Reeves Lane

Reeves Lane is a name that has fallen into disuse and most people know it as Eakers Hill. This picture was taken from near the top of the hill with what remains of Eakers Hill farm on the right. The road is leading in the direction of Sperrings Lane and Mearns cross.

No family with a name like Reeve has yet been linked to The name ‘Reeve’ may refer to the mediaeval term for the person put in charge of the lord’s property. The role was still current in the 17th and 18th centuries when the Plaisters were the Lead Reeve for the Waldegraves. There are still signs of mining from the roman period (if not earlier) up to the modern era. There was also an estate called Reeves near Red hill.

Somerset archive record DD\WG/MAP/3 is a map of Chewton Mendip dated c1640 showing ‘Egelfelde House‘. The online catalogue says the location of Eglefelde House is vague and Middlesex tithing had particularly flexible boundaries so Reeves Lane could have been leading to that property. The field called Kingsmill supports the theory that there was something of significance in the area which will not appear in the Waldegrave records. Both families had their own royal connections.

This extract from the 1794 map shows Reeves Lane and the site of Eakers Hill farm in plot 853. The 18th century churchwarden accounts and poor book show the Dalimores were paying rates for what was sometime called Reeves & Nobels. Some possibilities for those properties are Wigmore Farm and Eakers Hill barn.

Mr Cramphoine was paying poor rates for the same a farm called Reeves in 1738 which was probably in the West End tithing.

Francis Palmer is paying poor rates for Rosewells/Reeves in the 1740s but it was common for estates to be divided. He may have been living in the property near Rouse Corner.

The 1766 map is relatively clear in this area and confirms that the filed patterns and names of the lanes was similar to those shown in 1794. The associated ledgers include leases for Mary Walters for a cottage and garden called Reeves but that was on Redhill near Emborough.

The 1840 shows there were still a number of other properties on or near Reeves Lane.