Rouse Corner

Rouse Corner or Rouse Turning is the name of the-lay by near Bathway  which was created when the road was straightened. However,  the locals who remember the old road are surprised by the sharpness of the corner shown in the 1794 map. The 1740 map shows there was already a road leading from Nedge to Bathway and that the corner was right angled.  This conflicts with the theory that Jenks Lane was the main road before the turnpike road was built c1753. Rouse Corner is one of the few features that can be seen in the 1766 map with a reasonable degree of clarity. The Gore is a name given to an unusual shaped field which was created by the right angled bend.

A logical definition of boundary between the  West End or Middlesex  and East End tithings is that anything to the east of the road shown was in East End whilst anything to the west was either in West End or Middlesex but logic was not always the deciding factor in determining names but the building shown was included in East End.

It is possible that the corner takes its name from Mr (or Mrs) Rouse who may have been of Huguenot  extraction. The 1640 map includes a Reues Corner which may have been how the name was spelt. Another possibility is that the name may be a corruption of the name Rosewell.

The 1740 ledger shows the building was split between two families and that it was previously known as Tegges. The occupants in 1740 were the Stephens and Plenty families but the House family took over soon after and they were occupying Bathway Farm in 1740 .

The 18th churchwarden accounts and poor book make no direct reference to Rouse Corner but there are many references to holdings which may have been based on the building shown. The 1839 map confirms that  White Pitts was close by and the track leading to it can be seen in the map.

Families like Hippisley , Exon,  Palmer , Scutt, Dryal and Secombe were also holding land in the area and several farms were disbanded and their land allocated to other

The 1800 map  shows a ‘Rows Plot’. Hilliside and Hill view cottages, or some of the cottages on Bathway, were called ‘Rows’ which may be a variation on the spelling of Rouse. There is little doubt that the name is derived from a family because there was also a Rouse plantation nearby and the name appears in the historical records of the area.

The 1839 tithe map shows the building was no longer standing and the corner was not so sharp. The  site was described as a planation and there are still trees growing on the site today. There is an ominous looking hole in the wooded area which may have been where a cellar collapsed so this may once have been a pub.

The 1902 map shows a foot path that runs from the corner between fields 166s and 12 that leads to Sperrings Green farm which suggests that Rouse Turning was once a ‘Y’ junction.