White Stile

White stile, is on the road from Bathway to Emborough. It was built in the late Victorian era as two cottages, probably by the Waldegraves as cottages for their workers. Cecil Perkins is one of the earliest known inhabitants. The site may have been the ‘Neat place’ referred to in 1766 comprising of a dwelling house, stable, barn, brew house outhouse, backside orchard & garden.

The 1794 map shows a number of building built around the site of the modern White stile but it also shows a building in field 207 which has now been completely demolished. Either of this places could have been the ‘Neat Place’ refered to in the middle of the 18th century.This extract also shows the idiosyncratic numbering system used in the 1794 map. White stile is in a filed marked 1661 but fields with this number appear all over the village.

The first refrence to White stile is from the 18th century poor book dated 1764 when John York was paying poor rates for it but that may have just been for a single field.

Anne Tazwell, aged 70, was also listed as a tenant and she may have been living in the house since 1754 when her husband died. He was the vicar and she may have been helped by the family of the vicar who took over after her husband. Thomas Culliford was also listed on the lease.

Anne Taswell may have been a gentlewoman in distress. She was born a  Kingsmills but the will which should have meant she inherited money and land was disputed so she ended her days in relative poverty. The reference to a brew house means she may have run a pub.

The Hippisley may have been tenants in 1766 but they could have been living in Dudwell farm as well as the other possibilities such as East End, Hippisley or Honeywell or Lower East End farms.

The Battle, Bayfield, Rendall and Taylor families were listed as living in White stile from 1886.