Tithe No 1070
This early 16th. century cottage is first
recorded in 1734 ( 30th. October) when Joseph
Copplestone was granted a 99 year Lease with
lives by the Duke Estates. It was on the life
of his tenant Mrs. Sarah Pinn. (DRO 96M/Box
61/9). This lease must have been surrendered
as another lease dated 26th.July 1756 was
granted to John Staple, Gent. & Arthur
Dyer, tobacconist, this time on the life of
Mrs. Sarah Pinn’s daughter Sarah, who was now
the tenant. From 1753 to 1763 the Pinns and
Mrs. Elizabeth Potbury as tenants held
licenses to sell ale at Pinns House as it was
known at that time as a beer house.
John Duke, the owner of the Duke Estates died
in 1775. Prior to his death he had granted the
cottage with garden and orchard, together with
7 parcels of land in the Parish to his wife
Susanna as a Freehold. 9th. April 1783 she
sold the Freehold to Mrs. Elizabeth Potbury
for £94 10/-. (DRO 96/M Box 63/8) Mrs. Potbury
was a daughter of Mrs. Sarah Pinn. 3 years
later Denys Rolle of Bicton bought the whole
of the Duke Estates from the Duke Family,
leaving Pinns House as a separate Freehold
within the Estate. Mrs. Potbury died in 1812
and her sister Sarah continued as tenant. By
her Will Pinns House, now divided into two
cottages, together with fields in the Ladram
area, was held in Trust for her two nieces
Susanna and Mary Rugg. Elizabeth Potbury
had two sisters, Sarah who was unmarried and
Susanna who was married to William Rugg, the
village blacksmith. They both worshiped at
Salem Chapel and their daughters were baptized
there – Susanna 1771, Mary 1786. Mary married
John Carpenter in 1815 – a son, Thomas born
1816 and Susanna married William Hazel in
1823-no issue. Following John and Mary
Carpenter deaths in 1862 & 1869, son
Thomas was the sole owner. Various tenants
rented the Cottage during this period,
including John Merchant and James Bridle.
Thomas Carpenter died in 1880 leaving the
cottage to his six surviving daughters Mrs.
Mary Jane Bennett, Mrs. Caroline Gibbs, Mrs.
Harriet Rice, Mrs. Rose Noble, Mrs. Susan
Smith and Miss Emily Carpenter. Pinns House,
divided into two cottages were named Rose
Cottage, east side and the west side Rosemary
Cottage.
In 1838 a Meeting House was built to the rear
of the Cottage, probably by Mr. Merchant. By
1878 there were 27 “Plymouthians” Plymouth
Bretheren, living and worshiping here in
Otterton. This Calvinist Sect had been founded
in Plymouth in 1830.
1884 Harriet Rice decided to mortgage her
1/6th share of the cottages which, with the
land were occupied by William Pratt, James
Bridle and Edward Pile. The lands are listed:-
Ladrum Field, Chocknoll, Boy in Bush, an
orchard and another field. By December 1887
probably disagreements had arisen between the
sisters and the cottages , lands and Meeting
House were auctioned and bought by William
Pratt, lace-dealer for £217. The following
year he dies and his wife Anne inherits the
properties and land, dying 6 years later.
Their children John, Henry, Alfred and Helena
(Mrs.Tom Page) succeeded to the premises. 1903
Alfred and Tom Page purchased the cottages
from their brothers for £125. Brother Henry
purchased the Meeting House from them for £71.
Alfred Pratt was a Market Gardener with Tom
Page cultivating their lands until after the
Great War.
Then in 1921/2 a series of transactions took
place which make interesting reading. 17th.
May, Petty Officer Walter F. Prew RN. bought
the cottages from Pratt and Page for £400. 38
days later (24th. June) he sold them to Miss
Gertrude I Warren of Budleigh Salterton for
£440. Over a year later ( 29th. September
1922) Miss Warren sold the cottages back to
Alfred Pratt for £450 and the next day he sold
Rose Cottage (east side) to Alfred George
Baker for £250. Described as “All that cottage
with Coach House, yard and front & back
gardens”. Two days later (2nd.October) Alfred
Pratt sold 1) 1/4th. share of Rosemary Cottage
(west side) which was unoccupied at that time
to William Bastone, Refreshment House
proprietor, of Exmouth for £50. 2) 1/4th.
share of Rosemary Cottage to Mrs. Helena H.
Collings, widow also £50. Pratt retained the
other ½ share.
March 1927 Bastone dies and his share goes to
Miss Gytha Bastone who sells it to Mrs.
Collings for £50. Mrs. Collings dies in 1930
and her share passes to her brother W.J.White
who sells it back to Alfred Pratt making him
the full owner of Rosemary Cottage (west
side).
Meanwhile in July 1929 the Meeting House, no
longer used by the Plymouth Bretheren, was
sold by Henry Pratt to James W. Gorman,
Southern Railway Engineer working from East
Budleigh Station, for £25. He lived at
“Spinning Wheel” Cottage, Fore Street where
his wife ran a lace-dealers shop. In April
1931 Mr. Gorman sells the Meeting House to
Horace Walter George Baker.
1932 Alfred Pratt sells Rosemary Cottage (west
side) to Mrs. Ethel Peacock for £212.10/- and
in 1936 she sells it to Horace Baker for £210
.1952 Alfred Baker dies and Rose Cottage (east
side) passes to his widow Florence, then
vested in Horace Baker, son of Alfred in
1956. He then owned both cottages and
the Meeting House, retaining the name Rosemary
Cottage for the whole.
1980 Mr.Baker sells the whole to James
King for £25,000 . Later owners are Mrs. Wendy
Selby 1988, Ronald Curven 1996. The Meeting
House was demolished by Mr. King and a
“Granny” flat has been built to the rear
since.
Between the wars probably both cottages were
shops. Mr. Bastone may have had Refreshment
Rooms in Rosemary Cottage in the 1920’s. By
1950’s it was a newsagents (H.Baker). Today
Nicholas and Angela Marshall reside there.
NOTES
William Pratt first appears in Billings
Directory of 1857 as Shopkeeper and
lace-dealer. Following his death in 1888 his
wife Anne or Hannah continues with the shop.
This is known to be in Lawn Cottage, Fore
Street (next to Kings Arms). By 1902 Alfred
Pratt is the shopkeeper to 1939, also Market
Gardener. Dorothy Miller worked there in the
1920’s.
SOURCES
Devon Records Office
Directories
Mrs. Wendy Selby who gave me access to the
title deeds.
Salem Chapel Archives
Listed Buildings Schedule
Gerald Millington. Archivist, Clinton Devon
Estates
2019