Place Name
The Carleton family were by the 18thCentury already one of the old established families of Carshalton and “at the beginning of the century,” writes A E Jones in From Medieval Manor to London Suburb, “Edward Carleton owned in the parish a house, five fishponds, a considerable acreage of land and a copper mill.” Edward Carleton was a spendthrift, he bought the Old Farm estate in Carshalton from a beneficiary of former owner Dixey Longe’s will. Soon afterwards he pulled down the Old Farm building and built Carshalton House in its place. Thus Carleton owned both Carshalton House and the Lower Mill, which became, in effect, an appurtenance to the Carshalton House estate, and was to remain so for the next 30 years or so. But Carleton’s lavish spending was hiding a secret. He had set up in partnership with his brother Arden in a tobacco and snuff business, and this, by 1714, owed the astonishing sum of £16,000 for tobacco duty. A further £15,000 was also owed to various creditors. With the creditors calling, Edward did a runner and Arden was made bankrupt; and the Carshalton property was seized by the Crown for revenue debt. “The sequel was a London Gazette advertisement inviting tenders for purchase of this estate. An offer of £7,163 by Dr John Radcliffe was accepted in May 1714 and shortly afterwards… he took up residence in Carshalton.”
