Any information on Crowder House

[NADINSMILER 10]

Does anyone have any info on Crowder/Crowther House Longley? Demolished early 1900s - was built on the edge of Longley Park below Elm Lane

[jessiet 10]

Ive seen it in a book called shiregreen,wincobank and ecclesfield and it has some info in there about it .

[hillsbro 32]

There are some photos on picturesheffield.com such as this one, also a few details in a thread on the Sheffield History site. Jane Wake occupied the house in 1911, together with her nephew and four servants - here is a scan from the census return.

[NADINSMILER 10]

Thanks for your help, I will look out for the book - regards Chris

[NADINSMILER 10]

The picture and the cencus is really good thanks Hillsboro

[hillsbro 32]

Hi - you can find more pictures of the house by doing a search on the www.picturesheffield.com site. Click on "Search Picture Sheffield" at the left side, then "Search Database" and follow your nose.

[Greybeard 10]

Crowder House was first mentioned in a deed of 1402 as the home of a Julyan Wilkinson. It was probably just a farmhouse but it remained in the Wilkinson family until 1859 when it was bought by Bernard Wake, a wealthy Sheffield solicitor. who converted it to a 'gentleman's residence'. At the time of the sale in 1859 the farm had sixty acres of land attached to it. Bernard Wake's daughter Jane inherited the house in 1891.

 

I believe Miss Wake donated the house and land to Sheffield City Council. Most of the land became Longley Park and the house was demolished around 1935.

[NADINSMILER 10]

Thanks for that info - What a shame such great buildings where deemed not fit to save. Past local governments of Sheffield have had such little care for old properties and we have lost so many, its up to us all to make sure this does not continue !

[Spiroman 0]

Crowder House belonged to my Family, it was stolen from the wilkinson family by the local vicar and Bernard Wake. The property was left in a will to be passed down through each generation to the eldest son of each generation and not to be sold until after the 13th generation.  Unfortunately in the 1850 the eldest son the heir to the property was away training to be a silver smith and was overcome with consumption and was ill for quiet a long time. His mother and sisters raised some money I believe about £25 to keep the place running., and placed Crowder house as security for the loan. (In law this should have not been allowed as the property belonged to the son who was away.) The  ladies defaulted on the repayment day and the vicar and solicitor evicted them from the property and claimed it. (this should not have happened as the property was not theres to sign as security). In the early 19OO's My  Great grandfather started a legal battle to reclaim the property as he was the eldest son of the next generation. (Our family was still paying land tax for this property). Unfortunatly during the court proceedings for bussiness reasons he had to susopend the case which I believe is still open and dormant.  When sheffield council got the land my Grandad notified them and told them that they was entering into a legal battle as the case may be restarted. Although some contact was made by the council they ignored his warning and proceeded with developing the land.  The true owner of the Crowder House estate is my late brothers son a Mr. Andrew Wilkinson.   Our family had papers to prove all this, some of which where loaned to Sheffield Museum.

[TedW 14]

The confusing state of the ownership of Crowder House was started by John Wilkinson (b 1727 - d 1812) when following the death of his fisrt wife Mary in 1782 made a marriage settlement for his second wife in 1786, also Mary, who he had found as a Bradfield workhouse inmate.  This settlement changed the fee tail arrangement which for centuries had ensured land passed only to the eldest son (no 13 generations requirement).  John gave Crowder on trust to neighbour John Booth (of the Brushes) and Nathaniel Mellor (his cousin's son) on trust, to mortgage for the sum of £260 in accordance with any directions in his will.  As part of the settlement, his eldest son William (b 1762 d 1854) was only to receive a life interest in Crowder, then after his deathit was to be leased for 21 year at £30 a year, by William's eldest son William Hawley Wilkinson (b 1804 d 1830).  John moved out of Crowder into Tithe Laith (probably on the site of Paddock Farm) in November 1798. His 1812 will confirmed that the £260 from the mortgage was to be invested for the benfit of his wife, and after her death shared amongst his younger children.  Mary also received cottages at Wood End and Bracken Hill and was allowed to live at Tithe Laithe for the rest of her life.  Johns's second oldest son , also a John, had already been given Burncross Farm and this was confirmed in the will.

The mortgage of £260 was provided by Charlotte Oldfield, a shopkeeper of Sheffield Moor, later Highfield Place, who died in 1833.  One of her executors was Thomas James Parker, a solicitor, who ended up with the mortgage and evicted the Wilkinsons from Crowder in May 1855, following Williams death.  It was purchased at auction by Bernard Wake in 1856.

During the early 1800's Crowder was occupied by Wilkinsons only intermittently, for example being leased to Joseph Hodgson in 1803 following William's marriage, to John Hutchinson in 1809 and to George Barrett up to 1842.  William Wilkinson lived at Bathley near Newark during the 1820's, one of his daughters being born there.  In 1825 William's second eldest son Walter (b 1809 d 1885) was apprenticed to a scissorsmith, which was not a happy experience, though he did eventually set up a long running shears business.  William's eldest son, William Hawley Wilkinson died unexpectedly aged 26, which eliminated that claim.  Walter's will when he died at Cemetery Road in 1885 stated that he left  "all his freehold property at Crowder House" to his son - though he didn't actually own any, and this shows that the confusion as to ownership had been passed on down the family.

Much confusion as to the ownership was caused during the early 1800's as mortgages were assigned to different people, and deeds of dis-entailment were made (9th & 11th November 1826). There were several vicars, bankers and solicitors involved in these transactions - including Rev Harrison Taylor of Treeton, Rev George Chandler of Treeton, John Brewin banker, James Wheat solicitor.

There is no wonder that the family didn't know what was going on.  Some of William's daughters continued to live on the Longley estate at Longley Bottom cottage for many years, and were involved in a legal dispute about the boundary, involving charges of stealing apples from Wake's orchard.

After Bernard Wake died in 1891 Crowder passed to his daughter Jane.  In 1926 it was subject to compulsory purchase by the Council and demolished in 1935.

[TedW 14]

A correction - John Wilkinson's second wife, Mary Marsden, was not from Bradfield Workhouse - she was from Storth House, Race Lane, Bolsterstone, daughter of Hannah and William Marsden, William was a cropper and cloth dresser. Mary had an illegitimate son when she was 18 in 1785, James Marsden, who took the name Wilkinson after his mother's marriage. John Wilkinson was 38 years older than Mary and they went on to have five children together.

[Kidorry 189]

I can remember going there to play football from Burngreave school in the 50s.