60-64 High Street

Several documents in the Archives at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre relate to the inheritance of land and buildings in this part of Sutton Benger; for simplicity, these are known collectively as 'The Russ Copyhold'. A legal discussion, which began in 1848 and did not end until 1861, established the rights of claimants to the plots of land identified as #9, #10, and #11 on the 1839 map - the location of today's 60-64 High Street.

The documents begin with a 1744 lease, and show that the Russ family had the rights to two houses throughout the 1800s, one each on plots #10 and #11; the two buildings were each divided into two cottages. The building at #11 is the one still standing today, known as 62 / 64 High Street.

The solicitors established that the properties were held in law by Daniel Russ, who had moved to Hampshire. He voluntarily gave up his rights, and the land reverted to the Lord of the Manor.

It was sold in the 1920 Auction as Lot 104.

The building to the north, at #10, had become derelict some time before the 1920 Auction, when the plot was advertised as Lot 105: a 'stone and galvanised shed'. The modern bungalow, 60a High Street, stands there today.

Grade II Listing

62 / 64 High Street is a Grade II Listed Building, described as follows:

Listed Entry Number: 1022405 Listing NGR: ST9486478730

House, now two cottages, C17, rubble stone with thatched roof, half-hipped to west and east end stack. 1½ storeys. Large right projecting gable with first floor 3-light ovolo-moulded mullion window and hoodmould over casement pair in similar surround with hoodmould. Door to No 64 in west side of gable. Small square window to left, then straight joint. No 62, to left, has eyebrow over upper casement pair and ground floor triple casement and roof carried down to left over porch with door on west side.