During the period from the survey of William Crosse's properties in 1686 until the death of Sir William Bovill in 1875 the principal changes in the locality were mergers of existing farms. The single new building of note seems to have been Burpham Lodge, at the southern apex of the "triangle".
The separate properties of the Russell and Crosse families at Hurst had been merged to become one, owned by Sir William Bovill . George Burt, his tenant and the major farmer in the area, lived in the old Russell house with several families of farm workers living in the old Crosse house across the road which was now called Hurst Farm cottages and later, for a short period, the Old Barracks. To the south-east Watts Cottage and Watts Farm, where most of the farm buildings had recently been destroyed by fire, were both still part of Hurst and housed more farm workers. Queen Hythe had also been absorbed into Bovill's holdings, and was therefore in the capable hands of George Burt.
However Queen Anne and Jacobs Well farms had managed to retain their independence while the "Old House" at the crossroads, which now accommodated several families, was also outside the Bovill estate.
Thus, when the trustees of the late Sir William Bovill decided to dispose of his properties in 1877, there were some fourteen residential buildings in the area, including the five small cottages described earlier. However, only two of all these were described in Census returns as "Jacobs Wells" and that number could hardly be said to constitute a hamlet, let alone a village.
The prospectus for the auction sale on 21st April 1877 spoke of "tempting sites for building" in a neighbourhood described as "select and particularly desirable for Residence". It was pointed out that application had been made to erect a new railway station at Worplesdon "within half a mile of the principal Lots". However there were no takers for the several farms and out of more than 200 acres put up for sale only a few minor plots amounting to less than 10 acres changed hands for a total of £705.
Beehive Cottage One of these was Lot 11, a field of almost one acre of "valuable pasture land" directly across the road from Jacobs Well Farm. When a Mr Hart of Woking made the only bid it was rejected by the auctioneer but Mr Hart increased his bid before the end of the sale and acquired the plot for £55. By 1881 a new building had appeared on this plot, with the extravagant name of Waterden Castle (later Beehive Cottage and now The Ives). It was occupied by Edmond Gunner, a cow keeper aged 30, and his family. By that time Jacobs Well Farm was also in the possession of a Charles Hart, who came from Woking, and who no doubt had purchased Lot 11 to house his employee.
Some of the unsold plots were later purchased privately. For example on 19th October 1877 George Burt's elder son, William, bought Lot 4, Queenhithe farm, containing over 46 acres.
Crabtree Cottages Lot 3 had included both Little Crabtree and Great Crabtree fields, totalling just over 8 acres. A cottage was built on the latter and occupied by the time of the next census in 1881. This was called Crabtree Cottage, Clay Lane, and was subdivided into two, in one half of which lived Job Chalk and his wife Fanny. She had been born, and lived until her marriage in 1879, in the Old Cottage on Whitmoor Common to which she was to return after the death of her father in 1882.
Crabtree Cottages have the somewhat rare distinction of still bearing the "fire-mark" of the Sun Fire Office, which was the first to have a company fire brigade and which initiated the custom of marking the houses of its policy holders with its company badge. There is a popular but exaggerated idea that the various companies' fire brigades would only deal with blazes at buildings bearing their mark but by the time that the mark was placed on this cottage it was really no more than an advertisement. This particular mark does not carry a policy number.
Greencroft Before the nineteenth century expired one more new home had come into existence at Jacobs Wells. Two plots described in the Tithe Apportionment as "The Crooked Field" had long been part of Queen Ann farm but were separated from it by the road to Sutton Green. After the death of the owner, James Greening, one plot was sold and a house was built on it, occupied by Arthur Jupp, a market gardener from Sussex.
The house was named Greencroft, thus reviving the name by which the plot was known as far back as 1592 when it was part of the estate of Thomas Russell the Younger of Burgham. Greencroft survived as Jacobs Wells Nurseries under a succession of owners until Mr Leonard Pratt moved away in about 1988. More recently it was demolished and its place taken by three new houses on the north-west side of Jacobs Well Road between Meadowside and Artillery Cottage, while the rear of the property has become the north-east side of Holly Lea.
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