Lodge Farm, Great Linford
Lodge Farm, Great Linford, photographed for Milton Keynes Development Corporation, 1981 (D-MKDC/13/5/11.) From the collections of Buckinghamshire Archives and reproduced with permission.
Lodge Farm, now a private residence, is located off Windrush Close in present day Downhead Park (see map below), but it should be remembered that this was within the borders of the historic parish of Great Linford, and indeed is still within the modern parish boundaries.
A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Milton Keynes (1986, Paul Woodfield, Milton Keynes Development Corporation) offers the following description of the farmstead.
Farmhouse. 17th century, brick on stone footings and quarter hipped tiled roof. Classic lobby entry plan, with stair in lobby and doors to flanking reception rooms. Rear wing containing kitchen and brewhouse widened in the later 19th century. Double purlin roof with struts. A tile bearing the date 1667 was found on the roof; this may well be the date of the building. Internally there are chamfered ceiling beams and a good lattice food cupboard of the 17th century..
To the rear of the farmhouse stood a smoke house presumably for the curing of bacon..
The farmyard stood between the farmhouse and the lane and was later extended c. 1897 on the other side of the lane. The brick barn on the north side, early 19th century, of six bays, double purlin roof with collar and struts, and with attached cow hovels. A 17th-18th century stone barn raised in early 19th century brickwork stands on the south side of the yard.
Sources that explicitly name farms in the parish are few and far between before the mid-1800s. The earliest reference discovered that explicitly names the farmstead as Lodge Farm is dated 1854, but if the roof tile dated 1667 referenced above does indeed indicate the construction date, then the earliest years of occupation must regretfully remain largely undocumented. However, field names were much more a constant than were farm names, and thanks to an indenture (deed) held at Buckinghamshire Record Office (D-X 2228), we are able to plausibly place two members of the Bacchus family of Great Linford at the farm in 1808.
William and Richard Bacchus
The indenture of 1808 was drawn up by Henry Uthwatt Uthwatt and his son Henry, between Phillip Hoddle Ward of Tickford Abbey, the Reverend William Smyth of Great Linford, Thomas Hearn of Buckingham, George Cooch of Newport Pagnell, The Reverend John Dowbiggin of Slapton and John Rogers of Newport Pagnell, surgeon and apothecary.
This document provides a wealth of detail on the fields in the tenancy of a number of farmers, but in order to match fields to farm, we must cross reference to the 1840 tithe map for the parish (Buckinghamshire Archives Tithe/255), which was produced as part of a country-wide reassessment of taxes paid to the church, typically, 10% of agricultural produce. The intent was to replace the old system with more easily manageable cash payments, hence these well-illustrated and annotated maps come with a list of landowners and their tenants, including the individual fields each farmer was working. The match is by no means perfect, but more than enough field names are shared by both documents to plausibly place brothers William and Richard Bacchus at Lodge Farm in 1808.
The matching field names are Furse Ground, Spinney Ground, Charley Bush Ground East and West, Little Cowpen Meadow, Twelve Acres, Pennylands East and West, Hill Ground East and Hill Ground West. The total acreage in 1808 was stated as 272 acres, one rood and sixteen perches against 309 acres, three roods and 30 perches in 1840. Roods and perches are are old units of land measurement.
William and Richard were the sons of Richard Bachuss (a grazier) and Ann Nelson. Though the couple had married at Great Linford on June 14th, 1774, both of their boys appear to have been baptised at Hanslope, in 1775 and 1778 respectively. However, the name Bachuss is one that we find associated with Great Linford from as early as 1741, when an Ann Bacchus was baptised, the daughter of a Richard and Elizabeth. This Richard is described as a dairyman, so conceivably he was the father of the Richard married in 1774, from which we might draw the admittedly very tenuous conclusion that no less than three generations of the family had been tenants at Lodge Farm.
Richard and William Bacchus died within a few years of each other, Richard in 1832 and William in 1839. Richard had married a Sarah Pinkard at Great Linford in 1806, the couple becoming landlords of The Nags Head public house (presumably after their departure from Lodge Farm), which Sarah continued to manage until her death in 1865. Both Richard and William were buried at Great Linford, though the burial record for William notes his abode at the time as Newport Pagnell.
This document provides a wealth of detail on the fields in the tenancy of a number of farmers, but in order to match fields to farm, we must cross reference to the 1840 tithe map for the parish (Buckinghamshire Archives Tithe/255), which was produced as part of a country-wide reassessment of taxes paid to the church, typically, 10% of agricultural produce. The intent was to replace the old system with more easily manageable cash payments, hence these well-illustrated and annotated maps come with a list of landowners and their tenants, including the individual fields each farmer was working. The match is by no means perfect, but more than enough field names are shared by both documents to plausibly place brothers William and Richard Bacchus at Lodge Farm in 1808.
The matching field names are Furse Ground, Spinney Ground, Charley Bush Ground East and West, Little Cowpen Meadow, Twelve Acres, Pennylands East and West, Hill Ground East and Hill Ground West. The total acreage in 1808 was stated as 272 acres, one rood and sixteen perches against 309 acres, three roods and 30 perches in 1840. Roods and perches are are old units of land measurement.
William and Richard were the sons of Richard Bachuss (a grazier) and Ann Nelson. Though the couple had married at Great Linford on June 14th, 1774, both of their boys appear to have been baptised at Hanslope, in 1775 and 1778 respectively. However, the name Bachuss is one that we find associated with Great Linford from as early as 1741, when an Ann Bacchus was baptised, the daughter of a Richard and Elizabeth. This Richard is described as a dairyman, so conceivably he was the father of the Richard married in 1774, from which we might draw the admittedly very tenuous conclusion that no less than three generations of the family had been tenants at Lodge Farm.
Richard and William Bacchus died within a few years of each other, Richard in 1832 and William in 1839. Richard had married a Sarah Pinkard at Great Linford in 1806, the couple becoming landlords of The Nags Head public house (presumably after their departure from Lodge Farm), which Sarah continued to manage until her death in 1865. Both Richard and William were buried at Great Linford, though the burial record for William notes his abode at the time as Newport Pagnell.
George Lines
Exactly how long the Bacchus family stayed at Lodge Farm is uncertain, but it is clear they were gone at the latest by circa 1823, as a mortgage document (Buckinghamshire Archives D/U/1/30) by Uthwatt to Nelson, King and Hearn for £3,000 makes reference to a “messuage or farm house formerly in the tenure of William Bacchus and Richard Bacchus and now of George Lines." The document tells us that George was in the occupation of lands measuring 128 acres, one rood and 18 perches, considerably less it should be noted than the previously cited figures, but the land may have been split between more than one tenant. A messuage is an old word for a house.
We can piece together a few details of George Line's life; that he had was born circa 1773 (though we do not know where) and had married Martha Shaw on May 10th, 1804, at Chalgrave in Bedfordshire. The couple had at least nine children at Great Linford between 1805 and 1821, but we can surmise that the birth of Richard Shaw Lines in early 1821 proved sadly difficult for Martha, as she passed away shortly afterward. George himself passed away a few years later in 1823, another particularly unfortunate state of affairs given how many young children were orphaned. Both George and Martha, and several other family members, are commemorated with gravestones in St. Andrew’s churchyard, so clearly the Lines were quite well off to be able to afford such a luxury.
We can piece together a few details of George Line's life; that he had was born circa 1773 (though we do not know where) and had married Martha Shaw on May 10th, 1804, at Chalgrave in Bedfordshire. The couple had at least nine children at Great Linford between 1805 and 1821, but we can surmise that the birth of Richard Shaw Lines in early 1821 proved sadly difficult for Martha, as she passed away shortly afterward. George himself passed away a few years later in 1823, another particularly unfortunate state of affairs given how many young children were orphaned. Both George and Martha, and several other family members, are commemorated with gravestones in St. Andrew’s churchyard, so clearly the Lines were quite well off to be able to afford such a luxury.
The Jarvis Family
The farm’s history from the early 1800s onwards is particularly complex. For instance, between circa 1831 and 1851, Lodge Farm may have been known as Grounds Farm. However, in order to put this into context, we need to examine the history of the Jarvis family, and specifically William Jarvis. The surname Jarvis is not uncommon to Great Linford, with over a dozen births, deaths and marriages recorded in the late 1700s, though there is firm evidence that the William Jarvis we are interested in hailed from nearby Loughton, so while we cannot discount the possibility of connection across generations, one has yet to be established.
The first sighting of a William Jarvis at Great Linford occurs in 1837, when a person of this name successfully applied for a game certificate whilst resident in the parish. The Game Act of 1831 had made it illegal to take game without a license and lists of the certificates issued were published in newspapers most years after the act became law. The list for 1837 (Bucks Gazette, September 23rd) is the first to include the name William Jarvis of Great Linford. Whilst this is hardly conclusive evidence that he was newly arrived in the parish that year (he simply may not have bothered or have needed to apply in previous years) it gives us a useful starting point, and we will see, there is further corroborating evidence that supports the theory that he arrived circa 1837.
The first confirmation that William Jarvis was a tenant farmer in the parish is provided by the tithe map for the parish drawn up in 1840. William is listed as occupying a parcel of land owned by Henry Andrews Uthwatt, who held the lordship of the Manor. A “House, Homestead and meadow” labelled as number 61 on the map corresponds to Lodge Farm, with 19 fields surrounding it, amounting to 309 acres, three roods and 30 perches, the total attracting a ratable value of £44 and 15 shillings. The land was a mix of arable and graze, plus a one acre spinney, an area of woodland.
The first sighting of a William Jarvis at Great Linford occurs in 1837, when a person of this name successfully applied for a game certificate whilst resident in the parish. The Game Act of 1831 had made it illegal to take game without a license and lists of the certificates issued were published in newspapers most years after the act became law. The list for 1837 (Bucks Gazette, September 23rd) is the first to include the name William Jarvis of Great Linford. Whilst this is hardly conclusive evidence that he was newly arrived in the parish that year (he simply may not have bothered or have needed to apply in previous years) it gives us a useful starting point, and we will see, there is further corroborating evidence that supports the theory that he arrived circa 1837.
The first confirmation that William Jarvis was a tenant farmer in the parish is provided by the tithe map for the parish drawn up in 1840. William is listed as occupying a parcel of land owned by Henry Andrews Uthwatt, who held the lordship of the Manor. A “House, Homestead and meadow” labelled as number 61 on the map corresponds to Lodge Farm, with 19 fields surrounding it, amounting to 309 acres, three roods and 30 perches, the total attracting a ratable value of £44 and 15 shillings. The land was a mix of arable and graze, plus a one acre spinney, an area of woodland.
The fields plus one spinney are listed as follows: #15 (Lower House Ground), 16a (East Division Ground), #17 (Upper House Ground), #18 (Furse Ground) #19 (Spinney Ground), #20 (Spinney), #21, (Charley Bush Ground West), #22, (Charley Bush Ground East), #23 (Great Cowpen Meadow), #24 (Twelve Acres), #58 (West Pennylands), #59 (Near Ground), #60 (Little Cowpen Meadow), #61 (House Homestead and meadow), #62 (West Hill Ground), #63 (Downhead and Lane), #64, (East Hill Ground), #65 (North Hill Ground), #66 (Middle Pennylands) and #67 (East Pennylands.) The farm sat adjacent to the road to Little Woolstone and was bisected by the Grand Junction Canal.
Turning to the 1841 census, we find it a particularly parsimonious document, which unfortunately does not name specific locations within the village, though we can find William and his wife Hannah, with William described as a farmer. This census routinely rounds ages up or down to the nearest five years; hence William’s age is reported as 45, and Hannah’s as 40. The census does enquire of persons if they are native to the county, so we can see that both William and Hannah answer yes. A George Jarvis, reported aged 65, is also reported living in the same household. This census does not provide family relationships as do later ones, but we might surmise a close relative, though not as might seem most obvious, William's father.
Subsequent ten yearly census records are more inquisitive and pinpoint Hannah’s year of birth as circa 1801, and that she was born in Bletchley. Sadly, the 1851 census also records Hannah as a widow, so lacking an entry for William we must look elsewhere for a date and place of birth for him. William is not recorded in the parish register of burials in the village, but the civil register of deaths shows that a William Jarvis did die in the first quarter of 1850 in the Newport Pagnell registration district, which covered Great Linford. However, a look at the parish burial records for the county uncovers only one broadly matching record, with the burial having occurred in Loughton.
Loughton was also in the Newport Pagnell civil registration district, and a closer look at the parish church burial records solves the mystery. William Jarvis of Great Linford, aged 56, was buried on February 12th, 1850, at Loughton; this pins his year of birth down to circa 1794, which in turn matches a baptism that year in Loughton. This would make his parents William and Sophia, who had married in Loughton on November 21st, 1793. It can come then as no surprise that we also find a subsequent marriage in Loughton between a William Jarvis and Hannah James, which occurred on November 4th, 1822. There is no evidence that William and Hannah had children, either at Loughton, Great Linford or elsewhere, which would have been helpful to track their movements, but we can at least confidently estimate the year of their arrival in the parish as sometime between 1822 and 1837.
The Post Office trade directory of 1847 records William Jarvis at an unnamed farm in the parish. This is the last documented sighting of William prior to his passing. Perhaps he was visiting family in 1850 when he became ill and having such a strong connection to Loughton, it was decided to lay him to rest there; he may have even specified the burial place himself, though no will has come to light.
The 1851 census states that the farm is of 300 acres and that Hannah employed 10 labourers. In terms of size, this is quite close to 309 acres recorded on the 1840 Tithe map for Lodge Farm. Hannah has a niece and nephew living with her, 17-year-old Mary A. N. Huntley (identified as Mary Ann Nicklin Huntley) and five-year-old George W Huntley (identified as George William Nicklin Huntley.) Hannah's niece and nephew were the children of her sister Elizabeth; of passing interest, in total four of Elizabeth's children had the unusual middle name Nicklin, almost certainly referencing an as yet unidentified ancestor. As if further corroboration of the Loughton connection is required, it can be established that Mary Ann Nicklin Huntley was born there.
It is on the 1851 census that the name Grounds Farm, alluded to at the beginning of this story now enters the picture. But where was Grounds Farm and was it an alternative name for Lodge Farm? It does not appear to be an error of enumeration and a Grounds Farm does appear in several newspaper reports of the 1830s, given variously in the occupation of persons called W. Smith and Thomas Brooks, neither of whom are particularly well represented in the records. Thomas appears to have passed away late in 1830 (though he is not recorded in the parish burial registers), as a notice for the sale of hay by his executors was placed in the January 1st, 1831, edition of The Northampton Mercury. W. Smith left the farm in 1836; a sales notice published in the Northampton Mercury (March 26th) includes livestock and a substantial amount of his personal possessions such as furniture and is reproduced below.
Turning to the 1841 census, we find it a particularly parsimonious document, which unfortunately does not name specific locations within the village, though we can find William and his wife Hannah, with William described as a farmer. This census routinely rounds ages up or down to the nearest five years; hence William’s age is reported as 45, and Hannah’s as 40. The census does enquire of persons if they are native to the county, so we can see that both William and Hannah answer yes. A George Jarvis, reported aged 65, is also reported living in the same household. This census does not provide family relationships as do later ones, but we might surmise a close relative, though not as might seem most obvious, William's father.
Subsequent ten yearly census records are more inquisitive and pinpoint Hannah’s year of birth as circa 1801, and that she was born in Bletchley. Sadly, the 1851 census also records Hannah as a widow, so lacking an entry for William we must look elsewhere for a date and place of birth for him. William is not recorded in the parish register of burials in the village, but the civil register of deaths shows that a William Jarvis did die in the first quarter of 1850 in the Newport Pagnell registration district, which covered Great Linford. However, a look at the parish burial records for the county uncovers only one broadly matching record, with the burial having occurred in Loughton.
Loughton was also in the Newport Pagnell civil registration district, and a closer look at the parish church burial records solves the mystery. William Jarvis of Great Linford, aged 56, was buried on February 12th, 1850, at Loughton; this pins his year of birth down to circa 1794, which in turn matches a baptism that year in Loughton. This would make his parents William and Sophia, who had married in Loughton on November 21st, 1793. It can come then as no surprise that we also find a subsequent marriage in Loughton between a William Jarvis and Hannah James, which occurred on November 4th, 1822. There is no evidence that William and Hannah had children, either at Loughton, Great Linford or elsewhere, which would have been helpful to track their movements, but we can at least confidently estimate the year of their arrival in the parish as sometime between 1822 and 1837.
The Post Office trade directory of 1847 records William Jarvis at an unnamed farm in the parish. This is the last documented sighting of William prior to his passing. Perhaps he was visiting family in 1850 when he became ill and having such a strong connection to Loughton, it was decided to lay him to rest there; he may have even specified the burial place himself, though no will has come to light.
The 1851 census states that the farm is of 300 acres and that Hannah employed 10 labourers. In terms of size, this is quite close to 309 acres recorded on the 1840 Tithe map for Lodge Farm. Hannah has a niece and nephew living with her, 17-year-old Mary A. N. Huntley (identified as Mary Ann Nicklin Huntley) and five-year-old George W Huntley (identified as George William Nicklin Huntley.) Hannah's niece and nephew were the children of her sister Elizabeth; of passing interest, in total four of Elizabeth's children had the unusual middle name Nicklin, almost certainly referencing an as yet unidentified ancestor. As if further corroboration of the Loughton connection is required, it can be established that Mary Ann Nicklin Huntley was born there.
It is on the 1851 census that the name Grounds Farm, alluded to at the beginning of this story now enters the picture. But where was Grounds Farm and was it an alternative name for Lodge Farm? It does not appear to be an error of enumeration and a Grounds Farm does appear in several newspaper reports of the 1830s, given variously in the occupation of persons called W. Smith and Thomas Brooks, neither of whom are particularly well represented in the records. Thomas appears to have passed away late in 1830 (though he is not recorded in the parish burial registers), as a notice for the sale of hay by his executors was placed in the January 1st, 1831, edition of The Northampton Mercury. W. Smith left the farm in 1836; a sales notice published in the Northampton Mercury (March 26th) includes livestock and a substantial amount of his personal possessions such as furniture and is reproduced below.
Sale by auction notice at Grounds Farm. Northampton Mercury, March 26th, 1836. Reproduced with the permission of the British Library Board.
It may be significant that the first record believed pertaining to William Jarvis at Great Linford is his application for a games certificate in 1837. We might therefore speculate then that he took over Grounds Farm after the departure of W. Smith circa April 1836. This is of course highly speculative, though of further note, the “stack of well gotten hay” at Grounds Farm advertised for sale of 1832 is described as lying by the side of the Grand Union Canal. It is clear from the 1840 Tithe map that a field associated with the farmstead did extend down to the canal.
Hannah can next be found listed in the Musson & Craven’s trade directory of 1853, the farm going unnamed. The following year, the Kelly’s directory again names Hannah as a farmer, but for the first time in a directory the name of the farm is included, Lodge Farm. This would seem to suggest then that it ceased to be called Grounds Farm between 1851 and 1854; does this mean Hannah arranged for the change of name, or was it the Uthwatts?
The question arises, why the name Grounds Farm? It seems less likely that it was named for a person called Grounds than it is a generic reference to a place. The word ground crops up frequently in field names, and indeed one of the fields that was farmed by William Jarvis is even named Lower House Ground on the 1840 census map. As names go for a farm “Grounds Farm” is also not unique to Great Linford, with several other examples to be found around the country. Perhaps then the name was just a contraction of a field name.
Illustrating that farm names were essentially superfluous in the running of their businesses, we find an advertisement in the Bucks Herald of January 16th, 1858, for the sale by auction of “About 400 capital ELM, ASH and POPULAR tree now standing in the Great Linford Estate on Farms in the occupation of Mrs Jarvis and Messrs Johnson.” We can infer this was a community where everybody in the village knew everybody, and the farm of Mrs Jarvis would have been well known, necessitating no detailed instructions as to her address.
But we are not yet done trying to finalise the name of the farm. On the evening of the 1861 census, carried out on April 7th, Hannah is to be found residing not at Lodge Farm, but at “Linford Lodge”, where she is described as a farmer of 320 acres employing eight men and five boys. In terms of acreage this seems to represent some continuity with Grounds Farm on the 1851 census, but is it the same place?
There are sporadic references in newspapers to a “Great Linford Lodge”, variously in the occupation of a Mrs Baker (1835) and a Mr Scrivener (1853), but it is unclear which house this might be, or even where it might have been. There is a well known “Linford Lodge” in the village, which operated in the 1970s as a restaurant, but circa 1850-1860 it was known as Ivy House, and we can place a Frederick Garratt and his family there. So, we can discount the possibility that the census enumerator had found Hannah at this house on the evening of 1861. The tentative conclusion must be that Lodge Farm had for a time gone by the name Linford Lodge. If so, it must have been a brief dalliance; a search of newspaper records in the 1860s turns up only one match, a help wanted ad placed by Hannah Jarvis in Croydon’s Weekly Standard of March 26th, 1864, seeking, “In a farmhouse, a respectable General Servant who has been accustomed to a dairy. Apply to Mrs Jarvis, Great Linford Lodge.”
This is the last we see of “Linford Lodge” in this time frame; trade directories place Hannah Jarvis at Lodge Farm until 1869, as also does the 1871 census, though she is now described as a retired farmer. Given that she is retired, the customary practice prevailing in census records to record the acreage and the number of persons employed is foregone, but she is still employing a live-in dairy maid, as well as three other household servants. Also in the household were three nieces and a nephew, including Emma and Clara Huntly, (born at Shenley) children of Hannah’s sister, Elizabeth.
Hannah can next be found listed in the Musson & Craven’s trade directory of 1853, the farm going unnamed. The following year, the Kelly’s directory again names Hannah as a farmer, but for the first time in a directory the name of the farm is included, Lodge Farm. This would seem to suggest then that it ceased to be called Grounds Farm between 1851 and 1854; does this mean Hannah arranged for the change of name, or was it the Uthwatts?
The question arises, why the name Grounds Farm? It seems less likely that it was named for a person called Grounds than it is a generic reference to a place. The word ground crops up frequently in field names, and indeed one of the fields that was farmed by William Jarvis is even named Lower House Ground on the 1840 census map. As names go for a farm “Grounds Farm” is also not unique to Great Linford, with several other examples to be found around the country. Perhaps then the name was just a contraction of a field name.
Illustrating that farm names were essentially superfluous in the running of their businesses, we find an advertisement in the Bucks Herald of January 16th, 1858, for the sale by auction of “About 400 capital ELM, ASH and POPULAR tree now standing in the Great Linford Estate on Farms in the occupation of Mrs Jarvis and Messrs Johnson.” We can infer this was a community where everybody in the village knew everybody, and the farm of Mrs Jarvis would have been well known, necessitating no detailed instructions as to her address.
But we are not yet done trying to finalise the name of the farm. On the evening of the 1861 census, carried out on April 7th, Hannah is to be found residing not at Lodge Farm, but at “Linford Lodge”, where she is described as a farmer of 320 acres employing eight men and five boys. In terms of acreage this seems to represent some continuity with Grounds Farm on the 1851 census, but is it the same place?
There are sporadic references in newspapers to a “Great Linford Lodge”, variously in the occupation of a Mrs Baker (1835) and a Mr Scrivener (1853), but it is unclear which house this might be, or even where it might have been. There is a well known “Linford Lodge” in the village, which operated in the 1970s as a restaurant, but circa 1850-1860 it was known as Ivy House, and we can place a Frederick Garratt and his family there. So, we can discount the possibility that the census enumerator had found Hannah at this house on the evening of 1861. The tentative conclusion must be that Lodge Farm had for a time gone by the name Linford Lodge. If so, it must have been a brief dalliance; a search of newspaper records in the 1860s turns up only one match, a help wanted ad placed by Hannah Jarvis in Croydon’s Weekly Standard of March 26th, 1864, seeking, “In a farmhouse, a respectable General Servant who has been accustomed to a dairy. Apply to Mrs Jarvis, Great Linford Lodge.”
This is the last we see of “Linford Lodge” in this time frame; trade directories place Hannah Jarvis at Lodge Farm until 1869, as also does the 1871 census, though she is now described as a retired farmer. Given that she is retired, the customary practice prevailing in census records to record the acreage and the number of persons employed is foregone, but she is still employing a live-in dairy maid, as well as three other household servants. Also in the household were three nieces and a nephew, including Emma and Clara Huntly, (born at Shenley) children of Hannah’s sister, Elizabeth.
The Huntleys
Hannah Jarvis passed away at Shenley, Buckinghamshire, on June 5th, 1872. Her will named as her executors her brother-in-law John Huntley, and her sister Elizabeth. The 1876 Harrod and Co trade directory names a G. Huntley as a farmer at Great Linford, whom we can take to be Hannah's nephew George William Nicklin Huntley, but he passed away in 1877, doubtless why we find his brother John listed as a farmer in the 1877 Kelly’s directory, though the 1881 census then throws up yet another ambiguity. The census describes John as a farmer of 314 Acres employing four men and two boys, very close to the acreage that Hannah was farming, but the farmstead is named as “The Grange.” Is this yet another change of name; did John Huntley decide he wanted to stamp his own identity on the farm? A grange is another word for a grand country house, so John may have felt he had moved up in the world and wanted this to be reflected in the name of his property. We do have a "Grange Farm" also in the parish, located just off The Green, but the name Huntley does not figure in its history, and it was not until circa 1900 that the name was adopted, this particular farm having previously gone by the name Green Farm.
John was born in Hungerford in Berkshire, circa 1809, and by 1832 had settled in Loughton with his wife Elizabeth, Hannah's sister. A place and date of marriage has not been identified, but they had four children in Loughton, before the family moved to Shenley circa 1841, where the couple had five more children. John had been a farmer at Shenley, and by the time of the 1881 census he had moved the family to Great Linford.
The 1881 Ordnance Survey map clearly shows that the Farmstead extended across the lane that ran alongside the farm, contradicting the date of the extension, circa 1897, provided in A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Milton Keynes. The 1881 O.S also adds another mystery to the already long convoluted history of the farm, as in very anodyne fashion, the farm is labelled simply as Linford Farm. Click here to view the 1881 O.S map.
The 1881 O.S map does show a much expanded farmstead compared to the structure depicted in the 1840 tithe map, now straddling the road bisecting it. Immediately following the entry for The Grange on the 1881 census are dwellings named Shepherd’s Cottage and Huntley Cottage, the former occupied by 57-year-old George Nicolds, a native of Great Linford, along with his wife Sarah and son Joseph. It may not come as great surprise to discover that his occupation was that of Shepherd. Huntley Cottage appears to be divided into two separate households, occupied by Thomas and Mary Elliot and Joseph and Martha Walters. Both men are described simply as labourers. We can presume these cottages to be part of the expanded farmstead.
Just to muddy the waters that little bit more, the gravestone of John Huntley's son, John, born 1854 in Shenley, is located in St. Andrew’s churchyard, and includes the detail that he was “of Great Linford Lodge.” He died on November 12th, 1882, but was recorded as present at “The Grange” on the 1881 census. Then in 1883, a sale notice in the Bucks Herald of October 13th, announced the retirement of Mr J. Huntley, from Lodge Farm. Matters remain very unclear, but might be explained if we accept that "Grounds Farm", “Great Linford Lodge”, “Linford Farm” and “Lodge Farm” are all one and the same place. Upon his retirement John and Elizabeth relocated to Shenley Church End, where John died in 1888, followed by Elizabeth in 1890.
Thankfully, when the 1891 census rolls around, there is a clear unambiguous entry for Lodge Farm and a new farmer, though between the departure of John Huntley and the arrival of the new tenant, there does appear to be a period of uncertainty, circa 1883-1887, when the farm drops from sight.
John was born in Hungerford in Berkshire, circa 1809, and by 1832 had settled in Loughton with his wife Elizabeth, Hannah's sister. A place and date of marriage has not been identified, but they had four children in Loughton, before the family moved to Shenley circa 1841, where the couple had five more children. John had been a farmer at Shenley, and by the time of the 1881 census he had moved the family to Great Linford.
The 1881 Ordnance Survey map clearly shows that the Farmstead extended across the lane that ran alongside the farm, contradicting the date of the extension, circa 1897, provided in A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Milton Keynes. The 1881 O.S also adds another mystery to the already long convoluted history of the farm, as in very anodyne fashion, the farm is labelled simply as Linford Farm. Click here to view the 1881 O.S map.
The 1881 O.S map does show a much expanded farmstead compared to the structure depicted in the 1840 tithe map, now straddling the road bisecting it. Immediately following the entry for The Grange on the 1881 census are dwellings named Shepherd’s Cottage and Huntley Cottage, the former occupied by 57-year-old George Nicolds, a native of Great Linford, along with his wife Sarah and son Joseph. It may not come as great surprise to discover that his occupation was that of Shepherd. Huntley Cottage appears to be divided into two separate households, occupied by Thomas and Mary Elliot and Joseph and Martha Walters. Both men are described simply as labourers. We can presume these cottages to be part of the expanded farmstead.
Just to muddy the waters that little bit more, the gravestone of John Huntley's son, John, born 1854 in Shenley, is located in St. Andrew’s churchyard, and includes the detail that he was “of Great Linford Lodge.” He died on November 12th, 1882, but was recorded as present at “The Grange” on the 1881 census. Then in 1883, a sale notice in the Bucks Herald of October 13th, announced the retirement of Mr J. Huntley, from Lodge Farm. Matters remain very unclear, but might be explained if we accept that "Grounds Farm", “Great Linford Lodge”, “Linford Farm” and “Lodge Farm” are all one and the same place. Upon his retirement John and Elizabeth relocated to Shenley Church End, where John died in 1888, followed by Elizabeth in 1890.
Thankfully, when the 1891 census rolls around, there is a clear unambiguous entry for Lodge Farm and a new farmer, though between the departure of John Huntley and the arrival of the new tenant, there does appear to be a period of uncertainty, circa 1883-1887, when the farm drops from sight.
William and Percy Hedges
William Hedges arrived in the parish circa 1887 with his new wife Martha, and initially set up home at Lodge Farm, but it was to be a short-lived stay, as within a few years the opportunity arose to move his family to Great Linford House, a far grander home befitting a man whose farming interests would grow to encompass up to 1000 acres.
But for a time at least they made a home at Lodge Farm. Martha is to be found advertising in the Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette of August 26th, 1890, for a good general servant, who must be fond of children; applications to be made to Lodge Farm. By the time of the 1891 census, William and Martha have two daughter’s named Daisy and Winifred, aged three and one respectively, and both born at Great Linford. Two sons followed, Stanley in 1893 and Percy in 1894. It seems likely that all were born at Lodge Farm, as it was not until 1895 and the death of Mr John Clode, the previous owner of Great Linford House, that the Hedges would have been able to seize the opportunity to move up in the world. But despite this move, the connection between the Hedges and Lodge Farm remained unbroken, and would endure for many years.
The three cottages described on the 1881 census are once again associated with Lodge Farm on the 1891 census, though they are no longer quaintly named as they were before. The inhabitants are however all farm labourers, doubtless in the employ of Lodge Farm. Here we find 32-year-old Amos Lawson, his wife Caroline and their five children, then next door is 39-year-old widow Frederick Seamarks, his three daughters, including one year old Nellie and his widowed mother, Sophia. Finally, we have 57-year-old William Richardson, his wife Mary and their children. The 1891 census adds a useful new question pertaining to the number of rooms in a dwelling, from which we learn that each cottage had four.
The 1900 O.S map provides the welcome news that the farm is still called Lodge Farm, with which William Hedges had clearly still retained his interest. For instance, in November of 1901, a farm worker named Michael Ward was accused in court by William of stealing four farm forks from Lodge Farm, valued at six shillings. Ward admitted the theft and asked for leniency, and in an interesting reflection of William’s character, he offered to take Michael back on again.
But for a time at least they made a home at Lodge Farm. Martha is to be found advertising in the Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette of August 26th, 1890, for a good general servant, who must be fond of children; applications to be made to Lodge Farm. By the time of the 1891 census, William and Martha have two daughter’s named Daisy and Winifred, aged three and one respectively, and both born at Great Linford. Two sons followed, Stanley in 1893 and Percy in 1894. It seems likely that all were born at Lodge Farm, as it was not until 1895 and the death of Mr John Clode, the previous owner of Great Linford House, that the Hedges would have been able to seize the opportunity to move up in the world. But despite this move, the connection between the Hedges and Lodge Farm remained unbroken, and would endure for many years.
The three cottages described on the 1881 census are once again associated with Lodge Farm on the 1891 census, though they are no longer quaintly named as they were before. The inhabitants are however all farm labourers, doubtless in the employ of Lodge Farm. Here we find 32-year-old Amos Lawson, his wife Caroline and their five children, then next door is 39-year-old widow Frederick Seamarks, his three daughters, including one year old Nellie and his widowed mother, Sophia. Finally, we have 57-year-old William Richardson, his wife Mary and their children. The 1891 census adds a useful new question pertaining to the number of rooms in a dwelling, from which we learn that each cottage had four.
The 1900 O.S map provides the welcome news that the farm is still called Lodge Farm, with which William Hedges had clearly still retained his interest. For instance, in November of 1901, a farm worker named Michael Ward was accused in court by William of stealing four farm forks from Lodge Farm, valued at six shillings. Ward admitted the theft and asked for leniency, and in an interesting reflection of William’s character, he offered to take Michael back on again.
A house divided and many more residents
The 1901 census clarifies who exactly is living at Lodge Farm, though the evidence points to the fact that two families were cohabitating in the farmhouse. 41-year-old William Johnson had been born in Bedford and is described as a "milkman on farm.” Alongside him we find his wife Mary, two daughters and a son. The census indicates they were occupying two rooms, while another four rooms were being occupied by the Hawkers, headed by 50-year-old Frank. He was born at Axminster in Devon; an interesting indication of just how far agricultural labourers were willing to travel in search of work. He too is described as a milkman. His wife was named Elizabeth, and they had two sons and a daughter.
In 1901, Frederick Seamarks is still living in one of the farm cottages, but has found himself a new young wife, Emily, 16 years his junior, and has added five more children to the family. The two other cottages are occupied by Joseph and Edmund Mead, presumably brothers, and their families.
Turning to Valuation Office Survey map produced in 1910 (Buckinghamshire Archives DVD/2/X/9), Lodge Farm is listed as extending a little over 313 acres, straddling a public road Notably, someone has added the hand-written annotation that the road is still a public one. The farm is in the ownership of William Uthwatt, but with William Hedges named as the occupier, though he is also listed as the occupier of Great Linford House and The Black Horse Farm. Here however we need to be careful with our understanding of the word "occupier", as it does not mean that William Hedges was a resident of all three places in the literal sense, only that he had the tenancies.
In 1901, Frederick Seamarks is still living in one of the farm cottages, but has found himself a new young wife, Emily, 16 years his junior, and has added five more children to the family. The two other cottages are occupied by Joseph and Edmund Mead, presumably brothers, and their families.
Turning to Valuation Office Survey map produced in 1910 (Buckinghamshire Archives DVD/2/X/9), Lodge Farm is listed as extending a little over 313 acres, straddling a public road Notably, someone has added the hand-written annotation that the road is still a public one. The farm is in the ownership of William Uthwatt, but with William Hedges named as the occupier, though he is also listed as the occupier of Great Linford House and The Black Horse Farm. Here however we need to be careful with our understanding of the word "occupier", as it does not mean that William Hedges was a resident of all three places in the literal sense, only that he had the tenancies.
Valuation Office Survey map 1910 (DVD/2/X/9) showing Lodge Farm. From the collection of Buckinghamshire Archives and reproduced with permission.
Helpfully, the 1911 census gives us a clearer insight into the actual occupier of Lodge Farm, a John Moxon and his family. 31-year-old John Moxon and his wife Kate were both born in Stewkley. Also present are three children, Arthur, aged eight, Dorothy aged five and Lillian, aged one. The latter two were born at Great Linford, so very conceivably at Lodge Farm. It is interesting to observe that John (described on the census as a cowman) and Kate were natives of Stewkley, given that the Hedges family also traced their roots there, even more intriguing that Kate’s maiden name was Hedges. A connection has not been identified, but she must surely have been a relative of William Hedges. Family ties may therefore have contributed to John and Kate being offered the farmhouse as their residence.
The 1911 census was the first to be filled in by the actual occupier rather than a roving enumerator, so we can thank John for garnishing the answer pertaining to the number of rooms with the additional detail, “5 bedrooms, 2 downstairs.” This seems particularly unfair when we consider the circumstances of Frederick Seamarks, who has proven a particularly loyal employee, but was still living in his cottage with his wife and eight children. To make matters worse, Frederick writes on the census that the cottage has just three rooms!
Electoral rolls including names and addresses become available from 1918, and so we can see that in this year the registered voter at Lodge Farm was Frederick Arthur Hayfield, born April 8th, 1895, at Bradwell. He was married to Elizabeth May Seamarks, born July 15th, 1897, at Great Linford, but the legal voting age for women was then set at 30 years and over, so she does not appear on the electoral roll. Elizabeth was the daughter of Frederick and Emily Seamarks, who had of course lived in one of the Lodge Farm cottages for so many years.
1918 was to be a terrible year for the Seamarks, as they lost two sons in quick succession to the awful attrition of the First World War, Frederick in France in April, and Harry in Egypt in June. A notice of Harry’s death carried in the Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press of July 6th, places his parent’s abode as “Lodge Farm”, though of course this does not necessarily mean they were resident in the main farmhouse, it being more likely the case that the newspaper had identified them as living within the broad limits of the farm.
Unhelpfully, the 1918 poll book (and subsequent years) makes no discernible reference to the trio of farm cottages previously identified, but the registered address of Frederick Seamarks and his family (with nine persons eligible to vote) is now given as Elms Farm. This presents us something of a conundrum, as the location of an Elms Farm has yet to be identified, though the 1910 Valuation Office Survey map does clearly show two separate dwellings a short distance from Lodge Farm labelled as Elms Cottages; these cottages are also marked on every O.S map from 1881 To 1972. Perhaps the Seamarks had finally being rewarded for their years of hard work and had moved up in the world, or at least into better accommodation? As for Elms Farm, though it continues to show up year on year on the electoral rolls until at least 1931, a search of available records turns up nothing else that corroborates where it was.
There does seem to be a connection between Elms Cottage and Lodge farm. The 1918 electoral roll records a Lewis William Walker Sabey and his wife residing at the cottage, but again we get a contradictory place of residence from a newspaper account of the same year. The Northampton Mercury of November 25th, 1921, carries the story of a complaint of assault and abusive language, made by a Lewis and Ellen Sabey of Lodge Farm against a neighbouring couple. This does suggest that Elms Cottage was considered part of the Lodge Farm farmstead.
But what of Frederick Hayfield and his family? We might reasonably assume that Frederick was engaged in some form of agricultural work whilst living at Lodge Farm, but this presumption is upended by the 1921 census, which clearly places the family at Lodge Farm, but ascribes Frederick’s profession as a sawyer at Tilly’s Toy Works in Wolverton, which made hand painted wooden toys. This is quite the surprise, as a sawyer is not someone likely to have sufficient income to rent an entire farmhouse. Referring back to the census sheet, the answer becomes obvious. Though Frederick has written seven rooms, an enumerator has crossed this out and replaced it with 3 and the annotation “shared.” Who else may have been sharing the remaining four rooms at the time has yet to become clear, but it makes sense with the Hedges living at Linford House, that they would try and maximise the rent on a large house they had no personal use for. Frederick must have lost his job in 1922, as Tilly’s ceased trading that year; this also happens to be last year we find him at Lodge Farm. The family do resurface on the 1939 register, living at number 7 Council Cottages on the High Street, with Frederick now described as a cowman.
Meanwhile, William Hedges had continued to farm in the parish until his death in 1921, his son Percy then continuing in his stead, but either through bad luck or poor business acumen, the business fell upon hard times, and by 1924 Percy was facing bankruptcy proceedings and was forced to leave the parish. Lodge Farm’s live and dead stock, plus farming implements went under the hammer on December 30th. For more on William and Percy Hedges, see the page on this site for Great Linford House.
The 1924 Kelly’s trade directory had listed Percy Hedges as a farmer in the parish (for the last time), but the name Lodge Farm is notable by its absence in the 1928 Kelly’s directory, which ascribes names to a number of farmsteads in the parish, except for a smallholding, held by a Thomas Ariss, who does enter the story later. This does not necessarily prove that Lodge Farm was not then under tenancy, though it is not entirely clear who took over from Percy in the immediate aftermath of his bankruptcy.
The 1911 census was the first to be filled in by the actual occupier rather than a roving enumerator, so we can thank John for garnishing the answer pertaining to the number of rooms with the additional detail, “5 bedrooms, 2 downstairs.” This seems particularly unfair when we consider the circumstances of Frederick Seamarks, who has proven a particularly loyal employee, but was still living in his cottage with his wife and eight children. To make matters worse, Frederick writes on the census that the cottage has just three rooms!
Electoral rolls including names and addresses become available from 1918, and so we can see that in this year the registered voter at Lodge Farm was Frederick Arthur Hayfield, born April 8th, 1895, at Bradwell. He was married to Elizabeth May Seamarks, born July 15th, 1897, at Great Linford, but the legal voting age for women was then set at 30 years and over, so she does not appear on the electoral roll. Elizabeth was the daughter of Frederick and Emily Seamarks, who had of course lived in one of the Lodge Farm cottages for so many years.
1918 was to be a terrible year for the Seamarks, as they lost two sons in quick succession to the awful attrition of the First World War, Frederick in France in April, and Harry in Egypt in June. A notice of Harry’s death carried in the Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press of July 6th, places his parent’s abode as “Lodge Farm”, though of course this does not necessarily mean they were resident in the main farmhouse, it being more likely the case that the newspaper had identified them as living within the broad limits of the farm.
Unhelpfully, the 1918 poll book (and subsequent years) makes no discernible reference to the trio of farm cottages previously identified, but the registered address of Frederick Seamarks and his family (with nine persons eligible to vote) is now given as Elms Farm. This presents us something of a conundrum, as the location of an Elms Farm has yet to be identified, though the 1910 Valuation Office Survey map does clearly show two separate dwellings a short distance from Lodge Farm labelled as Elms Cottages; these cottages are also marked on every O.S map from 1881 To 1972. Perhaps the Seamarks had finally being rewarded for their years of hard work and had moved up in the world, or at least into better accommodation? As for Elms Farm, though it continues to show up year on year on the electoral rolls until at least 1931, a search of available records turns up nothing else that corroborates where it was.
There does seem to be a connection between Elms Cottage and Lodge farm. The 1918 electoral roll records a Lewis William Walker Sabey and his wife residing at the cottage, but again we get a contradictory place of residence from a newspaper account of the same year. The Northampton Mercury of November 25th, 1921, carries the story of a complaint of assault and abusive language, made by a Lewis and Ellen Sabey of Lodge Farm against a neighbouring couple. This does suggest that Elms Cottage was considered part of the Lodge Farm farmstead.
But what of Frederick Hayfield and his family? We might reasonably assume that Frederick was engaged in some form of agricultural work whilst living at Lodge Farm, but this presumption is upended by the 1921 census, which clearly places the family at Lodge Farm, but ascribes Frederick’s profession as a sawyer at Tilly’s Toy Works in Wolverton, which made hand painted wooden toys. This is quite the surprise, as a sawyer is not someone likely to have sufficient income to rent an entire farmhouse. Referring back to the census sheet, the answer becomes obvious. Though Frederick has written seven rooms, an enumerator has crossed this out and replaced it with 3 and the annotation “shared.” Who else may have been sharing the remaining four rooms at the time has yet to become clear, but it makes sense with the Hedges living at Linford House, that they would try and maximise the rent on a large house they had no personal use for. Frederick must have lost his job in 1922, as Tilly’s ceased trading that year; this also happens to be last year we find him at Lodge Farm. The family do resurface on the 1939 register, living at number 7 Council Cottages on the High Street, with Frederick now described as a cowman.
Meanwhile, William Hedges had continued to farm in the parish until his death in 1921, his son Percy then continuing in his stead, but either through bad luck or poor business acumen, the business fell upon hard times, and by 1924 Percy was facing bankruptcy proceedings and was forced to leave the parish. Lodge Farm’s live and dead stock, plus farming implements went under the hammer on December 30th. For more on William and Percy Hedges, see the page on this site for Great Linford House.
The 1924 Kelly’s trade directory had listed Percy Hedges as a farmer in the parish (for the last time), but the name Lodge Farm is notable by its absence in the 1928 Kelly’s directory, which ascribes names to a number of farmsteads in the parish, except for a smallholding, held by a Thomas Ariss, who does enter the story later. This does not necessarily prove that Lodge Farm was not then under tenancy, though it is not entirely clear who took over from Percy in the immediate aftermath of his bankruptcy.
More comings and goings
We can however be reasonably certain that the connection between Linford House and Lodge Farm established by the Hedges remained in place even after Percy’s departure. A family called Sharpe had moved to Linford House in 1927, but it is clear from newspaper accounts that they were also working Lodge Farm, with others again occupying the farmhouse and cottages.
In 1924 the electoral rolls record a Cyril Seamarks at Lodge Farm, another son of Frederick and Emily Seamarks, and we continue to find him and his family there on the rolls until 1927, when he is replaced in 1928 by another sibling, William Seamarks, Cyril’s younger brother. But this seems for now to mark a break in the Seamark’s long association with Lodge Farm, with the remaining family members relocating en masse to the High Street by 1929.
The electoral rolls for 1929 and 1930 reveal new residents at the farm, George Hudson, his wife Rosa and sons George Jnr and Frederick. George was born at Howsham in Yorkshire in 1869, his wife Rosa, nee Shattock, in Crawley, Sussex; the county where the majority of their children were born. One thing that is apparent from the available census records is that George was not a farmer by profession. Instead, he is consistently described as a farm bailiff, someone who was employed to look after rent collections on an estate.
When later we find the family in Woughton on the 1939 register (essentially a mini census compiled on the eve of World War II) he is described as a retired bailiff. This does seem to imply he must have been doing the same job whilst living at Lodge Farm. Perhaps he was the bailiff for the Uthwatts? But it is hard to say, as George makes very little of a splash locally, though he must have had green fingers, as the Northampton Mercury of August 29th, 1930, reports upon his winning half a dozen prizes at the Great Linford Horticultural Society show.
George Hudson and his family were gone by the time the 1931 electoral roll was compiled, replaced by the Pack family. The Packs had for many years resided at the cottages associated with Grange Farm, but we will never know why they decided to switch to Lodge Farm. Thomas William Pack was born in 1877 at Newport Pagnell and his wife Gertrude in 1882 at North Crawley. Also at Lodge Farm was a Jack Pack, but the relationship is unclear. We do not know what job Thomas was engaged in whilst living at Lodge Farm, but prior census records describe him variously as a horse keeper and cowman.
As of writing, the electoral rolls subsequent to 1931 have not been examined, but it does seem that the Sharpe family left Great Linford House early in this decade, and then for a time may have resided at Lodge Farm. A case of alleged cruelty to a horse places Robert Oscar Sharp and his son Robert Samuel Sharp at the farm in 1934, but shortly after this they moved to Moulsoe. For more on the Sharpes see the page on this site for Great Linford House.
It does seem odd that not a single trade directory examined between 1928 and 1939 refers to Lodge Farm; these directories should not of course be construed as providing a perfectly complete and accurate summation of businesses in the parish, but that four editions in a row omit Lodge Farm is certainly intriguing. Indeed, few references appear elsewhere to the farm in this period, and those that can be found are predominantly regular notifications in newspapers that the North Bucks Beagles would be assembling at the farm for a hunt. In fact, the North Bucks Beagles would continue to meet at Lodge Farm until well into the 1950s.
In 1924 the electoral rolls record a Cyril Seamarks at Lodge Farm, another son of Frederick and Emily Seamarks, and we continue to find him and his family there on the rolls until 1927, when he is replaced in 1928 by another sibling, William Seamarks, Cyril’s younger brother. But this seems for now to mark a break in the Seamark’s long association with Lodge Farm, with the remaining family members relocating en masse to the High Street by 1929.
The electoral rolls for 1929 and 1930 reveal new residents at the farm, George Hudson, his wife Rosa and sons George Jnr and Frederick. George was born at Howsham in Yorkshire in 1869, his wife Rosa, nee Shattock, in Crawley, Sussex; the county where the majority of their children were born. One thing that is apparent from the available census records is that George was not a farmer by profession. Instead, he is consistently described as a farm bailiff, someone who was employed to look after rent collections on an estate.
When later we find the family in Woughton on the 1939 register (essentially a mini census compiled on the eve of World War II) he is described as a retired bailiff. This does seem to imply he must have been doing the same job whilst living at Lodge Farm. Perhaps he was the bailiff for the Uthwatts? But it is hard to say, as George makes very little of a splash locally, though he must have had green fingers, as the Northampton Mercury of August 29th, 1930, reports upon his winning half a dozen prizes at the Great Linford Horticultural Society show.
George Hudson and his family were gone by the time the 1931 electoral roll was compiled, replaced by the Pack family. The Packs had for many years resided at the cottages associated with Grange Farm, but we will never know why they decided to switch to Lodge Farm. Thomas William Pack was born in 1877 at Newport Pagnell and his wife Gertrude in 1882 at North Crawley. Also at Lodge Farm was a Jack Pack, but the relationship is unclear. We do not know what job Thomas was engaged in whilst living at Lodge Farm, but prior census records describe him variously as a horse keeper and cowman.
As of writing, the electoral rolls subsequent to 1931 have not been examined, but it does seem that the Sharpe family left Great Linford House early in this decade, and then for a time may have resided at Lodge Farm. A case of alleged cruelty to a horse places Robert Oscar Sharp and his son Robert Samuel Sharp at the farm in 1934, but shortly after this they moved to Moulsoe. For more on the Sharpes see the page on this site for Great Linford House.
It does seem odd that not a single trade directory examined between 1928 and 1939 refers to Lodge Farm; these directories should not of course be construed as providing a perfectly complete and accurate summation of businesses in the parish, but that four editions in a row omit Lodge Farm is certainly intriguing. Indeed, few references appear elsewhere to the farm in this period, and those that can be found are predominantly regular notifications in newspapers that the North Bucks Beagles would be assembling at the farm for a hunt. In fact, the North Bucks Beagles would continue to meet at Lodge Farm until well into the 1950s.
An advertisement carried in the Bedfordshire Times and Independent of April 17th, 1936, provides ample proof that the Uthwatt's connection to the farm had continued. The advertisement for the sale of well over 200 head of cattle is an interesting one, as it provides a detail that seems superfluous to the goal of selling the cattle but is nonetheless a welcome one. The reason for the sale, we are told, is that William Rupert Edolph Andrewes Uthwatt had decided to start a Red Poll dairy herd; this was a breed developed in the latter half of the 19th century. It certainly suggests that William Uthwatt was more hands on at Lodge Farm than had been previous generations of the family.
A work wanted ad placed in the Northampton Mercury of May 6th, 1938, identifies a man named Wood of Lodge Farm, who was seeking tractor work, ploughing, harrowing, cultivating or any rough job. We can identify his full name as John Wood, as he was brought to trial in late November of that same year on the charge of having illegally sold cattle he had purchased the previous year on a hire purchase agreement. An account of the trial takes up almost two columns in the Rugby Advertiser of December 2nd, 1938. After long arguments from both sides, Wood was found not guilty, though the experience may have left him out of pocket. The same year, the Northampton Mercury of December 16th, finds him putting up for sale a 1930 Austin Tourer with the plea, “Must Sell”, along with a “beautifully carved” oak table.
There is no sign of John Wood at Lodge Farm on the 1939 register, though it seems possible that one entire household has been redacted for privacy reasons, as the occupants have not been confirmed as deceased. We can however see a series of cottages that are likely the same ones we have encountered in previous decades. Notably Elm Cottage (here named in the singular rather than the plural) is occupied once more by members of the Seamarks family, Cyril and his wife Doris.
Living in the quaintly described “A cottage in field, Woolstone Road” is Thomas Ariss, born November 5th, 1873, and his sister Sarah, born December 1st, 1868. Thomas and Sarah had arrived with their parents in Great Linford circa 1891, having previously lived in Tusmore in Oxfordshire. Here his occupation is listed as a cowman, though Thomas has been described previously as a farmer and a smallholder at unidentified farms in the parish.
Lodge Farm Cottage is occupied by Elizabeth Collins, a widowed Dairy Maid, born October 5th, 1894, and George Milburn, a married Farm Manager, (make of that what you will) born July 12th, 1893.
Finally, there is the household of Alan J Johnston, born June 11th, 1912, and his wife Edith, born September 19th, 1911. He is described as a head cowman. Unfortunately, this part of the document has been poorly repaired in the past, and though the words Lodge Farm are legible, it is unclear if this is another cottage or even perhaps the farmhouse.
A work wanted ad placed in the Northampton Mercury of May 6th, 1938, identifies a man named Wood of Lodge Farm, who was seeking tractor work, ploughing, harrowing, cultivating or any rough job. We can identify his full name as John Wood, as he was brought to trial in late November of that same year on the charge of having illegally sold cattle he had purchased the previous year on a hire purchase agreement. An account of the trial takes up almost two columns in the Rugby Advertiser of December 2nd, 1938. After long arguments from both sides, Wood was found not guilty, though the experience may have left him out of pocket. The same year, the Northampton Mercury of December 16th, finds him putting up for sale a 1930 Austin Tourer with the plea, “Must Sell”, along with a “beautifully carved” oak table.
There is no sign of John Wood at Lodge Farm on the 1939 register, though it seems possible that one entire household has been redacted for privacy reasons, as the occupants have not been confirmed as deceased. We can however see a series of cottages that are likely the same ones we have encountered in previous decades. Notably Elm Cottage (here named in the singular rather than the plural) is occupied once more by members of the Seamarks family, Cyril and his wife Doris.
Living in the quaintly described “A cottage in field, Woolstone Road” is Thomas Ariss, born November 5th, 1873, and his sister Sarah, born December 1st, 1868. Thomas and Sarah had arrived with their parents in Great Linford circa 1891, having previously lived in Tusmore in Oxfordshire. Here his occupation is listed as a cowman, though Thomas has been described previously as a farmer and a smallholder at unidentified farms in the parish.
Lodge Farm Cottage is occupied by Elizabeth Collins, a widowed Dairy Maid, born October 5th, 1894, and George Milburn, a married Farm Manager, (make of that what you will) born July 12th, 1893.
Finally, there is the household of Alan J Johnston, born June 11th, 1912, and his wife Edith, born September 19th, 1911. He is described as a head cowman. Unfortunately, this part of the document has been poorly repaired in the past, and though the words Lodge Farm are legible, it is unclear if this is another cottage or even perhaps the farmhouse.
The last farmers of Lodge Farm
Matters become clearer in the 1940s, as a number of newspaper articles name a Francis George Cook as the resident farmer of Lodge Farm. The Northampton Mercury of July 12th, 1940, reports on the theft of 12 Rhode Island Pullets from Francis, the thief being named as a former employee named Charles Cross. In mitigation Charles offered that his wife was in hospital and the bills were coming in. This theft must have occurred shortly after the arrival of the Cook family at the farm, as we find Francis and his wife Mary at Ampthill on the 1939 Register, likely with their son John, born 1938, but this line of the record is redacted for privacy reasons. Francis had married Mary Edith Gudgin at Biggleswade in 1937. They had at least three children, the aforementioned John, followed by Georgina in 1942 and Richard in 1943. The latter two children we can presume to have been born at Lodge Farm. John appears to have become a farmer in his own right at Church Farm in the 1960s.
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In December 1942 Francis is looking for a stockman, his advert in the Northampton Mercury of the 24th, includes the inducement of a cottage to live in. In 1943 Francis was the recipient of an award in recognition of having achieved a 20% increase in milk production.
Also living at Lodge Farm (though at which dwelling we do not know) was the German born Walter Karl Otto Stutterich, who had been briefly interred as an enemy alien during the second world war. He was exempted from internment in 1939, having been working in Sussex as a flour miller, and then at some point afterward he and his wife Elizabeth, who was also German (and had herself been interred), relocated to Great Linford. Walter placed an advertisement in the Bucks Herald of March 3rd, 1944, seeking work near Aylesbury, but nothing must have come of this, as in 1947 and whilst still living at Lodge Farm, he applied for naturalisation, a notice of which appeared in the Bedfordshire Times of January 3rd. He presumably succeeded in his application and passed away in Milton Keynes in 1995. |
Walter and Elizabeth Stutterich. Published with permission of the family.
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We can find a number of other newspaper stories relating to the tenure of the Cooks, one of which tells us that the farm was home to a cow called Linford Hilda, described as the pride of Lodge Farm by the Northampton Mercury of April 18th. 1952. Linford Hilda was a champion milk producer, bringing home a prestigious gold cup to North Bucks for the first time in 26 years, which upon arriving at the farm was filled with champagne and drunk by the farm workers.
Later that same year a rather alarming story was reported by the Wolverton Express of November 28th concerning Richard James Cook, a son of Francis. He and a friend were rabbiting at Lodge Farm when they found a metal object in a hedge. When one of the boys struck the object, it exploded, injuring both so severely they had to be taken to hospital. Frustratingly, the mystery object is never identified.
In January 1960, a fire at the farm destroyed a range of pigsties, killing a number of unfortunate piglets in the process. The story is significant as it describes Lodge Farm as owned by Francis, so the Uthwatts appear to have disinvested themselves of the farm by this time. In April 1962 Richard James Cook, (now the farm manager) was at the wheel of a truck involved in a road accident. As if this wasn't enough, further calamity was to befall the family, with another fire, this one occurring on Tuesday October 22nd, 1963. No less than three engines were called out from surrounding towns, tackling a blaze that consumed a large rick of hay (pictured below) and a Dutch Barn. The latter is a roofed structure without walls, used generally to store hay and straw. In all the Cooks lost all their hay crop, amounting to some 200 tons, with damage also done to an elevator and trailer.
Later that same year a rather alarming story was reported by the Wolverton Express of November 28th concerning Richard James Cook, a son of Francis. He and a friend were rabbiting at Lodge Farm when they found a metal object in a hedge. When one of the boys struck the object, it exploded, injuring both so severely they had to be taken to hospital. Frustratingly, the mystery object is never identified.
In January 1960, a fire at the farm destroyed a range of pigsties, killing a number of unfortunate piglets in the process. The story is significant as it describes Lodge Farm as owned by Francis, so the Uthwatts appear to have disinvested themselves of the farm by this time. In April 1962 Richard James Cook, (now the farm manager) was at the wheel of a truck involved in a road accident. As if this wasn't enough, further calamity was to befall the family, with another fire, this one occurring on Tuesday October 22nd, 1963. No less than three engines were called out from surrounding towns, tackling a blaze that consumed a large rick of hay (pictured below) and a Dutch Barn. The latter is a roofed structure without walls, used generally to store hay and straw. In all the Cooks lost all their hay crop, amounting to some 200 tons, with damage also done to an elevator and trailer.
After this run of bad news, there was cause for celebration in 1968, with the Bucks Standard of November 15th reporting on the wedding of Georgina Cook to Herr Finn Asberg Thomsen of Denmark. The wedding took place at St. Andrews on November 9th.
A record dated 1974-76 and held by the Buckinghamshire Record Office (D-MKDC/9/1/59) relates to the conveyance of a Crescent Farm, owned by R. J. Cook. The 1972 Ordinance Survey map confirms this is actually Linford House, presumably having been renamed upon the construction of Church Farm Crescent. This suggests that the connection between the two properties had continued to endure to the very end.
The Cooks must have been witness to the final encroachment of the new city of Milton Keynes upon their fields. Indeed, they were resident at Lodge Farm well after the construction of the modern Great Linford housing estate. Probate records filed on the passing of Mary in 1980 and Francis in 1988 note their place of abode as Lodge Farm, the funeral services for both taking place at St. Andrews church.
The Cooks must have been witness to the final encroachment of the new city of Milton Keynes upon their fields. Indeed, they were resident at Lodge Farm well after the construction of the modern Great Linford housing estate. Probate records filed on the passing of Mary in 1980 and Francis in 1988 note their place of abode as Lodge Farm, the funeral services for both taking place at St. Andrews church.
Interior view of Lodge Farm, Great Linford, photographed for Milton Keynes Development Corporation, 1981 (D-MKDC/13/5/11.) From the collections of Buckinghamshire Archives and reproduced with permission.
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