The village sales
“BURTON BRADSTOCK formed part of the great Estates of the Pitt family, and has been closely linked with the history of the Country since the middle of the seventeenth century.
Originally owned by a John Taylor of Burton Bradstock, an Alderman of London who died in 1641, it passed to his son-in-law, Sir Thomas Freke of Iwerne Courtney, Baron of the Exchequer and M.P. for Dorset, whose descendants were tenants of Hinton St. Mary Manor House (the seat of the present owner) for over two hundred years.
Sir Thomas Freke’s grandson, another Thomas, left Burton Bradstock, Hinton St. Mary, Shroton and other lands to his daughter-in-law and the reversion to George Pitt, of Stratfield-Say; this succession amalgamated into one ownership one of the great estates of the West Country and subsequently passed to George, the eldest son, who was created, in 1776, Baron Rivers of Stratfield-Say, which place his son, the second Baron Rivers, sold to the Government, when it was presented by Parliament to the Duke of Wellington.
From the second Baron Rivers, a great-uncle of General Pitt-Rivers of Rushmore, the Estate was eventually inherited by Mr. Pitt-Rivers of Hinton St. Mary.
Two major Auctions of the Burton Bradstock Estate took place in 1951 and 1958. The deatils of of these sales are covered in the following documents.
The 1951 catalogue - 17 freehold cottages sold in 9 lots. The selling prices appear to have been penciled in at the foot of each page. (Range: £200-£1000)
The 1958 sale catalogue in full including pictures (some pages take time to load due to detail included)
Outline Preliminary Particulars with Auction Prices for 1958 Sale and newspaper cuttings
Short sound clip of Betty Starkey's memories of the sale
Cerne Abbas was also owned by the Pitt-Rivers family and sold by auction in 1919 in a similar way to Burton Bradstock. See https://cerneabbashistory.org/
Ray West