Page 609

37. The Last Three Farms [44,50 and 60].

Thompsons and Allens [44].

1614: Jhon tompson ux... ijd .....1624: Charles Allen et uxor ....ijd

The average in the household on the 8 listed years was 3.12

Jhon and Alice Thompson, followed by Charles and Alyce Allen [44], lived in a cottage which was tucked away behind Church Street at the western entrance to the A manor farm [50].

Jhon Thompson may have been the overseer or bailiff as Arthur Coldwell [50] was a gentleman and required staff to run his farm. The Thompsons like Kynd, Vaughan and others left the church early and were presented at the church court (p30). They belonged to an educated group of people living in the town. Thompson's son Rychard had been a scholar at Williamscote in 1604. His grandfather Rychard Howse mentioning him in his will. Had he completed his education? It is likely that Jhon Thompson also received some education to keep the farm records. Alice Thompson nee Howse was brought up in Church Lane [24] and her step-mother Grace came to live with them when Alice's sister took over the farm.

Page 610

Alice had been twentynine when Rychard was born, but surely there had been a delay in the baptising of their youngest Jhon junior, for by then Alice was fortyfive. They baptised him just before they left in 1613 when Jhon senior was nearly fifty. They still had a young family like the Handley's and Kynd's who also left that year, so why did the three families leave? Before they departed Grace who had lived with them for several years moved to live with her own daughter Ann Vaughan [23] and there she stayed until she died.

Charles and Alyce Allen came down from Bourton to work for Coldwells [50], Alyce being Arthur Coldwell's niece. They were married at Wardington before moving to Bourton. Charles had received some schooling and may have gone on to learn how to survey and be a farm bailiff. They had six children, the first three receiving a mention in Coldwell's will. Arthur, their first son, apparently named after his great uncle, was able to go to school. The youngest was only seven when their father Charles caught the 1631 fever and died too quickly to make a will (p448). He had had access to many houses denied to a workman or craftsman and it must have been because of his position on the farm, or because he collected the A manor rents. Alyce lived for twelve more years, but doing what, and who acted as bailiff?

Twentyone year old William Suffolk and his wife Joane left the family farm in Hello [60] after his father died in 1660 and may have come to live and work the A manor farm, but who undertook this work for the thirty years in between? Suffolk's had two boys and four girls before William died leaving Joane with six children under eleven. What would happen to them all?

The Cottage.

The cottage which retained some of the earlier timber features was under the same roof as the hay barn end. It is not certain whether the house and barn together had once been just a large timber cottage even though the two parts were not on the same ground level, and when the walls were stoned they were done at different times. After 1775 the hay barn at the north end was made into a cottage with casement windows. As a timber building the house end had an inside measurement of 21 by 14 feet. The entrance on the south gable stepped down six inches into a hall which would be open to the rafters. The low chamber was at the front with a small buttery behind. The chamber and buttery partition wall had a wattle and daub infill plastered on the south hall side, but the rough studs were exposed to view from the buttery and low chamber.

The ladder to the upper chamber was in the north east corner of the buttery. This was once fastened to the transverse beam over the north partition. The beam which was four inches square had a slightly curved top. All that remained of the prestairs ladder was one plugged oblong hole and a hook at the east end of the beam [seen in 1974]. When the first stairs were built to replace the ladder they reduced the buttery to a passage. These stairs were built in a perfect square four feet wide and the ten treads met at the newel post. Someone had added a hand rail, but "the stairs had never" it was said, "been the cause of an accident." A cupboard was made underneath. The ladder had entered the upper chamber which was completely enclosed by the outer walls and a north and south partition. A ceiling was necessary to prevent the open fire's smoke getting into the bedchamber. The two light casement window faced west.

Above the later newel stairs the old collar remained at purlin height above the cottage's north timber truss, even after the inner stone gable was built to divide off the barn and cottage. The stone wall continued right up to the apex.

Page 611

The collar did not touch the stone wall probably because they left the old original north partition and the ceiling over the upper chamber after the stone walls were added. The other old bedroom partition on the south side which had protected the upper chamber from the smokey hall was jointed into a thick collar above and the transverse tie beam beneath.

Before Charles Allen died in 1631 the walls had been stoned and a chimney built on the south gable next to the entrance as the Toms' [15] were to do in the 1680's. The walls were twentytwo inches thick in this one and a half storey cottage. With a chimney replacing the open fire a hall chamber could be added. A spine beam supporting the upper oak floor had no stops and was only roughly chamfered.

Thompson's and Allen's Cottage [44].

Page 612

Once the hall chimney arrived and a hall chamber floor was added then a doorway was made through the partition with the new door opening into the first upper chamber. The wall studs were still exposed towards the original chamber, and they kept the wattle and daub plaster on the hall chamber side.

The roof rafters between the end plate and the purlins were also on view and some had been replaced. The purlin on the west side took a sharp bend becoming lower in the original upper chamber now the landing bedroom. The principal roof timbers crossed to support the ridge pole. They were pegged.

All the lintels were wooden. In the 1950's the leaded casement windows were replaced. In 1975 the thatched roof was taken off and replaced with slate and the stairs modernised. No doubt the old stairs were removed, rescued and recycled as the architect had called them "unique and very old" [ I am grateful to the late Mr Heighton for help with this cottage].

Although it is certain the Charles Allens lived in this property problems arise which cannot be explained for the inventory had the following rooms:

Charles Allen 1632

Hall [Fire]

Plor [2 beds!]

Chamber over ye Hall

Buttery

Kitchen

Heay house.

With a chamber over the hall the chimney had definitely arrived, but how did two beds squeeze into the tiny low parlour chamber? Was the kitchen in a new wing behind? Or had the barn end always had a kitchen? The hay barn once it had been given new stone walls measured 22 feet by 18, which allowed for two bays. The Allen's had their own well in the garden. At the other end of the track (Jitty) through the farmyard lived the Coldwells [50].

Coldwells and Cartwrights A Manor Farm, Church Street [50].

Coldwell's [50]

1614: arthur coldwell ux............. 1624: Mrs Elizabeth Coldwell....... ijd

..........folke grene .............ijd ................Robert Whettell.................... ijd

..........2 maydes ..............iiijd .............. .John Jeffes ............................ijd

..........2 men.................... iiijd ............... Thomas Rawlins................... ijd

.................................................................John Palmer ...........................ijd

.................................................................[Edward c.o]

.................................................................Elizabeth Smith..................... ijd

.................................................................Elizabeth Sutton ...................ijd

The average for that household on the 8 listed years was 8.14.

Page 613

In 1589 Arthur Coldwell leased a third of the demesne farmland on the A manor [Alienation Book 31 Eliz]. Coldwells baptise no children in Cropredy and Arthur's PCC will mentions only one son William. The only clues about relatives came in the wills distribution of a large amount of silver (p679). Some Coldwells came from Wootten, but so far no baptism, or marriage for Arthur and his loving wife Elizabeth have been found only Arthur's burial. He left instructions to be buried not in the church but outside in the churchyard near to his sister and "my good Mrs Calthropp." This explains nothing about the family, only his belief (p166). Elizabeth stayed until her lease expired, but left no evidence of her final home.

Arthur did have ideas about employing the poor (p173) and left money for them in many parishes. He died in December soon after the Reverend Thomas Holloway and his own shepherd. The rest of the two households appear to escape whatever caused them to die.

The Coldwell's lived in the most important house in the town. The manor house which ought to hold the manorial court lacked a courtyard, unless they used the millyard or crossed the street to their gate into the churchyard and held the court in the church.

The A manor farmhouse was between two entrances. To the east was the Church Street gate into the mill yard. To the west of the house was the entrance to their farmyard. A northern extension to the house had been built alongside the way to the farm buildings. This track went on through the farmyard to a field way across to Creampot Lane which brought the cows into the yard, unless they came past Tanners [39] and Allen's [44] cottages. When they came via Creampot they passed through Calves close and then Bury [Berry] Close which was on the north side of the yard. The "Bury" name coming from the closeness to the Manor house, rather than because people were buried there.

Arthur Coldwell set three of their six yardlands to others, but being a gentleman had to have a large staff to farm the land as well as running their household which required plenty of service rooms. The cowshed must cater for twelve cows with their followers and stables for more than six horses. The farm still needed a large barn to hold corn and a rickyard for the peas and hay.

Although Arthur Coldwell put a tenant in the mill he was with the millers who were presented for not allowing drink during the Rogation week perambulations of the boundaries (p29). Their tithes were gathered and recorded with the B manor and the millers, but again with little information. In 1613 Arthur is recorded as having twelve cows, but the flock entries are rather confusing (sheep p262). There are no early inventories for Coldwells and the Cartwrights who followed them left even fewer records. They only farmed one yardland setting two to Wyatts. There was a yearly rent of £8 on Bury and Calves Close which in the 1680's was also set to Wyatts, and from Job Wyatt's inventory it was discovered that this rent equalled the value of the hay it produced [MS. Will Pec. 55/2/31: p54 Boothby Letters Add. MS. 71961].

Coldwell had several members of staff who are named. His bailiff in the cottage by the farmyard [44] would be the most important, but the apprentices he was training came next on his staff: Ffoulke Green who was educated at Williamscote and later leased land for himself (p90) stayed for several years. Robert Whettell worked from this house for a long time (p151) and John Jeffs was another probably apprenticed to Coldwell. The Coldwell's were unusual in that they took on some Cropredy boys and girls who might stay on for a second or third year.

Page 614

The Farmhouse.

It was to this building while it remained the manor farm that the Bishops men came to collect the rents and later on the Boothby landlords. It was therefore in the prime position near the church and upper mill.

The house faced south onto Church Street and across to the churchyard. The Coldwell's front door had a carved tudor rose above the lintel. A small cellar window was near the front steps. They had built a stone and thatched two and a half storey house increased to three storeys over the cellar. The cockloft had elm boards and may have been added when the price of oak was rising. The hall had a spine beam. There are no early details, but the house would be one of the first to receive attention, yet not quite as early as Howse [28] because there were no transverse beams, unless these were replaced at a later alteration. Richard Cartwright who followed left no details of the house either, though he did help with the writing or witnessing of a few wills and must have taken some part in the town affairs. Following them, but after a break, came John Wyatt junior with Mary his wife. John was the son of Mr John and Sarah [31] (p595). John junior died young and his brother Job was allowed to take on the lease of [50]. Both left inventories for their house which had six hearths, but only Job's gave the rooms:

Job Wyatt's inventory March 20th 1686 [55/2/31]:

Parlour ...................................................Parlour Chamber

................................................................ Little Chamber

Hall .........................................................Hall Chamber

Dairy ......................................................Chamber over the Dairy

Buttery

Old Parlour ............................................Old Parlour Chamber

Milhouse [Kiln?]

Outward kitchen

If we take the rooms in the order they wrote them down we have to start in the new parlour in the eastern bay, but first they had to enter the house through the entry passage and cross the hall to the new parlour which took up the whole bay. The appraisers would have started in that room retracing their steps across the hall to the passage. The dairy may have been at the rear of the hall bay. They do not mention the cellar down the stone stairs where the house water came from a spring, or the cockloft at the top of the house as neither had goods which must be declared. Passing the cellar door at the end of the entry passage they came to the buttery at the back of the western bay near a doorway to the north wing. At the front was the old parlour with a chimney on the western gable end. In the north wing they found a milhouse (or kiln house) and the outward kitchen. The staff would have continued to bake in the kitchen where an oven existed in an old inglenook on the north gable and for such a big establishment they needed a brewing furnace which could have used the same chimney.

The position of the stairs is lost. Job had kept the new parlour as a dayroom without a bedstead so that upstairs they needed five chambers on the first floor. A parlour chamber, a little chamber to store cheese, a hall chamber in which the malt garner was kept and surely a servant slept here to guard it. The fourth chamber was over the dairy and the fifth above the old parlour. The newel stairs would possibly go on up to the cockloft which helped to house the staff.

Page 615

Reconstruction of Coldwell's House [50].

The Changing face of Coldwell's House [50].

Page 616

The rear wall to the old parlour and hall has the thickness of an earlier building. The south elevation has seen alterations in most centuries. Did the oak lintels over the casement windows ever replace stone mullions? The main entrance was filled in when two cottages were made at the front and another two out of the northern wing. After the mill was pulled down for the canal a brick and stone house was added across the mill entrance. Steps up to a side door in the eastern gable of the manor house which entered the new parlour in the southeast corner had to be filled in. Recent alterations have turned the western bays and north wing into a house with a new entrance from the Jitty. This no longer leads up to a farmyard though a right of way still runs north to Creampot Lane and west past [44] to the village hall.

Rose and Suffolk in Hello [60].

1614: Jhon suffolke ux..... ijd......... 1624: John Suffolke et uxor......... ijd

..........his man ....................ijd

The average in the household for the 8 listed years was 4.62.

Page 617

In 1552 Henry Rose leased two yardlands and a cottage, late in the tenure of John Byrds, in Cropredy. In the next generation William Rose was called a yeoman and a grazier, but this must be from an earlier period, or he had grazing land in another parish. In 1588 they were leasing half a yardland from the Lyllee's farm [29]. The position of their house was clarified by Ellen. In her will she left money for "the causeway or passage near my house next to the church gate" (p172). The house which was on the western side of Hello had been built below the churchyard [60]. William and Ellen took no children to be baptised at Saint Mary's church and the Roses mention only godchildren in their wills.

William had had some education and after 1577 was with the vicar witnessing a will on nine occasions over a period of twentytwo years. After his wife proved his own will in London she may have brought in John Suffolk to help run the holding. Whether he was a relative or formed a contract to help her in return for carrying on the lease we do not know.

William considered his "wordly goods" had been his only because God had blessed him with the use of them. William was one of the first of a group of puritans to mention his worldly goods in this way. These he entrusted to the care of his wife Ellen, who would be guided by the vicar (p163). His marriage was more likely to have been a shared partnership. His goods, place of burial and everything else is quietly left in Rose's hands, with no mention of any particular item. Unfortunately having proved his will in London the inventory has not survived. William's will does give the impression that he was an upright industrious and particular person who had risen to yeomanry status. Yet others call him a grazier. Had his stock been cattle or sheep or both?

Jane Hall married John Suffolk in 1608. Together they had the care of Ellen Rose and the farm for her last three years. During that time two of the five Suffolk children were born. The eldest William (1611-1660) farmed with his mother Jane after John died. William was too young to be a dealer, but he married Elizabeth Gardner rather hurridly when he was twentytwo. Three of their four children survive. William may have stayed on farming, sending their second son William to school for after his father died William (1639-72), then aged twentyone married Joane and moved to the A manor bailiff's cottage [44]. William Wyatt took over the Suffolk's farm, altering and improving it so that in 1663 he was paying for three hearths.

The Roses could have built the stone house which had a hall and kitchen both with chimneys, a milk house and chamber on the ground floor. There would have been three chambers over the lower rooms. By William Wyatt's time the downstairs chamber was called the parlour and the milk house the pantry, the latest name for a buttery. Without a building we cannot say which way this farm faced, but if it was southwards and the barn was to the west, the most likely position for the hall and parlour would be to the east of the entrance and the kitchen next to the barn. Could all that remains of the north wall have been rebuil,t or has anything come through from Rose's day? The north wall formed part of the churchyard boundary. Looking at the blocked doorway in that wall (next to the gate into Hello) suggests the "house door" was in the wrong bay. Have any clues survived?

The Reverend Ballard who knocked down the Suffolk's house used the stone for his vicarage garden walls, lining them with brick as he did in his vegetable garden [21]. Could part of the remaining wall have been the north wall of Rose's three bay house (30.5 feet)? The eastern wall next to Hello was rebuilt by Ballard and the south wall and chimneys pulled down. As the barn formed a continuous line with the house could it have been a longhouse? The smallness of the site producing one long building.

Page 618

The small farm had their yard reaching westwards towards the Parsonage Close. A strange curvature on the boundary like a pond was shared with the close below Suffolk's so that the two had access to what may once have been a watering, serving both fields and yard. There may of course have been another explanation.

By selling seed corn to the vicar was Suffolk acting as a dealer (p337)? When he died his horses, stock and house contents had shrunk considering he still had an eight year old son. Into the barn and buildings went a crop worth £13-13s-4d in 1628, three horses, two cows and his cart. His widow Jane was left to run the farm but could not act as a dealer.

Wyatt improved the three bay house and may have encroached into the first bay of the barn. He lived as a boy on the Green [13] and then the family moved to Creampot [31] (p595). What did this learned man with his study of books do for a living? Was he working with his farrier brother John? The site is fuller than most with unsolved mysteries. Wyatt's former neighbour from Creampot lane, William Rede the retired schoolmaster, came to live next door at Palmers [59] old cott

Plan of Rose's Farm [60].

Having placed the residents in their cottages or farms, further details can still be discovered in the halls, chambers and service rooms which make up Part Five.