Langmoor stands well back and is hidden by trees and flowering shrubs. it is first mentioned in 1320 as Langesmeresgeth in the Cartulary of Forde Abbey, where it mentions the boundaries of the village defined by the Abbot, who owned the Manor, given to the Abbey by the Beauchamps.
In 1783 the manor of Charmouth was purchased from Francis Phipps Henvill by Lieutenat James warden R.N., and instead of living in the Manor House in the village, he went to live at Langmoor.
James Warden was in 19 engagements against the french fleet and was a gentleman of uncertain temper. He quarrelled with his son, whom he disinherited, and in his will left the Estate to his wife and upon her decease, upon trust, out of the rents and profits they were to pay to his son, William Weeks Wharton, £20 a year during his life by 4 evenly quarterly payments. But in case he should at any time sell, dispose of, or make away with or borrow money upon the said annuity. thendeclared the bequest therof should be deemed void.The trust money was derived from Charmouth House property and other houses. At several Vestry Meetings he objected to certain rates. In 1789 he won an action against the Rev. Brian Combe and others for removing sand and seaweed from the beach, and finally he quarrelled with his neighbour, Norman Bond, to whom he was extremely abusive in charmouth Street and threatened to shoot his dogs. Bond told him that he was unaccustomed to abusive language and would not contend with him in that way. Warden answered he was ready to meet him in any way whatever and walked off. During the next few days Warden refused to apologise and fresh insults followed. which led to the fatal catastrophe which afterwards happened. the parties met on the morning of 28th April, 1792 at Hunters Lodge. The first shot fell to Warden, Bond having given the challenge, and the ball passed through Bond`s hat. Bond was a better marksman; immeditaely on his firing Warden being shot through the heart, was killed. The inquest was held at Axminster, but Bond was not immeidately arrested and escaped to Barbados and later returned. His age and when he died are not known.It is recorded on his tomb in the chuirchyard that Mrs. Warden, after lingering upwards of 6 yeasr, died on 11th June 1798, wasting with pining sickness, it might be supposed that she died broken hearted. However there is a letter froma Mr John palmer to Mr Mellor, attorney-at-law, in which he says that Mrs warden welcomed and even courted her widowhood. She chose the pistopls, thanked the gentleman who had lent him them and made no effort to prevent the duel, although she lived close to a magistrate. In short she seemed determined that one of thjem should fall. If Mr. Bond. that her husband must be hanged, and if the latter, she was fairly rid of him.
On the death of Mrs Warden the property passed to her daughter, who married captain Matthew Liddon, R.N. They appear to have been badly off, as the properrty was mortgaged to raise money for the educationof the children, and the house was occupied by Mrs. Austin. The last Liddon to live there was Matthew, who died in 1864, when the Manor was sold to John Hawkshaw, the famous Engineer, who sold it to John J. Coulton in 1871, neither of whom appear to have lived there.
later owner was James Moley, " the hansomest man in Dorset", black-haired, tall and strong. Who had been educated with Dr. Liddon at Robert`s school in Lyme. He was a great collector of ferns and would walk miles after fresh specimens baut towards the end of his life he became a recluse and never was seen outside the grounds. his bread was left by Coles outside the gates which were kept padlocked. The greenhouses were in a ruinous condition when he died in 1910 and ferns were growing up through the floor of the drawing room. He left £400 to Lyme Regis as he considered that Charmouth had not appreciated him. Langmore Gardens in Lyme were laid out with the proceeds.

A remark made by Reginald Pavey concerning the subsequent ownership by James Warden`s daughter has baffled me for ages. In his notes he refers to her being in debt and having to mortgage the Manor to pay for his children's education. Without any evidence I thought it best just to mention it in passing. But I was delighted to find buried in the Dorset Record Office a magnificent bundle of deeds that covered the Liddon`s ownership and revealed the tangled web of debt she and her family were to amass on the security of the Manor of Charmouth for over 50 years. It was not where I had expected to find them, but in later owners Abstract of Title, which had been copied in depth by his solicitor. It is a fascinating record of how the family held on to the Manor and used it to settle School fees, Marriage Settlements and upkeep with only having to sell off properties occasionally. Villages were annually paying their rents unaware as to whom their payments were going to. Initially Ann Liddon (nee`Warden) on the early death of her husband Matthew in 1804 had borrowed £600 from Samuel Newberry, a wealthy gentleman shown as living ay Bovey House in Beer. She later had to borrow a further £555 from C.Flood and S. Miles, which the document shows, was needed to “ better educate and support her children in a suitable manner”.

The year 1812 was to prove an expensive year for Anne when she had to find the settlement for the marriage of her daughter Ann Warden Liddon to Richard Spencer. She was to sell some of her Charmouth properties and take out another loan. This time the Rev. Charles Forward of Axmister was to assist her in meeting her debts. By 1821 her creditors wanted payment, as she had not paid any interest on the loan. She was fortunate to borrow £1500 from Sarah Northcote using the security of Charmouth Manor to pay off the other creditors and merge her debts. Sarah was to die in 1838 and leave everything to her brother George Barons Northcote. When Ann died in 1849 her surviving children are shown as Mathew Liddon, Jnr, of Harwich, Essex, a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, Sophia Jackson Liddon and Lucy Liddon. In her will she leaves each of them a part of the Manor of Charmouth. Thomas Russell, an Attorney in Beaminster is now shown as the main creditor after paying off the other parties. Her daughter Ann had by now become Lady Spencer and resided in King Georges Sound, Albany in Western Australia.

In 1783 A Map was made of the village. which has been lost but a record book has survived and below is a record of Langmoor at that time.
56.Langmoor, James Cousins, Thomas`s Plot (£1-1-1d) 1a 1r 1p
57.Langmoor, James Cousins, Little Mead ( £1-1-7d) 1a 0r 1p
58.Langmoor, James Cousins, Batch (£1-14-11d) 3a 0r 0p
59.Langmoor, James Cousins, Batch Meadow (£1-5-4d) 1a 1r 0p
60.Langmoor, James Cousins, Lower Close (£2-15-9d) 2a 3r 0p
61.Langmoor, James Cousins, Langmoor Coppice (£0-10-10d) 1a 1 r 0p
62.Langmoor, James Cousins, Rhodehorn (£0-16-5d) 0a 3r 26p
63.Langmoor, James Cousins, Rodehorn Cliff (£0-9-0d) 4a 2r 2p
64.Langmoor, James Cousins, Burrows Plot(£0-14-9d) 0a 2r 23p
65.Langmoor, James Cousins, Double Common (£3-0-2d) 2a 0r 1p
66.Langmoor, James Cousins, Single Common (£1-11-7d) 1a 0r 6p
67.Langmoor, James Cousins, Single Common ( £1-12-4d) 1a 0p 18r
68.Langmoor, James Cousins, William Channan House & Grounds (£3) 0a 3p 26r
69.Langmoor, James Cousins, Edwards Close (£2-12-10d) 1a 2p 9r
70.Langmoor, James Cousins, Westleys & Bragges Common (£3-0-6d) 2a 0p 2r
71.Langmoor, James Cousins, house & Orchard Goring (£3-10-0d) 0a 3p15r
72.Langmoor, James Cousins, Single Common Goring (£1-10-6d) 1 a 0p 3 r

196. Edward Farr, Late Burrows, Lower Langmoor Mead
197. Edward Farr, Late Burrows,Higher Langmoor Mead
198. Edward Farr, Late Burrows,Langmoor Coppice
199.Edward Farr, Late Burrows, Langmoor little Coppice
200.Edward Farr, Late Burrows, Coppice Close
201. Edward Farr, Late Burrows,two pieces on Rhodehorn

1796 John Dickens Esq for Langmoor and Thomas`s Plot
1803 Mrs Newton for Langmoor 12/9d and 3s2d for Thomasss Plot.
1845 Samuel Warren Puddicombe, Esq. Langmoor,

56

James Moly, who bequeathed the paintings to RAMM in 1910, was born c.1826 in Hawkchurch, Dorset. He was a draper and druggist in Hawkchurch, taking over a drapery and grocery business that had been run by his parents. By 1881 he had retired from the business and was living on “income from real and personal property” according to the occupational detail of the census of that year. His address was given as Longmoor (near the Axminster Road) Charmouth. By 1901 the address was Longmoor House. The inscription on the paintings gives the address as Ringmoor Manor. The details indicate that the writer knew something of the family history and wanted it recorded. There are records of the Moly or Moley family in Hawkchurch back to the 1780s.

By the time that a special R.H.S. Exhibition of British Ferns was held in London in August 1892 more of the pioneers had died. The Schedule for the latter described "Special Medal Prizes offered by British Fern Growers to Amateurs of the United Kingdom for specimens of the best varieties of British species, with the object of creating a greater interest in our native Ferns".

There were sixteen classes for collections and other prizes for best individual specimens. The prizes for the first four of the classes were given in memory of South West Pteridologists and the fifth also came from the South West. These five were as follows:

Class A - Colonel A.M. Jones's Memorial Prize for 10 plumose varieties (no restriction of species). Given by his daughters and Captain Stafford Jones. Silver Gilt Flora Medal. [Colonel Jones of Clifton, Bristol had died in 1889]

Class B - Mr Edwin Fydell Fox's Memorial Prize for 10 cruciate or narrow varieties (no restriction of species). Given by his sons, Dr E. Churchill Fox, and his brother, Mr G.F. Fox. Silver Gilt Flora Medal. [Mr Fox of Brislington, near Bristol had died in 1891].

Class C - Mrs Maria Grant's Memorial Prize for 10 varieties of Athyrium filix-femina. Given by her son, Mr W.J.A. Grant. Silver Gilt Flora Medal. [Mrs Grant of Hillersdon House, Devon had died in 1891].

Class D - Mr William Charles Carbonell's Memorial Prize for 10 varieties of Polystichum aculeatum and hybrids with P. aculeatum. Given by "the Family". Silver Gilt Flora Medal. [Mr Carbonell of Usk, Monmouthshire had died c.1889].

Class E - 16 varieties (no restriction of species). Given by the Clifton Zoological Gardens, Mr E. J. Lowe F.R.S., and Major Cowburn F.R.H.S. First Prize, Silver Gilt Flora Medal. [A major part of the Jones and Fox Collections had been given for display at Clifton Zoological Gardens. Major Cowburn died before the show took place].

Among the prizes for best individual specimens, Mr James Moly of Charmouth, Dorset gave a Bronze Flora Medal for the Best specimen of a variegated or golden variety. Edward Lowe won these and most of the other classes (Lowe, 1895) but most of the 'competition' had 'passed on'.

Langmoor deed 1854

Matthew J. Liddon of Charmouth and Miss Lucy Liddon to Mrs Ann Fanwell Moly of Hawkchurch Widow 

Signed and witnessed by Matthew Knight, Gentleman, Chideock 

An Indenture made 27th April 1854 between George Frean Esquire and Mrs Ann Moly for Langmoor

1783 September 5th and 6th. Indenture between Francis Phipps Henville, Mary Haskins and William Blake of the other part.

1783 November 13th. Indenture between Frances Phipps Henvill of the one part and Mary Haskins, James Ireland and William Blake of the other part.

1783 December 15th Indenture between Frances Phipps Henvill of the one part and Baruch Fox the elder and John James Maillard of the other part. 

Trinity Term 24 George lll Indenture of fine wherein said Baruch Fox and John James Maillard are plaintiffs of the one part and the said Francis Phipps Henvill and Mary his wife are deforciants

1788 June 2 and 3rd Indenture of lease and release between James Ireland and William Blake of the first part said Baruch Fox, John James Maillard of the second part William Durston of the third part, James Warden of the fifth part and John Harvey Pierce of the fifth part.

1810 October 25th Indenture between Ann Liddon of the first part said John Harvey Pierce of the second part and Samuel Newberry of the third part.

1818 August 9th and 10th Indenture between Ann Liddon, James Warden Liddon, Sophia Jackson Liddon and Lucy Liddon of the first part said Samuel Newberry of the second part. Christopher Flood and Phillip Males of the third part and Edward Cook Forward of The forth Part.

1821 May 8th and 9th Indenture between Samuel Newberry of the first part, Edward CooknForwrd of the second oart, Christopher Flood and Philip Mules of the third part Ann Liddon, James Warden Liddon, Sophia Jackson Liddon and Lucy Liddon of The forth part and Sarah North its of the fifth part and reverend Charles Forward of the sixth part.

1849 May 9th Indenture of transfer of mortgage between George Barons Northcote of the first part, William Forward of the second part, Matthew John Liddon, Sophia Jackson Liddon and Lucy Liddon of the third part.

1849 October 4th Indenture between Matthew Liddon, Sophia Jackson Liddon and Lucy Liddon of the one part and Thomas Russell of the other part.

1851 May 2nd Indenture between Ann Warden, Lady Spencer of the one part and the said Matthew John Liddon of the other part.

1853 June 6th Indenture between the said Matthew John Liddon of the one part and the said Thomas Russell of the other part.