Case Nº 003 · 1842–present · Berkshire · example journey

The House on Rectory Lane

An illustrative example journey — a composite drawn from typical research of this kind, shown while client-approved cases are prepared.

The question

New owners of an 1840s house wanted its story for a housewarming — and to settle an argument about whether the cellar really was “the old kitchen”.

The search

1. Tithe and OS maps dated the house to 1842–44, built by a corn merchant whose bankruptcy notice appeared in the county paper six years later.

2. Census returns and directories named every household since: a surgeon, a school for young ladies, three generations of one farming family.

3. A 1941 requisition record showed the house billeting evacuated schoolchildren — with a letter of complaint about apples taken from the orchard.

The discovery

The cellar was the scullery (the argument is settled; both sides claim victory). The bound house biography now sits in the hallway, and the orchard apples got a commemorative planting.

“Guests pick the book up politely and are still reading it an hour later.”