Towards the end of the Nineteenth Century, the Argoed Estate covered some 438 acres, of which 378 acres were in the Parish of Penallt and 60 acres were in the Parish of Cwm Carvan. The income from the Estate was around £450 per year, or about £58000 in today’s terms.
Twelve of the houses in Pentwyn Park and Pentwyn Lane, the road north from Croes Faen, are built on what was Argoed Estate land. The Bush Inn and seven houses to the north are also on what was estate land. Many of the properties in Lone Lane were owned by the Estate too.
The map above shows (in pink) the extent of the Penallt part of the estate and that on the right shows land owned in Cwm Carvan, just the other side of today’s B4293.
The Argoed and the Estate were purchased by Mr Richard Potter in 1865 and the Estate was put up for sale in 1892 on the occasion of his death. The sale was conducted by Messrs Debenham, Tewson, Farmer and Bridgewater of 80, Cheapside in London, and it seems that all was not purchased as The Argoed itself was put up for sale again in 1893 and 1894, but did not sell until 1897.
One extract from the 1892 Auction Catalogue shows that Mrs Edith Jane Reynolds’s holding comprised an area of 4 acres 3 roods and 18 perches at an annual rent of £6 “but a rebate has recently been made of £1 10s a year”.
[There are 4 roods to an acre and 40 perches to a rood; a perch is 30.25 square yards]