The history of Moat Cottage can be traced back to the early 17th century when it was a three-room cottage with a hall, a ‘lower chamber’ and an ‘over chamber’ belonging to the Hollis or Holleyes family. The cottage sat at a crossroads where Truggist Lane was intersected by the lane running north to Moat House Farm (now a private driveway, relocated to the west) and the lane running south to Beechwood Common (now a private access road).
Once a copyhold property of Berkswell Manor, the cottage and garden (1139 on the tithe map above) originally had one long, narrow croft adjacent to the lane (1140). By the end of the 18th century, the estate had grown to include a field on the other side of the lane (1141), today the site of Beech Lawn. In 1839 it also had a ‘garden with hovel’ just across the Moat House driveway (1138).
In 1705, the GIFFORD family took over the cottage: Thomas, Abraham, and Abraham’s wife Ann are jointly named as taking over the tenancy from Elizabeth HOLLIS.1 Abraham, who was a mason, and Ann may also have bought the second copyhold field (1141) from the HINSLEY family in 1707. When Abraham died in 1726, his inventory records the cottage with three rooms, as it had in Lawrence and Elizabeth Hollis’s inventories in 1607 and 1632: the kitchen (formerly the ‘chamber’), the parlour (formerly the hall), and the chamber over the kitchen (formerly the ‘overchamber’). After Ann’s death in 1739, the cottage passed first to her granddaughter Mary VALE and then in 1765 to Mary’s daughter Ann CARR, the wife of a Coventry watchmaker.
We don’t know who lived in the cottage during the Vale family’s ownership, but Ann was based in Coventry, and so she and her husband rented the cottage out. Land tax records from 1781-1798 show several short-term tenancies, including John SMITH, Thomas WHITEHEAD, Charles PARSONS, and ‘HILL’. The first long-term tenants we can identify were John BYFIELD, a weaver, and his wife Catherine, who were in residence from 1801 until Catherine’s death in 1824. In 1828 John HALL, a pigdealer, moved in with his wife Sarah; John had grown up along the lane at Cherry Tree Cottage. The Halls remained at Moat Cottage until Sarah’s death in 1874.
I’ve used a variety of sources to trace the owners and occupiers of Moat Cottage, including censuses, land tax, court rolls, and wills. Brought together, these sources can enable us to feel reasonably confident about the cottage’s history, although there are some gaps (noted in the timeline below) that mean we sometimes have to make an educated guess. One question the sources can’t answer, however, is about the building itself: after centuries of extensions and rebuilding, how much of the Hollis family’s original 3-room cottage, if any, survives in the building we can see today?
Moat Cottage (reverse) timeline
The timeline begins with the 1871 census and works backwards.
| Date | Details | Source |
| 2 Apr 1871 | Sarah HALL (head, widow, 79, no occupation, b. Bickenhill) | Census |
| 7 Apr 1861 | John HALL (head, 75, Ag lab, b. Gloucestershire) Edmund HALL (son, 29, ag lab, b. Berkswell) George MARLOW (boarder, 33, butcher, b. Berkswell)2 Ann WHITEHEAD (visitor, 18, domestic servant, b. Berkswell) | Census |
| 26 Feb 1858 | John HALL surrenders; William TRANTER, farmer, admitted Note: it seems likely that John sold or mortgaged the farm to Tranter, but continued to live there | Court Rolls |
| 30 Mar 1851 | John HALL (head, 60, farmer of 3A, b. Berkswell [sic]) Sarah HALL (wife, 52, b. Bickenhill) | Census |
| 2 Apr 1849 | John HALL surrenders to Joseph CRANER, mortgagee | Court Rolls |
| 6 June 1841 | John HALL (45, ag lab) Sarah HALL (45) Edmund HALL (9) | Census |
| 1839 | Owner/occupier: John HALL: 1138: garden with hovel (8P) 1139: house, garden and orchard (1R 23P) 1140: Croft (pasture; 1A 22P) 1141: Field (pasture; 1A 2R 3P) | Tithe Apportionment |
| 2 Apr 1834 | John SMITH bequeaths mortgage principal to John HALL | Will |
| 1830 | Owner/occupier: John HALL (house & land) | Land Tax |
| 9 Apr 1828 | John HALL,3 pigdealer, admitted; mortgage to Thomas SMITH | Court Rolls |
| 1825 | Owner: Charles EAVES; occupier: James HOWES | Land Tax |
| 10 Apr 1822 | Catherine BYFIELD and Thomas TRANTER (mortgagee) surrender to Charles EAVES (mortgage to Thomas BRADNOCK), subject to Catherine’s right to remain in a small part of the property. | Court Rolls |
| 9 Jan 1822 | John BYFIELD bequeaths to Catherine BYFIELD, widow | Will |
| 1820 | Owner/occupier: John BYFIELD | Land Tax |
| 6 May 1818 | George POOLE (mortgagee) surrenders to Thomas TRANTER of the hamlet of Balsall, labourer (mortgagee) Note: out of court on 13 June 1817, Poole accepted £200 from Tranter | Court Roll |
| 1815 | Owner/occupier: John BYFIELD | Land Tax |
| 13 Apr 1814 | John COLLINS of Solihull, mason (mortgagee) surrenders to George POOLE of Barkeswell, farmer (mortgagee). Poole has paid the principal of £200. | Court Roll |
| 21 Apr 1813 | Cottage with outhouses and gardens and two crofts, formerly occupied by Ann GIFFORD, widow, then Thomas HAMON, now John BYFIELD: John CARR of Coventry, watchmaker, and Charles Valentine CARR of Birmingham, mercer, surrender to John BYFIELD of Barkeswell, weaver, for £350 [same day] John BYFIELD mortgages to John COLLINS of Solihull, mason, for £200 | Court Roll |
| 1810 | Owner: John CARR; occupier: John BYFIELD | Land tax |
| 26 Sep 1808 | John CARR admitted | Court Roll |
| 20 Apr 1808 | Outcome of Enclosure process: John CARR of Coventry, watchmaker, admitted to land on Truggist Hill Lane (1R 23P); bounded on the N by THL, E 1st allot to William ABBOTTS; S old inclosures of said John CARR; W 2nd allot of John SMITH of Truggist; other parcel in same lane, adjoining garden and croft belonging to said JC (22P); all now occ. John BYFIELD | Court Roll |
| 1805 | Owner: John CARR; occupier: John BYFIELD | Land Tax |
| 8 Apr 1801 | Cottage, outhouses, garden, 2 crofts, now tenanted by John BYFIELD: Husband and relict of Ann CARR, John CARR of Coventry, watchmaker admitted; Chas Valentine CARR (‘an infant of the age of 15 years’), youngest son, found heir | Court Roll |
| 27 Mar 1799 | Death of Ann CARR recorded | Court Roll |
| 1798 | Owner: John CARR; occupier: HILL | Land tax |
| 19 Apr 1797 | Cottage &c and 2 crofts formerly in possession of Ann GIFFORD, widow, then Thomas HAMON, now untenanted: Ann VALE, now wife of John CARR of Coventry, watchmaker, admitted on death of Samuel VALE | Court Roll |
| 1795 | Owner: John CARR; occupier: Charles PARSONS | Land tax |
| 1785 | Owner: John CARR; occupier: Charles PARSONS | Land tax |
| 1783 | Owner: John CARR; occupier: Tho WHITEHEAD | Land tax |
| 1782 | Owner: John CARR; occupier: Tho WHITEHEAD | Land tax |
| 1781 | Owner: Mr VALE; occupier: John SMITH | Land tax |
| 1773 | Owner: Mr VALE | Land tax |
| 2 Apr 1766 | Admittance of Samuel VALE on death of wife Mary | Court Roll |
| 10 Apr 1765 | Death of Mary VALE ux of Samuel recorded; Samuel VALE found entitled to his free bench; Ann VALE found heir | Court Roll |
| 17 Apr 1754 | Mary VALE admitted | Court Roll |
| 29 Mar 1752 | Tenement in Oldnall End: James STANBURY the Elder (mortgagee?) surrenders to Mary VALE ux of Samuel Note: James STANBURY was the husband of Elizabeth GIFFORD, eldest daughter of Abraham and Ann GIFFORD and uncle of Mary VALE | Court Roll |
| 17 Apr 1748 | Tenement in Oldnall End: Samuel WALKER (mortgagee) surrenders to Mary VALE ux of Samuel and youngest daughter and heir of Thos GIFFORD, dec’d. | Court Roll |
| 1740 | Tenements in Oldnall End: death of Ann GIFFORD recorded | Court Roll |
| 25 Apr 1739 | Tenements in Oldnall End: Ann and Thomas GIFFORD surrender to Samuel WALKER (mortgagee)4 | Court Roll |
| 31 Mar 1738 | Will of Thomas GIFFORD, wheelwright, of Coventry: wife Mary, daughters Susannah and Mary. Witnesses (all Berkswell men): Joseph CROSS, John WALKER, John PAYNTER | Will |
| 1727 | Tenements in Oldnall End: death of Abraham GIFFORD recorded; Ann his widow admitted for life | Court Roll |
| 30 Jul. 1726 | Inventory of Abraham GIFFORD, mason, taken by Gilbert DOCKER and Samuel WINTER: Chamber over the Kitchen; Parlor; Kitchen. | Inventory |
| 31 Mar 1714 | Death of Thomas GIFFORD recorded | Court Roll |
| 1709 | Tenements in Oldnall End: George HINSLEY surrenders to Abraham & Ann GIFFORD Note: my hypothesis is that this is the second croft added to the estate, no. 1141 on the 1839 Tithe Apportionment and today the site of Beech Lawn. | Court Roll |
| 18 Oct 1707 | Tenement in Barkeswell: Eliz HOLLIS surrenders to Thomas GIFFORD, Abra & Ann ux, Eliz their daur, Thos their son | Court Roll |
| 11 Apr 1705 | Tenements in Oldnall End: Elizabeth HOLLIS surrenders to herself for life, rem. Thos GIFFORD & Abraham GIFFORD & ux Eliz GIFFORD [sic] | Court Roll |
| 1691 | Tenements in Oldnall End: George HINSLEY given licence to demise by John WILLIAMS Note: my hypothesis is that this is the second croft added to the estate, no. 1141 on the 1839 Tithe Apportionment and today the site of Beech Lawn. | Court Roll |
| 17 Apr 1688 | Messuage and lands in Oldnall End: Elizabeth HOLLIS surrenders to SMITH (mortgagee?)5 | Court Roll |
| Note: Court Rolls for 1681-1685 are missing | ||
| 1678 | Death of William HOLLIS reported William HOLLIS bur. 6 Aug. 1677 in Berkswell | Court Roll |
| 1671 | William HOLLICE taxed for 1 hearth | Hearth Tax |
| 1663 | William HOLLIS taxed for 1 hearth | Hearth Tax |
| Note: my hypothesis is that the William HOLLIES who inherits the cottage from his ‘cozen’ (likely aunt) Elizabeth in 1632 is the same William HOLLIES who appears on the Hearth tax and whose copyhold property is inherited in 1678 by his own daughter Elizabeth. Of course, it’s possible that they are two different men (unlikely, given this is a small village and there is only one family of this name), or that William disposed of his aunt’s cottage and bought another of a similar size. Until further evidence emerges, I’m working on the assumption that we’re talking about one man and one cottage. | ||
| Dec. 1632 | Will of Elizabeth HOLLIS, singlewoman: unto my cozen [nephew?] William HOLLIES all that my cottage … with the gardens and one croft of ground hereunto belonging … now in the tenure or occupation of me the said Elizabeth HOLLIES Inventory (8 Dec. 1632) by Thomas ARCHE, George KYMBERLEY and William WAYTE: hall, chamber, overchamber. | Will and Inventory |
| 27 Apr 1620 | Death of Samuel HOLLIS reported; his son William HOLLIS found heir | Court Roll |
| 15 Apr 1614 | Death of [Catherine] HOLLEYES wife of [Lawrence] HOLLEYES. Samuel HOLLEYES found Heir and admitted | Court Roll |
| 8 Aug. 1607 | Will of Lawrence HOLLEYES, husbandman: wife Catherine; daughters Agnes & Elizabeth; son Samuel (his son William) Inventory (1 Sep. 1608) by Gregory Granger, Walter Arche, Thomas Docker, Ralfe Byfeild, Richard???: hall, lower chamber, over chamber. | Will and Inventory |
- Thomas GIFFORD was buried in Berkswell in 1714. I believe he may have been Abraham’s father. ↩︎
- George MARLOW had grown up at Manor Cottage, the son of Thomas and Catherine MARLOW. ↩︎
- John HALL had grown up at Cherry Tree Cottage, the son of Richard and Mary HALL. ↩︎
- Samuel WALKER was a ‘kinsman’ of the Giffords, named in Thomas junior’s 1738 will. Thomas’s daughter Susannah married a John WALKER in 1757. ↩︎
- My assumption is that ‘SMITH’ is a mortgagee, given that Elizabeth appears to have retained her copyhold property for another 20 years. ↩︎
Oldnall End One Place Study 