HISTORY OF THE KEEP, MOUNT BOONE

1841: Tithe map apportionments show ‘Island Cottage and Yard’, ref.64, and ‘Garden and old Quarry Waste’, ref.65, owned by Sir John H. Seale and leased to Richard Langmead, carpenter. Total area 2 roods 33 perches (just over half an acre).

3/8/1840: By his Will Sir John Seale left his properties in Trust for Sir Henry Seale, the Trustees being Charles H.Seale Cmdr. RN and John Lampeer.

13/2/1850: The ‘island’ site was leased from Sir Henry P. Seale to James W.Wooldridge for 99 years, at £4/10s. per annum with the condition that a house was to be built on the site within one year at a cost greater than £3,000 and with ‘good substantial stone walls’. The site was bounded on the south by Church Lane (now called Townstal Hill), on the west by the Dartmouth/Kingsbridge Turnpike (now called Mount Boone) and on the east by The Keep Lane. A Water supply was to be obtained from a spring in Redwalls meadow.

According to the 1851 census, Col. Wooldridge was then living at Mount Boone House nearby, aged 37; he had served in the Spanish Army and was clearly a friend of the Seales. There was no occupant at The Keep. The new house was evidently built about 1851 (completed before 1856). A drawing of the completed elevation, attached to the details dated 18/8/1871 is shown below.

James Warwick Wooldridge was made bankrupt in April 1855, with assets of £4,900 and debts of £27,000. ‘No imputation on his honesty, but a good deal about his prudence’. He had been tenant at Wadstray House in the 1840’s (ref. Trewmans Flying Post). The lease of The Keep reverted to Sir Henry Seale (in default of payment).

1856: Post Office Directory shows the Misses Eales in occupation (renting).

1861: The census shows the Misses Eales in occupation (renting).

30/12/1861: By a deed of this date the Misses Eales purchased a field called ‘Town Park’ of 4 acres from Arthur B.E.Holdsworth. This was later sold before 1889 by Susanna Eales. It was probably the area on the other side of Church Lane which was later bought and sold as the Keep Gardens.

16/1/1865: Evidently following the bankruptcy of Col. Wooldridge, a new lease was granted by Sir Henry Seale to John Whidborne and J.H.Tozer.

1869: Post Office Directory states:- “The Keep, now the residence of the Misses Eales, was erected by Col. Wooldridge, a delightfully situated castellated mansion with round tower and turreted roof surrounded with shrubbery and garden”. It was encircled by a stone wall.

18/8/1871: The freehold title of the house owned by Sir Henry Seale and built by Col. Wooldridge with the land was sold by auction to the three Misses Eales, Ann, Susanna and Elizabeth, daughters of Capt. John Eales RN, for £350.

Note: Capt. John Eales was born at Ashburton , baptised 6/7/1762, son of Richard Eales and Winifred Smerdon, and married Susanna Hayles 19/8/1802 at St.Saviours, Dartmouth.

13/11/1871: It was agreed by an Indenture between Sir H.Seale, Messrs. Whidborne, Tozer, the Eales and others that the Eales now owned the title to the property free of any lease, the previous lease having been redeemed and reverted to Sir Henry Seale (the Wooldridge lease had apparently not been properly terminated and no counterpart lease could be found, see Memo Eales/Bishop of 12/1/1872). This situation was later clarified by a statutory Declaration on 14 June 1918 (see below).

1873: Kelly’s Directory shows the Misses Eales as private residents at The Keep. Similarly Kelly’s Directories of 1883 and 1889.

1887/8. The chancel of St.Saviour’s Church was completely restored at this time, and the Misses Ann and Susanna Eales gave £1,000 towards the cost of £4,000. Their names are in a stained glass window at St.Saviours Church. They were said (Directory) to be descendants of Gilbert Staplehill, whose brass is in the chancel.

1889: Ann, Susanna and Elizabeth Eales had died unmarried and intestate, and the property passed in 1889 to Mary Eales Alice Bishop their niece, wife of Richard P.Bishop of Starcross. The sister of Ann, Susanna and Elizabeth, Mary Eales had apparently eloped at age 39 to marry Capt. John R.M.Cooke 14/3/1846 at Ashburton, and Mary Eales Bishop (nee Cooke) was born 25/12/1847 at Figueira da Foy, Portugal. Elizabeth died 27/8/1881, Ann died 16/1/1889 and Susanna died 2/9/1889.

Note: A letter from Mrs. Winifred Alderson, great-granddaughter of Capt. Cooke, gives some details of the Eales family, but much of her information on the ownership of The Keep appears to be incorrect.

1891: Census shows Richard Finch age 40, own means with wife Ruth, 4 children and 3 servants (renting).

1893: Kelly’s Directory shows a Mr. Richard H. Froude in occupation (renting).

1902: Kelly’s Directory shows Mrs. Gillespie (renting).

1906: Kelly’s Directory shows Mr. Percy A. McMullen BA (renting). He was Science Master at BRNC.

1910: Kelly’s Directory shows Mr. Alexander Percy McMullen (renting). Similarly Kelly’s Directories of 1914 and 1919.

4/6/1918: Mrs. Mary Bishop agreed to sell The Keep to Norah Mary Mellon of Pittsburgh, USA for £1600. Mrs. Bishop signed a statutory Declaration that the property was free of any lease to the Wooldridge family. The site, bounded by Mount Boone, Church Lane (now Townstal Hill) and The Keep Lane, was finally sold on 24/6/1918.

10/11/1919: Mrs. Mellon gave the property by a Deed of Gift to Alexander P. McMullen, her brother and tenant, free of debts. McMullen was now Advisor on Naval Education at Westminster.

25/10/1922: Mr. McMullen transferred the property to his wife, Mrs. C.M.McMullen, with John Mann farmer as mortgagee.

1923: Kelly’s Directory shows Charles Edward Lucas Hammond BA, History and English master at BRNC in occupation (renting).

29/9/1925: Property sold to Rev. Thomas John Hardy of Regents Park Rd, London for £3000, with a Declaration of Freehold with no claims on the lease. Rev. Hardy then lived there.

1926: Kelly’s Directory shows Rev. Thomas Hardy MA.

21/7/1928: Property was sold to John S. Sampson of Leatherhead for £5000.

1933 and 1939: Kelly’s Directories show John Stephen Sampson in occupation.

About 1925-1930 it is believed that Rev. Hardy or Mr. Sampson purchased a plot of land on the other side of Townstal Hill for a vegetable garden (this was previously Corporation land from the 1841 Tithe map), and built a pedestrian bridge over the road to connect the vegetable garden to the house. This bridge was later demolished about 1965, when the vegetable plot was sold along with other land to R.C.Pillar to form the new development at ‘The Keep Gardens’.

John S. Sampson died on 29/9/1964. On 17/6/1965 an advertisement for the sale of The Keep at auction appeared in ‘Country Life’; this refers to ‘outbuildings and garden, also pleasure gardens’ and states that the sale is ‘with outline planning permission for 7 superbly sited building plots in a landscaped setting’. These plots were used to develop the bungalows at The Keep Gardens.

26/11/1965: Cmdr. T.S.Sampson RN (heir of John) and others, via R.C.Pillar sold The Keep to Nicholas J.Kimber and two other Kimbers for £11,500, but excluding the western triangle of the site (owned by Pillar who later built a small bungalow here). A stone wall was built to separate this western triangle, as shown on the Plan dated 1965.

7/2/1969: Sold to Frank E.Bray and Ellen R.E.Bray of Long Ditton, Surrey for £9,250.

21/5/1973: Sold to Philip Pensabene for £57,000, after extensive repairs.

2/12/1991: Sold to Mrs. Elizabeth A. Jarrold by Mr. Pensabene of The Cottage, 16 Sandquay Rd, Dartmouth. A photograph of the house as sold is shown below. In 1992-4 Mrs. Jarrold carried out extensive repairs to the windows, many of which were rotten, replacing these with white uPVC frames matching the original Victorian gothick pattern.

13/4/1994: The Keep was made a Listed Building, Schedule SX8751.

1997: Sold to Mr. and Mrs. J. Siddell of U.S.A. An advertisement of Estate Agents Knight, Frank dated 27/12/1997 states that the Guide price was £600,000.

2002: Sold to Dr. and Mrs. (Jim and Sue) Murray.

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Figure 1. Drawing of The Keep c. 1871

Figure 2. The Keep in 1991

Figure 3. Plan of The Keep in 1965.

References:

1. Devon Record Office reference D6996, Collection of Indentures etc. of The Keep.

2. Kelly’s and Post Office Directories, copies at Dartmouth Library.

3. Letter dated 5/8/2002 from Ray Freeman to Dr. and Mrs. Murray, enclosing ‘potted history’ dated 5/11/1983 by P. Pensabene.

4. Notes from Mrs. E. Jarrold.

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EJP 22/4/08