547

33. Three Farms in Church Lane [21, 23 and 24].

Reconstruction of Three Farms in Church Lane.

Vicarage [21]

1551 The Crown has advowson of Cropredy until 1589.

1570 April Thomas Holloway B.A. at Oxford [Foster].

1571 Nov.2:Thomas marries Elizabeth Briggs at Cropredy.

1572 Aug. :George son of Thos & Eliz. baptised at Cropredy.

1572/3 Feb.27:Thos Holloway M.A. ordained by Bishop of Glouc. (i) [OASR]

1572 Mar.25:T. Holloway instituted as vicar of Cropredy (ii)[Parker]

[Refs: (i) OASR: North Oxfordshire Archaelogical Soc. Annual Report for 1913, 153. (ii)Parker Ref: 111 56. Lans. MS 443 f77. Sources of Refs. kindly supplied by Dr.M.Barratt].

The churchyard, which was next to the new vicarage, had been part of the former vicar's grazing area, possibly since the time when the priest dwelt in the room over the vestry. Their horse had a stable near the west gate with the vicar's three bay barn attached. Part of this building survives though much altered. It will be noticed how it encroaches upon the circle of God's acre by taking in the south west corner. The churchyard wall was presented for repairs in 1610 (p31). It was made of stone to be kept in repair by all those surrounding the acre. The Vicar was able to lease the Parsonage Close opposite the vicarage upon which he had a straw house and a hay house. The tithe barn may have been in the same close.

Page 548

When in the late eighteenth century the second vicarage was built they used the Parsonage Close and could have pulled down the tithe barn and hay house. In 1587 the vicar paid his half of the cost of 4000 quickset (hawthorns) which they may have planted on their boundary in the Parsonage Close. Planted as a double row this would have done two of the hedges at a total cost of ten shillings [c25/2 f1].

The Holloway's new stone house had been built alongside the churchyard, but separate from it. There was always a common public way linking Church Street with Church Lane running between the graves and the vicar's garden. The former hedge or wall was swept away in the early nineteenth century, when the Reverend J. Ballard built a huge stone wall lined with warm local bricks. Although no inventory has so far been seen for this particular vicarage property [21] there was bound to be a hall house and in Thomas's will he mentions upper chambers so the vicarage had a hall chimney which allowed a chamber above, in addition to the parlour chamber for the children to sleep in. Their parents would sleep downstairs in the chamber where they, or a later incumbent, added the third fireplace, so that it became a parlour. By 1663 there had definitely been three chimneys. Some had a separate dairy away from the buttery, and as the vicar had a lot of malted barley for brewing they had a furnace in the kitchen. Many still cooked over the hall fire and had their ovens built into that chimney. A few houses of the larger sort, which surely included the vicarage, had an apple store and men's chamber in the cockloft.

In 1786 John Taylor, Carpenter and Surveyor from Banbury, was asked to give an estimate for repairs "wanting to be done on the Vicarage House...in Cropredy."

"To under Build the walls, of the whole House and rebuild the stacks of Chimneys as wants, and Repair the other. To new Rip the slating in the front of the House, and other parts were necessary, and fix and secure and make good the defective Timber of Do. and repair all other Slating and Timber of the Roof, put new gutters and spouts were wanting. To repair the Window Frames, Glaizing, Door Cases, Doors, Timber and Boarded Floors, Stone and brick Do. Stairs, Wainscot, Linings, Lath and Plaistering, Rendering and put new were wanting, in several Rooms, and put proper fastening to all the Doors, and Windows of the House, and paint all proper woodwork. To repair the slating, Tiling, Thatching Roofs. Foundation and other walls, Quartering Boarding Floors Doors and put new were wanting to the Sundry offices, and Build a new servants Room. To repair the Fence Walls and Paling, gates, and put new Do in various places were the old is decayed, to Repair the well and Pump, and all the other Dilapidations to be made compleat will amount to the sum of £325- 5s- 3d."

In a letter to the Dean he adds that the Parsonage House was "in a very ruinous state... for that all the outside walls are cracked and in danger of falling and the Roof...sunk and the Timbers decayed and all the Floors of the Parlour Chambers and Garretts in bad condition and all the Cielings of Dirt plaistered over with Lime which are broke and near falling down..." He suggests rebuilding the House. This they did in the Parsonage Close and the old one was pulled down [c34 Item a].

The line of three farms [24, 23, & 21] built on the north side of Church Lane were all on sites of about a hundred feet wide by a hundred and twenty deep, though there has since been some encroachment forward from the original building line which the vicarage did at the church end. The three homestalls belonged to the A. manor and faced three copyhold cottages on the smaller Brasenose estate [18-20]. These cottages on the south side of Church Lane only took up 180 feet between them, because they gave way to the Parsonage Close between them and the vicar's stable which may have preceeded them.

Page 549

In 1619 the Vicarage had to find lodgings for eight members of staff (Thomas left a few records about his staff p97). Only Mr Arthur Coldwell [50] the tenant of the larger demesne farm in Church Street had seven or more staff. The Holloway family went on growing and a large staff were required for inside and on the farm taking on ploughing, sowing, harvesting, threshing and selling as well as the stock which the dealer took to market.

Thomas Holloway was married twice. His first wife Elizabeth nee Briggs died after only eight years. Their two sons, George and Randell both attended school and Randell went on to Oxford were he unfortunately died "being 21 and 5 months" while he was still working for his M.A. George disappears after his appearance in the school register. Anne has no burial record, marriage or any other mention after her baptism and then another Anne was baptised in 1593. Elizabeth their mother died perhaps in childbirth. Nothing is known about this marriage. Thomas was only young and still apparently being supported by his father, though we do not know whether he was a Holloway from Coton or from farther away. Gloucestershire has been suggested because he was ordained by the Bishop of Gloucester. Where did Elizabeth live until the house was made ready? Could her parents live locally?

After a two year gap, when Thomas must have relied heavily upon his staff, he again entered into matrimony on the 6th of November 1581 to Elizabeth Gardner from Thorpe Mandeville.They had nine children. Richard and Marie must have died leaving five daughters and two sons to reach adulthood. Was there a Holloway tomb in a nearby parish as they do not bury any young children in Cropredy ? This marriage appears to have been a partnership which set out to make good provision for each surviving child and they were in a position to do so for the Holloways were not poor. Had they inherited money or land to enable them to go on increasing their assets, and to lease extra land? Only a quarter of all clergymen could educate one son up to university and maintain him there. Yet Thomas and Elizabeth send four to school and at least three to university at great cost, but still there was money over for daughters' legacies. Their concern for their children's future lifestyle was obvious in everything they did to secure it. The sons could not inherit anything from the vicarage so Thomas must lease extra land for each son. Randell and possibly George were taught the rudiments of farm management by leasing land "betwixt" them. He would have repeated this with Gamalliel and Thomas junior. Education was important and he sent the boys to school and college to become clergymen. The girls learning to read and write at home.

His second wife Elizabeth nee Gardner was born just a few miles away, and her mother came to be nursed at the vicarage. There is no doubt that the Holloway circle included several local gentry households and the better off husbandmen. Thomas and Elizabeth being godparents not only to grandchildren named after them, but to children in neighbouring families. With five daughters to be married suitable husbands were, fortunately, found in the immediate locality. These included the Gorstelows of Mollington, related to the Prescote and Bourton branches; the clergy family of Clarsons who lived in Horley; the Timcocks in Wardington who were farming the vicar's glebe and Ambrose Holbech, a lawyer, who may have been living at the vicarage. After several years in Cropredy Ambrose and his wife Joanne Holloway moved to Mollington. In the High Street lived Robert Robins [26] who married Anne Holloway. Leonard and Elizabeth Gorstelow, Robert and Anne Robins and John and Hester Clarson all had sons who entered the church.

Page 550

Further information about this household was found in Thomas's will (see below*).While Thomas was busy writing his own will he was also making agreements with Gamalliel and young Thomas for the latters portions. He was used to organising and arranging and wrote clear instructions for his early burial. This was to be followed, at a later date, by a funeral, allowing people from afar time to travel to the service.

Thomas having been a preacher for nearly fifty years at Cropredy had perhaps delivered more sermons than most. These were often the high point of the town's week. He had had the responsibility of bringing the parishioners from catholic to protestant beliefs, while at the same time keeping within the guidelines set by the bishops. Not every parish had the fortune to have a preacher and even if he was long winded, they relied upon him for ideas, guidance, knowledge of the bible and for news of the outside world. His modesty was well known and he wishes to provide his funeral with a sermon to be preached "by some sufficient man to whom I give" 13s-4d. He suggested Mr John Richardson "to preach it if it pleaseth him." The fine pulpit was perhaps carved as a tribute to Holloway for all his sermons (p48).

During his time as vicar several scholars had gone on to become clergymen from Cropredy and at least some of them must have owed their education to his encouragement. Like many others he knew how hard it was for the scholars to buy books. As Huxeley and Woodrose would do later, Thomas left a grandson money to purchase books, or help towards his education.

Thomas and Elizabeth had already found legacies for the eldest four daughters, Dorothy Timcocke, Elizabeth Gorstelow, Hester Clarson and Anne Robins, and not wishing to leave them out of his will he left them an extra 40s each. To Gorstelow and Timcocks his two son-in-laws, who were not to be overseers helping his wife Elizabeth, he left 10s each. Like widow Robins, who was to insist in 1626, he needed an acquittance given to his wife for all legacies received, so he made a condition that they were all to "acknowledge by writing of the receipte there of" after the funeral. This was a new requirement soon to be reduced to the word "receipts." It was typical of Thomas to help Elizabeth with her accounts which must be presented with an inventory. She would have to take evidence of the administration of his affairs to the Archbishop's Court in London. Orderly farm records, careful lists and payments had been kept throughout their marriage all necessary for Thomas's peace of mind. It must have taken up a great deal of his time and the writing often shows he wrote at speed.

Thomas and Elizabeth celebrated their thirtyeighth wedding anniversary, on the 6th of November. A week later she was in the church burying him. Elizabeth who was a religious woman (believing she was one of God's elect) must now take over the household. Thomas had had every confidence she could manage as the sole executrix, but asked their eldest son Mr Gamaliells Holloway and son-in-law Mr John Clarson, both clergymen, with Mr Richard Gorstelow of Prescote, Mr William Hall [6], both gentlemen, as well as their son-in-law Robert Robins to act as overseers. They would each receive 10s for their pains.

Elizabeth had the two youngest still to bring up although Joanne was now twenty and Thomas who was eighteen still a scholar at Oxford. Providing the widow did not remarry there was sufficient provision for her, which would pass to the last two children.

Note: *Items from the will have been used to illustrate burial in the church (p115), remembering servants (p89), his gold, silver, plate and other possessions (p679) including the brewing leads (p669), his wife's cattle (p176), his last two children's bonds, leases and the passing of his purchased tithes (p178).

Page551

Elizabeth lived on for four more years dying in Cropredy, so presumably kept on the vicarage with Dr Brounker's permission. Did she look after the new curate? She continued to run the farm for her ten cows required at least two and a half yardlands and so they provided her living. The farm produce was also necessary to increase Joanne's portion. Joanne too had cattle and may have had land leased in her name to help provide her dowry. In 1620 Joanne married Ambrose Holbech and continued to live at the vicarage. They move from Church Lane to Mollington only after 1627. Thomas Holloway asked his son Thomas to forgo the benefits of a £50 bond to help Joanne's dowry. Young Thomas had leases taken out in his name as well as £50 his brother Gamaliells had to give him at some time over the next seven years, arising out of the church at Kislingbury in Northamptonshire whose tithes the Holloways had purchased. Gamaliells was vicar of that parish and moved in with his wife Philip nee Swifte [BNC. Ladymoor 30A 1652].

Thomas who had already sent Thomas junior to Oxford with sufficient bedding left him goods in the upper chamber over against the vicarage house (the hall house?) plus the wool in the house and "such sheepe as I would have in the comon fields or in the Parsonage Close at my decease. But provided yf any Ewes be in the fields, that were taken out of my ground, that these shalbe and remayne to my wiffe and returned thither again."

When Elizabeth fell ill she must have been in her early sixties and by then unable to write or even sign her will, but her friend William Hall [6] came with Dr Brouncker to help write and witness it. Most of the assets would now pass to Thomas and Joanne for they had held back when half the household goods had been divided amongst the other married siblings. To six of her seven children she left £6 each. For grandchildren called after her £5 each, to the other grandchildren £3 each and to her god daughter Elizabeth Gorstelow of Prescote manor £2. The children's guardians would invest this until they were married or reached twentyone years. Her stock must have been passed to Thomas for none is mentioned. She favoured Ambrose Holbech to be joint executor with her two sons. Richard Timcocks had recently died and the glebe land been relet, but where would his widow and eight children go? Elizabeth left this daughter, Dorothy Timcocks, twenty marks (£13-6s-8d) and some clothes. Widow Holloway's last wish was to be buried in the chancel next to Thomas and so she was buried in the church on the 26th of May 1623.

Ambrose Holbech (1596-1662) and Joanne were able to carry on living at the vicarage after widow Holloway died until 1627 for the vicar, Edward Brouncker, was residing at Ladbrook. They may have given lodgings to a curate who would not be able to keep up such a house on £10 a year. The Holbechs had four children born at Cropredy: Elizabeth baptised 1 March 1621/2. Hester 14 January 1623/4. Joyce 10 December 1625 and Gamaliells 21 November 1627. Ambrose junior was born at Mollington. Joanne was called back to Cropredy to witness Walter Rawlin's will [45] in 1628 and so left her signature. All the vicar's daughters would have been taught to read and sign their names and may even have advanced further. Her husband Ambrose was always active in the town of Cropredy helping with wills and sometimes writing them. He also helped with inventories though he seldom makes comments about "Joyned" furniture as others do. Perhaps such advancements had become so common in his lifetime as to be not worth a mention anymore? Ambrose was also involved as a lawyer with the church court and it was Holbech who went to call on Martha Woodrose when she had to swear an oath concerning her late husband's estate (p156). The Holbech family continued to live in Mollington. By 1683 their son Ambrose had purchased Farnborough Hall.

Page 552

Vaughans of Church Lane [23].

1614: Tho vaughan ux.. ijd ....1624: Thomas Vaugham et uxor ....ijd

.........wyd vaughan ........ijd ..............[ffoulke Greene.................... xijd c.o.]

........wydd howse........... ijd............... Elizabeth Hancocke............. ijd

........his mayd...................ijd

The average in the household for the 8 listed years was 5.

Vaghan, Valance, Vallans, Vaughan and Vaugham could be various spellings of the surname attached to this site, though some may belong to a different family? A William Valance had Gulmore close equal to an acre, a piece of pasture in Landimore again an acre, and one close called Bulmore of three roods, as well as a cottage and half a yardland in 1552. William Vallans left a will in 1558. His wife was Agnes and his brother Thomas. A daughter was buried at Cropredy.

In 1578 the Vaughans leased two yardlands. At that time there were ten husbandmen renting more than two yardlands and ten under that amount, which left the Vaughans as the average husbandmen, except they considered themselves yeomen. We do not know why as William's will did not mention any land elsewhere, though he may have already settled his eldest son Valentyne on it. The second son, George, was to share the lease at Cropredy with widow Ann. However he vanishes and the third son Thomas enters the property. The lease belonging to the site had always been for just half a yardland and two cottages, but Vaughans did manage to lease extra land and turn the cottage into a farm though this did not appear in the landlord's records, for right up to 1775 it was described as "two other cottages and tenements with the barn and hovels and orchard or close adjoining ..." [1775 Enclosure Award].

Living on the north side of Church Lane between the vicarage and Howse's farm, they too had to contend with a small site. The cows could be taken round behind to reach the farm yard, past Sutton's [42] cottage, which was the most desirable route for Church Lane dwellers, but not for the Gybbs [25] on the High Street.

Page553

Either way they would leave a nuisance. William needed a stable for the three horses and a colt, a cowhouse for two cows, a bull and a weaning calf and a cart hovel of two bays for their muck cart and long cart. These could take up only part of the land behind the cottage and barn as the rest was needed for a garden. Next door Ralph Wells [22] would also use his tiny backside as a garden. The northern boundary to the three farms was eventually given a stone wall alongside a row of old elm trees which once sheltered the rickyards from the northernly winds.

Plan of Vaughan's and Well's in Church Lane [22 & 23].

The building consisted of a barn and two cottages [23 & 22] about seventy feet long and with a depth of nineteen feet (Wells cottage on page 501). Vaughan's cottage and the innermost half of the barn had only the Lane verge in front whereas all Howse's [24] close and the Vaughan's western bay had enclosed land in front taking in part of the verge (Fig.33.1)[BNC 29b]. The exterior stone walls are twentytwo inches thick and yet they retain some tie beam roof rafters from the earlier timber building. The lower supports are missing and the stone walls now support the remaining beams in Vaughan's cottage.

Two steps led down into Vaughan's barn from the rear yard and there was another step down into the threshing bay which must have had the cart doors on the Lane side, so that a winnow door was required at the rear. The two barn bays were about fourteen feet wide (each made out of two small 7 foot bays of the old timber barn). The threshing bay was taken into the house as a "Neyther House" and kitchen.

In 1599 William Vaghan's inventory revealed the following rooms taken in the order given, though the chamber was not named only the contents:

[Chamber one bed]

Butterie

Children's chamber [1 bedsted]

Hall [open hearth]

Neyther house [1 bedsted]

Kitchen [Fire + mattress]

Page 554

One of the grandmothers could retire into the nether house providing they did not mind William's equipment in there. He did provide the bedstead.Their own belongings did not have to be recorded:

"...In the neyther house/

Item one bedstedd a lombe a bolting tub/

ij kevers iij syves one board a lanterne/

a strike, half strike ............................................................xs/

Item ij sacks & ij bags ................................................xviijs/

In the kitchen/

Item a cheese presse ij formes a syeth an hatchett/

an ax a payre of winding blades ...................................iiijs vjd/

Item a spitt and a payre of Andirons................................. xijd/

Item a coverlett and a mattresse ..................................vs/..." [plus 11 more lines].

It looks as though the grandmother who slept in the kitchen had brought her own bed, pillows and sheets, but William provided the mattress and an old fashioned duvet, the "coverlett."

William's bed was in a low chamber, like Toms' house, but at the front. He had sufficient bedding and linen worth 46s-6d. The children's chamber was the only upper room over the parents' low chamber. It would have been reached by a ladder. Those children at home had a double bed, but as no mattress was mentioned it would have been filled with straw and worthless. They did have a blanket and a coverlet, but no pillows which were mostly reserved for adults. Whenever one of the four girls was living at home they would be helping the grandmothers by carding the wool before spinning on the woollen wheel, or making linen thread on the second one. A hatchet, in case of a fire in the thatch, was perhaps kept on a roof collar out of reach of the children? The furniture in their chamber was worth only 6s-2d.

After the property was again improved, another upper chamber could be made over the former open hall where they once ate and sat around an open hearth. A long "iron hangell" hung from a roof beam upon which the pots and kettles were hung. In this cottage they put the chimney wall between the nether end of the barn and the low chamber instead of the hall. The early kitchen chimney being later replaced by a brick chimney stack giving two chimneys made back to back. A spine beam was avoided over the hall to hold the joists for an upper floor and instead an additional transverse beam supported by the stone walls was used as a tie beam for the roof and the upper floor. The floor over the hall was therefore on the same level as the old childrens' chamber, instead of being higher like Toms' [15] (p539). The principal trusses crossed at the apex to hold a ridge pole at least six inches in diameter. Inside Vaughan's cottage measured fifteen feet deep by twentyone in length. The kitchen chimney taking up four feet between the barn and cottage? The low chamber stud partition wall under the old tie beam was retained until the 1980's.

Page 555

A way was made through the buttery into the nether bay of the barn. The loft over this bay may have remained a farm store. In this century the Hickmans lived in the western cottage made from the bays at the barn end and Dennis Hickman recalled the nether bay's spine beam in the upper chamber which held up neither ceiling nor roof as far as he could tell. This bay had been the barn entrance and open to the roof for threshing. Once Vaughan needed this bay for a kitchen and the nether chamber a loft would be put over, but why the spine beam? What was it strengthening or holding up? Had the barn roof been lower than the cottages?

William Vaughan (d 1598/9) had married An Brokes in 1572 and they baptised six children. There were three more children in his will. His wife An (now Ann) was referred to as "this woman" by George Gardner in his will (p186). Why we can only guess. The last three were not baptised at Cropredy. A widow Vaughan is on the list of 1613 and 1614 and then an Ann Vaughan is buried, though because George had put doubts in our minds we cannot tell if this was the same An nee Brokes who married him in 1572 or a second wife Ann? In 1599 William left her reasonably well provided for. How many wives with the same name as a previous wife are now thought in the reconstitutions to be only one person?

William left in his will small legacies to each of his children. His second son George and his own wife Ann were to have the rest and residue, but first he gave Ann the black cow called Rose, the main "bed with furniture and bedsted whereon I doe lye and my table and frame in my hall." These were not to be shared with George.

The eldest daughter married Ralph Wells and they lived in Vaughan's second cottage [22] (p500). By 1610 the third son Thomas had married Anne Howse from the farm next door [24] and they took over the widow's lease. His mother, widow Ann, remained in the house until her death four years later. Anne nee Howse's own mother, Grace, also came to live with them until she too was buried in 1623. The five Vaughan children had one or two grandmas in residence for twelve years. Thomas lived on through the turbulent civil war period, but still managed to increase his savings. He was able to lend money to several people in the immediate area which meant it was very necessary to make a will explaining who owed him money. This was proved in London.

When Thomas Vaughan was a church warden the vicar asked him to search out those who were farming on saint's days, but he fails to do this (p31). Obviously in sympathy with them over the numerous celebrations on saints days that interrupted the harvests especially the hay which could not wait. Most farmers were beginning to prefer a stricter sabbath so that they could hopefully remove many of the saint's days.

When the property was built was it for a trade? Vaughans used it as a farm, but later tenants who had a trade kept it as a smallholding. In 1599 they had two warping hooks to set up a loom and although no other weaving equipment was found, they could have hired some.

William Vaghan's "apparrell .....................................xxvjs viijd/

Item a featherbed two blanketts two/

bolsters v payre of sheets a/

coverlett two bordcloathes six/

napkins one Pillowbere one/

vallett ...........................................................................xlvjs vjd/

Item v coffers one presse a baskett a flaskett .......xiiijs/

In the children's chamber/

Item one bedsted one blanket one coverlett/

a linnen wheele a woollen wheele/

ij payre of cards an hatchett .......................................vjs ijd/.. "[etc]

Page 556

Howse, Pratt and Howse in Church Lane [24].

1614: wydow pratt..... ijd ......1624: William Howse et uxor... ijd

.........Thomas webb... ijd................. Catherin Pratt .................ijd

..........her daughter .....ijd

The average in that household for the 8 listed years was 5.1

The Howse family of Cropredy had two Rychards [24 & 28]. The lack of registers before 1538 and the gaps in the early ones mean we cannot establish for certainty that John Howse was the father of Rychard [28], and whether this Rychard was the brother of Thomas [9].

A Rychard does appear in the 1578 list farming five yardlands and again in 1588 when he had decreased to four and a half, which was still next to the manorial farms in importance. Howse was farming from the corner site at the west end of Church Lane which was a small one soon to stop farming and become a garden close (It was noted his position in the lists changes from Church lane to between Gybbs [25] and Robins [26], but was this a slip?). Rychard died farming only half a yardland having allowed John Pratt one and a half. There are no terriers for this farm, but Pratt's (1604-1672) strips came alongside many of the College plots and these remain constant to Pratts and then Watts before being merged with the Knobb [25].

Page 557

Howse was twice married yet his second wife Grace French seems to lack any security of tenure. The eldest daughter Elizabeth from the first marriage must have had her name entered upon the copyhold for when Richard died in 1600 Elizabeth's husband John Pratt took over (p117), even though Grace had to raise the legacies. John Pratt may have been born in Banbury for his mother died at a Banbury inn [Banbury Wills Pt.2 Vol.14:258, p33]. Elizabeth his wife had three children but died perhaps at the birth of a fourth in 1602. John was left with the three surviving children,and within a year had married Margaret, presumably at her own parish church. She bore him three more children, two boys and a girl. Two of her children remain in Cropredy, but Thomas having been to school left. After only six years together John caught the 1609 fever and died. Margaret had a houseful of children, four boys and two girls from thirteen down to three months and had no option but to carry on farming (p118). In 1616 Margaret married William Howse from Creampot Lane [28], who took over the lease. They had two children so that the family now stretched from 1596 to 1618. Edmond, or Edward, was fortysix when his stepfather died. How soon would the children from such a complicated household have to leave Cropredy?

The occupants were related by marriage to French's [4], Thompsons [44], Vaughans next door and Howse at [9 & 28]. Some of these families were educated and amongst those who left the church services early (p30).

The farm building which stood in the small close had gone by 1775, but on that map stood a building at the junction of Church Lane and the High Street with another building facing Gybbs farm [25]. They would have needed a barn to store and thresh the barley. A cowhouse large enough for five beasts plus calves and four times that when he had five yardlands. Mentioned in 1601 are a "hovel, one loft within the stable, the racke and manger" for the team of horses. Outside at the north end of the small close they built the peas rick and the hay stacks protected by the elm trees and hedge. The household kept pigs and poultry, all somehow on the one square close.

The only inventory which mentions rooms was made after John Pratt died in September 1609:

Hall [fire grate]

Nether lodging Chamber [2 bedstids & a cradle]

Upper Chamber [1 bedsteed]

Kitchinge

Inside the house which has only one upper chamber mentioned there was a nether lodging chamber at the "lower" end. The food was cooked in the hall using a grate (in the chimney?), but no record of a hall chamber. They had a kitchen, but no churn or cheese press so they must have concentrated on butter.

In the 1650's Edward Pratt paid a rent of £26 a year for the farmstead's two yardlands, but by 1685 it had passed to Esiah Watts, son of Richard Watts of Creampot [34] [S.S& F Box 47 Bundle E. Oxfordshire Archives].