On this day in Wembury — 14 April 1828
A public survey was held at the Commercial Inn in Plymouth for the letting of part of the Barton of Wembury, a substantial estate on the banks of the River Yealm. The notice, published two days earlier in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, invited prospective tenants to gather at five o’clock to bid for a fourteen-year lease of the property, then occupied by Mr Walters.
The farm included about 285 acres of arable, meadow and pasture land, with over a hundred acres free of tithe — an attractive detail for farmers weary of church dues. The estate’s location was emphasised as one of its chief advantages: close enough to Plymouth for easy market access and bordered by the tidal reaches of the Yealm, where sea sand and seaweed could be taken “free of expense” to enrich the fields.
Prospective tenants were told to contact Thomas Lockyer of Wembury Villa, who would arrange viewings. In an age before the railway or motor road, such lettings were major events, drawing land agents, farmers and investors from across the South Hams. The Barton of Wembury was prized ground, its blend of fertile soil and maritime access marking it out as one of the most desirable holdings in the parish.
(Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 12 April 1828; survey held 14 April 1828)