Rhoda Wyburn (25 August 1841 - 8 May 1934) was an English milliner who with her sister Emily ran a successful business in Regent Street that enabled them to buy Hadley Manor near Chipping Barnet in north London. The sisters were committed Methodists who donated funds to establish Methodist churches in north London and elsewhere.
Rhoda Wyburn was born in Somerset, on 25 August 1841, to Robert and Susanna Wyburn. She had a sister Emily (c. 1837 - March 1913). Their father was a cabinet-maker and Methodist preacher who owned the Woolavington Throckmorton manor house in Woolavington, Somerset. [1] [2]
With her sister Emily, Rhoda Wyburn ran a millinery business in Bridgwater, Somerset, and later had premises at 246 Regent Street, London, under the name Mademoiselle Emelie. [1]
In 1890, [3] the sisters bought Hadley Manor from Julia Hyde, widow of Henry Hyde of Ely Place, Holborn, thus becoming lords of the Manor of Hadley. [4] The manor house stood on the eastern side of Hadley Green Road, to the north of Chipping Barnet, until it was destroyed by fire in the early 1930s. It was purchased by East Barnet council in 1934 on Rhoda's death [3] and demolished in 1935. At about the same time, Rhoda gave to the public the land known as Hadley Manor Fields to the rear of the manor house which was combined with purchases from adjacent estates such as the Hadley Hurst Estate and Gladsmuir Estate to form King George's Fields which were created to mark the jubilee of King George V. [5] Nothing remains of the manor house today and the site is used as the western entrance to King George's Fields.
A Miss Wyburn laid the foundation stone for the High Barnet Methodist Church in 1891. It was demolished in the 1980s apart from the spires which are now incorporated into The Spires Shopping Centre. Miss Wyburn also funded the first Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in the area which was "a good iron hut" transferred to East Barnet from Hadley Manor in 1915. [6] [7]
In Somerset, Miss E. Wyburn laid the foundation stone for the "New" Wesleyan Methodist Church in Middlezoy in 1898. [8] In 1901, a Miss Wyburn laid the foundation stone for the Queen Victoria's Seamen's Rest home in Jeremiah Street, Poplar.
Rhoda Wyburn died on 8 May 1934. A notice in The London Gazette gave her address as Hadley Manor and 19 Burton Road, Branksome Park, Bournemouth. The executors of her Will were Mrs Susan Emily Evans and John William Pepper. [9] She left no descendants. A legacy from the Wyburn family continues to fund Methodist activity in Barnet. [10]
The London Borough of Barnet is a suburban London borough in North London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest London borough by population with 384,774 inhabitants, also making it the 13th largest district in England. The borough covers an area of 86.74 square kilometres (33 sq mi), the fourth highest of the 32 London boroughs, and has a population density of 45.8 people per hectare, which ranks it 25th.
Chipping Barnet or High Barnet is a suburban market town in north London, forming part of the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a suburban development built around a 12th-century settlement, and is located 10+1⁄2 miles (17 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross, 3 miles (4.8 km) east from Borehamwood, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) west from Enfield and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south from Potters Bar. Its population, including its localities East Barnet, New Barnet, Hadley Wood, Monken Hadley, Cockfosters and Arkley, was 47,359 as of 2011.
New Barnet is a neighbourhood on the north east side of the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb located east of Chipping Barnet, west of Cockfosters, south of the village of Monken Hadley and north of Oakleigh Park.
Potters Bar Urban District was a local government district in England from 1894 to 1974, covering the town of Potters Bar and the village of South Mimms. The district was initially called the South Mimms Rural District, being renamed in 1934.
Monken Hadley is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. An ancient country village north of Barnet, it is now a suburban development on the very edge of Greater London 11 miles (18 km) north north-west of Charing Cross, while retaining much of its rural character.
Hadley Wood is an affluent suburb in the north of Greater London, close to the border with Hertfordshire. It appears to be a stand-alone village surrounded by Green Belt land, however, under the Local Government Act 1972 it is part of the London Borough of Enfield, about 11 miles (17.7 km) north of Charing Cross.
Sir William Stanford, also written Stamford or Staunford, was an English politician, judge and jurist.
The Spires Barnet is a shopping centre in Chipping Barnet, north London, England. It is located in the centre of the town, on the High Street, and incorporates the twin spires of the former High Barnet Methodist Church which stood on the site until the late 1980s.
Edmonton is one of six hundreds of the historic county of Middlesex, England. A rotated L-shape, its area has been in the south and east firmly part of the urban growth of London. Since the 1965 formation of London boroughs it mainly corresponds to the London Boroughs of Enfield, a negligible portion of Barnet and a narrow majority of Haringey. Its ancient parish of South Mimms has since 1965 been part of the Hertsmere district in Hertfordshire.
Ludgrove, or Ludgrave, or Ludgraves, was an estate and farm in Middlesex between Monken Hadley in the west and Cockfosters in the east in what is now north London. It was centered on Ludgrove Farm near to Cockfosters.
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held a number of positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries. He bought an estate at Dorfold in the parish of Acton, near his birthplace of Nantwich in Cheshire, and he was active in charitable works locally, including founding two sets of almshouses for impoverished men. He also founded almshouses in Monken Hadley, Middlesex, where he is buried.
Ossulston House is a Grade II listed building opposite Joslin's Pond in Hadley Green Road, Hadley, to the north of Chipping Barnet. It is one of what was an almost complete line of houses between Chipping Barnet and Monken Hadley along the east side of Hadley Green which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries as wealthy merchants from London populated the area.
Ludgrove Hall is a house in Games Road, Cockfosters, north London, on the edge of Monken Hadley Common. It was originally a private home but then became Ludgrove School and has now been converted to flats. Additional buildings have since been constructed in the grounds.
William Franks was a landowner in East Barnet, Hadley Wood and Cheshunt, and the owner of a large estate in the former Enfield Chace.
Frederick Charles Cass (1824-1896) was the rector of the parish of Monken Hadley in north London. His father, also Frederick Cass, owned the relevant advowson giving the right to make such appointments. He was the author of works of local history relating to South Mimms, Monken Hadley and East Barnet.
Frederick Cass DL was High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, 1844–45. He was resident at Beaulieu Lodge, Winchmore Hill, Edmonton, and later Little Grove, East Barnet.
Eleanor Palmer was an English philanthropist who established a charity to help the poor of Chipping Barnet and Kentish Town, now parts of London. Her charity still exists and owns and runs almshouses and residential homes for the elderly.
Folly Farm, originally Folly House, on the southern edge of Monken Hadley Common, was a farm that dated from 1686 and became a popular recreation site in the early 20th century. The site is now occupied by the Jewish Community Secondary School.
Hadley is a district of the London Borough of Barnet between Chipping Barnet in the south and Monken Hadley in the north. It was formerly a civil parish of Barnet Urban District.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhoda Wyburn . |