 0d on account and in June 1867 he was paid £177.17s.4¾d for the complete job. In the same year the insurance cover on
the building was raised from £600 to £1000 with an additional cover of £250 for the clock and bells.
^ top ^
In the following year, 1868 the site of the
present building was selected provisionally as being suitable for the New Town Hall and Corn Exchange. It was in the ownership of the Hungerford Church Wardens and in the occupation, under
lease, of Thomas Jelfs, Auctioneers. The Clerk was instructed to enquire into the possibility of an exchange of properties and also the sum required by Mr. Jelfs for the surrender of the lease.
This proved to be £100 and for the site an exchange was arrived at whereby the Feoffees acquired 1 rod 8 poles in the High Street for 5 acres 0 rods and 33 and one third poles on the Port Down.
This was permitted under an order of February 3rd 1870 of the Enclosures Commissioners.
From this point all systems worked - it was agreed that the money for the building be raised by donation and on note of hand by the Feoffees at 4%. In May 1870, Mr
Money, Architect of Newbury submitted plans which were approved but with an amended specification to bring costs down to £2700, and in June an agreement was arrived at with Mr.Killick, the owner of
the northside, to obtain rear and side access. Mr Killick received the unwanted piece of the land at the western end of the acquired plot.
Two Hungerford builders, Mr Wooldridge and Mr. Hoskins were asked to put in tenders for the work and that of Mr. Hoskins was accepted. Planning authorities were not
then in existence, absolute reliance being placed upon a qualified architect and a builder of good reputation who employed skilled craftsmen.
^ top ^
In June 1871 the building was sufficiently
advanced to talk about the clock and bell tower being moved from the old Town Hall. Mr. Hall who had given the clock, was approached about the addition of two more faces. We assume now he
agreed to the request of the Feoffees.
The Foundation Stone of the building was laid on September 7th 1870 and the Corn Exchange opened for business on October 11th 1871. The first Trustees Meeting was
held in the …..
Unhappily, Mr. Hutchins the Constable, who had presided over all the building arrangements, died on 9th October. Mr. Earle was appointed in his place and the planned
opening dinner to mark the occasion was postponed. The insurance on the Town Hall was placed at £1800 and that of the Corn Exchange at £1200.
In 1872 Mr. Hoskins was instructed to remove the old Town Hall at once, it being agreed that no further payments be made to him until this had been done. The following
year he put in a claim for £57 14s 4d. for extra work done, but after the specification had been studied it was decided that he was not entitled to any additional payment, but in view of the good
work that had been done it was resolved to offer half the sum without prejudice. The total cost of the entire building had been £4000. In June 1874 it was resolved that note of hand
holders be notified that their interest be reduced from four percent to three and one eighth per cent. The last of these notes of hand were paid off early in the 1900's.
The new Town Hall and Corn Exchange went into operation, first to act as a meeting place for the Feoffees "of the Town and Manor and later for the Parish Council,
recently the Town Council, as a Court room for the Petty Sessional Court and as a Masonic Temple. The Corn Exchange was to carry out the function indicated by its title until 1923 and over the years
as a dance hall, concert hall, cinema, roller skating rink, lecture hall for public meetings, functions such as weddings and public dinners and of recent years [?1980s – HLP] the Hocktide
Lunch. During the 1939 - 45 war it housed the British Restaurant and the Food Office. The now defunct Labour Exchange was housed there and all Hungerford elections, both local and
national, have been held there.
^ top ^
In
1905 the Charity Commissioners held an enquiry in Hungerford and resulted in 1908 as a scheme called the Town and Manor of Hungerford Charity came into force, superseding the old Feoffment of
1617. The scheme laid upon the Trustees of the Charity the duty of maintaining all the property of the Charity, with special reference to the Town Hall and Corn Exchange.
History repeated itself in that as the building neared its centenary it produced a considerable repair problem and acute financial difficulties in carrying out the
necessary repairs. A "chicken and egg" problem arose in that the Corn Exchange was losing bookings for want of being in decent repair and repairs could not be carried out for want of
bookings. As with the great majority, if not all, of the Town Halls, it could not be made to be self supporting, but unlike all the others the deficit was not made up from the local rates.
In the years immediately prior to 1970 the Trustees and the Constable of Hungerford in particular had a real struggle to keep the buildings going. For many years the
Hungerford Fishery and the Port Down had contributed substantially to the building, but around 1970 consideration was being given to application to the Charity Commissioners for permission to
demolish the building and to seek a method of fund raising to erect a new building on the site.
However by the action of two townsmen, Clive Norman and Dick Wallis, the first Hocktide Ball was organised which raised a considerable amount of money. This pointed
the way and under the auspices of Mr.Hugh Hassall' the Ball has been made into an annual feature and has been successfully …..[text missing here – HLP]
… review the U.S. troops before "Overlord" in 1944, and by the crowd at the "Great Bare Knuckle Fight" on the Common in 1821, so vividly described by essayist William Hazlitt. Be that as it
may, the result of these devoted and selfless efforts has been a modernised Town Hall and Corn Exchange. Although much remains to be done, the lettings today are such that the Town Hall Committee
have every encouragement to press on with further work, knowing that they have before them a viable proposition for local people to put to good use for recreational and commercial purposes.
More from Norman Hidden's papers:
HIGH STREET West No 21: CHURCH HOUSE/TOWN HALL
D/P71/6/1 8 April 1699 Assignment of lease for 7 years @ £6 p.a. rent for a consideration of £34
(i) John Hamblen and Edward Harson, church wardens
(ii) Thomas Butler, Constable of Hungerford, messuage called Church House on West side of High Street [ previously] leased 2
November 1698 to John Hudden of Hungerford mercer, by (i) above.
D/P71/6/2 6 August 1754 lease for 21 years @ £8.10.0 p.a. rent
(i) Edward Lovelocke, gent, and Thomas Woodroffe, plumber, church wardens to
(ii) Edward Lucas of Hungerford, mercer, property as in D/P71/6/1 above, now occupied by (ii); lease determinable at end of 7 or
14 years on 6 months notice.
D/P71/6"5 1 February 1859 lease for 14 years @ £12 p.a. rent
(i) George Willes of Hungerford Park esq. and Rev. Thomas Penruddock Michell of Standen House, Hungerford, clerk, church
wardens to
(ii) Thomas Jelfs of Hungerford, auctioneers, property as in D/P71/6/1 above.
=====================================
1588 DL1/147 E. Passia v. John Curr: The site of the burgage: - between tenement of Sir E. Hungerford on north and burgage of Thomas
Horsell(?) on south. The lease expires c.1587, and in 1588 was demised to E. Passion for 21 years.
Curteys v. Passion complete transcript copy exists in BVM Chantry Folio.
Also Passion v. Curr.
See also Monce(?) and Phillips 9 Jas I DL 12/22 which seems to be about the same property.
See Town and Church lands file
Nicholas Passion file.
=====================================
21 – Town Hall
1663/4 Hearth Tax: John Hudden. 3 hearths (E179/243/25)
1664 Hearth Tax: John Hudden. 3 hearths (E179/343/20)
1676/7 John Hudden died (buried Jan 1676/7)
1676 QR widow Hudden (Berks RO H/FR1) "for ye Church house" 6d.
1677 Curchwardens Accounts: 12 April - £3.00 received from widow Hudden as ½ year's rent.
1680,81 CL: Widow Hudden.
This widow Hudden is Dorothy nee Mills (married Nov. 1669)
A son John was baptised Nov. 1664, and therefore came of age 1685.
Dorothy Hudden widow was buried 23 May 1703.
On 2 Nov. 1698 a lease of Church House was made by the Churchwardens to Joh Hudden junior (Berks RO D/P71/6/1) of "a messuage called
Church House on the est side of High Street was leased to John Hudden of Hungerford mercer, for 7 years @ £6 p.a.. In addition a consideration of £34 was paid for the lease. The lease is signed by
John Hudden and was assigned to him on 8 April 1699 (Berks RO D/P71/6/1). The rent is the same as that paid by the lessor's mother in 1677 and as she pays quit rent for the Church House in 1676
immediately after her husband's death it is a reasonable assumption that they had previously lived at Church House. The apparent discrepancy in dated between John Hudden's death and his widow's name
appearing on the quit rent roll may be explained if, for example, the quit rent roll meant to refer from Michelmas 1676 to Michelmas 1677.
John Hudden died in 1720, and his widow and family may have moved from the town at some date thereafter.
When the quit rent rolls resume in 1753 the quit rent was listed as payable by Edward Popham esq of Littlecote. This Edward Popham became
M.P. for Wiltshire. He married John Hudden's daughter Rebecca at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1730, so presumably he acquired lease of the property as a result of his marriage to Rebecca.
A portrait of Rebecca is said to remain at Littlecote House, ancestral home of the Popham family.
In 1774 the property is ascribed to the Churchwardens, so presumably any earlier Popham lease had by then expired. (In fact, Edward Popham
died 1772).
For further details re John Hudden I and II, see my notes on the Wiltshire Family of Hudden in Hungerford.
D/P71/6/2 dated 2 August 1754, however, is a 21 year lease by the Churchwardens to Edward Lucas of Hungerford mercer of the property then
occupied by Lucas, determinable at the end of 7 or 14 years on 6 months' notice.
A Royal Exchange Insurance policy of April 1786 was taken by the Churchwardens on 2 tenements in one building, brick and tiled, tenanted by
William Watts and Richard Fullbrook. These homes, Watts and Fullbrook, appear on the 1781 CL (items 101 and 102) (together with Matthew Bance deleted) at the Town Hall site. 1777 CL has Fullbrook and
Bance.
NB The history of the lettings of this property may best be obtained from entries in the Church
Vestry Book and/or Constables Accounts.
See also:
- Town Halls of Hungerford
- High Street Photo Gallery (S)
Updated: 22.11.2012
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