Haxells Farm, Peldon

Haxells Farm on Peldon Road, Peldon is one of the few buildings in the village that has retained the name of former occupiers - in this case the Haxell family - who owned the farm in the late 18th/early 19th century, not many years after it was built. According to its listing it was erected in the late 1700s.

PELDON ABBERTON ROAD 1. 5214. Haxells Farmhouse TL 91 NE 17/18 II 2. Late C18 red brick house with grey slate hipped roof. Two storeys square plan. Three window range double hung vertical sliding sashes, in gauged arches. Centre front projects to full height with gablet over. Historic England

Haxell (Haxcell or Hacksell) is such an unusual family name it is likely that all the Haxells we find locally in parish registers are related. There were branches who lived in Fingringhoe, Abberton, West Mersea and Peldon and, as we shall see, the same Christian names were repeatedly given, making identification a challenge!

For well over a hundred and thirty years up to the 1960s, Haxells Farm was known as 'Haxells and Tracys', the latter name that of another farmer, Thomas Tracy, from Layer de la Haye, who in the early 19th century farmed Haxells together with land that he'd purchased from landowner, James Borrodell. It is unlikely he lived in Peldon but farmed the land as a tenant of the Haxells. [for more on Thomas Tracy see Appendix 1]

With variable spellings and punctuation in deeds and newspapers, for consistency, I will use the spellings Haxells and Tracys unless quoting.

The farmhouse and most of the land belonging to Haxells was principally on the north side of the Peldon Road while Tracys, which didn't have a farmhouse, just agricultural buildings, was opposite, across the road. It is likely (any maps we have are not conclusive) that the land Thomas Tracy bought from Borrodell had belonged to Rolls Farm and that Tracys was simply its later name. Fields also changed hands between Haxells and Tracys and other surrounding farms including Kemps, Pete Tye and Malting Farms.

Part of the farm, just over 26 acres, was copyhold of the Manor of Peet Hall, a kind of leasehold from the Lord of the Manor. Any transactions had to go through the manor courts and there were certain customs and obligations to be observed. As we shall see, the names of these plots of copyhold land with their acreages are given in a conveyance in 1920. The rest of the farmland was freehold.

The story of the farm from when it became known as Haxells begins when it was bequeathed by George Wayland the younger, to the four sons of the late Gregory Haxell in 1795 along with another farm in the village, Malting Farm. Gregory Haxell senior died in Peldon in 1785 and was referred to in George Wayland's will as my Relation Gregory Haxcell deceased. Gregory's four sons are then named in the will and the two farms were left to the eldest for life, then the second son and so on, finally to be passed on to the heirs of the youngest son, William.

Gregory Haxell senior married Elizabeth Pooley on 10th March 1773 and their four sons were Gregory (baptised in Peldon in 1773, died 1839), George (1776 - 1832), John (1781-1837), William (died 1795 - his name spelt Hacksell in the Peldon parish register). The baptisms of these children have not all been found and the baptism of son John in 1819 at the age of 38 might indicate the other children - except the first son - were not baptised at the time of their births either and therefore do not appear in the baptismal registers. Frustratingly the marriages of George and John have not been found either.

George Wayland the younger's will (written in 1790 and proved after his death in in 1795) doesn't name the two farms but the clues are there to confirm they were Malting Farm and what became known as Haxells.

I give and devise unto Gregory Haxcell (Son of my
Relation Gregory Haxcell deceased) and his Assigns
during the term of his natural life (he or they
keeping the Buildings in good and substantial repair)
All those my Freehold Messuages Tenements or
Cottages Barn Stable Buildings Lands Hereditaments
and Estate with the Appurtenances in Peldon
aforesaid which I lately purchased of the Reverand
John Hall ...and from and immediately
after the decease of the said Gregory Haxcell I give
and devise the same unto his Brother George
Haxcell and his Assigns for and during the term of
his natural life he keeping the same and all the
Buildings thereon in good and substantial repair
and from and immediately after his decease I give
and devise the same unto his Brother John Haxcell
and his Assigns for and during the term of his
natural life keeping the same and the Buildings
thereon in good and substantial repair and from
and immediately after his decease I give and
devise the same Estates late purchased of Mr Halls [Haxcells]
and Mrs Pissey [Malting Farm] unto William Haxcell (another Son
of my Relation Gregory Haxcell deceased) and to
the Heirs and Assigns of the said William Haxcell
for ever absolutely
[The Will of George Wayland The Younger of Fingringhoe 1795 TNA PROB 11/1264/41]

The will also reveals an earlier owner who sold Haxells Farm to Wayland, the Reverend John Halls (not 'Hall'), rector of Easthorpe for 60 years. He was a significant landowner, and in 1755 had Grey Friars in Colchester, (the hotel building we see today), built on the site of the old priory. John Halls died in 1795; could he have been the landowner who had Haxell's farmhouse built some years before?

It is clear from the wills of George Wayland's widow, Elizabeth, and their only child, Mary Ann, who both died in 1804, that Haxells and Malting Farms was to revert to Mary Ann after the deaths of Gregory, George and John; the youngest, William, whose heirs had ultimately been bequeathed the farms, had already died with no issue. In Mary Ann's will (written in 1795) she leaves both farms to her mother.

...also the reversion to me and my heirs expectant upon the decease of Gregory Haxcell, George Haxcell and John Haxcell of and in all those Freehold Messuages Tenements or Cottages Barn Stable Buildings Lands Hereditaments and Estate with the Appurtenances in Peldon which my late Father purchased of the Reverend John Halls and also of and in all those messuages or Tenements Malting Office Barn Stable Buildings Lands Hereditaments and situate in Peldon...which my late Grand Father Wayland purchased of Mrs Sarah Pissey. [The Will of Mary Ann Wayland of Fingringhoe 1795 National Archives PROB 11/1404]

The will of her mother, Elizabeth Wayland of Fingringhoe, who also died in 1804, reveals her daughter had died and that Elizabeth wished the farm to remain in the Haxells' possession.

I am advised that the Estate at Peldon which my husband devised to several of the Haxcells for Life and the remainder to William Haxcell ...who died in my husband's lifetime reverted to my daughter who by her will devised the same to me now I being desirous that the same should continue in the Family of Haxcells

She wills that the oldest son of any survivor of Gregory, George or John inherits and if no sons then to the right Heirs and Assigns of the Survivor of them. [The Will of Elizabeth Wayland of Fingringhoe 1804 National Archives PROB 11/1411/17]

The eldest of the four Haxell brothers, Gregory, died in 1839, outliving all his brothers. He died in Nayland in Suffolk aged 66. His freehold house in Bear Street, Nayland was advertised in the Suffolk Chronicle on 23rd May 1840 for sale by auction following his death. He had married Mary Manning in Colchester in 1809 and their children were Harriet, baptised in 1809, Mary Ann, baptised in 1811 but died at 11 months, Henry baptised in 1813 and William, baptised in Nayland in 1816 but died aged 7 in 1823. Gregory's name appears in the Land Tax Redemption book for Peldon in 1798 as an occupier of (unidentified) land in Peldon, the owner was James Arthy. He also appears in a poll book for 1830 as a resident of Nayland and an owner of house and land in Peldon tenanted by Charles E Cooper. Gregory died in 1839, the year after his wife, and the following year his house in Nayland was auctioned.

FREEHOLD HOUSE
Nayland, Suffolk
TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION
By Mr. REYMES HURRELL,
on Thursday, the 28th of May, 1840, at the White Hart
Inn, Nayland, at 5 o'clock in the Afternoon,
ALL that FREEHOLD MESSUAGE, late the
Residence of Mr. GREGORY HAXCELL, deceased,
in Bear Street, Nayland; containing 2 keeping-
rooms 4 bed-rooms, kitchen, good cellar, large garden,
stocked with bearing fruit trees, and well of good water,
[missing] back way from the street.
The House is well-situated, and in good repair.
Particulars and Conditions of Sale may be had of Edward.
[missing] Esq., Solicitor, Colchester; and of the Auc-
tioneers, Sudbury.
[Suffolk Chronicle 23rd May 1840]

The second brother, George, a farmer, was named in the will of Peldon yeoman, Martin Harvey, in 1823, where George and his wife Ann were bequeathed a cottage for life. [ERO D/ABW 124/2/19]

Martin Harvey made John and George Haxell his executors and gave the residue of his goods and chattels to George and Ann. John Haxell was to receive annually a 'Chaldron and a half of coal'.

George Haxell died in 1832 and his wife, Ann in 1847. In his will, he left the unexpired lease on his (unidentified) farm, his crops and stock and all his effects to his widow, Ann, during her lifetime. In the will, the name of his brother, John, who was to have been an executor is struck out, possibly indicating a falling out. No children are mentioned in George's will. George and Ann Haxcell are buried in the graveyard of St. Mary's Church in Peldon. Their gravestone is described as Round top headstone with cusped Shoulders in the Essex Society for Family History Monumental Inscriptions booklet for Peldon and reads as follows

In memory of
GEORGE HAXCELL
who departed this life
November 29 1832
aged 56 years
Also of ANN his wife
who died January 27 1847
aged 71 years.

The headstone for George and Ann Haxell in Peldon Churchyard

The third brother, John was born in 1781 and was baptised as an adult in Peldon in 1819, his place of residence at that time was given as East Mersea. A John Haxell died in Peldon in 1837 aged 56 which could be him - unusually, in the burials register cause of death is given; angina pectoris.

Of the fourth brother, William, little has been found other than he died, probably as a teenager, in 1795 and was buried in Peldon's churchyard.

With all four brothers deceased it appears Malting Farm and Haxells were passed down to - or bought by - a Gregory Haxell from a different branch of the family; he was the son of Gregory Haxell and Elizabeth née Butcher who had married in Abberton. Interestingly, he seems to have started out as 'George' when he was baptised in Abberton in 1800 but later assumed the name 'Gregory'.

In the 1851 census as a visitor to a farming household in Boxted he is listed as 'George' but thereafter in the censuses he is 'Gregory'. He appears from 1853 in the electoral rolls for Peldon as 'Gregory', living in Boxted but owning house and land at Malting Farm and by 1866 he is resident in Great Horkesley. The electoral rolls list him as owner of Malting Farm right up to his death in 1882; however, he is not listed as the owner of Haxells so the presumption is that it had already been sold.

On 18th September 1840 the Essex Standard advertised a Live and Dead Stock auction on behalf of Mr Haxell who is retiring from business; which Mr Haxell this is remains uncertain or indeed which farm - could this be 'George/Gregory' and had he newly acquired Haxells following the death the year before of his relation, the last of the four Haxell brothers?

In the 1861 census 'George' Haxell's name is given as 'Gregory' and he is living in Mile End, Colchester, with his two nieces. Gregory is described as a landowner, Sarah Page his housekeeper and Hannah Page at 16 a scholar. The girls were the daughters of Gregory's sister, Elizabeth Haxell and her husband Zenas Page

Gregory Haxell, remained unmarried throughout his life and in 1871 he was living with Hannah and her husband , William Page, (possibly a cousin on her father's side) whom she married in 1864. The family was living in Great Horkesley where William was a farmer of 138 acres employing seven men and a boy. In 1881 Gregory, William and Hannah were still in Great Horkesley, William now farming 170 acres. Gregory died in 1882 'formerly of Boxted but late of Great Horkesley' and it would seem that his niece Hannah had either inherited much of his property (although a will has not been found) or been gifted it during Gregory's lifetime.

The deeds for the Wesleyan Methodist chapel on Lower Road in Peldon reveal that Hannah owned the land on which the chapel was built in 1893 having sold the land to the chapel's trustees.

Conveyance between Hannah Page and Robert Nightingale for freehold land at Lower Road, Peldon dated 26th March 1892

Amongst the deeds for Hilldene (just up the hill from the chapel and in modern times replaced by Grangewood), there is a conveyance dated 19th November 1897 between Hannah Page the vendor and Joshua Cudmore the purchaser. The land seems to have been part of a field called 'Common Field'.

Hannah's name also appears in the deeds for Malting Cottage and, no doubt, in the missing deeds for Malting Farm which had been owned by Gregory Haxell up to his death in 1882. However, there is nothing to indicate she ever owned Haxells so, as we have seen, it is likely it was sold off during Gregory's lifetime.

In 1877 the Abberton House Estate came on the market, in all comprising over 700 acres. Included in the estate were several farms, Badcock's (Abberton) and Layer House both of which were demolished and submerged in the 1936 reservoir scheme, Butler's in Peldon (also submerged), and 'Haxell's and Tracey's'

capital well-arranged farm homesteads in good order....The Arable Land is of a very productive character.. [Chelmsford Chronicle 1st June 1877]

John Bawtree was the owner of the estate and died in 1873 and his widow, Mary died in 1875, following which the estate was put up for sale. How long the Bawtrees had Haxells is not known but it is quite possible they bought it from Gregory Haxell.

John Bawtree was born to a wealthy family in Wivenhoe. His grandfather was a brewer there who owned land and property and warehouses on Wivenhoe quay. John was born in 1793 in Wivenhoe, the eldest of three, but very early on the family moved to Colchester some time between 1793 and 1799.

John married Mary Postle on 23rd of July 1816 in Norfolk and by 1824 they were living in Abberton House, Abberton (now known as Abberton Manor) where they were to live for the rest of their lives and raise nine children.

The Bawtree Family were for 3 generations, one of the major land owning families in Abberton. They lived at Abberton Manor and were significant financial supporters of Saint Andrew's Church. Ted Sparrow If You Shed A Tear - David Bawtree

John was a banker and a magistrate and during his life he acquired the farms in Layer de la Haye, Abberton and Peldon which became the 'Abberton House Estate'.

Clearly the Bawtrees felt they had one foot in Abberton and one foot in Peldon for John and Mary have an elaborate grave in Peldon Churchyard and a marble inscription inside St Andrews Church, Abberton.

John and Mary Bawtree's grave in St. Mary's churchyard, Peldon

The plaque commemorating John and Mary Bawtree in St. Andrews, Abberton

The purchaser of the whole estate from the Bawtrees' executors was Augustus Smith; however, he didn't keep Haxells and Tracys for long.

Recorded in a Memorandum dated 15th August 1877, Augustus Smith of Upper Norwood, Surrey, sold 'Haxells and Traceys' Farm, the Cottages and land for £4, 700 to an Islington innkeeper, Walter L Harris. The farm's copyhold land belonging to Peet Manor amounted to 26 acres 2 roods; while 106 acres 1 rood 10 perches were freehold. Using OS references the fields were itemised No. 58 to 61, 125, 126 and No. 130 to 134 in Peldon occupied by Thomas Pilgrim and No 59 'Pound Field' in Abberton occupied by Henry May.

There is a brief description of the two cottages known as Haxell's Cottages which are no longer there but were demolished in living memory. They are described as two four-roomed cottages made of timber and tile with gardens, occupied by Elijah Harvey and the Widow Pooley.

The tenant referred to, Thomas Pilgrim, appears in electoral rolls farming Haxells and Tracys between 1853 and 1878. By 1879 he was just farming Tracys then in the 1881 census another farmer, Peter Poulton, had Haxells and Tracys.

The Essex Standard of 24th September 1881 advertises that Haxells and Tracys Farm was to be sold by auction due to the farmer being 'under distress for rent'. The owner was looking to either sell the freehold or lease the farm to an incoming tenant. The stock and crops were included in the sale.

27 acres of wheat
16 acres of barley
9 acres of oats
8 ½ acres of beans
2 cows
2 horses

My conclusion is that it was probably Peter Poulton whose business had failed. He appears living at Haxells and Tracys in the electoral rolls between 1880 and 1882 and with his wife and daughter in the 1881 census, a farmer of 100 acres employing four men and two boys but by September of that year it seems he was in arrears with his rent. He died the following April and was buried in the churchyard at Birch, Essex, the village of his birth.

Peter was an experienced farmer - he had farmed at The Gate House in Abberton, a much bigger farm employing more men, before moving to Haxells. Perhaps, it was poor health that led to his financial difficulties although it must not be forgotten that this was a time when there was a serious agricultural depression spanning the late 1870s right through to the 1890s.

Another tenant was found, farmer, Golden Holland, while Walter L Harris remained the owner and landlord.

The 1882 Kelly's Trade Directory lists Golden Holland as the farmer of Haxells. Born in the Mile End area of Colchester he had been licensee of the Lion Inn, Langenhoe, while also working as a coal merchant. He appears in the electoral roll for Peldon in 1884 living at Haxells and was clearly there at the time of the earthquake that year, which was also the year of his death.

At the house of Mr Golden Holland, farmer, which is one of the most
modern and strongest built in the parish, two cans of
milk were standing in the oven to warm for calves.
They were filled to the brim, and each contained about
a gallon. After the earthquake it was found that about
half-a-gallon of the milk had been precipitated out of
them. [Essex Standard 3rd May 1884]

In 1898 Haxells and Rolls Farms were advertised in the East Anglian Daily Times on 4th April as having a Live and Dead Stock auction. The instructions were from the Sheriff of Essex and the sale was to be held on 5th April, 1898; again it would seem the auction was 'under distress'. The usual livestock, a small amount of agricultural implements and household effects were accompanied by the growing crops comprising 43 acres Wheat, 33 ¼ acres Beans, and 12 acres Tares. I think the name 'Haxells and Rolls' is quite telling here - was it a throw-back indicating that 'Tracys' was indeed land that had once belonged to Rolls Farm?

Amongst the deeds for Haxells and Tracys at the Essex Record Office is a lease between the owner, Walter Harris, and William Golden Fairhead who was the farmer at Brick House Farm in Peldon. [See Appendix 2 for a transcription of the whole lease.] The tenant was Elijah Reeve, the area 105 acres and the annual rent was £70 a year on a four-year lease beginning at Michaelmas 1898. The tenant was required to farm on a 'five-course shift' of crop rotation and the landlord maintained the shooting rights and access over the land.

Haxells and Tracys were auctioned on 24th August 1901 as one lot. The newspaper advertisement is transcribed below. The farms comprised 106 acres, the farmhouse, farm homestead and the two 'double tenement' Haxells Cottages.

PELDON, ESSEX
Six miles from the Important Borough of Colchester, which is distant by rail only an hour and ten minutes
from London, and close to the well-known 'Mersea Island'
Particulars and Conditions of Sale
OF A VERY DESIRABLE
AGRICULTURAL OR SPORTING PROPERTY
(Principally Freehold)
KNOWN AS
Haxell's and Tracey's Farm
COMPRISING AN AREA OF ABOUT
106 ACRES 2 ROODS 11 POLES
WITH A
Genteel Residence, Capital Farm Homestead, and
a Double Tenement Cottage,
Well situate in the Parish of Peldon, Essex,
WHICH WILL BE SOLD BY AUCTION, BY
MESSRS. FENN & CO.

In the Board Room, Corn Exchange, Colchester
ON SATURDAY AUGUST 24TH 1901
At FOUR o'clock in the Afternoon precisely,
IN ONE LOT
Solicitors:- Messrs. HOWARD, ELLISON & MORTON, Head Gate Court, Colchester.
Auctioneers' Offices:- 146 High Street, Colchester, and Ardleigh Hall, Essex

Below are the auction catalogue particulars from Essex Record Office [Box A14532] which give in detail the facilities on offer. It makes much of the sporting and leisure facilities the properties offered, no doubt trying to appeal to hunting, fishing and shooting 'gentlemen' farmers.

PARTICULARS
Haxell's and Tracey's Farm
A very desirable
AGRICULTURAL OR SPORTING HOLDING
COMPRISING AN AREA OFABOUT
106 Acres 2 Roods 11 Poles

Situate in the Parish of Peldon, Essex, six miles from the important Market, Manufacturing and Military town of Colchester, whence London (Liverpool Street) is reached in an hour and ten minutes; close to the well-known "Mersea Island" rapidly growing in favour as a Pleasure Resort, and noted for its excellent Wild Fowling, Boating and Fishing; and also well placed for Good Shooting and Fox Hunting.

It comprises
A Genteel and Substantially Built
Red Brick and slated residence,

Nicely recessed from the Road by a neat front garden enclosed by an iron pallisade fence and with a large kitchen garden at the side.

The House contains:

Entrance hall and Back ditto with tiled floors
Drawing room with Marble Mantelpiece, and opening into a very pretty lean-to newly-built Greenhouse
Dining room with slow combustion Stove
Small Smoking Room
Capital Kitchen with a New Flavel's Oven and Boiler Range, and a corner Buffet
Two Good Store Rooms well fitted with Dresser, Drawers, and Shelves, and a Cellar or Dairy with Shelving
Front and Back Staircases with a useful Cupboard under the latter
Front and Back Landings and a Good Cupboard
Five Bedrooms, Dressing Room and Large Dress Cupboard
In the rear there is a CEMENTED BACK YARD with a large Soft Water Cistern.

A RANGE OF BRICK-AND-TILED BUILDINGS,

Comprising BREWHOUSE with a Coppers, Oven, Sink and Pump for soft water, Closet, Chaise House, and a two-stall Stable, the latter being approached by a Carriage way from the High Road.
A Lean-to Wood Shed, Range of Poultry Houses, and a Granary on iron piers.

The Farm Premises

Are substantially built. Boarded and Thatched, ample for the occupation, and include -

A Double-bayed Barn with Asphalte Floors and Granary
Range of Buildings comprising Bullock Box and Yard, Loose Box and Cow House with Calf Pens
Stable for 5 Horses with Chaff Bin and Large Horse Shed, Range of Bullock Sheds,
Implement Shed, 3 Good Stockyards and a Stackyard.

On the opposite side of the road there is a

BOARDED-AND-SLATED DOUBLE COTTAGE

Each containing 2 Downstair and 3 Bedrooms, with a Kitchen for the use of both, and very large Gardens

TOGETHER WITH SEVERAL ENCLOSURES OF
Sound Productive Arable and Meadow Land,

WITH TWO OR THREE INVALUABLE PONDS OF WATER

The whole Estate being divided, as shown in the following SCHEDULE

The Residence has been recently put into a thorough state of Exterior and Interior Substantial and Decorative Repair; the Farm premises, Outbuildings, Gates etc have also been put in excellent order; and the land is in a good state of cultivation; a Purchaser will therefore come into possession of a Property with very little (if any) expense beyond its first cost, and it is well worth th attention of anyone seeking a

NICE LITTLE COUNTRY SPORTING BOX,

Or a Fertile Agricultural Holding for Investment, or Occupation

The Farm Premises, Cottages, and Land are now held by Mr. W G FAIRHEAD, under an agreement expiring at Michaelmas, 1902, at the low Annual Rent of £55 : 0 : 0, the Game, (subject to the provisions of the Ground Game Acts) being reserved to the Landlord.

The House, Garden, Stable, Chaisehouse, and Outbuildings are occupied by the present Owner of the Property, and Possession of same can be had on completion of purchase at Michaelmas next. The Owner also pays Mr. Fairhead 10/- per annum for a small part of Enclosure No. 59 for a Garden.
      Tenure:-

ABOUT 80 ACRES ARE FREEHOLD

Subject to a Free Rent of 5s 4d per annum

The remaining 26 ½ acres are Copyhold of the Manor of Peet Hall, but subject only to a small Fine Certain of £1 12s 8d., Heriots, and a Quit Rent of 19s od. per annum. The Tithe Rent-charge amounts this year according to the corn averages to £21 2s 4d and the Land Tax to £1 19 0.
The Property is sold subject to the Tenant's Agreement (which will be produced at the Sale or can be seen at the Auctioneers' Offices at any time previously) and also to all rights-of-way, water, light, easements, incidents of tenure and other rights (if any) existing over or affecting the same.

The Plan and Quantities are taken from the Latest Edition Ordnance Survey, are believed to be correct, and shall be so accepted by the Purchaser, and any legal appointment that may be required of the Tithe Rent-charge, Land Tax or other Outgoings will have to be obtained by and at the expense of the Purchaser.

The farm was bought by Henry Goody of Colchester for £1,400 and the six-acre field in Abberton known as Pound Field continued to be rented annually by Henry May. Henry Goody was a solicitor and interestingly was vice-chairman and solicitor for the Winstree 100 Association for the Prosecution of Felons, a group that had been set up by local farmers. The likelihood was that Goody bought the farms on behalf of a client.

The tenant of the farm premises, cottages and land at the time of this sale was still William Golden Fairhead whose 4 year lease expired at Michaelmas 1902 for which he was (now) paying £55 a year rent. The owner since 1877, Walter Leverett Harris, was living in the house.

Walter Harris had been publican of the Kings Arms, Liverpool Road, Islington. He was born in Islington to Walter and Elizabeth Harris although had Essex connections - his mother was from St Osyth. When he left the pub in Islington his mother and father took it over and interestingly had two girls from Abberton living with them Alice May described as a niece, a dressmaker, and Emma May, a barmaid.

Walter Harris appears in the 1856 Post Office directory as landlord at The Kings Arms, Islington, and a renewal of his licence was made in 1866 [Clerkenwell News]. He appears again as landlord in the Post Office directory for 1869 but by 1881 his parents were resident in the pub. Walter appears in just one Peldon census in 1901 living at Haxells and described as a retired publican.

No conveyance between Harris and the next owner, Joseph Procter (also spelt Proctor), has been found, we can only presume it was Procter for whom Henry Goody bought the farm from Walter Harris in 1901.

Joseph Procter died on 14th February 1905 and he made his two sons executors of his will, Richard Edward and Joseph Henry Procter. On 27th July 1905 Richard was admitted to the copyhold part of the farmland by Peet Hall Manor; we next find him advertising a live and dead stock sale at Haxells.

WEDNESDAY, September 22nd
HAXELL'S FARM, PELDON.
SALE OF LIVE and DEAD STOCK,
Comprising-
6 Head of HORSE STOCK, including:-
2 Pedigree Suffolk Mares
Pedigree Suffolk Stallion and Colt Foal,
2 Riding Mares,
3 Pedigree Red Polled Cows and Pedigree
Bull,
5 Steers and Heifers, 18 months old,
16 Home-weaned Calves;
And all the nearly new agricultural imple=
ments, machines, harness, carriages, etc.
For Mr R E Proctor [EADT 13th September 1909]

It does not appear to have been a 'closing down' sale for it was not until 29th September 1920 that Procter sold to John Ernest Frederick Walker for £2,100 and surrendered the copyhold land to the Manorial court two weeks later. The surrender reveals that the copyhold land comprised a parcel of 4 ½ acres called Peet Field and three crofts of land called Jordans amounting to 12 acres in North Peet. There were also two crofts of land and one parcel of meadow of 10 acres called West Field in Peet, all described as part of Haxells and Tracys 'formerly in the occupation of John Haxell... or late of William Golden Fairhead'. The farm was still referred to in legal documents as 'Haxells and Traceys'.

Walker settled with the trustees of the deceased owner of Peet Hall, Sidney Barker Wilson, for the 'Extinguishment of Manorial Incidents' for which he paid £47 19s 6d on 28th May 1930. This was part of a nationwide phasing out of copyhold land with their attendant manorial customs, thus rendering land freehold.

At the time he sold Haxells in 1943, John Walker was the treasurer of Peldon's Parochial Church Council and chair of the war-time Parish Invasion Committee ; he was also an ARP warden while his wife, Ethel, was an ARP First Aider.

On 26th March 1943 John E F Walker sold the farm to Gilbert George Baker of Brookmead Farm, Mundon for £3,100 and moved to Tiptree.

On 29th September 1953 Baker sold Haxells and Tracys to William Alexander Bird of Bellhouse Farm, Stanway, Colchester for £10,450.

'Haxells and Traceys' 1953 map

This map above, accompanying the conveyance in 1953, is identical to a map accompanying a 1919 power of attorney document between the Procter brothers, Richard and Joseph Henry prior to the sale to John E F Walker. This shows 'Rolls Farm' (on a different site to today's Rolls Farm) with the fields immediately behind assimilated into Haxells and Tracys. The building marked 'Rolls Farm' on the map is probably the old converted timbered barn, known as Hall Barn, and replaced by a modern executive house in the 21st century. During his time at Haxells, Bird purchased field numbers 62a, 62, 63 and 64 from the Hendys of Pete Tye Farm on 2nd November 1956 for £1,650. On 22nd December 1959 William A Bird sold to George McMichael of Freshcombe Farm, Shoreham by Sea for £15,000. The 'supplemental abstract of title' for George McMichael records the farm had an area of 106 acres 2 roods and 13 poles plus the 40.529 acres bought from the Hendys and included the farmhouse with barns, stables and outhouses and cottages. It gives the area of each field and its use.

Haxells 1959

The fields shown in the map above delineated in blue, No 62, 62a 63 and 64, belonged to Pete Tye Farm and in 1959 became part of Haxells and Tracys, only ten years later they were to be sold back!

Two later memoranda record the selling of fields 134a and 134 to the Rotherays of Kemps Farm, Peldon, on 9th March 1966, 28.808 acres for £5,780 and on 20th October 1969 the return of fields No. 62, 62a 63 and 64 to the new owners of Pete Tye Farm, the Coans.

An official search amongst the deeds dated 1964 refers to the farm as 'formerly known as Haxells and Tracys', after that, Tracys is dropped from the name

On 28th August 1970 George McMichael sold to Bayswater (Guernsey) Ltd who on 8th April 1975 let the farm on a five year lease to Stanley Sylvester Stephens.

All that dwelling house called "Haxells" situate in the Parish of Peldon...with all the garages stables outhouses offices gardens shrubberies lawn and pleasure grounds.

Throughout all this time there were also the two cottages on the opposite side of the road to the farmhouse called Haxells Cottages. I am told by the Coans they were quite ancient timbered houses - there is no trace of them now. In the censuses they seemed to house agricultural workers and their families.

As we have seen, Haxells only acquired its name in the late 18th/early 19th century from the family who lived there. From the bundle of deeds at the Essex Record Office, there is a possibility its earlier name was Balls Farm.
Research continues!

Elaine Barker
Peldon History Project

Thanks to the owners of Pete Tye Farm, Malting Cottage, Chapelfield and Grangewood for access to deeds.

Appendix 1: Tracys

It is Thomas Tracy's will [ERO D/ACW 42/3/11] that tells us most about this farmer from Layer de la Haye who gave his name to Tracys in Peldon. He nominated two of his five sons, John and James Tracy, to be his executors to whom he bequeathed all his farming stock and personal estate. He also left them

All that my Freehold Farm
with the Appurtenances thereto belonging situate in Peldon ...
and which I sometime since purchased of James Borrodell

He wills that his sons sell the farm to the best advantage. He died on 28th May 1830 and the will was proved on 15th June 1831.

VALUABLE SMALL
FREEHOLD ESTATE
AT PELDON, NEAR COLCHESTER
TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION
By Mr. J.G.Fenn
On Wednesday, July 13th, 1846, at The Cups
Hotel, Colchester, at twelve o'Clock at Noon,
by Direction of the Executors of the late Mr.
Thomas Tracey, deceased, the following small
Estate, in Two Lots:-
LOT 1 COMPRISES
FOUR INCLOSURES, in a ring fence, of ex-
ceedingly productive deep staple Arable and
Grass Land, with a newly-erected barn and gra-
nary adjoining, also a stable, wagon and cattle
sheds, and 42A. 1R. 24P. of Land, abutting on the
road leading from Peldon church to Abberton
Lion, and adjoining the lands of John Bawtree,
Esq., T. Taylor Esq., and Jeremiah Pledger, Esq.

LOT 2 An Inclosure of very superior ARABLE
LAND, a short distance from LOT 1, containing
7A. 2R. 4P. abutting upon the opposite side of the
road to LOT 1, and adjoining the lands of John
Bawtree, Esq.

The above Estate is all Freehold, subject to a
Land-tax of £4, which will be apportioned on the
two lots. It is in a high state of cultivation, and
within two miles of a wharf, at Mersea Stroud,
where corn may be shipped and manure landed. [Essex Standard 10th July 1846]

7. A Map of Tracys Farm accompanying the sale in 1846 [courtesy of Essex Record Office]

Thomas Tracy married Ann Borrodell in 1784 in Layer- de-la-Haye. Her brother and her nephew were both called James Borrodell; James the elder died in 1816 and it is not clear whether it was father or son who sold the farmland in Peldon to Thomas.

The Ipswich Journal of 28th July 1827 reports Rolls Farm with '73 acres more or less' is to be sold by auction. The advertisement tells us the farm is 'now in the occupation of Mr Thomas Tracey' as tenant from year to year at the rent of ninety five pounds - another indication that Tracy's could have been a later name for Rolls Farm.

Thomas died in 1830 but it was not until 1846 his sons, both farmers, sold 'Tracys'.

Appendix 2 Transcription of Lease of Haxells and Traceys 1898 between Walter Harris and William Golden Fairhead

An agreement made between Walter Harris of Dedham
Essex. Esquire, Landlord, and William G Fairhead of
Peldon Essex, Farmer Tenant :-
WHEREBY the Landlord agrees to let & the tenant agrees to
hire all that Farm house, Premises, Cottages & Lands with their
appurtenances known as Haxells & Traceys Farm situate in the
parish of Peldon in the County of Essex as now occupied by
Elijah Reeve containing 105 acres or thereabouts upon the
following terms and conditions viz :-
The term to be for four years, to commence on the 29th day of
September 1898
The Rent to be the sum of Seventy Pounds per annum, payable
quarterly on each of the usual four quarter days of the year :-
All Parochial & other rates and taxes to be paid by the Tenant
the Landlord allowing as a deduction from the rent for all
Imperial Taxes & Quit rents so paid by the Tenant :-
All Mines, Minerals, Timber & Underwood are reserved to the
Landlord, with the usual rights of entry, and the Game (subject
to the provisions of the Ground Game Acts) is also reserved.
The Tenant not to assign his tenancy or underlet the Farm or
any part thereof without the Landlord's written consent, except
the Farm house which may be sublet to a respectable Tenant:-
The Farmhouse, Premises, and Cottages, Gates, Gateposts, Stiles
Fences, Hedges, Ditches, Bridges, Whelms, Watercourses, Roads
& Yards, to be kept & left in tenantable repair by the Tenant,
the Landlord providing all necessary rough timber & other
materials paint & tar within eight miles of the said Farm to be
carted by & at the expense of the Tenant, but as to thatching
the Landlord is to allow the cost of the labour & the Tenant is
to find straw and other materials :-
But it is understood that the Tenant's liability under this
clause does not commence until the Premises have been first
put into tenantable repair by the Landlord:-

[Page 2]
The Tenant to keep the land in a fair state of cultivation
leaving the same on quitting on the five course shift or system
of husbandry practised in the neighbourhood:-
None of the Meadow or Pasture Land to be broken up without
the Landlord's written consent, under a penalty of £20 per acre
per annum nor shall the same be mown more than once in any one
year:-
The tenant to be at liberty to sell off any Hay Stover, Straw or
Root crops provided he bring back and spend on the Farm a fair quantity
of Farm Yard or Artificial Manures, Corn Cake or other
Feeding stuffs: -
Half the Corn grown in the last year to be thrashed within
three months & the whole within six months after the end of the
tenancy and the use of the Barns & Stack yards to be allowed
for that purpose only until the 25th day of March following.
The Valuation to be paid by the Tenant on entry to include the
following Items, The Tillage, Manure, Seed, Sowing and Hoeing
of the Fallow & Root Lands with the rent thereon, The Seeds &
Sowing same on the young layers, The Hay & Stover of the last
year at consuming price & the Manure of the last year; and the
tenant shall be paid or allowed a Valuation of such similar
Items on quitting, deduction however being made for any allowance
which the Landlord may be entitled to for any breaches of the
covenants of this agreement on the part of the Tenant:-
The Incomer shall also pay the cost of Threshing & Dressing
the last year's crop & carry out the same to any distance not
exceeding seven miles also move the machine to or from the farm
& carry coal & water to the machine when at work, on having
the Straw, Chaff, & Calder arising from such last year's crop,
which shall be left properly protected by the outgoing tenant.
The Valuation and Corn Threshing and all questions of breaches
of covenants to be settled by two indifferent persons (one to
be chosen by each party) or their Umpire in the usual way.

[Page 3]
And it is hereby agreed that in the event of either Landlord
or Tenant requesting it, a Lease & Counterpart shall be prepared
by the Landlord's Solicitor in accordance herewith the party
requiring it paying the charges of the same:-
DATED this 8th day of June 1898
William G Fairhead

Appendix 3: More on the Haxells

Probably related to the Peldon Haxells, there were family members on Mersea in the eighteenth century. Where they first came from has not been discovered and the early register of West Mersea's baptisms, marriages and burials 1631 to 1734 is badly damaged and illegible in parts. The earliest entry found for a Haxell at West Mersea is the burial in 1765 of Gregory Haxell. The Ipswich Journal of 11th May 1765 records his death and confirms a link between the Haxells and the major landowning family, the Waylands, who feature in the story of Haxells Farm.

April 27, 1765
All Persons who are indebted to the Estate and Effects
of Mr. GREGORY HAXELL, of MERSEA ISLAND in the
County of Essex, lately deceased, are desired to pay such respective
Debts, one Month after the date hereof, unto Mr. George Way-
land, or Mr. John Abbott, his Executors, or they will be pro-
secuted for the same without any further Notice; and also all such
Persons to whom the said Gregory Haxell was indebted at the time
of his Decease, are desired to deliver an Account of such debts to
his said Executors, in order to receive Satisfaction for the same,
within the said Time of one Month after Date.

Gregory Haxell's will [ERO D/ABW 101/3/5] proved on 12th January 1765 reveals his wife was Elizabeth and outlived him and they had a son Gregory.

There is a marriage in the register of St. James in Colchester between Gregory Haxcell and Elizabeth Sadler on 21st December 1746 both of West Mersea which is likely to be them. Could their son, Gregory, be the father of the four sons in Peldon who were bequeathed Haxells and Malting Farms?

*       *       *

'Haxells Cottage' on East Road, West Mersea is likely to have been the home of a John Haxell, (1782 - 1866) who in the 1851 census is listed as the 'Church Clerk' and born in West Mersea; his parents were Thomas and Lucia Haxell. John lived to a great age - he died in 1866 aged 84 - and it is thanks to a family history by Willoughby John Bean that the cottage has been linked to him. [The May Family by Willoughby John Bean, Page 17 ]

Haxell's Cottage, East Road, West Mersea

*       *       *

Two of the Peldon Haxells are referred to by Willoughby John Bean (who lived at Peldon Hall) in his memoirs of his own family. He refers to a school in Peldon run by John Haxell in the early 19th century.

Edwin, Henry, William and Willoughby [Bean] all began their education in a school kept by an old chap named Haxell, brother to a working farmer who lived at Haxell's Farm in Peldon on the Colchester Road. The two Haxells being able to read and write fairly well and above the average farmer of the times were the overseers of the parish, an official position which placed them above their neighbours. The school which one of them kept was at the bottom of the hill from the Hall gates on the Mersea Road, a corner double cottage, all my time, and Haxell's reputation was so good that boys as far as Layer-de-La-Haye came over daily to be taught. [Bean Family History - Haxells]

I believe Willoughby John Bean was wrong in his presumption that the two Haxells were brothers, he was after all writing about a time before he was born. We know the Peldon schoolteacher was a John Haxell but I cannot confirm he was one of the four brothers.

John Haxell, schoolteacher, appears in the Peldon baptism registers with wife Sarah baptising their eldest daughter, Thirza, in 1814 although she was born the previous year on 7th November 1813. Then on 3rd November 1822 he and Sarah had three children all baptised on the same day, John born 22nd December 1815, Sarah, born 26th September 1817 and (probably newly-born) Eliza. No marriage can be found anywhere between John and Sarah. For each baptism his profession is given as schoolteacher.

*       *       *

Another John Haxell, a farmer, died in Peldon on 3rd March 1843 (born in 1764) and in his will he left his 'copyhold farm in Abberton' to the current occupant, William Gainham, plus a gift of money to assist with the costs of Gainham being admitted to the farm by the Manor. Because it is unnamed in the will we do not know which farm this was but it was copyhold, in Abberton, and not likely to be Haxells. [The Will of John Haxell of Peldon ERO D/ABW 136/1/35 ].

This John Haxell was not from the Peldon branch of the family; he was born to John and Lydia Haxell of Fingringhoe but it appears he and his wife retired to Peldon and appear in the 1841 census, living on 'independent means'. He was perhaps a cousin of the Peldon branch of the family and his will reveals he had a brother Robert, a schoolteacher in Kelsale in Suffolk whose will is held by the National Archives. [The Will of Robert Haxell, schoolmaster of Kelsale, Suffolk 1818 PROB 11/1607/198]

It is likely it is this John Haxell who was Peldon's churchwarden between 1827 and 1840 and in his official capacity as churchwarden his name appears in an indenture leasing land for the erection of Peldon's church school in 1833. [ See Peldon's School Appendix 1 for a transcription of the indenture]

John and his wife, Elizabeth, who were married at Abberton Church in 1812, were buried in Peldon Churchyard.

The gravestone of Elizabeth Haxell wife of John Haxell in Peldon Churchyard

Peldon History Project
More Peldon History.