SOURCES

The sources used in the preparation of this walk are available to all in the Record Office of the City Libraries, William Brown Street and chiefly we have used:-

Enclosure map of 1813 with its schedule. The Enclosure Act of 1805 covering Little Woolton meant that all holders of land, both freehold and copyhold, were allocated one or more plots on the 'commons and waste lands' according to the extent and value of their original holdings. This allottment took place between 1805 and 1807, including the laying out of un-named new roads of which Beaconsfield Road was one, to be 30 ft wide, marked 'F' on the map (Church Road was to be 40 ft), and the extent of allotments and names of owners was shown on the map - and nothing else; but did that really mean the landscape was empty of man-made features?

Sherriff's map of the Environs of Liverpool dated 1816 showed the road and a building on the 20¾ acres allotted to John Okill of Lee Hall. (This would make sense if Okill had already started farming his land.) The map also showed a building and someone called Breed somewhere in the Stoneleigh - Knolle Park area. Greenwood's map of Lancashire of 1818 generally follows Sherriff, but G. Hennet's map of 1830 adds a name 'Rose Mount' somewhere about Knolle Park. Bennison's map of 1835 puts us on firm ground with houses, Knolle Park, Beaconsfield, (Okill's first) 'High Lee' and Newstead, and their grounds, clearly shown.

The first 6 inch Ordnance Survey map is dated 1845-6. It is closely followed by the Tithe Map & Schedule of 1845-8, an invaluable document enabling us to name all owners and occupiers - in theory, in fact several show as 'Exors. of ...' - together with the extent of holdings. A generation on they vary from the Enclosures as people have bought and sold land. Phillips map of 1881 shows Okill's 'High Lee' still there, but does not show detail. The next map of importance is the first 25 inch O.S. map of 1891, and by this time the houses of our study have been built, and Okill's 'High Lee' gone. We have also looked at the 25 inch maps of 1904, 1925, 1936 and 1951 noting alterations, enlargements and latterly demolitions.

continued . . .