The owners of Lackham in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries ...

The Manor of Lackham IV : 19 th & 20 th century owners
Capt. Rooke set about improving the estate even before he moved in;
he was obviously tree planting in 1834, and looking for the “instant”
effect at that. In November of that year he wrote to his neighbour at
Lacock, William Fox-Talbot
Capt. n Rooke presents his Comp ts to M r Talbot and begs the favor
of the loan of his Machine for moving large Trees; which, he is
about to do at Lackham – Capt. n Rooke trusts tho’ at present
personally unknown to M r Talbot, that he is not taking too great a
liberty by the above request –. 82
The return address for this letter is 28 The Royal Crescent in Bath.
It is unknown whether Fox Talbot was able to accommodate his
neighbour’s request.
It is interesting that Capt. Rooke refers to himself as “unknown” to
Fox Talbot, it suggests very strongly that Rooke was not yet resident
at Lackham.
A year later, however, Fox-Talbot was writing to his mother to tell her
“We have called on the Rookes & they on us “ 83
The estate owned a number of farms as well as the House and
associated areas. Although the sale of 1831 dudn’t happen the
catalogue gives a good idea of the extent of these holdings when Capt.
Rooke bought it 84
Place A R Po Pe Name Rent £ s d
Cucckoo Bush Farm 81 9 Robert Lay 245 10 0
82 Lacock Abbey Collection Fox Talbot Museum Lacock LA34-044
83 Fox Talbot to Elizabeth Theresa Fielding dated 26 Nov 1835
Fox Talbot Museum / Lacock Abbey Collection Lacock LA(H)35-007
Document Number 03169
84 W&SHC 137/125/14
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