1770 – Messuage or tenement, malt house and backside garden lease for one year, to John Greenfield of St Bartholomew in the County of Sussex, by Elizabeth Trero of Middlesex. 5 shillings.
1771 – Sale by Elizabeth Trero to John Greenfield of Messuage, of tenement malthouse, barn, stable and backside garden. £74.
1774 – The Will of Ann Greenfield, widow of Captain John Greenfield: “my new built messuage, or dwellinghouse with the buildings and garden situate in the Parish of St Bartholomew” left to Jane Challen, her sister.
1812 – The Will of Jane Challen (spinster) to her nephew: “my farms, lands, hereditaments and estates to my nephew John Gratwick Challen.” Codicil signed 1812.
1816 1st May – A Lease for one year from Rev John Gratwick Challen to John Hopkinson. Five shillings.
1816 2nd May – Release of a messuage and garden situate without the Westgate of the city of Chichester. The executors of John Gratwick Challan to John Hopkinson of Totton in the parish of Eling in the county of Southampton, gentleman. £560. (Both witnesses were millers.)
1816 3rd May – Bond £500. John Gratwick Challen to John Hopkinson and William Johnson Esq of the city of Chichester.
1842 – Conveyance of an undivided moiety of a freehold dwellinghouse and garden in St Bartholmew Chichester. The Reverend John Davies, clerk Vicar of Gateshead in the county of Durham, and Mary his wife, to Mr Lewis William Hopkinson. £181 – £200 including stamp duty. (John Hopkinson had left it equally to his two children. This is the bill of sale of half from the daughter to the son).
1845 22nd November – Indenture Between Mary Hopkinson (widow) City of Chichester, 1st part; Mary Hopkinson (daughter) spinster City of Chichester 2nd part; and George Duke of North Mundham gentleman 3rd part; and William Gruggen, of the City of Chichester gentleman, Henry Duke of Earnley in the County of Sussex gentleman and Thomas Greene of the City of Chichester gentleman of the fourth part. (Mary was engaged to marry George Duke. The marriage took place in St Bartholomew’s Church in November 1845).
1862 (Mary died on October 21st and under the Succession Duty Act, George Duke of Drayton had to pay £27 (the rental value) less expenses) – “Land tax 11/6d, Insurance £1, Repairs £2 14s 0d = £22 14s 6d to Inland Revenue for ”all that freehold messuage or tenement with the backside and garden situate in the Parish of St Bartholomew in the City of Chichester on the south side of the Queen’s Highway leading from the Westgate of the City of Chichester towards Fishbourne in the said County of Sussex let at £27 per annum.”
1875 2nd April – Conveyance by Mr Thomas Greene gentleman, to Mr John Kiln gentleman of the City of Chichester. £570.
1975 3rd April – Mortgage by John Kiln to Mr Charles Cousens, grocer of Bognor. £400. Interest £4 10s per annum.
1877 7th February – Charles Cousins died 3rd July. Mortgage Mr John Kiln to Miss Harriet Cousens. £400. Interest £4 10s per annum.
1879 23 July – Conveyance “by the devises in trust for sale under the will of the late Mr John Kiln of a freehold dwellinghouse and premises at Westgate in the City of Chichester to uses in favour of Mrs Harriett Norman the wife of William Norman Esq.” £590.
1897 2nd May – Conveyance from William Norman esq. to Mrs Alice Norman. “Formerly in the Parish of St Bartholomew but now in the City of Chichester”.
1906 10th May – Conveyance from Mrs A Norman to Miss S.A. Ketterley – “Freehold premises, known as ‘Montreal’, Westgate”
1932 (Sarah Ketterley died 14th March 1931 and left the house to her sister Helena who died 29th May 1932 at Greylingwell.) 12th June – Conveyance: “The personal representatives of Miss Helena Victoria Ketterley deceased to Mrs Louisa Isabella Prior and Mrs Laura Katherine Templer. Freehold property ‘Montreal’ No. 9 Westgate in the City of Chichester”. (The purchasers lived together in Mount Lane and were joint tenants of the new house.)
1950 2nd June – Louisa Prior dies without severance of joint tenancy. Trust set up.
1960 24th August – Deed of Gift between Laura Katharine Templer of ‘Montreal’ no. 21 Westgate (note the numbering change of 1950) and John Charles Horatio Templer (son of the donor) of the same address. (A problem with the trust.)
1964 8th January – Deed of Gift between Laura Katharine Templer of ‘Montreal’ no. 21 Westgate and John Charles Horatio Templer (son of the donor) of the same address.
Montreal?
Little is known about why this property began to be called “Montreal” in 1906 and right up to this last document of 1964. The name is not visible on the property today but Dr Brownfield is of the understanding that the first mention of the name was in fact written Montreuil.
There are more than 25 towns in France with Montreuil in their title, and Wikipedia says Montreuil is a French place name derived from Monasteriolum, the Medieval Latin for “Little Monastery” of which there were no doubt many. The name seems to be most often used however to refer to Montreuil in Seine-Saint-Denis (aka Montreuil-sous-Bois).
This is a French commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, in the Seine-St-Denis department, where Jean Valjean of “Les Misérables” fame was mayor.
This still does not explain why this house in Westgate was given the name and more research is required.