17th Century Touleys/Tooleys
The land on which most of the homes surrounding Russell House stand was formerly owned by the Earls of Essex and lay close to their Cassiobury Estate. Russells Estate came to the Essex family in 1628 when Sir Charles Morrison, grandfather of the first Earl, purchased what was then known as Tooleys Farm. However, there […]
18th Century – The Capel (Essex) Family
An early reference to the mansion appears in the Universal British Directory compiled between 1793 and 1798 which recorded:- “Russel [sic] Farm, built by the Right Honourable the Countess Dowager of Essex, mother of the present earl, and is now occupied by the Right Honourable the Ladies Capel, sisters to the said earl.” The “said […]
19th Century – Russell Farm Tenants
For almost a century following Lady Anne Capell’s death in 1804 the Earls of Essex let the mansion and the Estate to a succession of tenants. They are described in the following paragraphs. It should be added that there may have been others who have left as yet undiscovered evidence of their stay. To those […]
20th Century Owners
1902 Estate Sold In 1902 the Earl, by then in considerable debt, put the Estate up for sale. The advertisement which appeared in the Herts Advertiser in May described; “beautifully wooded, undulating lands, together with a superior old-fashioned mansion-house, standing on high ground in the centre of the park, approached by a long winding carriage […]
Country Estate Staff
Some of the people living in the estate buildings Living on a country estate: In 1841 Ezekiel How, a 55 year old agricultural labourer was living at Russell Farm Lodge with his wife and daughter. William Copper is a 25 year old agricultural labourer also living there. Note – Some of the staff working at […]
Railway and 1835 Tunnel Disaster
1837 Railway The opening of the London to Birmingham railway in 1837 heralded a new age. “20th July 1837 saw the opening of the pioneer London to Birmingham railway. Watford was transformed from small country market town to a London Satellite. This line was 112.5 miles long, which at that time was the longest continuous […]
1840’s Tithe Maps
In the mid 1840s for the first time we have a detailed picture of the Estate from the tithe map and tithe apportionment for the parish of Watford. Tithes were originally a tax which required one tenth of all agricultural produce to be given annually to the church. By the early nineteenth century the system […]