Wood End Farm, Great Linford
Of all the various farms dotted around the parish of Great Linford, Wood End Farm (just to the north of Linford Wood) is arguably one of the more difficult to document. Though we can see the then unnamed farmstead clearly enough on a tithe map produced in 1840, it was not until well into the 1930s that the name Wood End Farm became synonymous with the property. Prior to this, the farmstead was predominantly (but not always) known as Wood House, labelled as such on the Ordnance Survey maps published between 1881 and 1924, but it was also named in other sources as "Wood Farm", a particularly unhelpful designation, as there was also a "Wood Farm" to the south of Linford Wood. Wood End Farm is now long gone, with the 134 acres of land it originally occupied bisected by the Monks Way Road, and the farmhouse itself demolished to make way for the modern-day houses of Hunsdon Close in Stantonbury Fields.
The book A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Milton Keynes (1986, Paul Woodfield, Milton Keynes Development Corporation) contains a very short description of a "Wood Farmhouse", but unfortunately does not allude to it's location other than it was in the vicinity of Linford Wood. It could therefore be either Wood Farm or Wood End Farm, but for now the presumption is made that it is the latter. The description reads, "A 19th century farmhouse and outbuildings, demolished circa 1974. Brick, of two bays, two stories with a tiled roof." A somewhat indistinct picture of the farmstead taken from the air does exist, thought to be dated to the late 1060s, which shows a two story farmhouse and extensive outbuildings.
Wood End Farm. Photo reproduced by kind permission.
John Hill
The earliest reference to be found to a “Wood House” in the parish is provided by a “deed of appointment to uses” (Buckinghamshire Archives, D-X_2228) dated variously 1808 and 1814. The deed is drawn up between several people, notably Henry Andrewes Uthwatt, the Lord of the Manor, his son and heir Henry, and the parish Rector, William Smyth. A number of other prominent gentlemen from further afield are also included in the agreement. A total of seven “farmhouses” are listed along with their acreage, plus Wood House, which we learn came with a garden and was in the occupancy of a John Hill.
We can find the name Hill associated with Great Linford as far back as 1728, when a Matha Hill married a George Harlop, but a connection cannot as yet be established between Martha and John Hill. We can ascertain that John was born (we do not know where) circa 1761, and was married to an Ann (maiden name presently unknown), presumably circa 1800, as their first known child Elizabeth was baptized at Great Linford in 1801. At least three more children followed, John in 1803, Martha in 1808 and Ann in 1811. John Hill snr was buried at Great Linford on October 3rd, 1823, aged 62; his wife Ann was 76 when she passed away in 1846, and was buried on August 16th, also at Great Linford. Unfortunately, we know little else about the family. John Hill Jnr and his sister Elizabeth are recorded cohabitating together until at least 1871 in a presently unidentified property on the High Street. John was an agricultural labourer and Elizabeth a lacemaker, so whatever apparently upwardly mobile strides their father had achieved by residing at Wood House appears not to have been passed down. The two siblings died within two months of each other at Great Linford in 1872.
We can find the name Hill associated with Great Linford as far back as 1728, when a Matha Hill married a George Harlop, but a connection cannot as yet be established between Martha and John Hill. We can ascertain that John was born (we do not know where) circa 1761, and was married to an Ann (maiden name presently unknown), presumably circa 1800, as their first known child Elizabeth was baptized at Great Linford in 1801. At least three more children followed, John in 1803, Martha in 1808 and Ann in 1811. John Hill snr was buried at Great Linford on October 3rd, 1823, aged 62; his wife Ann was 76 when she passed away in 1846, and was buried on August 16th, also at Great Linford. Unfortunately, we know little else about the family. John Hill Jnr and his sister Elizabeth are recorded cohabitating together until at least 1871 in a presently unidentified property on the High Street. John was an agricultural labourer and Elizabeth a lacemaker, so whatever apparently upwardly mobile strides their father had achieved by residing at Wood House appears not to have been passed down. The two siblings died within two months of each other at Great Linford in 1872.
Eli Elkins
In 1840, a tithe map was drawn up for the parish (Buckinghamshire Archives, Tithe/255) and the accompanying apportionments furnish us with the names of the owner, the occupier and extent of land, as well as its taxable value. Hence, we know the farmstead and its land was in the ownership of the Lord of the Manor, Henry Andrewes Uthwatt (as was most of the parish) and in the occupation of an Eli Elkins. However, Eli was occupying three distinct farmsteads in the parish, the other two being Grange Farm and The Mead (a total of 357 acres with a combined taxable value of £78 and 15 shillings), and so where exactly he was residing remains uncertain, but it was almost certainly never Wood End Farm.
The tithe map tells us that the farm was comprised of 134 acres of land, primarily given over to grazing, with the "Wood House homestead and Close" numbered 33 on the map. The other fields were numbers #28 (Long Ground), #29 (Sheep Pen Ground) #30 (Home Close) and #31 (Wood Close.) The fact that the house is explicitly named is quite unusual for this document, as few other properties are, perhaps suggesting that this particular farmstead had an above average standing in the parish.
The tithe map tells us that the farm was comprised of 134 acres of land, primarily given over to grazing, with the "Wood House homestead and Close" numbered 33 on the map. The other fields were numbers #28 (Long Ground), #29 (Sheep Pen Ground) #30 (Home Close) and #31 (Wood Close.) The fact that the house is explicitly named is quite unusual for this document, as few other properties are, perhaps suggesting that this particular farmstead had an above average standing in the parish.
1840 tithe map of Great Linford (Tithe/255), showing Wood End Farm. From the collections of Buckinghamshire Archives and reproduced with permission.
One other rather curious ambiguity revealed by the tithe map is that one small parcel of land directly adjacent to the farmhouse (numbered 32) is in the occupation of, “The Churchwarden overseers of the poor and surveyors of the highways of Great Linford for the time being” and is described as “The Wood House Gardens.” We might surmise that this is the same garden highlighted in the aforementioned 1808 deed, and that its purpose was to provide for the poor of the parish.
A census was conducted in 1841, but its enumerators were tasked with collecting extremely limited information, and though we can be confident from the tithe map that the farmstead was then commonly known as “Wood House”, no dwelling of this name is recorded on the census. Though Eli Elkins was in the village, which of his farmsteads he was staying at on the evening of the census is impossible to tell, and therefore who was residing at Wood House cannot be easily ascertained.
The 1851 census is more forthcoming, with three distinct households recorded at “Wood House.” The first household is headed by a 24-year-old agricultural labourer named William Conquest. He is living with his wife maria and a one-year-old daughter, Betsy. Next, we have a household headed by a 60-year-old widowed lacemaker named Elizabeth Bolton. Her two adult sons, James and Thomas, are living with her, both agricultural labourers. Finally, we have John and Ann Townsend, both in their 50s. John is an agricultural labourer, as are his four sons, Matthew, Alfred, Samuel and John.
Eli Elkins was recorded on the same census “near the green”, a particularly vague address, but clearly not “Wood House”, and undoubtedly either The Mead or Grange Farm, both of which can be said to be “near the green.” It seems likely then that the persons named above were in Eli's employ and we might reasonably speculate that the farmhouse was essentially being used as a dormitory for agricultural labourers. If so, this must be considered slightly surprising, if we are to continue to think of the house as a significant one within the parish.
Jumping ahead to the 1861 census, things seem to be much the same, indeed, John Townsend is still present at “Wood House”, alongside this wife and son Matthew, plus two new occupants, a 70-year-old lacemaker called Elizabeth Colton, and her 38-year-old unmarried son James, who it will be no surprise to learn, was another agricultural labourer.
John Townsend, now a venerable 75 years of age, is still to be found at Wood House on the 1871 census, as is his wife. John is still an agricultural labourer, a salutary reminder that the common working man at this time had no benefits or pensions to fall back upon in old age; the only viable option was to continue working well into old age. James Colton, whom we found on the 1861 census is also still present, his mother likely having passed away, but he himself has now married.
Throughout this period a complete dearth of newspaper stories relating to a named farmer at Wood House, or Wood End Farm. Usually, farmers are mentioned in newspapers frequently, selling produce, winning prizes, getting into trouble with the authorities, or moving on to pastures new. All this evidence does seem to paint a convincing picture of the farmstead being used as a dormitory for agricultural labourers. The same might have also been the case at the time of the 1841 census, but as this document lacks any names for dwellings, it is impossible to tell for sure; the Conquests and the Townsends were present in the village but were not then cohabitating and we cannot pinpoint their location.
Generally, if a farm was changing hands, newspapers would carry announcements stating who the departing farmer was. Eli Elkins passed away on April 8th, 1877, triggering just such a flurry of sales notices, though not a single one explicitly mentions Wood House or Wood End Farm. Indeed, no mention is made at all as to his dwelling-place; Eli was clearly so well-known as to dispense with the need for an address. However, one particularly illuminating advertisement carried in the Bucks Herald of April 28th, 1877, makes abundantly clear that he retained an interest in Wood End Farm. The advertisement carries a list of field names including “Wood House Home Close”, and as further confirmation, two other fields named in the advertisement match names on the 1840 tithe map apportionments, Long Ground and Sheep Pen Ground.
The farm is not mentioned on the next census of 1881, and all the farmers named in the parish can otherwise be accounted for, which might mean that Wood End Farm was entirely unoccupied on the night of the census. The agricultural labourer James Colton and his wife are still in the village, but residing at Wood Cottage, a dwelling that appears to have being associated with Wood Farm, located on the opposite side of Linford Wood to Wood House. As previously noted, the fact that we have two farms on opposite sides of the wood bearing strikingly similar names is certainly not helpful in piecing together their sometimes tangled histories.
A census was conducted in 1841, but its enumerators were tasked with collecting extremely limited information, and though we can be confident from the tithe map that the farmstead was then commonly known as “Wood House”, no dwelling of this name is recorded on the census. Though Eli Elkins was in the village, which of his farmsteads he was staying at on the evening of the census is impossible to tell, and therefore who was residing at Wood House cannot be easily ascertained.
The 1851 census is more forthcoming, with three distinct households recorded at “Wood House.” The first household is headed by a 24-year-old agricultural labourer named William Conquest. He is living with his wife maria and a one-year-old daughter, Betsy. Next, we have a household headed by a 60-year-old widowed lacemaker named Elizabeth Bolton. Her two adult sons, James and Thomas, are living with her, both agricultural labourers. Finally, we have John and Ann Townsend, both in their 50s. John is an agricultural labourer, as are his four sons, Matthew, Alfred, Samuel and John.
Eli Elkins was recorded on the same census “near the green”, a particularly vague address, but clearly not “Wood House”, and undoubtedly either The Mead or Grange Farm, both of which can be said to be “near the green.” It seems likely then that the persons named above were in Eli's employ and we might reasonably speculate that the farmhouse was essentially being used as a dormitory for agricultural labourers. If so, this must be considered slightly surprising, if we are to continue to think of the house as a significant one within the parish.
Jumping ahead to the 1861 census, things seem to be much the same, indeed, John Townsend is still present at “Wood House”, alongside this wife and son Matthew, plus two new occupants, a 70-year-old lacemaker called Elizabeth Colton, and her 38-year-old unmarried son James, who it will be no surprise to learn, was another agricultural labourer.
John Townsend, now a venerable 75 years of age, is still to be found at Wood House on the 1871 census, as is his wife. John is still an agricultural labourer, a salutary reminder that the common working man at this time had no benefits or pensions to fall back upon in old age; the only viable option was to continue working well into old age. James Colton, whom we found on the 1861 census is also still present, his mother likely having passed away, but he himself has now married.
Throughout this period a complete dearth of newspaper stories relating to a named farmer at Wood House, or Wood End Farm. Usually, farmers are mentioned in newspapers frequently, selling produce, winning prizes, getting into trouble with the authorities, or moving on to pastures new. All this evidence does seem to paint a convincing picture of the farmstead being used as a dormitory for agricultural labourers. The same might have also been the case at the time of the 1841 census, but as this document lacks any names for dwellings, it is impossible to tell for sure; the Conquests and the Townsends were present in the village but were not then cohabitating and we cannot pinpoint their location.
Generally, if a farm was changing hands, newspapers would carry announcements stating who the departing farmer was. Eli Elkins passed away on April 8th, 1877, triggering just such a flurry of sales notices, though not a single one explicitly mentions Wood House or Wood End Farm. Indeed, no mention is made at all as to his dwelling-place; Eli was clearly so well-known as to dispense with the need for an address. However, one particularly illuminating advertisement carried in the Bucks Herald of April 28th, 1877, makes abundantly clear that he retained an interest in Wood End Farm. The advertisement carries a list of field names including “Wood House Home Close”, and as further confirmation, two other fields named in the advertisement match names on the 1840 tithe map apportionments, Long Ground and Sheep Pen Ground.
The farm is not mentioned on the next census of 1881, and all the farmers named in the parish can otherwise be accounted for, which might mean that Wood End Farm was entirely unoccupied on the night of the census. The agricultural labourer James Colton and his wife are still in the village, but residing at Wood Cottage, a dwelling that appears to have being associated with Wood Farm, located on the opposite side of Linford Wood to Wood House. As previously noted, the fact that we have two farms on opposite sides of the wood bearing strikingly similar names is certainly not helpful in piecing together their sometimes tangled histories.
Thomas Brafield
1881 marked the first time a detailed 25 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey map was produced for the parish, which as previously noted, serves to show the farmstead named as “Wood House." Click here to view the 1881 Ordnance Survey map. We have to wait until the 1891 census before we can finally equate the farmstead with a specific farmer again. This is Thomas Brafield (also spelt Brayfield in other records), though just to muddy the waters that little bit more, the farmstead is named on the census as Brafield's Farm.
Alongside Thomas is his wife Rebecca, nee Marks, a daughter, Mabel aged nine and a son Frank aged three. Thomas and his wife had both been born in Northamptonshire, Thomas in 1861 at Grafton Regis and Rebecca in 1853 at Wilton Locks. They were married in 1881 in the Potterspury registration district. Their children, Mabel and Frank, were both born in Stantonbury, so though we do not have a precise date for the Brafield’s arrival at Great Linford, it must have come after the birth of Frank in 1887.
Little can be found concerning their tenure at Wood End Farm, save for a widely reported court case in November 1889 pertaining to a 13-year-old farm labourer named Arthur Danniels of Newport Pagnell who had been accused of maliciously setting fire to a hayrick on the farm. After deliberation, the case against the lad was dismissed.
Thomas is listed as a farmer in the 1891 Kelly’s trade directory, but in 1893 he went bankrupt. Despite the fact that he had named the farm after himself on the 1881 census, the notification of his financial troubles carried in the Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press of October 29th, unequivocally names him as the occupier of "Wood End Farm." Notably this is also the first time it has been found to be explicitly named as such in any record. No one seems to have told the Ordnance Survey however, and the farm is still labelled as Wood House on their 1900 edition.
Alongside Thomas is his wife Rebecca, nee Marks, a daughter, Mabel aged nine and a son Frank aged three. Thomas and his wife had both been born in Northamptonshire, Thomas in 1861 at Grafton Regis and Rebecca in 1853 at Wilton Locks. They were married in 1881 in the Potterspury registration district. Their children, Mabel and Frank, were both born in Stantonbury, so though we do not have a precise date for the Brafield’s arrival at Great Linford, it must have come after the birth of Frank in 1887.
Little can be found concerning their tenure at Wood End Farm, save for a widely reported court case in November 1889 pertaining to a 13-year-old farm labourer named Arthur Danniels of Newport Pagnell who had been accused of maliciously setting fire to a hayrick on the farm. After deliberation, the case against the lad was dismissed.
Thomas is listed as a farmer in the 1891 Kelly’s trade directory, but in 1893 he went bankrupt. Despite the fact that he had named the farm after himself on the 1881 census, the notification of his financial troubles carried in the Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press of October 29th, unequivocally names him as the occupier of "Wood End Farm." Notably this is also the first time it has been found to be explicitly named as such in any record. No one seems to have told the Ordnance Survey however, and the farm is still labelled as Wood House on their 1900 edition.
Ellis Beckett
Available records in the years following are characterised by a seeming disregard for consistency for the given name of the farm, but in 1910, a valuation office survey map of the parish (Buckinghamshire Archives DVD/2/X/5), was produced that provides an unequivocable record of both owner and occupier, though the map still calls the farmstead "Wood House" and the accompanying listing of owners and occupiers describes it as "Wood Farm. The owner is William Uthwatt of Great Linford Manor, and the occupier Ellis Beckett, a farmer whose life story is one that can told in some detail.
1910 valuation office survey map (DVD/2/X/5) of Great Linford showing Wood House (AKA Wood End Farm) with fields numbered 61. From the collection of Buckinghamshire Archives and reproduced with permission.
Ellis is listed in the 1899 Kelly’s trade directory as a farmer, though as is usually the case, the farms are not named, and the 1901 census lets us down by offering only that he is resident at a “farm." Continuing the trend of sources presenting ambiguous or contradictory evidence, Ellis write a letter to the Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press, published February 25th, 1905, with the paper describing him as a resident of "Wood Farm", though other evidence such as the aforementioned valuation office survey map point to his residency as being Wood End Farm.
Mr. Ellis Beckett, Wood Farm, Great Linford, Bucks, writes us as follows – I have a ewe that has just given birth to three lambs. These make her total lambs no less than 26. She has had seven doubles and four triples, all of which have been successfully reared. This I should think must almost constitute a record.
Ellis was clearly very much the proud farmer, and it is interesting to see that he had succeeded in advancing himself from humble origins. He was born circa 1833 at Steeple Claydon in Buckinghamshire to parents Thomas and Mary. The family is to be found there on the 1841 census; at the time Ellis had seven siblings, and his father was an agricultural labourer. By the time of Ellis’s 18th year he is a farmer’s servant (1851 census) and in early 1855 was married to Elizabeth Ann Coxhill of Preston Bissett.
The 1861 census places Ellis in Winslow working as a labourer, while he wife and several children remain in Steeple Claydon. The 1871 census shows that the family have reunited at Steeple Claydon, with 36-year-old Ellis continuing to toil as a farm labourer. The 1881 census is much the same, though Ellis and Elizabeth (who styled herself Anne on some census records) are now proud parents of 10 children; nine boys and one girl.
The 1891 census brings news of a move, to Wolverton, then in 1901 we find Ellis and his wife, along with sons Arthur and Henry at a "farm" in Great Linford, a particularly unhelpful entry, but at least it tells us clearly that Ellis has now assumed the profession of farmer. How he had succeeded in elevating himself from labourer to farmer we cannot know for sure; had he scrimped and saved what little he could, biding his time until an opportunity arose? Of course, the land was still not his own, the 1910 valuation office survey map confirms the ubiquitous Uthwatts still held sway in that regard, but the cost of seed, livestock and equipment would have been for Ellis to shoulder, as would rent for the house, buildings and the 122 acres of land ascribed to him on the 1910 map.
He had surely taken upon himself an enormous risk, and indeed a long opinion piece written in the Bucks Herald of October 28th, 1882, counselled strongly against a labouring man attempting to become a farmer in his own right. But Ellis must have been made of the right stuff, though as the same article advises, it was prudent to, “marry a good helpmate”, which seems to have been the case for Ellis.
Sadly, the 1910 valuation office survey index has a notation indicating matters were in the hands of executors, and it was indeed the case that Ellis had passed away that year, though in somewhat unusual circumstances that caused a bit of a stir in the local press. This was reported upon in considerable detail in Croydon's Weekly Standard of July 2nd, and it is worthy of full reproduction below, especially as it also includes further details of his career, proving Ellis to have been a tenacious and adaptable character, who had indeed strived against adversity to succeed in life.
The 1861 census places Ellis in Winslow working as a labourer, while he wife and several children remain in Steeple Claydon. The 1871 census shows that the family have reunited at Steeple Claydon, with 36-year-old Ellis continuing to toil as a farm labourer. The 1881 census is much the same, though Ellis and Elizabeth (who styled herself Anne on some census records) are now proud parents of 10 children; nine boys and one girl.
The 1891 census brings news of a move, to Wolverton, then in 1901 we find Ellis and his wife, along with sons Arthur and Henry at a "farm" in Great Linford, a particularly unhelpful entry, but at least it tells us clearly that Ellis has now assumed the profession of farmer. How he had succeeded in elevating himself from labourer to farmer we cannot know for sure; had he scrimped and saved what little he could, biding his time until an opportunity arose? Of course, the land was still not his own, the 1910 valuation office survey map confirms the ubiquitous Uthwatts still held sway in that regard, but the cost of seed, livestock and equipment would have been for Ellis to shoulder, as would rent for the house, buildings and the 122 acres of land ascribed to him on the 1910 map.
He had surely taken upon himself an enormous risk, and indeed a long opinion piece written in the Bucks Herald of October 28th, 1882, counselled strongly against a labouring man attempting to become a farmer in his own right. But Ellis must have been made of the right stuff, though as the same article advises, it was prudent to, “marry a good helpmate”, which seems to have been the case for Ellis.
Sadly, the 1910 valuation office survey index has a notation indicating matters were in the hands of executors, and it was indeed the case that Ellis had passed away that year, though in somewhat unusual circumstances that caused a bit of a stir in the local press. This was reported upon in considerable detail in Croydon's Weekly Standard of July 2nd, and it is worthy of full reproduction below, especially as it also includes further details of his career, proving Ellis to have been a tenacious and adaptable character, who had indeed strived against adversity to succeed in life.
GREAT LINFORD
SUDDEN DEATH OF MR ELLIS BECKETT.
Under circumstances of the most tragic character the death occurred with painful suddenness on Tuesday evening, June 28, of Mr. Ellis Beckett, the tenant of the Wood Farm, Great Linford. The deceased had come to Newport Pagnell to attend the rent audit of Mr. William Uthwatt's tenants. He was in his customary jovial mood and apparently in the best of health, despite the weight of his nearly four score years. Seated in a chair he was " cracking" little jokes with his brother formers, when suddenly, and without warning of any kind, he expired. Dr. Stewart was summoned, but his services were of no avail. Latterly the deceased had been under the treatment of Dr. O. H. Miles, of Stantonbury, who being able to certify that the cause of death was due to an affection of the heart no inquest was deemed necessary. The body was later in the evening removed to deceased home at Great Linford. Naturally Mr. Uthwatt and those of his tenants who had assembled for the audit were grieved beyond measure at the very sadden nature of Mr. Beckett’s death, for the deceased upright character and kindly disposition had made him a friend of all.
Born at Steeple Claydon in August, 1833, the doomed was in his 77th year. The whole of his long life was associated with the land, agricultural pursuits having a great fascination for him. Of humble parentage be experienced many hardships in his younger days, and when quite a lad was sent to earn his living by following the plough. Many and interesting were the stories he could tell of the days known as the "hungry forties." Being of a careful and steady character, and full of energy he slowly but surely improved his position in life. For several years he was working bailiff for Mr. Sylvanus Jones, of Winslow, and subsequently for a couple of years was gardener to “Squire" Harrison, at the Manor House, Stony Stratford. Launching out in business on his own account he was appointed sanitary collector for the Stantonbury and Wolverton districts. In 1893 he became the tenant of Wood Farm, Great Linford, a compact and pleasantly situated holding of some 140 acres. This farm he conducted with much success, assisted by two of his sons, up to the time of his death. Right up to the last he was able to be about among his stock, and on Tuesday he engaged himself in his flower and vegetable gardens, in the cultivation of which he was deeply interested. Despite his great age be also on that day went into the fields and fetched up his herd of cows, a thing be had not done for many months past. The late Mr. Beckett was one of the old type of English farmers, quiet and unobtrusive, but strictly upright in his dealings with all men. His kindness and hospitality were proverbial, and no one in distress or needing help of any kind appealed to him in vain. In polities he was a staunch Conservative. His sad death has put quite a gloom over the parish in which he lived, and with his aged widow and his grown-up family of nine sons and two daughters the deepest sympathy has been expressed. The funeral takes place at Great Linford this (Saturday) afternoon at 3.30.
The above article contains a number of points worth reflecting upon, notably that it confirms the continued dominance of the Uthwatts over the farming rights in the parish. But one phrase in particular stands out, the reference to the "Hungry Forties." This refers to a period of famine in the early 1840s, most commonly associated with Ireland, that was caused by potato blight.
It is interesting that Ellis appears to have had first-hand experience of the Hungry Forties, as there has been academic debate on how big an impact the blight had on England. The phrase itself was coined in the early 1900s as a piece of political propaganda and caught the public imagination, so it is not in itself surprising that the newspaper writer should have inserted this comment into the article.
Several other newspapers carry accounts of the passing of Ellis, one of which claims to report the last rather poignant words he spoke to a fellow farmer, “As friends we meet and as friends we’ll part“, and another which adds the detail that his body was carried home by the ambulance belonging to the workhouse. We also learn that the death occurred at the Anchor Hotel.
Ellis had married “a good helpmate”, as the 1911 census shows that his widow Elizabeth had stepped into his shoes, as she is described as head of the family and the farmer at Wood Farm, with her sons Arthur and Harry described as farmer’s sons working on farm. However, contradicting this, the Kelly’s trade directory of the same year ascribes the tenancy to her sons. Elizabeth died aged 81 on March 13th, 1915, and was buried alongside Ellis in St. Andrew’s churchyard, where their gravestone still stands. Regretfully though, no one appears to have considered her achievements worthy of an obituary.
In 1915 we find brothers Henry and Arthur Beckett named in that year's Kelly's trade directory as residents of “Wood House", but in 1918, electoral roll records become available, and their dwelling is clearly named as “Wood End Farm”, and with Arthur and Henry registered as voters, along with their wives Annie and Florence.
It is interesting that Ellis appears to have had first-hand experience of the Hungry Forties, as there has been academic debate on how big an impact the blight had on England. The phrase itself was coined in the early 1900s as a piece of political propaganda and caught the public imagination, so it is not in itself surprising that the newspaper writer should have inserted this comment into the article.
Several other newspapers carry accounts of the passing of Ellis, one of which claims to report the last rather poignant words he spoke to a fellow farmer, “As friends we meet and as friends we’ll part“, and another which adds the detail that his body was carried home by the ambulance belonging to the workhouse. We also learn that the death occurred at the Anchor Hotel.
Ellis had married “a good helpmate”, as the 1911 census shows that his widow Elizabeth had stepped into his shoes, as she is described as head of the family and the farmer at Wood Farm, with her sons Arthur and Harry described as farmer’s sons working on farm. However, contradicting this, the Kelly’s trade directory of the same year ascribes the tenancy to her sons. Elizabeth died aged 81 on March 13th, 1915, and was buried alongside Ellis in St. Andrew’s churchyard, where their gravestone still stands. Regretfully though, no one appears to have considered her achievements worthy of an obituary.
In 1915 we find brothers Henry and Arthur Beckett named in that year's Kelly's trade directory as residents of “Wood House", but in 1918, electoral roll records become available, and their dwelling is clearly named as “Wood End Farm”, and with Arthur and Henry registered as voters, along with their wives Annie and Florence.
William Coleman
The Becketts remained at Wood End Farm until circa 1920, the electoral rolls for 1921 showing two new registered voters at the address, William and Laura Ann Coleman. The 1921 census tells us that William had been born in 1863 at Turweston in Buckinghamshire and Laura at Akeley, Buckinghamshire. They married in 1892, and had at least seven children together in Buckinghamshire, five at Akeley, one at Stowe and one at Biddlesden.
Looking back at their earlier life, the 1901 census provides the interesting detail that William and Ann were then living in the Oxford Lodge at the Stowe estate in Buckinghamshire, where he was working as a gamekeeper, a rather prestigious appointment. But by the time of the 1911 census, they had moved to Clipston in Leicester, where William was now working as a shepherd, which on balance seems something of a step backward. Turning again to the 1921 census, we learn that William was the "housekeeper" at Wood End Farm, while his son Phillip was a cowman. Both were working for Gerard Uthwatt, the brother of the Lord of the Manor, which seems to suggest that there was no tenant farmer living at the farmstead at this time; Gerard Uthwatt and his family are believed to have been resident at Glebe House on the High Street in 1921.
Looking back at their earlier life, the 1901 census provides the interesting detail that William and Ann were then living in the Oxford Lodge at the Stowe estate in Buckinghamshire, where he was working as a gamekeeper, a rather prestigious appointment. But by the time of the 1911 census, they had moved to Clipston in Leicester, where William was now working as a shepherd, which on balance seems something of a step backward. Turning again to the 1921 census, we learn that William was the "housekeeper" at Wood End Farm, while his son Phillip was a cowman. Both were working for Gerard Uthwatt, the brother of the Lord of the Manor, which seems to suggest that there was no tenant farmer living at the farmstead at this time; Gerard Uthwatt and his family are believed to have been resident at Glebe House on the High Street in 1921.
William John Short
The Colemans had departed by 1923, when according to the electoral rolls, a William John Short had arrived at the farm. With him was his wife Elizabeth and a son, Richard. William was born at Nash in Buckinghamshire, but he and his family had been in Great Linford since at least 1901, when they can be found on the census of that year, residing at Church Farm on the High Street; they would still be there by the time of the 1921 census, and are last recorded at this address on the 1922 electoral roll. William is then recorded in the Kelly’s trade directory of 1924 as the farmer of Wood End Farm, though on their 1925 map, the Ordnance Survey obstinately persist in calling the farmstead “Wood House.”
Benjamin John Winsor
The electoral rolls of 1926 are notable by the absence of anyone registered to vote at Wood End Farm, but in 1927 Benjamin John Winsor and his family have arrived at the farmstead. We can pinpoint Benjamin’s date of birth to February 23rd, 1880, at Soulbury, Buckinghamshire. He was married in 1905 to Alice Cleverly Squires (born March 7th, 1882, at Northampton) and the couple had at least four children together. Benjamin’s surname is misspelt Wansor in the 1928 Kelly’s directory, but he is present and correct on that year’s electoral rolls, alongside his wife.
Benjamin’s tenure at Great Linford appears to pass without incident, or at least nothing noteworthy enough to make the newspapers, though we know from the electoral rolls that he was on the list of eligible jurors for the parish, a role that wealthy farmers were often called upon to fill. He and his wife last appear on the electoral rolls in 1928; they both passed away in the 1950s, in Northamptonshire.
Benjamin’s tenure at Great Linford appears to pass without incident, or at least nothing noteworthy enough to make the newspapers, though we know from the electoral rolls that he was on the list of eligible jurors for the parish, a role that wealthy farmers were often called upon to fill. He and his wife last appear on the electoral rolls in 1928; they both passed away in the 1950s, in Northamptonshire.
The Walkers and Shrimptons
The electoral rolls for 1929 record no-one at Wood End Farm, which of course does not preclude the possibility that someone was there, only that they had omitted to register to vote. However, farming was clearly still taking place that year, as a brief advertisement in the Wolverton Express of April 5th, offers for sale 100 acres of grass keeping. Perhaps significantly, the sale is on the instruction of the landowner, William Uthwatt.
In 1931, the electoral roll throws up another name, William Walker. He is registered at the Wood End Farm with his wife Jane Walker, nee Clutton, and their children D’arcy and Muriel. William was born at Ellesborough in Buckinghamshire in 1874, his wife in 1871 at Chetton, Shropshire. They had married at Cambridgeshire in 1904 and settled at Preston Capes in Northamptonshire, where they are to be found on the 1921 census. William had initially followed in his father’s footsteps to become a wheelwright but switched to farming.
We can join some dots with William, as the next farmer we can identify at Wood End Farm is a Bertram Ernest Shrimpton, who on September 9th, 1931, married Clotilda Mary Walker at St. Andrews church, Great Linford; Clotilda was William’s youngest daughter, born in 1911. A William Walker died in the Newport Pagnell registration district (which covered Great Linford) in 1932, aged 59, so this would plausibly explain how we come to find Bertram Shrimpton listed as the farmer of Wood End Farm in the 1935 Kelly's trade directory. He is listed also in the 1939 register, the simplified national census conducted on the eve of World War Two. This register states that Bertram is a dairy farmer, and alongside him is Clotilda, though she preferred to refer to herself as Mary or Molly. Alongside their two children, Robert and Ann, is Clotilda’s widowed mother and one person whose identity is redacted for privacy reasons.
Finally, in 1949, the Ordnance Survey catches up with reality on the ground, and the farmstead is labelled as Wood End Farm, which was still the home of the Shrimptons, having become that rare exception to the rule in this history, a farming family who had settled down for a good long stay. Click here to view the 1949 O.S map. In 1953, a notice published in the Northampton Mercury of February 13th, announced the passing of Clotilda’s mother at the farm at the age of 81, though she was buried at Ellesborough churchyard; the suspicion must be that her late husband had been buried there in his home parish, and Jane had requested to be laid to rest alongside him.
Robert Shrimpton makes several appearances in newspapers in the mid to late 1950s for some minor infractions of the law. In April 1954 he was brought up before the Newport Pagnell Magistrates, charged along with three others with damaging a road sign. The circumstances behind this offence is not made clear, but each was fined £1 and £1 compensation. He was also fined £2 in May 1958 for having a van with an ineffective parking brake and an obscured number plate. Helpfully the reports of these infractions place him at Wood End Farm.
Robert seems to have been a prankster, though it seems he took things a little too far in September of 1960, when he moved six sacks of potatoes owned by Stella Uthwatt. They had been left outside her gamekeeper’s house, and when brought before the magistrates, Robert offered the defence that he had been engaged in a practical joke, and that this was something he was well known for. Luckily on this occasion he was believed and escaped with only a stern warning ringing in his ears.
He was not so fortunate the following year, when he was one fined £10 for drinking out of hours at the New Inn, New Bradwell. Quoted in the Wolverton Express of March 24th, 1961, landlord Harold Dunleavy testified, “a sort of deathly hush came upon the proceedings”, as a number of police officers entered his establishment, catching Robert red handed, with half-pint in hand.
Robert was a keen sportsman, and is mentioned often in connection with various fixtures in and around the parish. For instance, the Wolverton Express of May 29th, 1959, reported on an impressive performance by Robert during a cricket match against Old Bradwell, when he took seven wickets and helped the Great Linford team to a win. The same year, the darts team from the Nags Head, captained by Robert, lifted the “Graham darts trophy” at a packed final held in Wolverton. Not content with this, we also find Robert turning out for the local football team, the Linford Hornets.
Naturally weddings and deaths continue to figure in the history of the farm. The Wolverton Express of April 11th, 1958, carried news of the marriage of Ann Shrimpton to a Roy Francis Mason, the ceremony having taken place on the 5th at St. Andrews church. A few years later, Bertram passed away aged 55 at the farmhouse, on October 22nd, 1961, after a long illness. His obituary in the Wolverton Express of October 27th, describes him as very well known in the village, and that, “he took an interest in most of the community’s activities and willingly gave his help to local organisations.” He was also a former member of the parish council.
The following year it was Robert’s turn to wed, again at St. Andrews, with the ceremony taking place on May 12th, 1962. His bride was Diana Howick of Fulham in London. Robert’s mother passed away in 1979 in North Buckinghamshire, but how much longer the connection between the Shrimptons and Wood End Farm had endured has yet to be determined. The 1972 O.S Map shows the farmstead labelled as Wood End Farm, but as with all the farms in the parish, the clock was ticking, as the land was under increasing threat from the development of the new city of Milton Keynes. Likely by the mid-1970s the bulldozers would have moved in, and Wood End Farm was consigned to the history books.
In 1931, the electoral roll throws up another name, William Walker. He is registered at the Wood End Farm with his wife Jane Walker, nee Clutton, and their children D’arcy and Muriel. William was born at Ellesborough in Buckinghamshire in 1874, his wife in 1871 at Chetton, Shropshire. They had married at Cambridgeshire in 1904 and settled at Preston Capes in Northamptonshire, where they are to be found on the 1921 census. William had initially followed in his father’s footsteps to become a wheelwright but switched to farming.
We can join some dots with William, as the next farmer we can identify at Wood End Farm is a Bertram Ernest Shrimpton, who on September 9th, 1931, married Clotilda Mary Walker at St. Andrews church, Great Linford; Clotilda was William’s youngest daughter, born in 1911. A William Walker died in the Newport Pagnell registration district (which covered Great Linford) in 1932, aged 59, so this would plausibly explain how we come to find Bertram Shrimpton listed as the farmer of Wood End Farm in the 1935 Kelly's trade directory. He is listed also in the 1939 register, the simplified national census conducted on the eve of World War Two. This register states that Bertram is a dairy farmer, and alongside him is Clotilda, though she preferred to refer to herself as Mary or Molly. Alongside their two children, Robert and Ann, is Clotilda’s widowed mother and one person whose identity is redacted for privacy reasons.
Finally, in 1949, the Ordnance Survey catches up with reality on the ground, and the farmstead is labelled as Wood End Farm, which was still the home of the Shrimptons, having become that rare exception to the rule in this history, a farming family who had settled down for a good long stay. Click here to view the 1949 O.S map. In 1953, a notice published in the Northampton Mercury of February 13th, announced the passing of Clotilda’s mother at the farm at the age of 81, though she was buried at Ellesborough churchyard; the suspicion must be that her late husband had been buried there in his home parish, and Jane had requested to be laid to rest alongside him.
Robert Shrimpton makes several appearances in newspapers in the mid to late 1950s for some minor infractions of the law. In April 1954 he was brought up before the Newport Pagnell Magistrates, charged along with three others with damaging a road sign. The circumstances behind this offence is not made clear, but each was fined £1 and £1 compensation. He was also fined £2 in May 1958 for having a van with an ineffective parking brake and an obscured number plate. Helpfully the reports of these infractions place him at Wood End Farm.
Robert seems to have been a prankster, though it seems he took things a little too far in September of 1960, when he moved six sacks of potatoes owned by Stella Uthwatt. They had been left outside her gamekeeper’s house, and when brought before the magistrates, Robert offered the defence that he had been engaged in a practical joke, and that this was something he was well known for. Luckily on this occasion he was believed and escaped with only a stern warning ringing in his ears.
He was not so fortunate the following year, when he was one fined £10 for drinking out of hours at the New Inn, New Bradwell. Quoted in the Wolverton Express of March 24th, 1961, landlord Harold Dunleavy testified, “a sort of deathly hush came upon the proceedings”, as a number of police officers entered his establishment, catching Robert red handed, with half-pint in hand.
Robert was a keen sportsman, and is mentioned often in connection with various fixtures in and around the parish. For instance, the Wolverton Express of May 29th, 1959, reported on an impressive performance by Robert during a cricket match against Old Bradwell, when he took seven wickets and helped the Great Linford team to a win. The same year, the darts team from the Nags Head, captained by Robert, lifted the “Graham darts trophy” at a packed final held in Wolverton. Not content with this, we also find Robert turning out for the local football team, the Linford Hornets.
Naturally weddings and deaths continue to figure in the history of the farm. The Wolverton Express of April 11th, 1958, carried news of the marriage of Ann Shrimpton to a Roy Francis Mason, the ceremony having taken place on the 5th at St. Andrews church. A few years later, Bertram passed away aged 55 at the farmhouse, on October 22nd, 1961, after a long illness. His obituary in the Wolverton Express of October 27th, describes him as very well known in the village, and that, “he took an interest in most of the community’s activities and willingly gave his help to local organisations.” He was also a former member of the parish council.
The following year it was Robert’s turn to wed, again at St. Andrews, with the ceremony taking place on May 12th, 1962. His bride was Diana Howick of Fulham in London. Robert’s mother passed away in 1979 in North Buckinghamshire, but how much longer the connection between the Shrimptons and Wood End Farm had endured has yet to be determined. The 1972 O.S Map shows the farmstead labelled as Wood End Farm, but as with all the farms in the parish, the clock was ticking, as the land was under increasing threat from the development of the new city of Milton Keynes. Likely by the mid-1970s the bulldozers would have moved in, and Wood End Farm was consigned to the history books.
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