Stocken Farm

Stocken Farm circa 1911

STOCKEN  FARM       researched and written by Joan West

In 1813 Stocken Farm was sold by the Lord of the Manor of Princes Risborough to Lord George Henry Cavendish, who continued to let it.

See Absentee Landlords, second article. Also put 'Farm' into Search for other farms.

Advertised for sale by auction 10th July 1827, by Messrs Driver at The Hart, Bartholomew Lane, London, opposite the Bank of England

Specification. Freehold Estate (Tithe Free), Situate at Lacy Green in the parish of Princes Risborough, About Five miles from High Wycombe and Two from Risborough, called Stocking Farm containing one hundred and twenty six acres, of very useful Meadow and Arable Land, together with Farm House, Three Barns, Granary, Stables, and other out-buildings. The whole is in the occupation of Mr James Dell, a Yearly Tenant. It was purchased by Charles Brown

1831 Census. There is nobody recorded at Stocken Farm

1841 Census. Charles Brown, 45, farmer, single, Sarah Brown & Araminta Brown, older sisters, and Francis Powel 18 niece with him

1851 census.   Charles Brown, 55, farmer, 347 acres, including some rented land.   18 labourers.

1861 census.   Charles Brown, 65, farmer, 210 acres.   6 men 4 boys

1877 STOCKEN FARM TO BE LET

In 1877, Charles Brown, aged 81, decided to retire.   He advertised the farm to let with a sale of the live and deadstock to be held on October 15^th 1877.

SALE ADVERTISEMENT   from the Bucks Herald

1877   AUCTION to be held October 15^th 1877 at Stocken Farm, Lacey Green, by direction of C. Brown Esq

The whole of LIVE and DEAD FARMING STOCK

6Horses, 4 Cows, a 2 year old Bull, 60 sheep, 2 pigs, 3 Wagons, 3 carts, 3 Iron Ploughs, Iron Harrows, Scarifiers, Rolls, Horse Hoes, Corn Drills, Turnip Drill, 4–horse Power Gear Work, Threshing Machine by Ransome & Sims, Chaff and Winnowing Machines, Weighing Machines, Turnip Cutters, Sheep Cribs and Troughs, Cow Cribs, Ladders, Cart and Plough Harnesses, Tools of husbandry, Barn Tackle and effects.

NOTE   Ed.  It is possible to deduce the type of farming being done at this time from the contents of this sale

1878 STOCKEN FARM STILL TO LET.  From the Bucks Herald

September 21^st 1878 Advertisement

STOCKINGS (STOCKEN) FARM, LACEY GREEN.  TO BE LET and may be entered on immediately.  It comprises about 170 acres of good stock land.

1878 STOCKEN FARM SOLD

The farm not having been let, Charles Brown agreed to sell for £8,250, to John Forrest of Grymsdyke. Click John & Evelyn Forrest for their histories

DEVELOPMENTS

1.   Stocken Farm had the six underground water tanks, collecting rainwater from the roofs.  John Forrest had them connected to tanks at Grymsdyke to take any overflow.    

2.   In 1885 John Forrest built a pair of semi-detached houses in the front meadow of Stocken Farm.  They were back to back, sideways on to the Main Road.   They were called Graham Cottages.        

FARM BAILIFFS

John Forrest had three farms, but his farm bailiffs lived at Stocken Farm

1903  Farm bailiff John Crook, farm bailiff

1907  Farm bailiff William Redding, farm bailiff

1911  Farm bailiff James Fletcher, farm bailiff to executors of John Forrest.

PROGRAMME  OF  FESTIVITIES  HELD  IN HOME  FIELD AT STOCKEN  FARM  LACEY  GREEN

To  commemorate  THE  CORONATION  OF  KING GEORGE V -  22^ND JUNE 1911

For details of the celebration click 1911 Coronation Festivities

1911 STOCKEN FARM SOLD

Stocken Farm circa 1911

September 1911.   Conveyance.   William Saunders purchased Stocken Farm, now including ‘Graham’ Cottages, for £3,400, from the executors of John Forrest.

P.S. (Ed. In 1878 John Forrest had paid £8,250 for Stocken Farm, added 2 houses, and sold losing £4850, 33 yrs later)

LAND ADDED

William Saunders already owned two fields in Lacey Green, which he had bought from Josephine Irving, mortgagee of land, part of Princes Risborough Common.   They were at the bottom of Goodacres Lane on the west and straight ahead to a field called ‘Hillocks’.   From 1911 they became part of Stocken Farm.

WWI

During WWI the Royal Engineers were billeted in the village.   The horses were stabled at Stocken Farm and exercises done in ‘Home Field’.   They also took the smaller schoolroom.   Mabel Janes said the farm dining room was an army hospital and the old grain store their blacksmith’s shop.

Douglas Brett, schoolboy from 1923-1931 wrote the following in his autobiography - " Mice For the Classroom. Harvest time was a source of great excitement for the boys when the corn was cut and brought to the farm for thrashing.   Stocken Farm, above the school, was a favourite haunt and we would stand round in a circle with sticks and as the sheaves of corn were pitch-forked onto the thrashing machine out would tumble numerous rats and mice.  These we attacked with great gusto.   Sometimes we went in the dinner hour and put a few live mice in our pockets – these we took back to school to release in the classroom in mid–afternoon, to the consternation of teacher and the girls who stood squealing on their seats." Click 1931 Douglas Brett in Lacey Green for more tales from Douglas.

1934 FETE (Gala Day Fete) with permission of the executors of William Saunders

1934 Details of Stocken Farm taken from the Sale Catalogue, as follows: --

A Decidedly Attractive, and for its situation, Particularly Well Watered and Choice Pastured FREEHOLD HILL HOLDING with Farmhouse and ample Buildings. known as Stocken Farm, Lacey Green, Bucks, In the centre of the village, and extending to an area of about 165a ; 2r : 37p. as set out in the following schedule: --

Ord.no 1921 Ed.....Description . . . Acres

293 Farmhouse, Buildings, Yards . 1.578.

290 Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..2.957

291 Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .973

294 Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.549.

295 Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.104

332 Arable . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .11.437

331 Arable and Pasture . . . . . . . . 23.433

363 Arable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.803

330 Arable and Pasture . . . . . . . .23.954

Pt.125 Pasture . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .33.671

126 Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16.716

Pt. 127 Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16.559

TOTAL . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 165. 734

The Brick built, Stucco and Tiled Farmhouse contains: --

Entrance Lobby, Dining and Drawing Rooms, both 14 feet square. Kitchen with Gradient range, sink, rain-water pump and dresser, back Hall, Dairy with slate and marble slabs and tiled floor, lobby and passage. Underground cellar.

Outside: -- Woodhouse and Washhouse with pump, sink, two coppers, baking oven and range.

On the first floor: -- Landing, two bedrooms, 14 feet square, Two Single Bedrooms and hanging cupboard.

On the second floor: -- Landing and Two Bedrooms

The Farm Building Comprise

Range of Brick, Flint and Slated Buildings consisting of Nag Stable, Coach-House, Cart Horse Stable with stone and drained floor, Cart Shed, Cattle Shed with stone and drained floors; Brick, Flint and Galvanised 4-bay Wagon Shed; detached range of 4 Brick built and Slated Pig-styes; Range of Two brick foundation, boarded and tiled and slated Barns and two sheds with stone floors and mangers, and Fodder House; Cattle Yard with three open sheds and mangers and large iron water trough; Calving Box; Granary on staddles; Boarded and Slated Fowl-house.

In the Rickyard: A 4-Bay Dutch Barn, 20 yds x 8 yds., boarded and galvanised Implement Shed. Shed with Manger with access to Ord No.127.

Notes. Certain fields on the farm possess long frontages to the hard road, which, in this lovely and unspoilt countryside, remote from the hustle of present-day conditions, and yet within easy distance of High Wycombe by bus service, must have a PROSPECTIVE BUILDING VALUE.

The growing timber will be included in the sale

Electricity is available. Water from Underground Storage Tanks

Main water is now being brought to Lacey Green and will shortly be available.

No charge will be made for Unexhausted Manurial Values, but the purchaser will be required to pay for Beneficial Cultivations (if any) on the Arable Land in addition to the purchase money

Land Tax £5 2s 5d.

1934 STOCKEN FARM SOLD BY AUCTION.

1934.   Conveyance. Ernest Smith, son in law of William Saunders, purchased Stocken Farm for £3,225.   It still included the large field ‘Hillocks, but the smaller field to the north of Goodacres Lane was sold off separately.  (Purchased by George Hawes of Woodbyne Farm), William Saunders had built a house there, also sold separately, called Hillcrest. For more on Ernest Smith go to 1919 Wedding of Daisy Saunders & Ernest Smith

P.S.  (Ed. In 1911 William Saunders had paid £3,400 for Stocken Farm.  He had added the large field ‘Hillocks’.   It sold, losing £175, 23 years later.

NOTE   (Ed.   Using Stocken Farm as an example, the following figures show what a difficult times these were for farming.

1878  sold for £8,250.   1934 sold for £3225.   Losing £5,025, even though 2 houses and a large field were added.

STOCKEN FARM IS LET

Ernest Smith had his own business to run, so in1934 he let Stocken Farm to Richard West. See Dick & Hilda West.   A guarantor was necessary to secure the rent as so many were defaulting in these depressed times.

In the 1939 Register (census) the occupants are recorded as Richard M West born 1911 general farmer, Hilda E West born 1910, his wife, 1 entry closed WW2, Fred Crook born 1881, father-in-law, assisting son-in-law, Marion Milchener born 1879, sister of Fred Crook, Herbert Baer born 1919 Germany, trainee plumber.

LANDLORD’S IMPROVEMENTS

Over the past years the farm had had little or nothing spent on it, and had become somewhat run down.   The landlord now made useful improvements.

1.      The farmhouse and some fields were connected to mains water, just newly brought to the village.   This enabled milking cows to be kept.

2.      A building was converted into a cowshed

3.      In the house a bedroom was converted into a bathroom.

4.     Three years later in 1937, he had built, two cottages for farm staff in Kiln Lane.   They were called 2 & 1 Coronation Cottages.   This was later changed to 1 & 2 Stocken Cottages.

WW2 AIRFIELD, STOCKEN FARM reported by Doug Tilbury

On Saturday June 6^th 1944 at 6 pm, bulldozers arrived to make an airfield for Air Chief Marshall ‘Bomber’ Harris, of Bomber Command, Walters Ash.   45 acres of the flat grazing land of the farm were to be taken. The fields of the farm were bulldozed to make the airstrip. The first plane took off three mornings later.   Two clumps of horse-chestnut trees and a clump of lime trees had been felled and Nanny Coopers pond was filled in.   A blister hanger was erected behind the school to house the American Stinson plane of Air Chief Marshall Arthur Harris. Local lads, including Gordon May used to help push the plane into the hangar.

'Bomber' Harris ordered Andrew Oliver To inspect every Spitfire which came down in England. He used Harris's private plane, to fly to the crash sites to see if the accident was due to a fault in the wood/ glue manufacture.

The next year they took a further 21acres, which this time, included the Sports field, which was being leased from Dick West.   The farm had to reduce their breeding ewes and rent more land at Waldridge Farm.

1948 LANDLORD OFFERS TO SELL

In 1948 The Landlord offered Stocken Farm, now 190 acres, including ‘Hillocks’ to Dick and Hilda West.   They were encouraged to buy, by Harry Floyd, who was the grandson of William Saunders and been brought up in the house.   He had his own Floyds Farm but had been lodging with Dick and Hilda.   He lent them money, telling them it was an opportunity they must not miss.

DICK & HILDA WEST

Dick and Hilda West bought Stocken Farm in 1948.   WW2 had brought improved farming conditions and gradually they paid off their loan from Harry Floyd.   They were the owners of Stocken Farm

In 1958, on leaving Harper Adams Agricultural College, Dick and Hilda's son John came home to join them

1958 EXTRA LAND LEASED

SEE under Properties. Click Walters Ash Farm

R.M.WEST and SON

In 1960 a new partnership was formed, called ‘R. M. West and Son’.

The name remained the same when John’s wife Joan joined the partnership.

The name remained the same when John and Joan’s son, Richard joined the partnership in 1991.

The name remained the same when Richard’s wife Maxine joined the partnership.

DICK WEST DOES NOT RETIRE

In 1970 a new bungalow was built in Kiln Lane for Dick and Hilda.   John and Joan, who had been living in no 2 Coronation Cottages in Kiln Lane, needed a bigger house for their growing family.   A bungalow would also be much better for Hilda, who had a weak heart.   Dick, Hilda, Harry and Hilda’s father moved into the bungalow. John, Joan and their children Patricia, Caroline and Richard moved into Stocken Farmhouse.   Dick had not retired and still came every day to the farm.

JOHN WEST DOES NOT RETIRE

In 2005 it became obvious that Richard and Maxine, with two children, needed more bedrooms than the ’Cowshed’ could provide.   Application was made and passed for a new house to be built on the Main Road for John and Joan.   They moved out of the farmhouse in February 2006, and Richard and Maxine moved into the farmhouse.   Maxine’s parents, Liz and Ed Phillips, moved into the ‘Cowshed’.   John did not retire and still came every day to the farm.

DEATH OF JOHN WEST

John West died in July 2010.   The partnership, R. M. West and Son, continues with Richard, Maxine and Joan.

Stocken Farm
Construction Era
Type of Property	House, Farm, Land, Wood
Use of Property	Business
Locations	Lacey Green