Small Dean Farm, Bradenham & Lacey Green

Research by Joan West

Small Dean Farm, later known as Smalldean Farm.

IN THREE PARISHES

On a map published in 1818, surveyed a few years earlier, Small Dean Farm homestead is clearly shown in the parish as Bradenham, owned by the squire, Mr Hicks, standing on the south-east side of a track that later became called Smalldean Lane. (Many of the fields carry the name of Hicks.)

SAUNDERTON

The parish of Saunderton is extremely long.   Near the most south-easterly point stands Saunderton Station, not yet built in 1818, and The Golden Cross public house.     The land of Saunderton runs part way up Smalldean Lane, but not as far as Smalldean Farm.   In the same way it is the lower part of Little Lane opposite the Rose and Crown public house as far up and including Woodway Farm, from where Little Lane eastwards  is in Loosley Row.

PRINCES RISBOROUGH

Lacey Green and Loosley Row in 1818 were part of the parish of Princes Risborough, and together with Speen were known as the Upper Hamlets of Princes Risborough.

1818  LAND OF SMALL DEAN FARM

The land to the south-east of the homestead running towards Bradenham was predominately woodland.    There was land at the bottom of the lane running in a northerly direction which was in Saunderton and as it crossed the parish boundary into Lacey Green the farm’s land ran far along to the north-west nearly reaching the hamlet of Coombes, later cleared and called The Grubbin

LAND IN LACEY GREEN

1818   Small Dean Farm in 1818 had 7 fields in Lacey Green.    Measured in acres, roods and poles (for rod, pole and perch).   They were called: --

1.      No. 76  Hick’s Pikle……………………7 acres 1 rood 30 poles

2.      No. 77  Hick’s Todpit………………….8 acres 1 rood 32 poles

3.      No. 78  Hick’s Home Field………….8 acres 1 rood 32 poles

4.      No. 79  Hick’s Great Well Close..10 acres 2 roods 20 poles

5.      No. 80   Hick’s Cunninger……………6 acres 2 roods 37 poles

6.                     Cunninger …………………….2 acres 2 roods 22 poles  

7.                     Little Well Close…………….1 acre

No 6 and 7 were also on the opposite side of Smalldean Lane from the farmhouse and buildings, no.7 ran down to the Saunderton boundary.

Nos. 4, 3 and 2 were the westmost of the fields, running along against the Saunderton boundary adjacent to no 7.

No 5 adjoined no 6 and 4 and on the east side met the land of Sarah Shard of Grymsdyke.

No 1 was rectangular field.   One short west side was against the Saunderton boundary, the short east side against fields of Grymsdyke estate.   The long sides, one was attached to nos. 2 and 3, but the other long side adjoined to fields immediately west of the hamlet of Coombs in Loosley Row, called ‘Ginger’s Coombs’ 2 acres, 3 roods, 33 poles and ‘Gingers Great Coombs 10 acres 1 rood, 30 poles

RIGHT ACROSS LACEY GREEN

These adjoined fields stretched from Smalldean Lane right across Lacey Green to meet the fields of Loosley Row. (note. This is still so in 2021)

1823 THE ENCLOSURES OF PRINCES RISBOROUGH.

With the Enclosures of Princes Risborough all the parish land was put into private ownership, some freehold and some copyhold to the manor of Princes Risborough.

SMALL DEAN FARM

As regards Small Dean Farm. There was absolutely no change from that of before the enclosures.    The 7 fields are identical in size, they are still owned by John Hicks Esq of Bradenham.   The number given to this group of fields in the Enclosure records is 715.   They are recorded as old allotments and are freehold.

MID- 1860's NEW FARMHOUSE BUILT

Squire Tempest of Bradenham now owned Small Dean Farm, which was on the edge of the parish of Bradenham on a Lane known as Smalldean Lane. A new farmhouse was built in the mid- 1860's. It was accidently built on the opposite side of the lane to the other buildings, thus making it in Lacey green, a hamlet of Princes Risborough.

TENANTS OF SMALL DEAN FARM

1871 Census.   Richard Poulton 51 born Stoke Mandeville, farmer of 256 acres, 7 men, 3 boys. (5 years into tenancy)

1881 Census.   Richard Poulton 61 born Stoke Mandeville, farmer of 256 acres, 6 men, 3 boys.

1891 Census.  Sarah Poulton widow 73, Edwin Poulton  48 farmer, son, born Saunderton Lea, Gertrude Poulton 14 born Saunderton

DEATH OF RICHARD POULTON

Richard Poulton, died at Small Dean 23^rd December 1890.   Executors, Richard Poulton of Acton, draper and Thomas Poulton of Grymsdyke Farm, Lacey Green, farmer, sons   £712.

NEXT TENANTS OF SMALL DEAN FARM

William Saunders, born 1851 and his family moved into Small Dean Farm 1893, his daughter Annie Daisy was born there that year.

1901 Census.   William Saunders 49 born Rose and Crown public house Saunderton Lea, farmer

1911 Census.   William Saunders 60  farmer, and family.

In 1911 William purchased Stocken Farm, Lacey Green and left Small Dean.

CENSUS 1939

Wilfred L J Hodges 41 farmer, Mary L Hodges 42, Arthur Hodges 51 single farmer, Beryl Hodges 13, 3 people absent, Cecil John Speed 53 single farm labourer.

 

SMALL DEAN FARM by Miles Marshall, researched in 1983

If you take the footpath (no.6) from Loosley Row, over the style opposite the top of Foundry Lane, cross the fields and through the wood, you soon are rewarded with a lovely prospect of rolling arable farmland in every direction and an unexpected view of Lacey .green on your left, the western face of the ridge which is not visible from any roadway.

Ahead the fields fall gently away to Small Dean and then rise more steeply to the hanging beech woods of Bradenham, whilst away to the right is Bledlow Ridge.   The footpath, following the edge of the field in a gentle curve, reveals an ever changing perspective of the attractive cluster of buildings, shown in the drawing, as yu approach the farm

Small Dean is part of the Bradenham Manor Estate, now owned by the National Trust who let the farmland with the Manor Farm.   The farmhouse itself, which is the handsome Victorian brick and flint building in the centre of the drawing, was built in the late middle of the 19^th century by the then squire of Bradenham, a Mr. Graves who took his wife’s family name of Tempest by deed-poll.   They were a family of Yorkshire landowners.

It is notable that this farmhouse stands on the opposite side of the lane to all the other farm buildings and at the time it was built stood in Risborough Parish.   It is said that when Squire Tempest realised that he was erecting his new farmhouse outside his own parish of Bradenham, he would have had it all pulled down but the work had gone too far.

The much older buildings behind and on the extreme left of the picture looks very much like a farmhouse, which it originally was, though for many years it was divided into two farm cottages and like the new farmhouse it is now let by the Trust as one private residence.   The original farm cottages which were beyond the barns, like the old granary, have long been demolished.

The National Trust, which retains part of the farm buildings as a workshop, has recently stripped and re-roofed some of the barns with splendid real clay tiles, rather a rarety for such a purpose today.   They stand out rather brightly in the landscape at present but will eventually mellow beautifully in keeping with their surroundings.   It is to be hoped that the Trust will eventually get rid of the corrugated iron on the remaining roofs.

The first tenant of Squire Tempest’s new farmhouse was a gentleman farmer named Poulton who did not find the soil to his liking and soon went elsewhere.   The second tenant was William Saunders (1851 – 1933) who now lies in Saint John’s Churchyard, Lacey Green.   He was the father of a large family, he and his wife raising seven out of eight children born to them and he is the ancestor of a number of families still living in the district.   His son Harry was the last of the family to live at Small Dean and farm it.   After this there were two brief tenancies followed by Mr. Pitcher who remained for some time until the Trust took it over.

For much of what follows I am indebted to one of William Saunders’ daughters, Mrs. Ernest (Daisy) Smith, who was born at Small Dean Farm soon after her father moved there.

William Saunders was the son of another William, of Speen Farm, now the Home of Rest for Horses, whilst he was still working there for his father, young William demonstrated his initiative by driving a team of horses to London with a wagonload of hay which he quickly sold to the occupant of one of the large private houses which then stood in Piccadilly.   It was good quality hay at a fair price so that he soon developed a lucrative trade with the London gentry.

When he was first married he took over the Rose and Crown public house at Saunderton for a short while before moving to Small Dean Farm in 1894, on his own account.   Meanwhile he continued to develop his London hay trade and would make regular monthly trips by train to collect his accounts which were mostly settled in golden sovereigns in those days.   This was before Saunderton station was built so that he had a lonely walk back to the Rose and Crown from Risborough station and on one such evening he was set upon by two footpads and robbed.

After this experience, as his train approached the back garden of the Rose and Crown, which extended down to the track, he would open the carriage window and hurl his bag of gold into the garden.   As his wife heard the train approaching she quickly ran down the garden to secure the money.   He was not robbed again.

Mrs Smith told me that the new farmhouse was a very comfortable one with large well -proportioned rooms and a particularly fine farmhouse kitchen which Squire Tempest would “commandeer” for the luncheon which he always gave his tenants on the day of their annual shoot.   He would send down his butler, cook and other servants from the Manor House early in the morning with all that was needed to provide a sumptuous meal for his guests.

Harry Floyd is a grandson of William Saunders He went to live with his grandparents at Small Dean Farm when, at only a year old, he lost his mother, a sister of Mrs Smith.   He still has pleasant memories of life in that large happy household, though he left when he was six.   I am grateful to him for introducing me to his aunt and also to two more former inhabitants of the farm, Mrs Florrie Gomme, who will be well known to many as the wife of the former landlord of the Black Horse, in Lacey Green, and her brother George Maunder.   They were children of George Maunder (senior) who was a carter, working for William Saunders, and lived in one of the farm cottages.   They both spoke very warmly of life in those days at Small Dean which it seems was a close-knit community making its own amusements and where the families of master and men played happily together.

When young Florrie Maunder was old enough to go to school for the first time, it was Miss Daisy who led her by the hand to Lacey Green

It was not unknown, however, despite the amity which existed between the Saunders family and the families of the farm hands, for the hasty tempered carter to have a tiff with his boss who could at times be equally short.   On more than one occasion George was off to the Michaelmas Fair, with the traditional twist of whipcord in his buttonhole, denoting his trade, and fixed himself up with a new master.   But when all the family’s chattels had been loaded onto a wagon for departure to the new home, master and man would make up their differences and it all had to be unloaded again.   On one notable occasion though, they did leave and worked a whole year at Wardrobes.  But Mrs Saunders, the peacemaker, went over there at the end of his contract and brought them back again to Small Dean where they stayed for many years.

Both Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Gomme spoke of the Saunderton Workhouse in the High Wycombe Road whose itinerant patrons would be sure to make Small Dean Farmhouse their first call in the morning, asking for boiling water, knowing full well that they would be given food.   Besides these tramps, the Workhouse also sheltered permanent residents who through age or infirmity were no longer fit for the road.   In particular they recalled three blind brothers, formerly from Denner Hill, who would walk hand in hand over there to visit relatives and return.   They would always call at the farm and be given a good breakfast and some beer money to help them on their way.   The Saunders and Maunder children would often attend Sunday Services at the Workhouse Chapel and generally take an interest in the welfare of the inmates.

They all spoke of the beautiful spring water that was drawn from the 75ft. dep well in front of the cottages.   Unfortunately it went dry many years ago and has recently been filled in for safety.

It would need the whole magazine to retail all the tales of former times I have been told.   Who remembers ‘Hangman’s Oak over the pit at Coombs?   This is on the left as we left the wood on the path from Loosley Row and it is near the site of four old farm cottages belonging to Tylers Farm.   The tree, which is still there was used for convicted sheep thieves.   The pit has recently been partly filled in.   I see on the Ordinance map that this area is called ‘Callows Hill’, a corruption perhaps of gallows?   And can anyone remember the old London hansom cab which William Saunders parked up in ‘Double Hedge’ so that in wet weather he could sit up there and shoot rabbits?   And what names to conjure with were given to the fields – ‘butter banks’. ‘toddpit’, ‘strawberry banks’, and ‘ragget munts’.   It should be a matter of urgency for us to record all these lovely names before they are forgotten and lost for ever.

Small Dean Farm, Bradenham & Lacey Green
Construction Era	1700-1822, 1823 Enclosures Record
Type of Property	House, Farm, Cottage, Land
Use of Property
Locations	Lacey Green, Saunderton, Bradenham