Blackmore: Wenlocks Farm

Whilst doing some research on the life of a typical Essex agricultural labourer a couple of years ago, I looked at ERO D/D Dw T74, the deeds for Dairy Farm, Blackmore, 1858-1873. Dairy Farm is also referred to as Wenlocks Farm in other records.

The document is a lease commencing Michaelmas (i.e. 29 September) 1858 for 21 years. The lease terms were £400 payable quarterly. Dairy Farm covered just over 293 acres of land, entirely in the parish of Blackmore. The occupier / owner was William Thomas Longbourne and the assignment of the lease was from William Cust to William Rideout Smith and Issac Smith. One piece of land, No 295 on the tithe map, called ‘Front and Back Lawn’, laid out to pasture and 19 acres large, was subject “to a perpetual charge of £2 per annum payable to the Church wardens of Blackmore to be distributed by them amongst 8 poor women (called Widows Crowns)”.

1841: In the 1841 census William Caton was the farmer at Wenlocks Farm. William and his wife, Lydia, had moved to Jennings Farm by 1851.
1848: Whites Directory has William Caton as farmer *.
1856: Kelly’s Directory records Richard Streatfield as farmer at Dairy Farm *.
1863: Whites Directory has Joseph Smith as farmer *.
1891: In the 1891 census, Peter Fry was the farmer at Dairy Farm.
1910: The Electoral Roll gives Isabella Barclay as one having a dwelling house at Wenlocks; Hugh Craig owning a house and land at Wenlocks, though living at Paslow Hall, [High] Ongar, and; Arthur Perceval, the Dean of York, owning freehold house at land at Dairy Farm. **

More recently Wenlocks has ceased to be a dairy farm and been converted for equestrian purposes (about 2004). Follow link to recently approved planning application: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:bBXWLJVhgaAJ:www.brentwoodonline.gov.uk/plng/case_file/dl_755.pdf+wenlocks+farm+blackmore&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk
“There's a place in Blackmore called Wenlock's Farm. They only do full livery. It's like a 5 star hotel for horses and their facilities are amazing but you do pay for it! £150 a week!” (http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=158466)

* See http://www.blackmorehistory.co.uk/historyindex.html
** See http://www.blackmorehistory.co.uk/1910roll.html

Blackmore: Smith Family at Wenlocks Farm

Received
6 April 2009

Sandra Morris wrote:

“My GGG grandfather was Isaac Smith (usually called Jnr – b. 1830 in Halifax) who moved to Blackmore from London Paddington around 1860. He lived with his family and his parents at Dairy Farm according to the 1861 census. In the 1861 census, Isaac’s brother Joseph Rideal is described as a farmer of 295 acres employing 10 men & 3 boys. Isaac was the ‘Partner in Farm’. I know that Joseph left Blackmore in 1868 due to ill health and Isaac jnr had left by 1870. I am very interested to find out more about these Smiths if there are any more details available (written details, photos, just anything) about them in the local history records. Did they also own the land, or were they just farming on someone else’s land?”

Reply
8 April 2009

Thank you for your E mail. I will post it on http://www.blackmorehistory.blogspot.com/ because you never know who is out there!

I can confirm that Joseph Smith is mentioned in White’s Directory of 1863 as ‘Farmer’ at ‘Wenlocks Farm’ (see www.blackmorehistory.co.uk/historyindex.html) . This name and Dairy Farm appear to be interchangeable. The road sign in which the farm is situated is called Wenlocks Lane, but is ‘subtitled’ Dairy Farm Lane.

I took a quick look at SEAX, the Essex Record Office database, and find that the Deeds for Dairy Farm, Blackmore for the period 1858-1873 are held there under reference ERO D/D Dw T74. A visit to Chelmsford could prove very worthwhile for you.