27 Top Road

27 Top Road, Griffydam falls in what is almost certainly the oldest part of the village with some of the buildings enclosed by The Tentas, Top Road and down to the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel dating back to the early 18th century.

The property originally consisted of 3 cottages and 2 stables but over the years has been developed into one residence.

The first record we have of the property dates back to 1806 when it was transferred into the ownership of John (Mynors) Bulstrode as a result of the 1806 Enclosure Act. The occupiers of the cottages at that time were Robert, Hannah and Thomas Haywood as can be seen below in an extract from the 1806 Enclosure Awards.

The above is an extract from the 1806 Enclosure Awards for Worthington Parish showing that the property was allotted to John Mynors Balustrode and occupied by Robert, Hannah and Thomas Haywood at the time.

27 Top Road

John (Mynors) Bulstrode immediately sold the properties to William Haywood for £40. A full transcription of the 1806 Indenture of Sale document for the property written on velum along with more information about the property can be found in Samuel T Stewart's publication.

A few years later in an 1810 Lease For Possession Indenture, William Haywood transferred possession of 2 of the cottages to Francis Haywood for the sum of 5 shillings. Hannah and Thomas were still living in the cottages at the time.

In William's last will and testament dated 1821 he left his son Thomas the stable which was occupied by Thomas at the time and situated at the end of the adjoining cottage occupied by William and his wife. The remainder of William's estate was bequeathed to his wife Elizabeth and included "the cottage or dwelling house, garden, stable and appurtenances".

A later Deed for the property dated 6th June 1829 is a conveyance from Mrs. Elizabeth Haywood (widow of William Haywood) of a cottage, garden, stable and premises at Griffydam to Mr. Thomas Upton. The next and extremely complex Deed dated 10th January 1831 is for the conveyance of the stable from Thomas Haywood to Thomas Upton.

Thomas Upton is shown in the Ashby de la Zouch licensing records as owning the Rising Sun in Griffydam from 1878 to 1890 and he was landlord in 1880/81. However, because it was listed as a Beer House it did not appear in the earlier licensing records and there is evidence in a 1908 Newspaper article that it operated prior to 1869.

The census records coupled with information in the above conveyance confirms that the Rising Sun must have been located in the cottage of this property (or what was previously a stable).

Over the years, the cottages were eventually converted into one dwelling and Malcolm Allured of Showaddywaddy fame lived here during the 1980’s.

1806 Indenture of Sale Document transferring possession to William Haywood

The above 1881 surveyed O/S map shows two adjoined properties (marked in red) on the corner of where the Tentas joins the Top Road Griffydam. It is not known when they became two properties from the original three properties referred to in the Indenture of sale document and the 1806 enclosure documents.