Great House Farm — Llandough / Bute Estate Title Research

About This Release

Research into the chain of title for Great House Farm, Llandough-juxta-Penarth (formerly Ty Mawr), and the identified documentary gaps in the Marquess of Bute's Glamorgan estate records.

The branch documents the Williams family claim to Great House Farm, the February 1916 yearly agricultural tenancy granted by the 4th Marquess of Bute to John Williams, and the critical 1895–1938 gap in the Bute Estate Records where the tenancy falls in the dead centre.

Research Files

README.md Primary Document

The main research document: background, archival gaps table, key documents, reconstructed chain of title, unresolved questions, and four appendices (Stephenson & Alexander cross-reference, Cardiff Ground Rents Ltd, fee simple absolute question, 1670 vs 1766 date correction).

View README.md

CHANGELOG.md Changelog

All notable changes to this research release, including added documents, corrections, and new findings.

View CHANGELOG.md

bute-estate-gaps-research.txt Gap Analysis

Focused analysis of the documentary gap by record series, the two-Llandoughs conflation problem, the fee simple absolute question, and a prioritised research to-do list (14 items).

View gap analysis

bpvsbucker-rundown.txt Chronology

Full chronological rundown from pre-1793 to November 1988 demolition, with 10 discrepancy notes (A–J), evidence assessment, FOI request log, and archival sources summary table.

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foi-requests-great-house-farm.txt FOI Requests

Six Freedom of Information requests to NLW, Glamorgan RO, National Archives, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cadw, and HM Land Registry — submitted 12 May 2026.

View FOI requests

Key Research Findings

Finding	Status	Impact
Two Llandoughs resolved — DSA/6/1158 is Cowbridge, not Penarth	Resolved	Eliminates false leads in 1938 sale
Cardiff Ground Rents Ltd identified (CH #00598381, est. 1958, active)	Identified	Potential parallel/successor entity to WGR
"1670" purchase date corrected to 1766	Corrected	Aligns with Bute–Windsor marriage
1215 construction date corrected to c.1500–1530 (Sir Matwd Cradock)	Corrected	Accurate dating of fortified manor
1895–1938 documentary gap identified as critical	Open	1916 tenancy undocumented in any archive
£5m WGR acquisition of Mountjoy interests (1938)	Documented	National Archives GB 0214 DA
Fee simple absolute claim — unproven in law	Open	Requires missing deed documents

Archival Sources to Investigate

Reference	Location	Status
NLW GB 0210 E — Glamorgan Deeds (1698–1905)	NLW Aberystwyth	On-site visit needed
NLW GB 0210 EWIAMS — Williams of Hove (1437–1823)	NLW Aberystwyth	On-site visit needed
NLW GB 0210 DGETHWIL — Gethin Williams (1687–1889)	NLW Aberystwyth	On-site visit needed
NLW GB 0210 BUTE — Schedule of Bute Estate Records	NLW Aberystwyth	Catalogue only
Glamorgan RO DBDT58 — detailed handlist	Glamorgan RO	Partial
Cadw listing files — Great House Farm	Cadw	Pending
Vale of Glamorgan planning archives (1970–1988)	VGBC	Pending
HMLR title register (BP Properties Ltd, Nov 1982)	HM Land Registry	Pending — title number needed

Navigation

Full Research README — Background, gaps, key documents, chain of title, unresolved questions, appendices
Changelog — What changed in this release
Gap Analysis — Focused gap breakdown by record series
Full Chronology — Timeline with discrepancy notes
FOI Requests — 6 requests to archives and authorities