Walters Ash Farm

click Farms for a list of other local farms

click Farming pre 1823 for this era

Research by Joan West from census, parish registers and business documents of the business, lent by Jill Bristow, one of Thomas Bristow's grandchildren

RICHARD JANES born 1656 - 1707 married Anne Clark at Princes Risborough.

In his WILL Richard left :-

To son Martin, 3 closes of arable land, (7 acres) called White Pieces in Walters Ash, also wood of 1 acre adjacent.  To son Jacob £100, to daughter Elizabeth £30.  The residue to Martin

MARTIN JANES born 1678 - 1757 married Mary Gadbury 1682 1764

In his WILL Martin Janes, yeoman, left :-

To wife Mary, freehold messuage wherein we dwell.   All meadow and arable land thereto, and all goods for her life.  Then to son Richard.  To son James £100 and to daughter Mary Stone £120 after Mary’s death.

RICHARD JANES married c1751 to Sarah ?

MARTIN JANES born 1761, inherited Walters Ash Farm.  He had the farm both before and after the enclosures of 1823.   Only 16 acres of it were in Lacey Green, the majority being in Walters Ash (the parish boundary between Princes Risborough and Hughenden runs through it.)

1841 CENSUS Martin Janes, 80, farmer with his wife Mary,60, and son James Janes, also farmer.

1851 CENSUS Mary Janes widow 70, James Janes 49, son and John Wootton, 60 single, farmer of 35 acres.

1861 CENSUS John Wooton, 70, born Dinton, Sarah his wife 56, with him was John Janes,59, his brother-in-law and Mary Nash 4, stepdaughter.

1871 CENSUS Tenants Thomas & Hannah Anderson. Thomas 43, farmer of 9 acres

17 February 1880 Conveyance. Sir Nathaniel Mayer de Rothschild (afterwards Sir Nathaniel de Rothschild), Alfred Charles de Rothschild and Leopold de Rothschild conveyed Walters Ash Farm to Walter Lionel de Rothschild

1881 CENSUS Tenants Thomas & Hannah Anderson.  Thomas 53, farmer 40 acres,2 labs

1891 CENSUS Tenants Thomas Anderson, farmer, 61, born Princes Risborough.

1896. THOMAS BRISTOW PURCHASES See 1899 Stone Cutting at Walters Ash

In 1896, Thomas Bristow, then living at Darvills Hill, a stone merchant selling stone from Denner Hill and realizing that suitable stone was getting more difficult to find, decided to start a brickworks and purchased Walters Ash Farm, the land there being good brickmaking clay.   In digging for clay the land was found to contain the same stones as those at Denner Hill.   Still calling it "Denner Hill Stone", for that name was widely famous, his stone working business was started, trading as T Bristow & Bros, not only making setts but also many other commodities with the stone.   He also established his brickworks there.

LOCAL EMPLOYMENT

The Brickworks and Stone works provided work for a number of local men. In the 1939 census Archibald Ernest Lacey is recorded as being a brick kiln setter there. click Archibald Ernest & Edith Lacey for more about Archibald.

FARM TENANT  1901 CENSUS John & Julia Smith (nee Anderson) lived Walters Ash Farm.   John went on to found J. Smith & Sons, road contractors. Walters Ash.

1911 CENSUS FARM TENANT Albert George Rolfe, 34, farmer, born Aston Clinton.

1911 CENSUS “DONNEYBROOK”, house next to Walters Ash Farm. Thomas Bristow 55,born at Denner Hill, brick manufacturer and stone merchant.

19 March 1920 Conveyance. between the executors of The Honourable Nathaniel Charles Rothschild of Tring Park, Tring, Herts, the vendor, and Albert George Rolfe of Walters Ash Farm, farmer,the purchaser. The vendor agreed to sell to the purchaser for £900 Walters Ash Farm in the parish of Princes Risborough, Hughenden and Bradenham, with the farmhouse, farm buildings, pieces of and and premises containing 31 acres 2 roods and 1 perch. Which said hereditaments are now in the occupation of the purchaser or his undertenants.

1920 Indenture. Albert George Rolfe of Walters Ash Farm Took out a mortgage with Arthur William Griffin of Weedon for £600 with interest of 5 and 1/2% covering the farmhouse, farm buildings and land totalling 30 acres, 2 roods and 1 perch as follows :-

Ord map 1921. no 4 House, Farm Buildings in parish of Lacey Green. 0.402 acres

Ord map 1921. no 5. land in the parish of Lacey Green. 0.900 acres

Ord map 1921. no 7. land in the parish of Lacey Green. 1.625 acres

Ord map 1921. no 9.land in the parish of Lacey Green. 5.142 acres

Ord map 1921. no 10. land in the parish of Lacey Green. 9.384 acres

Ord map 1921. no 14. land in the parish of Lacey Green.12.825 acres

Ord map 1921. no 124 land in the parish of Bradenham. 0.852 acres

Ord map 1921. no 708 land in the parish of Hughenden. 0.38 acres

Total 31.511 acres.

1922 Indenture by Eliza Ann Griffin of Weeden widow and Claude Edward Redhead solicitor of Aylesbury, the trustees of Arthur William Griffin, the mortgagor of Albert George Rolfe of Walters Ash Farm requiring repayment of £600 with interest.

1922 Conveyance. Albert George Rolfe paid the £600 with interest and was cleared of the mortgage of Walters Ash Farm.

14 May 1927. Conveyance. Albert George Rolfe sold land to William Edward Bristow, brick manufacturer of Walters Ash, all that piece of land at Walters Ash, having a frontage to the road from Lacey Green to High Wycombeof 77 feet 6 inches, a depth of on the north west side of 180 feet, on the south east side of 190 feet and a width at the rear of 75 feet being part of the enclosures numbered 9 and 10 on the plan.

9 March 1938. Deed of Gift. Albert George Rolfe conveyed to his daughter Vera Elizabeth Rolfe a piece of land with a frontage of 50 feet to the road leading to the road leading from Lacey Green to High Wycombe and a depth on the north west side of 191 feet and on the south east side of 178 feet and bounded on the north west by property conveyed to William Edward Bristow by Albert George Rolfe 14 May 1927.

DEATH of THOMAS BRISTOW. Thomas died at Walters Ash in 1927 at “Donnybrook”, Walters Ash Farm.

3^rd MAY 1940. Conveyance.   Compulsory purchase of land for Bomber Command, site 4. the future sports field. It was part of Walters Ash Farm but was in the parish of Walters Ash, not Lacey Green.

24 December 1957. Death of Albert George Rolfe.

Harold Albert Rolfe of Wayside, Walters Ash, dealer, and Vera Elizabeth Stokes of Georgia Walters Ash, executors of Albert George Rolfe of Walters Ash Farm, obtained probate 18 July 1958.

16th February 1955 Deed of Gift. Albert George Rolfe gave to his son Eric Joseph Rolfe a piece of land with a frontage of 50 feet to the road leading from Lacey Green to High Wycombe and a depth on the north west side of 78 feet and on the south east side of 172 feet with a width at the rear of 50 feet nd bounded on the north west side by the property conveyed to Vera Elizabeth Rolfe (now Vera Elizabeth Stokes) 9th March 1938.

23 May 1956 Deed of Gift. Albert George Rolfe gave to Harold Boaz Smith and Hilda Annie Smith a piece of land having a frontage to the Lacey Green to High Wycombe road having a frontage of 50 feet, an verage depth of 175 feet and a width at the rear of 50 feet

FARM TENANT 1951 Fred Turner was the farm tenant from 1951 until 1958, when he bought Promised Land Farm in Lacey Green.

In 1958 Walters Ash Farm part owned by Messrs BRISTOW BROS, The Bristow Brothers were Dudley Frank Bristow, born 1895 and Archibald Charles Bristow, born 1897.  ( Frank was known as “Dick” and Archibald as ”Ben”, although the family called him “Co”.  They were brick makers and stone merchants.   They had built a house called “Donnybrook” to the east of the farmhouse which stood by the farm entrance.

1958 NEW FARM TENANT

In 1958 R M West & Son of Stocken Farm took over the farm tenancy.   This was for the land and buildings only. It did not include the farmhouse. It is still ongoing in 2025

30 April 1964 . The executors of Albert George Rolfe conveyed to Eric Joseph Rolfe all the premises now comprising Walters Ash Farm comprising 26.53 acres and a also a half share in land at Aston Clinton, O.S. No 431, 432, 487, 488, 489, and 491, totalling 73.991 acres.