Redsheard

Red Sheard, or variations of that name, was an estate the Town tithing during the early 18th century.   The extract from the 1794 map shows three buildings marked with yellow dots which are no longer standing. The blue spot identifies the location of the modern house called Redsheards. Bathway is to the left of this extract and The Folly is to the right. The large road is now called The High Street. Shard means ‘fragment’ and the rocks in the immediate area are red which is relatively unusual so the  building marked 686 in the centre is the most likely place for the 18th century Red Sheard. It is possible that this was the Loxton’s estate of the 17th and early 18th century but that estate was probably owned by the Kingsmill family whilst Redseheard belonged to the Waldegraves.

The Poor laws records show that Elizabeth York was paying poor rates for Red Sheard in the 1730s and 1740s. This is significant because she was also paying poor rates for an unspecified ‘inn’ along with the Loxton estate at the same time. Sometimes she was paying with Mr King and on other occasions he was paying for either or both properties.

Earl Waldegrave was paying poor rates for the property, which was described as being late Halestones, in the 1750s.

Hampshire archive record 41M89/316 dated 1767 was a lease in for 99 years: a cottage in Bathway, and 2 pieces of ground called Redshords and refers to a tenement called ‘The Inn’ amongst other properties. The first party of this transaction was John Earl Waldegrave , Martha Pointing of Street, widow was the tenant. The tenement called ‘the Inn’ may refer to what is now Chewton House but may have been known as the Unicorn and would have been just off the map to the right of the number 659. There are references to other pubs such, as the Falcon so it was possible that there were at least two pubs in Chewton Mendip at the time. It is known that the Unicorn was still in business in the 1780s because it is mentioned by Edmund Rack in his survey who confirmed their were two pubs. The other pub was called the ‘New Inn’ which may have been built to replace the inn near to Red Sheard which may have become uneconomic when the new tool road was built which by-passed this site.

Hampshire archive record 41M89/317 dated 1775 is for the same property and both records describe the same fields that formed part of the estate. Redshords was 5 acres,  pieces of a field called Snails was 7 acres, Chewdown Close was 4 acres, Short Furlong was 4 acres, and 2 acres at Park Batches. The Inn was . The first party was John Earl Waldegrave and  Thomas Higgins of Pill (Pull), gent, is the second party. Record dated 1767 41M89/317 listed Martha Pointing of Street, widow who was the probable tenant. 41M89/315 dated 1784  lists John Grant of Ditchet, surgeon as the first party, Thomas Higgins of Pull, gent, and Martha his wife as the second party whilst Richard Jenkins of Chewton Priory was the third party. Martha was a relatively common name but it is possible that Thomas Higgins had married the Widow Pointing.

Redsheard is also a possibility for the Addams or Fillis properties.