Source: GRO Births
Kemp  Maria     4th Quarter 1878     Driffield  9d 329 vol. 9d  page 329

Source: GRO Marriages
Kemp  Maria     4th Quarter 1908     Beverley  vol. 9d page 216 
Crompton Albert 4th Quarter 1908     Beverley  vol. 9d page 216

Rosevilla, North End, Middleton-on-the-Wolds, now 12 Station Lane, was the home of Albert and Maria Crompton, known as Auntie Maria and Mrs Crumpton, and was used as part of Albert’s butchery business and Maria’s bed and breakfast and tearoom from 1919 to 1948. The front of the large white house, perhaps originally two cottages, is now much altered, with new windows and cement rendering added in the 1950s. However much of the inside of the house and outbuildings are as they were in Auntie Maria’s day, though the present owner, Dave Pratt, has sold the adjacent land. The walled garden, once with whitewashed walls and lean-to greenhouse became an orange-bricked detached house in early 2003 and the paddock and orchard are destined for housing development. A sweep of railings, by the road, were removed for wartime scrap.

Above: The front of Rosevilla in May 2003 showing the new detached house built where the walled garden stood. Between the two building the five-barred gate gives access to the outbuildings and gardens. Until the war iron railings ringed the front. The 'tea-room' was the bottom left window.

The grounds, outside of the garden, are now derelict, overgrown and awaiting the diggers and bulldozers, were large enough to have penned animals prior to their slaughter. Across the paddock, the fruit trees of the gated orchard are still recognisable, though overgrown and too dark for photography. Right: Looking through the white gate towards the 'stockyard'(?), beyond the caravan to the paddock and the orchard.

It is still possible to imagine the inside of the house, though altered in the last 50 years, when it was a bed and breakfast. The two staircases remain, one perhaps for Auntie Maria’s bedroom and the other for the guests. Each of the four bedrooms retains its own sink. Similarly, there appear to have been two sitting rooms.

Mrs Brown, nee Dove, who lives next door to Rosevilla, remembers Auntie Maria from her wartime childhood, with clarity and fondness.

She was described as a lovely, social, ‘broad’, white haired woman, of medium build, who seemed to be loved by everyone in the village as she was at the forefront of the social life of the wartime village.

‘Dos’ were held in the beautiful garden, known for its metal arches of roses and variety of well-tended flowers, for the troops stationed in the local camps. Auntie Maria was also a great whist player who was often seen walking across the road to the Village Hall in her black velvet coatee and evening bag, organising a whist evening to raise money for charity.

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The large house was used for wartime evacuees. Bobby Ditchfield came from Roker, in Sunderland. Mr Edgar, a chemist for Rentokill from Appleton, Hull and his wife, had the ‘end room’. From here Mrs Edgar gave Saturday morning elocution lesson at 1/6 a session. The young Miss Dove attended on lesson before her father objected to the expense and purpose. Later Miss Appleton, Mrs Edgar’s sister, joined them.

Auntie Maria had a reputation for her bed and breakfast and afternoon teas, served from the room adjacent to the gate. Often 20 to 30 cyclists visited Rosevilla on a wartime Sunday. A Cyclists’ Touring Club plaque was once located on the front door. One pre-war District handbook ‘lists sixty-five appointments used by [their] members Perhaps the most popular were … Middleton-on-the-Wolds (Mrs Crompton). … Mrs Crompton’s establishment at Middleton-on-the-Wolds still retains its connection with cycling and the club as this is the home of my nephew, David Pratt.’ (Pratt 1994) Their Handbook and Guide for 1939 records:

Middleton-on-the Wold (Beverley 8 SE) CROMPTON (BH) R 2/-, R&B 3/6, T 1/3, L 2/-, S 1/6, Day 7/-, Week 40/-
 Key:  

BH – boarding house	L – Lunch / dinner
R – room	R&B – bed and breakfast
T – Tea of bread, butter, green stuff in season, preserves and cake
S – Supper of cold meat, salad, bread, butter, cheese, tea or coffee or cocoa
Day – inclusive	Week – inclusive

The Deeds, provided by Dave Pratt, show that Albert, 'the aforesaid butcher’, first purchased the house from William Boyes, a retired bank manager formerly of Derby, on 11 October 1919 for the sum of £750. The conveyance document describes the property as:

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By his will of 15 December 1928 Albert left all the estate of which he did seised possessed or entitled to his wife Maria Crompton absolutely but if on the death of his wife any of his estate still remained the Testator gave devised and bequeathed it to his brother Arthur Crompton [Grandpa].

Following Albert’s death on, his will was proved on 14 March 1931 and the property transferred to Maria. In her will, of 23 April 1931 , Maria appointed The Reverend Earnest James Wilson [the vicar of Middleton] as Executor. The will was registered at Beverley on 4 April 1931 in Vol. 425, Page 346 and No 279. Maria amended her will on 5 December 1947 making Messers William Henry Blakeston and Henry Taylor Blakeston, Solicitors of Driffield, her Trustees and Executors.

Maria died on 21 March 1948 and her will was proved on 12 June 1948 and registered at Beverley on 17 June 1948 in Vol 788, page 467 and number 393. The sum of £250 passed to her nephew, Geoffrey Crompton, who used it to help purchase his Barnoldswick house.

Rosevilla was sold on 1 July 1948, by Maria’s solicitors, to Mrs Elsie Collins Straker the wife of Eric Straker, the lemonade producer of Beverley, for the sum of £1575. A Mr Martin, school teacher of St Mary’s Beverley, bought the house around 1958 and sold it to a Mr Smith, a university lecturer.

Around 1978 Dave Pratt bought Rosevilla from Mr and Mrs Smith for the sum of £31 500. Whitegates, Estate Agents, described the property as a 'Unique opportunity to acquire a 19^th Century cottage which has been well modernised and offers good family accommodation. This spacious property is situated in 1½ acres of land and offers an ideal opportunity for the self-sufficient enthusiast.

But the remainder of the description fits a property, divided in to two parts; one for Maria’s home and the other for the bed and breakfast. The ground floor comprised of an entrance hall, with staircase, leading to a lounge, a 15’ x 12’ dining room, a 15½’ x 14’ living room a 20½’ x 9’ farmhouse kitchen and a 9½’ x 6½’ conservatory.  

The ground floor also contained laundry room and a rear lobby, leading to the back staircase. Upstairs were three 16’ x 12’ bedrooms, one with an en-suit bathroom, a fourth bedroom measuring 11½’ x 9’, a second bathroom and a shower room. All rooms had washbasins. A partially completed fifth bedroom is in the loft.

The outbuildings were described as: 'A large barn (the slaughter house), with power and drainage and outside light, behind which is a lean-to roof. Stables have been converted into a pig-sty, also drained, with power points and interior lighting. A further barn has been converted into a double garage, with lean-to greenhouse adjoining. To the rear there is approximately 1¼ acres of tree screen land broken into orchard, paddock and two vegetable gardens, two soft fruit gardens, walled garden and kitchen garden.' Right: The remaining outbuildings at Rosevilla: the tall slaughterhouse and the lower stable/pig sty.

Over time the floral house garden has become a family garden for children. The rose arches have long vanished as has the Middleton iris (right). However, Edith Boote, grand daughter of John Harper Crompton, b.1852, preserved an original tuba which is gradually repopulating family gardens.

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When Albert died on 29 December 1929 Martha provided him with an expensive grave and headstone, located to the right of the footpath, in Middleton's new graveyard. Martha joined him there on 21 March 1948. In May 2003 the lilac tree, perhaps planted by Maria for Albert, had forced one of the corner stones away from the surrounds and moss and weeds had grown over the gravel chippings.  The stone, double 'holed' flower holder had probably been empty since 1948 and, having died childless, one wonders who last visited the grave.		IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR HUSBAND ALBERT CROMPTON WHO DIED 26th DECEMBER 1929 AGED 53 YEARS ------ RESTING ------ ALSO MARIA WIFE OF THE ABOVE DIED 21st MARCH 1948 AGED 69 YEARS ------ RE-UNITED

Source:
My thanks to Dave Pratt and Mrs Brown, both of Middleton-in-the-Wolds, for their oral memories which created a picture of Auntie Maria.
Dave Pratt's deed folder for Rosevilla.
Pratt C,  ‘Sixty-six years of a cycle tourist’, Pentland Press, Durham, 1994, ISBN 1-85821-229-4

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This page was created by Richard Crompton and maintained by Chris Glass	Version A2 Updated 28 January 2008