In 1840, Mathon Court, the large house near Lane End was owned by the Vale family who lived in the village for sixty years or more. The present house, which is probably two hundred years old, was the site of an ancient farm. The Victoria County History says that Richard Mucklow was the owner of a ‘capital messuage (house and land) called Hall Court in the time of King Edward VI. (1547 - 1553)’. Near the house there is an 18th Century barn and a mill house and mill stone, and there is said to be a date towards the end of the 18th Century incised in one of the chimneys. In front of the house, stands a mulberry tree, thought to have been planted over three hundred years ago in an attempt to produce silk. In 1669, in the reign of James 1, encouragement was given to plant mulberry trees, with the intention of establishing a silk industry. A thousand trees were delivered to each county town for sale at 3/4d. each. In the reign of Charles II planting was again encouraged. However, it seems that the mulberry was the wrong variety, and the venture was unsuccessful.
William Vale (1785 - 1842) had served in the Royal Navy, and reputedly was fortunate to be awarded a large sum of prize money as the result of the capture of an enemy vessel. When he left the service, he used the money to buy property in Herefordshire, and as well as Mathon Court the family at one time owned Mathon Lodge and Coddington Court. In 1840, William Vale owned 262 acres, and he and his wife Catherine were living at Mathon Court and employing a groom, housemaid, cook and parlourmaid,
Their eldest son, William Scarlett Vale, (1821 - 1869) lived at Mathon Lodge in 1861 with his wife and two children. His younger brother, Martindale, is listed in the Census as a barrister, not practising. In 1880, Major Martindale Edward Vale was drowned at sea.
William Croxton Vale (1859 - 1910) and his wife had three children. They seem to have been an unlucky family, for none of the children lived to the age of 25. Albert died in 1906, aged 17, Noble, aged 24 was killed at Gallipoli in 1915 while serving with a New Zealand regiment, and Edith Marie was interred in Switzerland, aged 22, which suggests that she may have been sent for treatment for a respiratory ailment.
In 1881, the family had left Mathon Court and Lodge, but Henry E. Vale occupied Coddington House, with his wife Frances, and 19 year old son Octavius. Mathon Court was by now the property of John Smith, a retired postmaster, who lived there with his wife and large family of six daughters and three sons and Mathon Lodge was occupied by Henry Tebbitt.
I am indebted to Dr. C Phipps, the present owner of Mathon Court for most of the information about the house.