There is still a survival of the earlier history of the site to be seen today. For at the rear of ihe property is the entrance to a small barn, now behind the neighbouring Bristol and West Building Society premises, which would have been an outbuilding for Barton Farm. The Barton Farm House had kept its own farmyard. until us late as 1752. Then during the third quarter of the l8th. century it was incorporated into a thoroughfare of adjoining houses called John Street. The Talbotype above shows how it looked in 1849 when it was already a building of considerable age and public interest. Barton Farm House (or Barton House as it was also known) remained in this state for only two more decades. In 1867 it was considerably altered and was incorporated into the premises of Messrs Jolly & Son. The photograph above shows how the same view appears today. The site is opposite Bonham's Auction Room. The Farm House originally was at the centre of a an estate that covered Walcot and surrounding parishes.In 1547, Edward VI granted Sir William Herbert 'the grange and farm called Barton next Bath and all its demesne lands in the parishes qfLyncombe, Wid-coinbc, Walcot and Barton ...all |j closes adjacent to the said 1 grange and all the demesne,lands and works of customary tenants of Walcot and Barton andof other inhabitants within the hundred of Barton', formerly Bath Priory properly. There follows a brief history of how the ownership of the Barton Farm Estate passed through a number of families. The final chapter of this story was as late as 1920 when descendants of the Rivers family sold off in 2 auctions the remainder of their Bath Properties which included parts of Wood Street, Gay Street and Queens.Square
Sir William Herbert
Barton Grange was conveyed by Sir William Herbert (in exchange for other property) to Matthc« Colthurst in 1548. The conveyance included courts-leet and view of frank pledge (i.e. the'lordship of Walcot'), advowson (of Walcol Church), fishing, etc. The property was held in chief of the Crown, by service of one-twentieth part of a knight's fee, paying yearly 'for the aforesaid grange and farm and other premises in Barton 29/ 4d.
Matthew & Edmund Colthurst
There had also been a Crown grant of 1543 to Matthew Colthurst of the site of the late Priory of Bath with closes 'It1 Ham* and' Ambiyc Meade' in St .lames's parish and lands (named) in Lyn-cnmhc, Wklcomhe. Holloway and Wakot, and works of customary tenants , and the chief messuage of (Monkton) Combe ...all of which belonged to Bath Priory. Certain Priory' lands provided pasture for Barton stock and thus are named also in the Burton documents. Edmund Colthurst, son and heir of Matthew (died 8 July 1559), inherited all the Barton property, as detailed in the conveyance of 1548, as well us the site of the former Priory and its property (including his residence, Abbey House, adjoining the Abbey), granted in 1543.
Sir George & William Snigg
Edmund Colhurst sold Barton Grange (then in the occupation of William Sherston, son-in-law of Peter Bewshin, son of Henry, anil the inheritor of the sub-tenure under the Colthursts) in 1591 to Sir George Snigg.
William Snigg, son and heir of Sir George (died 11 December 1617), inherited his father's Barton Grange property and Barton rectory (this latter purchased by his father from the Crown lessees in 1612), and the Manor of Walcot (probably not acquired by his father until c.l6ll- see below). However, in 1635, being in serious financial difficulties, William unsigned Barton Grange, including Kingsmead (particularly mentioned), and an his other property in Walcot and Bath to Mary Jackson, his sister, for 5o years, on her undertaking to repay his debts. He then obtained Crown licences to sell to Thomas Haines, in 1638 and 1639, seven grounds of Barton Grange, and Haines became responsible for paying i2/4d of the annual Crown rent. The Haines family still held their Barton property in 1740.
Thomas & William Sounders
By 1656, Thomas Saunders the elder, of Beechwood, Herts, was 'lord of the manor of Walcot. A lease of 1660 states that he possessed the land in Walcot in the right of his wife Mary, for about 55 years yet to come. She may, therefore, have been the daughter and heiress of Mary Jackson (the sister of William Snigg, to whom the latter had assigned his property in 1635 for 80 years). Thomas Saunders was perhaps of the family who had held the 'virgate' and other Walcot holdings during several generations. In 1681, William Hooper, the purchaser of certain Walcot lands, was' to do suit at the court of William Saunders [possibly the son of Thomas] Holden for the manor of Walcot. A deed of common recovery, dated 10 October 1687, shows that a William Saunders (perhaps of the next generation} then acquired the inheritable freehold of the lordship of Walcot and rectory of Walcot, the latter being the Barton tithes. Thai he bail also acquired Snigg's unsold parts of Barton Grunge is clear, as the inheritance included the annual rent payable by Bath Corporation for 'Bath Common' (formerly Barton land -as above).
Robert Gay
On 16 June 1699, William Saunders sold the Manor and Rectory of Walcot, with appurtenances, courts, etc., 'except Barton Farm' (which he had already conveyed to two gentlemen, in trust 'to certain uses') and except a number of Walcot tenant holdings (sold in five separate lots, the largest share to his bailiff, William Hooper, in 1681-as above), to Robert Gay, an eminent surgeon in Hattnn Garden, London and was an M .P. for Bath (who married Mary, daughter of William Saunders). In the early eighteenth century, Robert Gay had apparently also came into possession of Barton Farm, probably by virtue of his wife's inheritance, arranged by her father, when he had conveyed the farm in trust 'to certain uses'.
Thomas & Sir Benet Garrard
When Robert Gay died in 1737, he left the Bath property to his daughter Margaret, by his second wife who married THOMAS GARRARD on March 6th 1738/39.. She died without issue in 1765 and left the estate to her brother-in-law, Sir Benet Garrard who. in 1767, bequeathed all his Bath estate to Sir Peter Rivers, who look the name of Gay. The ground rents were sold after the death of Sir Henry Cnandos Rivers, in 1870.The GARRARDS were long the Lords of the Manor of Lamer Wheathamptonstead, Herts. They were there al least as early as the first quarter of the 17th century. The earliest Garrard tomb in the Church is a fine one with two reclining effigies to Sir JOHN GARRARD 1637 and Lady GARRARD 1632. There is a classical monument to a Sir John Garrard who died in 1700.The relevant monuments are—a Baroque cartouche to Sir SAMUEL GARRARD Bt., Lord Mayor of London, who died in 1724. He married his second wife, Jane Bennet of Salthorpe, Wilts,, who erected the monument. Three sons survived Jane Bennet, all their monuments are at Wheathamptonstead Church'. Sir Samuel Garrard, Bt., died in 1761. A fine Mural Monument in baroque taste by Ford of Bath -the Inscription records his being at Eton and Queen's, Oxford. Also that lie was in the Army under Marlborough as a Lieutenant Colonel in his own regiment of Guards. He died without issue and apparently unmarried. Dr. THOMAS GARRARD, a lawyer and husband of Mrs Margaret Garrard (nee Gay) whom he married on March 6th, 1738/39. He died in 1758 and is specifically stated tn have had no issue. Sir BENET GARRARD died in 1767 -unmarried and without issue, bequeathed all his Bath estate to Sir Peter Rivers, who took the name of Gay. Mrs Margaret Garrard, (nee Gay) died in 1765.
Sir Peter & Henry Rivers,
There is a Mural Monument to the family in Winchester Cathedral. The Inscription states that Sir THOMAS RIVERS was the second, son of Sir John Rivers, Bt., ofChafford, Kent. He married Mary Holbrooke of the Isle of Wight, acid hail John, Anne, Peter and James. JOHN, on the death of his uncle in 1734, inherited the ancient title (i.e. the Baronetcy) -he was succeeded by his brother, PETER, who in 1767, by direction of Mrs Margaret Garrard took the family name and arms of GA Y—Sir Benct Garrard having, at her request and appointment, bequeathed to him on that condition, the MANOR of WALCOT near Bath and other estates in Somerset. PETER married Martha, daughter of William Coxe, M.D., by whom he had nine children -Thomas, James, William (died 1oth April 1794 aged 21), Henry, Mary (died 9th May 1781 aged 12}, Emilia Henrietta, Anne, Margaret (died 22nd February 1784 aged 7), and Maria Louise. (Five children were still alive when the memorial was erected), MARY, (lying in Bulb, is buried in the church at Waleot.Anne, Margaret and William are buried in Winchester Cathedral. Sir HENRY RIVERS resided at 18 Rivers Street which had one of the original Adam's fireplaces. He was Rector of Walcot from 1816-1818 anii died in 1823, It is understood that Rivers Street was named after Sir Peter Rivers Gay, Bt., though he resided at Scotland Yard, Whitehall, ground rents were sold after the death of Sir Henry Chandos Rivers, in 1870.
The mansion that prevented John Wood from completing the west side of Queen Square could have been the Manor Hou.se as an Abstact of the Title of the building shows that from 10th June 1619 to the 15th December 1780, it was occupied in turn by William Snigge, William Saunders, Thomas and Margaret Garrard, Sir Benct Garrard, and the Rev. Sir Peter Rivers Gay, who were all Lords of the Manor of Walcot.