Located on the left-hand side as you travel northwards up Churchill Road towards the church, The Firs dates from at least 1695 and extensive original documents exist for the house.
During its history it has been called The Firs and Welton Cottage. Its exterior has elements of Georgian design appropriate to construction at this time, although it may have been built around a smaller older property.
The Firs 1950s/early 1960s
The house was also a small holding with extensive land to the side and rear including paddocks – hence the name of the 20th century road of bungalows: The Paddock.
The property was extensively refurbished by Carl Ponder in the early 2020s and during the work a 1797 George III “Cartwheel” penny was found under a backdoor sill. This iconic large copper coin, measuring 36-37mm and weighing 28.3g was designed by Conrad Heinrich Küchler and struck at the Soho Mint, featuring a distinctive broad raised rim with lettering to prevent stop counterfeiting.
The obverse shows the king facing right wearing a crown of laurels whilst the reverse depicts Britannia seated. Over 8 million of these coins were minted and its equivalent value today would be about £1.63, so it was not a costly item to bury. But nonetheless, it would have been for a reason now long forgotten: perhaps to mark the date of renovation work or possibly as a good luck token to assure wealth in the household.
The Firs deeds
It is amazing that a comprehensive set of deeds and other legal documents going back to 1696 – when William and Mary were on the throne – all in excellent condition, which the current owner has kindly lent to us. This includes a previously made summary of the documents, an updated version of which can be seen below.
1696 – Earliest Known References
William Smith, Joseph Wright and others appear in surviving records as landlords or tenants associated with the property.
1706 – Additional Names Recorded
Matthew Hutchinson, Ann Hutchinson and Jon Bliss appear in the records, suggesting continuing occupation and management of the estate.
1713 – Lease Agreement
William Caswell and John Matthews entered into a lease agreement with two landlords.
At this time the property is believed to have exceeded 100 acres.
1736–1750 – Indentures and Family Connections
A series of indentures survive involving the Perry, Smith, Downes, Gregory, Clarke, Green, Ambrose and Bassett families.
These documents suggest long-standing family and occupational links with the property.
- 1736 – Thomas Perry, William Perry, Thomas Smith, Thomas Downes, Henry Gregory, Joseph Clarke, John Green, Henry Ambrose and Sarah Ambrose appear.
- 1745 – Additional Perry family indentures recorded.
- 1746 – Thomas Perry and Henry Bassett appear.
- 1750 – Further Perry and Bassett indentures recorded.
1763 – Evidence of Ownership
An indenture involving John Clay, William Smith and Henry and Sarah Ambrose suggests that Clay and Smith were among the principal owners at this time.
1767–1768 – The Sabin Family Appears
Mary and Josiah Sabin first appear in the records.
In 1768 Charles Ambrose paid John Clay £750 before his death, suggesting a significant transfer of interests.
1789–1801 – The Era of Complex Ownership
Records mention William Clarke, John Gibb, John Chamberlain, Thomas Checkley, George Ringrose and Josiah Sabin as having interests connected with the property.
- 1789 – Reference to a 1-year lease to George Ringrose.
- 1789 – Assignment of £200 from Clarke and Ringrose to John Seaton.
- 1792 – A further £200 paid by Ringrose to Seaton.
- 1793 – Josiah Sabin transfers interests to son Joseph Sabin, including 70 acres of meadow and pasture.
- 1801 – John Seaton assigns a bond of indemnity to Joseph Sabin.
1806–1818 – Sabin Consolidation
- 1806 – Harrison & Golightly assign £3,150 to Joseph Bull.
- 1817 – Josiah Sabin dies.
- 1818 – John Clarke executes a deed of exchange with Thomas Sabin.
The Sabin family continued consolidating ownership during this period.
1854 – Reorganisation of the Estate
The Welton messuage was disentailed, removing restrictions on inheritance and sale.
Thomas Sabin and son Thomas W. Sabin allocated interests to John Fisher, who may have been a trustee, leaseholder or financial stakeholder.
The house was then occupied by Sarah Anne Hill and her eight children.
1858–1864 – Mortgages and Financial Pressure
Thomas Sabin transferred assets to son Thomas W. Sabin, who then became the principal owner.
- 1859 – Thomas Sabin dies.
- 1862 – Thomas W. Sabin mortgages the property for £900 to Frederick J. Morrell.
- 1864 – A further mortgage arrangement is made with Frederick P. Morrell and Charles Ward.
1872 – Bankruptcy and Sale
Thomas W. Sabin’s finances collapsed and the property was sold to settle outstanding debts.
John Fisher emerged as legal owner during the process and subsequently sold the property to Martin Smith, a local Welton farmer.
- All debts were settled.
- Frederick P. Morrell and Charles Ward each received £420.
- Martin Smith became owner of the property.
1910 – Francis Knibb Purchases The Firs
Retired farmer Martin Smith sold the freehold house and leasehold paddocks to Francis Knibb, a schoolmaster from Radford, Warwickshire. They are related by marriage – Martin is Francis’ aunt’s cousin’s husband!
- Purchase price: £500.
- Property size had reduced to around 5 acres and 2 roods.
- Ernest Porter, (relative of George?) appears in census records by 1911. He is living there with his wife Annie, sister of Sarah Mills and cousin of Francis Knibb.
1925 – Sarah Mills and the New Zealand Connection
Francis Knibb sold The Firs to his cousin Sarah Mills, wife of Arthur Mills, a New Zealand farmer and sister in law of Ernest Porter
The property was placed into trust, ensuring that any future sale required trustee approval.
- Trustees: Sarah’s daughters, Cicely Mills and Eileen Mills.
- The arrangement may have offered inheritance and tax advantages.
- Solicitors Jebb & Turnard prepared a synopsis of the earlier deeds.
1933 – Sarah Mills’ Will
Sarah Mills returned to Britain and made her will.
- Cicely Mills became Cicely McHugh.
- Eileen Mills became Eileen Stace.
- Both remained executrices and trustees.
The will was witnessed by C. Porter of Virginia Cottage, Welton.
1946 – Sarah Mills Dies
Sarah Mills died and left The Firs and its paddocks to illegitimate son Frank Knibb.
The transfer was made with the agreement of the trustees.
1948 – New Trustees Appointed
Sarah’s daughters resigned as trustees.
New trustees were appointed:
- Annie Porter
- Cicely Knibb, wife of Frank Knibb and Annie’s daughter
Responsibility for the trust therefore moved into the Knibb and Porter families.
1958 – Sale to the Ellisons
Frank Knibb sold The Firs to Jack and Millie Ellison for £950.
- Annie Porter appears as trustee.
- Trust interests were extinguished through the sale.
- Leasehold and freehold interests were merged.
- The property became a conventional freehold.
1963 – Development of the Paddocks
The Ellisons sold the attached paddocks to Bedford Construction for £3,000.
This marked the separation and future development of land once associated with The Firs.
1964 to Present – Modern Ownership
After the death of Jack Ellison, Millie Ellison remained at The Firs.
Ownership later passed to Carl Ponder who undertook substantial renovation and subsequently to the present owner.
18th Century
By the mid 1700s, the Sabin family feature heavily in the documents, starting with Mary and Josiah. They were to have control of the property for over a century, with interests passing through the generations to their son Joseph, his son Thomas and his oldest son Thomas William. For much of the time they were absentee landlords.
In the late 1700s a George Ringrose is leasing and living in the house (see 1789 note on timeline above). He is listed on the Welton Militia List for 1777. At one time he was a prosperous weaver, using the upper floor of the property which let in plenty of light as his workshop.
However, he was declared bankrupt in 1802, at which point he absconded. It seems that he later recovered his wealth as by 1819 he had applied to “inclose a seat at Welton Church”.
To “inclose a seat” in a church meant:
- Building wooden panelling or partitions around a pew — forming a box-like enclosure.
- Creating a private or semi‑private family pew, often for a particular household or landowner.
- Reserving the seat for that family’s use, sometimes with hereditary or customary rights attached.
This practice reflected both social status and local tradition, marking out prominent families within the parish interior.
19th Century – The Hill Family – influence across the globe
In 1851, Thomas Sabin and his wife Rebecca and family were living in ‘Windmill House’ in Welton. He is recorded as a farmer of 140 acres, employing 4 men and he owned the Firs.
However it was the Hill family who lived there in 1851, where the census records Sarah Ann Hill, born in the Bahamas, resident with her children Louisa, Annie, Emily and newborn Edmund, plus her brother‑in‑law George Allinton and three servants. Sarah Ann was the wife of Stephen John Hill, a British Army officer and later colonial governor. Born in St Lucia in 1809, Hill joined the army in 1825 and rose through the ranks, serving in the West Indies Regiment and leading anti‑piracy expeditions in the Gambia. He became Governor of the Gold Coast in 1851, Sierra Leone in 1854 and 1860, the Leeward Islands in 1863, and Newfoundland from 1869 to 1876.
Sarah Ann was the daughter of Chief Justice William Munnings of the Bahamas. She married Hill in Nassau in 1830, though they did not live together until 1836, when their first child William was born. Her parents were killed by pirates shortly afterwards. The Hills lived in Jamaica and London before Sarah Ann moved to Welton in the late 1840s, likely for health, family connections to Rev Daniel Darnell, and schooling for her son William. A later son, Edmund Hill was born and baptised in Welton.
Sarah Ann died in 1869. Stephen Hill later remarried, fathered another child in Newfoundland, retired to London in 1876 and died in 1891. His estate was £184 11S 6d (equivalent: £27- 30K today).
20th century – The Knibb and Porter family – connecting Welton to New Zealand
The Firs is central to the Knibb–Porter story, revealing how extended family networks shaped who lived there and why. Documents from 1910, show retired Welton farmer Martin Smith selling its freehold and the paddock lease for £500 to Francis Knibb. Although this looked like a simple transaction, the archive shows it was actually a transfer within an interconnected family group: Smith was a relative of Harriet Knibb, and the purchase linked the Knibbs, Porters and Smiths in a shared chain of support. Samuel and Harriet Knibb themselves had lived in Welton since the 1890s, and their daughter Annie later became one of the long‑term occupants of The Firs.
The house became home for Annie Porter (née Knibb) after her marriage to Ernest Porter. The couple moved into The Firs, supported by wealthier relatives who wanted to ensure better living conditions for the young family. In 1910, Samuel Knibb’s nephew, Francis Knibb, a schoolmaster and Annie’s cousin, purchased the property, likely to help Annie and Ernest settle into a more substantial home. Census records from 1911 and 1921 show the Porters living at The Firs for decades, raising their daughter Cicely there and sharing the house at times with other residents, including Ernest’s brother Clement.
Ownership of The Firs continued to move through the extended family, reflecting both family support and practical inheritance planning. In 1925, Francis Knibb sold the property to Sarah Elizabeth Mills (née Knibb), his cousin and Annie’s elder sister, who held it in trust with her daughters, Cicely and Eileen Mills. Later, Annie Porter and her daughter Cicely Knibb became trustees. The house remained the centre of family life until 1958, when Frank Knibb—Sarah’s illegitimate son—finally sold it to the Ellisons (see below), marking the end of nearly half a century of Knibb–Porter occupation.
The Firs also acted as a symbolic anchor for a family member who had travelled far beyond Welton, Sarah Elizabeth, who emigrated to New Zealand after her marriage. Despite her life abroad, she retained ownership of The Firs and passed it to her son in her will. The house’s long history of intergenerational stewardship reflects the family ties between the Knibb, Porter, Smith and Mills families.
20th century – The Ellisons
Mill, as she preferred to be known, was born Millicent in 1930 in London. Her dad was a policeman there. She first came to Welton when she was evacuated, aged 9. She didn’t stay long the first time though as she was soon sent to join her sister Joan, who had been evacuated to Grantham. However, in about 1954 Mill returned to Welton. During her growing up she didn’t particularly enjoy school and always wanted to work on the land and to be with animals.
She met her first husband, Gordon Whitbread and lived in Great Houghton. Sadly, Gordon was killed in a motorcycle accident when he was on his way to work. At the time their son, Stephen was only two weeks old, having been born prematurely. Life was very hard, but Mill was always a hard worker.
She met her second husband, Jack Ellison in Weedon. He was a plasterer and together they wanted to buy a house and some land of their own. Then one day they learned of The Firs, a smallholding in Churchill Road, Welton being for sale and with the generosity of an acquaintance who loaned them the money to purchase the house and land, they moved in; needless to say they both worked hard and managed quickly to repay the loan.
After Mill moved out, the property was bought by the Ponders, who renovated it extensively and lived in it for a while, before selling to the current owner.
