Thalatta
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All the information in this Talk derives from an interest in the Manor of Charmouth. It was the observation in my Title Deeds that my house, Thalatta had once formed part of the Manor of Charmouth. What made it more interesting was the fact that in 1922 when the field was bought by a Miss Grace Icombe for £130, that there was still a Lord of the Manor after all those centuries. It also detailed that the vendor, Alfred Douglas Pass had bought it from the trustees of the previous owner, James Coulton in 1908. In due course I was able to trace a continuous line of Lords stretching back over a 1000 years. For many centuries the Lord owned virtually all the properties in the village. Each subsequent person has sold various fields and buildings until today it only accounts for an area along Charmouth's Shoreline including the beach and the Heritage Centre (Old Cement Works). I have consulted many books and articles and visited a number of Archives and Libraries on my search to find the History of the Manor.

 

 
This view by A.R. Quinton shows the area south of the Street about 1900 when it was mainly farmland. The old Cement Works can be seen in the distance. The small building to the left of it was the Battery where the Coastguards who operated from the Look out stored their ammunition. Every day they would fire out to sea and when the tide was out collect the shell. The Battery would have been at the entrance of the drive to where my house is now. This tranquil view was to change in 1923 when Thalatta was built.   A similar view with the house now known as Sanctuary on the left with the Battery (ammunition shed) where the entrance to Thalatta is today.
An interesting view of the area before Higher Sea Lane was created, with just a cottage there which is now called Sanctuary.The smaller building is the Battery where the ammunition was stored for the cannon used by the Coastguards who operated by the lookout near the beach. The house being built in 1923. Notice the horses by the Heritage Center (old Cement Works).
This photograph shows the view from Cains Folly shortly before Thalatta was built with a few houses already built in Higher Sea Lane. The small building between them and the Old Cement Works on the edge of the picture is the Battery which would have been at the entrance of the drive to the house. The same view in 1923, but this time with a newly built Thalatta with it's surrounding garden.
The roof being built on the house in 1923. Each summer there would be fields of tents in the surrounding fields for the Scouts and Guides. The house shortly after it had been built in 1922 with the distinctive wooden fencing now sadly gone.
   
   
  An early photo from 1923 showing the house with it's wooden post fence and a Romany Caravan where a garage was later built.  The house today showing the extension of 1964
This is the first page of the Sales document when Grace Icombe bought an acre of land from Alfred Douglas Pass, the Lord of the Manor of Charmouth for £ 130.  
The next page of the document clearly states that the piece of land formed part of the Manor and Lordship of Charmouth which the vendor had purchased from the trustees of James Coulton in 1908.