The History of Wandsworth Common

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Last modified: 30 October 2026 · Build 1

The Nottidge Family of Wandsworth Common
Research notes

William Nottidge was a county magistrate who lived at the top of Allfarthing Lane, on the western edge of the Common, in the first half of the nineteenth century. He was a lessee of the Common, sat on the bench in some of the area’s most famous cases, and gave his name to Nottidge Road, now Earlsfield Road.

Through his daughter Harriet he was grandfather of the naturalist Henry Nottidge Moseley, and great-grandfather of the physicist Henry Moseley. The family page in /people/nottidges/ is still empty; the main material so far is on the Moseleys page and in the Chronicles.

These are working notes. The newest findings are in the research log at the foot of the page.

How sure each point is: confirmed in a reliable source; to check stated somewhere but not yet verified; lead an inference, not yet sourced.

Contents

The family in outline

William Nottidge, county magistrate, of Wandsworth Common confirmed

Harriet Nottidge married at St Anne’s Henry Moseley (1801–1872), mathematician, first Inspector of Schools, Canon of Bristol confirmed

Henry Nottidge Moseley (1844–1891), naturalist on HMS Challenger, Linacre Professor at Oxford confirmed

Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley (1887–1915), physicist, killed at Gallipoli confirmed

William’s other children, his wife, and his own dates are still to be found. to check

William Nottidge JP

William Nottidge, “of Wandsworth Common”, was a county magistrate and one of the lessees of the Common, so he had an interest in what happened on it. A furze-burning case on the Common was heard before him. (Chronicles, March 2023) confirmed

The Elms, Elm Lodge and Earlsfield House

The Nottidges lived at “The Elms” at the top of Allfarthing Lane. confirmed Henry Nottidge Moseley was born in 1844 in a house where Heathfield Road meets West Side and Allfarthing Lane. confirmed

The Chronicles also record that “Nottidge Road” became Earlsfield Road, and that the Nottidges’ home, “Elm Lodge”, was enlarged by Robert Davis and renamed Earlsfield House, which gave Earlsfield its name. (Chronicles, April 2023) confirmed

Were The Elms and Elm Lodge the same house? Allfarthing Lane and Earlsfield are some way apart, so there may have been two Nottidge houses, perhaps of different generations. to check

On the bench

The Moseleys

Northern Rockhopper Penguin, Eudyptes moseleyi
Moseley’s penguin, the Northern Rockhopper, Eudyptes moseleyi, named after William Nottidge’s grandson. (Click to enlarge.)

Henry Moseley (1801–1872) married Harriet Nottidge, “daughter of William Nottidge of Wandsworth Common”, at St Anne’s. confirmed

Their son Henry Nottidge Moseley was taught as a boy by John Buckmaster. He sailed as naturalist on the Challenger expedition of 1872–76 (Chronicles, December 2023) and became Linacre Professor of Anatomy at Oxford. Moseley’s penguin is named after him. confirmed

For the whole story, see Henry Moseley and Henry Nottidge Moseley.

Open questions

Research log

30 October 2026 — Page started, drawing together the Moseleys page and the Nottidge references in the Chronicles. The earlier pages stay where they are and are listed under Sources.

Sources

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