Yeovil's Virtual Museum

Robert Tytherleigh

Baker, Maltster and Brewer

 

Robert Tytherleigh was born in Haselbury Plucknett and baptised there on 17 March 1759. He was the son of Robert Tytherleigh (1719-1787) and his wife Elizabeth. Robert Tytherleigh Snr was a Carrier and clearly affluent since, in his will dated 20 April 1784, he left three hundred pounds each to his son Robert, daughter Sarah (the wife of Robert Randall) and his daughter Dorothy. He left one hundred pounds to his daughter Mary (the wife of Draper Gardner) and, after the death of his wife, everything else to his (presumably eldest surviving) son Thomas. The total thousand pound legacies would be worth around £2.6 million at today's value, of which Robert Jnr's share would have been worth in the region of £750,000. In a Codicil dated 29 August 1787 Robert Jnr was bequeathed a further two hundred pounds, making the total of his legacy (at today's value) about £1.3 million. Robert Tytherleigh Snr died in 1787.

As a young man Robert Tytherleigh moved to Yeovil and was listed as a Miller and Baker in the Universal British Directory of 1780. This was most likely at Pen Mill where he is known to have lived and worked at a later date. Robert was listed as a Miller in the "Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures" where he is recorded as taking William Paddock as an apprentice on 1 March 1798.

He married Jane Merchant (b1763) and they had at least six children, four of whom were baptised at St John's church, Yeovil, in January; William (b1798), Elizabeth (b1801) and Charles and Anne - both baptised in 1807. Robert and John were older children.

It is known that Robert, Jane and their family lived at Pen Mill since in 1801 he was party to a lease of Windmill Hill (referred to below as "the property" but actually being the whole of today's Wyndham Hill and Pen Field from Sherborne Road to the River Yeo and from Newton Road to Yeovil Bridge) as follows -  

On 25 December 1801 Henry Wills of Southampton Street, Bloomsbury Square, Middlesex, Esq., John Ryall of East Coker, glover, and William Kino of Yeovil, hairdresser, released the lands to Robert Tytherleigh of Pen Mills, Yeovil, miller, John Tytherleigh (Robert's older brother) of Bishops Hull, miller, and Samuel Palmer of Brympton, yeoman.

On 30 November 1810 Robert Tytherleigh of Yeovil, baker, mortgaged the property to John Francis Bondfield of Stoke sub Hambdon. On 15 September 1815 the mortgage was assigned to Mary Garland of Yeovil, spinster. On 29 September 1818 the mortgage was again assigned, this time to Thomas Tytherleigh of Norton Fitzwarren, gent. (Robert's eldest brother).

Meanwhile Robert had established a brewery, malthouse and bakery in London Road (today's Sherborne Road), the location of which was roughly where Hillside Terrace is today, and is shown on the map below. In Pigot's Directory of 1824 he was listed as a Maltster of Townsend and he had two listings in Pigot's 1830 Directory; as a Baker of Townsend and as a Brewer of Townsend.

On 18 May 1820 Robert raised an additional mortgage on "the property" with Thomas.

Robert had given up his interest in Pen Mill by 1827 when Robert Allen was recorded as the Miller at Pen Mill in the "Return of men qualified to serve on Juries".

 On 19 May 1829 Robert released the equity in "the property" and released the lands to Thomas. With the death of Thomas Tytherleigh in 1834 and another brother, John Tytherleigh (the main beneficiary of Thomas' will of 21 March 1831, John's own will was dated 26 February 1834), the executors of Thomas assigned "the property" on 28 April 1836 to John Fry Reeves of Taunton, gent. On 30 Apr 1836 the executors of Thomas Tytherleigh conveyed "the property" to John Tytherleigh (Robert's eldest son) and the other children of Robert Tytherleigh. On 24 Jun 1836 the surviving children of Robert Tytherleigh assigned seven undivided eight shares in the lands to the trustees of Wyndham Harbin (1761-1837) of Newton Surmaville, Esq. with various declaration of trusts.

Robert Tytherleigh died on 21 February 1834, aged 75, and the one-line report of his death in the Bath Chronicle simply said "Feb 21, suddenly, Mr Robert Tytherleigh, brewer, of Yeovil."

Following his death the brewery and all his land holdings (essentially much of "the property") were sold by his widow in 1835 in addition to which, by this time, also included "A Messuage or Dwelling-House, with a Shop adjoining in front, also a Brew House, Malt-House, Bake-House, Store-House, Yard, Garden, Orchard and Premises, to the same adjoining and belonging, containing about 1 Acre, situate at the Eastern entrance of the beautiful and flourishing Town of Yeovil, and now in the possession of Mrs Tytherleigh the Widow, having every convenience for the Brewing, Malting, and Baking Businesses."

Jane Tytherleigh died in Taunton in 1849.

 

This map is based on the 1842 Tithe Map with field names chiefly added from the 1846 Tithe Apportionment. The brewery established by Robert Tytherleigh is shown at top centre as Parcel 521. By the time of the 1846 Tithe Apportionment it was owned by James Ellis and the tenant was William Phelps. "The property" referred to above is shown shaded green.

 

The 1842 Tithe Map superimposed (roughly) over a modern street map. Bearing in mind the relatively primitive surveying equipment of the 1840s they weren't all that far out.

 

Again based on the 1842 Tithe Map, this enlarged view shows the various parts of Pen Field after being broken up into several smaller parcels. Robert Tytherleigh's brewery is top right.

 

 

The notice of the annual letting of Pen Field and Pen Hill (in all their various parts) from the Taunton Courier's edition of 19 August 1829. Thomas Tytherleigh, the owner, was Robert's elder brother.

 

Notice of sale of both Pen Field and Pen Hill after the death of the owner Robert Tytherleigh who had established his brewery adjoining London Road (today's Sherborne Road) on the lower slopes of Pen Field (see map above). The Robert Tytherleigh referred to at the bottom of the notice was Robert's eldest son, Robert Jnr.