When I was searching the Kent Archives and Local History site for any mention of the Mansel family it returned hits for Nepicar House, Wrotham Heath. Was this the home of Eliza Mansel and then her son John Bell William Mansel?

The record for 1929 was titled Mansel Nepicar Estate, this was in the business papers and books of H.G. Henbrey, auctioneer and estate valuer.

When I searched online for anything relating to Nepicar House, London Road, I found the following:

Grade II listed:

House. Circa 1700 front added to earlier block at rear which was itself remodelled for the Reverend Sandford Bailey in circa 1856 by William Burges. Red and blue brick chequer on plinth of coursed stone blocks. Brick band. Heavy moulded modillion eaves cornice to steep hipped plain tiled roof with 2 small leaded hipped dormers. Two wide brick ridge stacks. Two storeys, basement and attic; symmetrical 5 window facade, glazing bar sashes, those on ground floor C19 with thin glazing bars. Blocked basement–window heads in plinth. Central panelled doubled doors with large rectangular overlight. Four steps up to entrance with ornamental cast-iron hand-rail. Projecting semi-circular hood over entrance with shell ornament and in centre plaster relief of bear. Carved foliated supporting console brackets. Rear of the block has 2 large gables. Gabled 2-storey brick wing behind with door to north topped by enriched armorial decoration. Interior. Panelled hall and passage behind off early C18 staircase with Salamonic balusters, probably moved. One pilastered panelled room to right of hall. This building in 1980 won an R.I.B.A. prize for conservation of historic buildings and has a long and low late 1970’s brick and smoked glass office wing attached on the south side.

At some point this year I’m hoping to make a visit to The London Archives. As I try to look outside of Ancestry for historical records I discovered that other archives have records which would add to my understanding of my family.

So far I’ve located the following records of interest:

Draft bond of City of London to pay an annuity of £4.10.0 to Benjamin Hopkins. Dated 1778/Middlesex Sessions of the Peace/County Administration. Reference MA/S/275

Insured Jane Thompson, London Wall, callenderer in trust, and Caroline Bond Hopkins, spinster. Dated Nov 19 1791/Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group.
Reference CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/381/592506

Insured Benjamin Bond Hopkins, Paines Hill near Cobham, Surrey, esq.
Date Nov 26 1794/ Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group
Reference CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/400/634801

Insured Benjamin Bond Hopkins Esq.
Date Jan 3 1814/ Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group
Reference CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/462/889397

Insured xx executor Benjamin Bond Hopkins deceased
Feb 26 1838/ Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group
Reference CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/563/1269625

Insured xx in trust for Caroline Bond Hopkins, Grosvenor Square, Spinster
Date Feb 13 1790/ Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group
Reference CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/366/566242

Insured xx Benjamin Bond Hopkins
Date Aug 28 1790/Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group
Reference CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/370/573126

I’ve never visited The London Archives before (what was The London Metropolitan Archives) and am excited to do proper research away from a computer screen.

This year I am adding St Mary’s Church Wimbledon to my list of places to visit. The churchyard is the burial place of William Mansell Philips of Coedgair (my third great-granduncle), his father-in-law Benjamin Bond Hopkins, and his benefactor John Hopkins, aka Vulture Hopkins.

Tomb of John Hopkins, aka Vulture Hopkins

Died 1732. Mentioned by Alexander Pope and Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend. His money was made speculating in the South Sea Bubble and left £300 000 when he died.

His heir was Benjamin Bond although he could not inherit for 40 years (as stipulated in the Will), he inherited in 1772. He added the name Hopkins, bought Painshill which we have previously visited, became an MP, and married 3 times.

Tomb of Benjamin Bond Hopkins (this does not survive)

According to the antiquarian Daniel Lyson’s “At the entrance if the church-yard, on the right hand, is a large columbarium made by Benjamin Bond Hopkins, Esq. for the internment of his family. Within it are inscriptions upon tablets of white marble to the memory of Benjamin Bond Hopkins, Esq. of Clapham, who died in 1783; his wife Elizabeth, who died in1787; and Eliza and Alicia, wives of Benjamin Bond Hopkins, Esq. of Painshill, who died in 1771 and 1788.”

Tomb of Richard Mansell Philips of Coedgair – buried Caroline (his wife and only daughter of Benjamin Bond Hopkins). Tomb does survive and is a chest tomb with coat of arms.

Gentleman’s Magazine commented in 1794 “we doubt whether Mr Bond Hopkins’s oldest daughter was not by his first wife. Be that as it may he has left to his surviving and now only daughter £50,000 when she attains the age of 24 over and besides 800l per annum of her mother’s jointure.

They married in 1797 and had four children: Richard, Courtenay (army?), Frances and Edward. Richard too the additional name of Phillips on 24/01/1793. They lived at Wimbledon Common, probably Southside Common (along the southern side of the Common from No. 1 to No. 12 which form a narrow strip of development. The original mansions were described as an assemblage of gentleman’s houses, most delightfully situated with good gardens from whence is a pleasant prospect over the luxuriant vale beneath. Originally built by John Hopkins who purchased the land in the 1720s. The estate was inherited by Benjamin Bond and then to his daughter Caroline Philips, whose children and grandchildren gradually sold off the land to developers after she died in 1850. From the late 1850s they were knocked down and re-developed.

No. 2 and 3 Southside were built on the site of The Grange and was built in 1747 by Thomas Lewis and included a house, garden, pleasure grounds and a meadow which reached as far as the Ridgeway. The present house on the site dates from 1889.

The house was occupied by Mrs Caroline Philips (1835-1841) and later Sir Richard Mansel (1882-1885) amongst others. [info from Sub Area 7: Southside Common on merton.gov.uk website]

Elizabeth Dowager Lady Mansel

Lady Mansel was buried at Saint Mary the Virgin, Harefield on 18th August 1843, her main residence was Wrotham in Kent.

Death Notice was published in The Essex County Standard, etc., Friday, August 18, 1843, Page 3:

Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Bell. Married Sir William Mansel, 10th Mansel Baronet of Muddlescombe, in 1791 at Harefield, England. They had two sons. William and Sir John Bell Mansel, 11th Baronet.

According to Find a Grave she died on the 12th August and was buried at Wrotham Cemetery. Perhaps her death was recorded on a memorial at Wrotham Cemetery, but there is clearly an entry of her burial at Harefield, so there is some confusion over this.