Catalogue description Abstract of Title to three messuages in Fleet St. belonging to the devisees in trust for sale of John [I] Stowe (of Coventry, maltster, deceased).

The document recites: firstly, a lease and release (5th. - 6th. Apr., 1808) whereby, having recited, (i) that Edward Atkins by his will (dated 12th. May, 1786) left the residue of his estate to John Bridges (of Charterhouse Sq., London, esq.) Joseph Troughton (of Stoke, Coventry, esq.), Thomas Streatwells (formerly of Bishops Gate St., London, in 1808 of Overton, Hants., esq.), William Major (of Friday St., Cheapside, London, warehouseman) and Charles Smith (of Coopers, near Chipping Ongar, Essex, esq., artillery-captain); (ii) the conveyance ( 4th Feb., 1796) by John Atkins Crisp (of Weston Place, St. Pancras; Mdx., gent.; son of Ann Crisp, deceased, who before her marriage (with John Crisp of Threadneedle St., London) was Ann Adkins, spinster-sister of Edward Atkins (the 1786 testator, of Bread St., Cheapside, later of West Smithfield, London, esq., who was brother of Robert Atkins, (of Coventry, maltster) and died bankrupt)), to Bridges et al of the messuages hereinafter described (this 1796's subsequent loss having not deterred William Wright (of Coventry, turner) from agreeing to purchase the premises for £190) - therefore, in consideration of £190 paid by Wright to Bridges et al and of 5/- to Crisp and Bridges et al, the first and second parties conveyed to Wright (with Thomas Clarke Smart of Warwick, mealman, as trustee) (a) a messuage with shop on the south-west side of Fleet St. (bounded on the south-east by a house occupied by Henry Taylor and on the north-west by one held by - Wilkins) lately inhabited by Thomas Brown, then by Wright; (b) the messuage behind (a) (occupied by William Sanders): secondly, a lease and release (11th. - 12th. Oct., 1819) whereby, in consideration of £520 paid by Benjamin Smart (of Rock Mills, Milverton, Warws., mealman, to Wright and of 5/- each by B. Smart to Wright and T. C. Smart, Wright sold the premises to B. for the use of T. C. Smart for life: thirdly a lease and appointment (5th. to 6th. July, 1822) whereby, in consideration of £410 and 5/- paid by Charles Lilly (of Coventry, gent.) and Henry Lea (of Coventry, gent., his trustee) respectively to T. C. Smart, the latter appointed the premises to Lilly and Lea, which were released to them upon payment of 5/- to T. C. and B. Smart: fourthly, a lease and release (23rd. to 24th. June, 1823) whereby (having recited the 1812/13 Act which empowered the widening of Fleet and Spon Sts.); in consideration of £560 paid by N. Merridew, J. Beck and T. Cope (described as in PA 353/1/20) and by Samuel Vale (of Coventry, esq.), John Gibbins (of Coventry, shroud-manufacturer) and Thomas Sharp (of Coventry, hat-manufacturer), Lea (at Lilly's appointment) sold the premises to the purchasers (acting as turnpike trustees): fifthly, a deed (7th. Mar., 1825) whereby Merridew et al, in consideration of £150 paid by John [I] Stowe (of Coventry, victualler) and of 5/- from Thomas Ball Troughton, (of Coventry, gent., his trustee) released to J. [I] Stowe land in Fleet St. (with 40 ft. frontage, containing 280 sq. yd., bounded north or north-east by the street, on the south-east by ground sold by the said trustees to Richard Booth, jun. (of Coventry, builder), south by a piece sold to Thomas Banbury (jun., of Coventry, shag-manufacturer) and on the west by a parcel sold to Thomas Jenson (of Coventry, druggist and grocer) on which Stowe was building houses; the conveyance was subject to right of passage over a road (breadth 4 ft. 6 in., extending in front of the land to its boundaries with Booth's and Banbury's property); Stowe built three houses there: sixthly, a lease (3rd. Sept., 1845) whereby J. [I] Stowe demised the "George IV" inn in Fleet St. (occupied by William Charles Howell of Coventry, victualler) to Howell for 14 years from 21st Dec., 1841 at a rent of £24 p.a. payable yearly: seventhly, J. [I] Stowe's will (8th. June, 1841) whereby he devised (a) his messuages in Smithford and Fleet Sts., (b) his houses in the Bull Yard, and (c) his Kenilworth land to John Robins, Samuel Carpenter (of Coventry, hatter ) and H. Lea (his executors) in trust for sale; Stowe died on 31st. May, 1846.