Place Name
John Williams was a stockbroker who was residing in The Elms, a property on this lane in the early 19thCentury. In 1837 he was one of ten signatories from the parish of Mortlake to call for a commutation of tithes, this followed a change in the law the previous year in which landowners could make a one-off payment to the church in lieu of the annual tithes (which could also have been paid in kind). Before the Second World War it was also known as Kirks Lane or Cooks Lane. It is also a reminder of 15thCentury Mortlake brewer Morgan Williams who married Thomas Cromwell’s sister. Williams, set up the first brewery in the village, which by the early 20thCentury following numerous takeovers had grown into a huge concern.
