Clarence Terrace

When this terrace of four Edwardian houses was inspected by a surveyor for the purposes of the Land Tax Act 1910 he found each to be identical to the others and contented himself with describing one only viz:

“House 130 sq yds net
Gross value £13 Rateable value £9.15s
……Stone & blue slated house in fair repair – 1 storey bay ground floor front & dormer over. 2 storey outshot. 1 storey lean to (      ?) & asphalt yard at rear
Contains 1 sitting room, kitchen, scullery & pantry
1st floor: 3 bedrooms & attic above, outside privy & coals. Since 1909: a portion of land fenced off as 4 kitchen gardens & occupied by tenants of terrace”

He recorded the names of the tenants as (from left to right of above photograph) Mrs Cowper & Miss Tindall; Mrs Aspinall; Dora Ross; Peter Brown. They were all monthly tenants each paying £13 rent (annually?). The owner (copyhold) was Martha Clough (who is understood to have been living at “Clarence House-Ripley”).  It is believed to have been Mrs Clough’s husband who built the properties. Mrs Clough had donated the land on which the new Methodist Church was constructed in 1903/4 and she purchased the old 1818 building it replaced together with other land which included the site of these four houses. Further information on this topic may become available when the West Yorkshire Deeds Register re-opens in 2017.

As for occupants – the census of 1911 shows Mrs Cowper and Peter Brown (and his family) still in occupation. Mrs Cowper is a widow aged 73 and has a visitor on the day of the census (Elizabeth Burton, a spinster aged 78). Mr Brown (an Ironmonger) shares his accommodation with Eva 52 (his wife of 22 years) and their children Donald 18 (assisting in the business) and Gladys 16 (a Costumier’s apprentice).

None of the residents of Clarence Terrace can be traced in earlier census returns for Hampsthwaite.