The names of the common fields are “Down Field” and “Hale Field.”
The above were closed on the 5th April, and open on the 12th August for
grazing of horses and cows belonging to the resident parishioners in
Tottenham. Before the cattle went on they were all branded by the Pound
Keeper. The marshes belonged to a great many different owners, who had
small wooden land marks with their initials on each. In the case of the
New River Co. their’s were iron. Some left their grass and made hay;
others did not seem to care for it.
All the marshes on the East side of the River Lea have been sold to the
East London Water Works, and those on the West to the Urban District
Council.
The Rifle Butts were built about the year 1860, and have been twice burnt
down. Mr. Delano, who lived at Asplin’s Farm close by, built himself a
nice cottage with garden all round on his land on the Marshes for his own
use and called it “Butts Farm.”
This side of the Lea is not so very much altered. The old Blue House was
pulled down, and a new one erected where Mr. Page’s son lived and managed
the locks. There was a beautiful wild garden on the right hand side,
made by Mr. Page’s father, just beyond the boat yard, and had taken a
very great number of years to cultivate. There was a quantity of high
trees, and all sorts of wild flowers, and it ended with a stile on to the
banks of the Lea. Unfortunately, during a very heavy succession of
storms, some few years ago, this was all swept away. The forget-me-nots
were especially beautiful large flowers; it seemed very sad they should
be swept away after all the trouble and expense incurred.
TOTTENHAM HIGH CROSS.
In 1809 a subscription was raised to repair the Cross, which was then in
a very dilapidated state. The shape was not in any way altered, but it
was covered with cement, and at the same time various architectural
embellishment were introduced. On each face of the octagon is a shield
containing one of the letters composing the word Totenham in the old
characters. The Cross was then surrounded with a curb and iron railings,
which were removed a good many years ago.
At the back of the Cross there were the three shops still standing, a
stationer’s, draper’s, and butcher’s; by the side there was a green
planted with beautiful elm trees, only three of which remain now. At the
back of this stood two pretty old houses, in occupation of Mr. Thomas
Corney and Rev. James Baird. This was originally one house and was
occupied by Dean Wood, who about the year 1600 had the present cross
erected, which in 1809 was repaired and altered to its present
appearance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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