Details of a 136-year-old deal made between a land baron family and a local council could finally have debunked the myth the authority has no right to charge residents to park on a famous seafront.

The mysterious agreement, made in 1883 between members of the Smyth-Pigott family - who owned the land - and the then the Local Board of the District of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, could put to rest the controversy surrounding parking charges enforced in the area.

Since many who believe North Somerset Council is not legally entitled to charge people to park near the beach have for years believed the proof lies in the 'covenants' contained within the contract - which have until now remained unseen by the public.

In July after a parking row erupted between the council and its residents Bristol Live investigated claims they were wrongly charging people to park along Marine Parade and the beaches. Finding that as the land was privately owned the authority could charge to park.

However, the covenants had not yet been released by the council.

What exactly was agreed upon between the family who handed over use of the area to the Local Board in the 19th century has been shrouded in conspiracy and rumour for a number of years and has since fuelled speculation on Facebook groups dedicated to the topic.

The document shows the land was given over to the Local Board on behalf of the public for their continued recreational use, it was not gifted directly to the public as it has been thought in the past.

It also includes four covenants, the first ensuring the council pays a yearly rent to the heirs of Cecil Hugh Smyth-Pigott and Henry Joseph Ruscombe Poole.

The second clause sets out what the council are allowed to use the land for.

Specifically it says the council cannot use the land for any purpose other than "walks, drives, terraces, esplanades, gardens and ornamental places of recreation and as the site of buildings for the convenience accommodation and amusement of the inhabitants of and visitors to Weston-super-Mare."

Adding its use is expected to be for the "enjoyment of the said premises by the public".

Cars or car parks are not mentioned in the covenants nor the document at all however, this is understandable when taking into account the first true automobile was not invented until 1885, around two years after the agreement was signed.

When asked about the significance of the covenants on whether the council can charge for parking Weston-super-Mare's new mayor Mark Canniford said that while parking is not mentioned directly it is needed in modern day for people to enjoy the site recreationally.

"Parking is a part of that recreational use. Yes, there's a fee but most people agree that's important to fund the seafront facilities," said Cllr Canniford.

"The covenants only mention what we can use the land for and doesn't detail what we can't. It does not say we cannot charge people for parking.

"The council feel like they have a strong case for being allowed to charge residents to park and any challenge made against the covenants will have to come from the Smyth-Pigott family itself because that's who the agreement was made with."

Cllr Canniford added there needed to be a fairer parking system at the beach. He said: "I inherited this issue and I will sort it out. Whether that means cutting the fees, adopting the road or changing the charging system. Weston seafront has to change and it will change."

People have expressed anger when issues with blue warning notices handed out by the council to those who do not pay and display on the land. The notice is to pay £10, a fine the authority said it could civilly enforce.

A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the council confirmed it has never taken an individual to court because of non-payment of a ticket.

A North Somerset Council spokesperson said: "We own the beach at Weston-super-Mare (up to the mean tide line, beyond which the land is the property of the Crown) and the entirety of Marine Parade which means we are legally entitled to charge for parking there and are also legally entitled to enforce on the land.

"The covenant in place does not restrict our ability to charge for parking and we are not required to have parking orders in place.

"Any income derived from parking on this land is used to fund council services, including managing and maintaining the seafront, as allowed in law."

Cllr John Crockford-Hawley said: "Though not a lawyer, I do have an interest in deciphering historical documents and, though the language is archaic, I can see no reason to suggest the council is acting illegally with the land in question. I suspect challengers are groping at anything which might aid their case."

The Liberal Democrat member added: "However, the way in which parking fees are collected is a matter for modern interpretation and nothing to do with the indentures. One question for those who say they should be allowed to park without charge on the beach is this: by what other means would you suggest the council raises revenue to provide much needed and seriously under-funded services if this income stream were to be obliterated?"

The Smyth-Pigott family line resided in Brockley Hall inherited the manorial lordship of Weston-super-Mare.

In 1804 a house known as The Grove was the home of the Rev Wadham Piggott, curate of Weston, whose family had owned the manor of Weston since 1696.

While in 1826 a seafront walk was created, by the mid 1800s the only open public space was the cemetery.

Eventually in the 1880s, economic conditions forced the Smyth-Pigotts to gradually sell or lease their land to the town so they could be turned into parks.

The estate had passed from John Hugh Smyth-Pigott to his eldest son John Hugh Wadham Smyth-Pigott in 1862 to his grandson Cecil who got it in the early 1880s.

Cecil faced a decline in income from the development of Weston-super-Mare and it is he who is named first in the Indenture.

The land was sought to carry out a Sea Front Improvement Scheme, dedicated to turning it into a destination for 'bathing'.