The following information is taken from documents in the hands of the owners of 39-40 and 41-42 Tathall End in 2009, with an introduction based on early estate maps.

Early maps show 39 to 42 Tathall End as one property:

in 1779, it is described as a 'Farm House, Outbuildings, Yard Garden, Orchard and Close' with an area of 1 acre, 3 roods, 32 perch, forming part of the estate of Henry Lowndes Esq. in Hanslope, totaling 358 acres at that time. 

in 1818, it is described as a 'Farm House, Homestead Close' with an area of 4 acres 0 roods and 6 perch, owned by William Lowndes Stone Esq. who remained owner in 1828.

By 1901 the building was divided into 4 cottages, 3 of them recorded as having only three rooms, the fourth having 4 rooms.  Some of the tenants can be identified from the 1901 and 1911 censuses.  One was the great-grandmother of Kate Stirk who provided the photographs from 1939 and reminiscences of visits (see below).

By the time of the sale of the Watts estate, the land appears to have been part of the estate conveyed to Lord Hesketh, probably in late 1930s.  The date the Watts family acquired this property is not known at present.  The sale by the Hesketh estate and subsequent history is as follows.

41 and 42

In 1964 no.41 was sold to Walter Beesley when he purchased Manor Farm from the Hesketh estate.  It is said that Monty Beasley, his nephew, was living in the cottage at this time.

In 1979 no.42 was sold to David and Teresa Ward

In 1981 the Wards purchased no.41 from the Beesleys

In October 1981 the Borough of Milton Keynes 'determined' a closing order on 41/42. 
This order was issued on 21st February 1978.  It seems the order was effectively a condemnation of the building as unfit.  (Note that it was in 1979 that the building was listed; probably a related event.)

In 1982 John and Yvonne Osborne purchased from the Wards

In 2002 Simon and Lesley Aslett purchased from the Osbornes

In 2009 Paul Tomlinson purchased from the Asletts

39 and 40

In 1977 39/40 was sold to Stephen and Beryl Preston by the Hesketh estate

In 1983 Charles Southall purchased from the Prestons

Yvonne Osborne provided the following information in a letter to the Asketts in 2002:

the house was known as Ark’s Yard when the Osbornes moved in 1982.

‘there used to be a soft sandstone plaque let into the stone over the porch, which bore the letters WH and the date 1631’

‘The main house was finished around 1631.   The original shape was one long rectangle with no additions, and the kitchen extension and back extensions are only about 200 years old.’

When the house was split into four cottages, ‘the big arched window was a doorway to a corridor which went from front to back of the house’.  There was ‘a block of outside lavatories where Charlie Southall’s garage now stands’.

Some old flagstones on the patio and the steps into the garden ‘were the few remaining intact flags that used to be the floor of the dining room’.

The house was rescued from a closing order in the early 1960s.  (Note this date is not consistent with the evidence described above)

The living room fireplace was exposed in the 1980s when a Victorian range was removed.  ‘One side was intact and the other crumbled – so a template from the extant side and copied’.

In the early 20th century, number 42 was occupied by the Gibbs family which later became the Gables.  For some family remembrances click on Gibbs family in Tathall End.