Green Farm
As with most properties in the village, the earliest information I have dates from October 1807 when the Inclosure Act reached Norton. At that time what we now know as Green Farm was owned by Edward Webb and was part of the Norton Court Estate.
In 1825 it was known as Lower Farm when John Stokes sold the property at an auction held by Messrs Moore & Sons, Estate Agents and Auctioneers of Tewkesbury, held at the Hop Pole Inn, Tewkesbury on 27th July.
The first tenant that has been identified was in 1838 when the farm was being run by Richard Taylor and was known as Green Farm.
A document that appears to date from the 1840s, when Miss Elizabeth Frances Webb held the manor, records who occupied each of the farms on the estate and who and how many people lived in the cottages that were located on each of the farms. It is evident that many of the cottages were shared by more than one family. Green Farm had a number of cottages. The first three cottages were located at Bradley’s; first up we have Hannah Roberts, her son and his wife, John Bailey, wife and child, then Samuel Roberts with two sons and a daughter. It is recorded that the following three families all resided under one roof at Baylis’ near Norton Green; Henry Baylis, wife and two sons, George James, wife and one child, and Richard Leach, wife and five children. I believe this is now the row of three cottages between Yew Tree Cottage and the Green containing Mead Croft and Jasmine Cottage.
In 1841 Richard Taylor was a 50 year old widow from Newnham and was living with three daughters and a son. In 1851 Green Farm was described as being 200 acres and Richard Taylor was employing four men. Richard Taylor was one of the driving forces behind the erection of the Methodist Chapel at Norton Green and for many years he had a memorial on the walls inside. When the chapel became a house a few years ago the memorial was moved and can now be found inside the tower at St Mary’s, Norton.
The following article appeared under this heading in The Bristol Mercury newspaper of 10 May 1851; “A remarkable thunder-storm occurred at Norton, near Gloucester, on Wednesday se’nnight, from which the family of Mr Richard Taylor had a narrow and providential escape. A good deal of rain and hail had fallen during the day, accompanied by occasional lightning and thunder, but there was nothing unusual in the weather until about half past six in the evening, when a very remarkable flash of lightning was followed instantaneously by a crash of thunder, which resembled in sound the explosion of an immense cannon immediately overhead. In fact, it would appear as though the electric cloud had discharged its contents directly over the house. Three persons who saw the flash describe its appearance as of a ball of fire, and totally unlike any lightning they had ever before witnessed. The roof and two opposite sides of Mr Taylor’s farmhouse were struck simultaneously with a force which carried away a considerable part of a chimney standing nearly in the centre of the building, and tore of a large portion of the slate roofing on each side, so that the rafters were laid quite bare. The window of an upper room in which an invalid was confined to bed was only slightly affected, but in the lower one the frame, which was of oak, was splintered and rent asunder in two places, and eight squares of glass shivered to atoms. On the other side of the house is the dairy, with a wire lattice window, in which some leaden weights were standing; these were blackened, and two of them perforated with a hole about the size of a pea. It seems remarkable that the house should have been struck in opposite directions with such violence, and yet no more injury sustained”.
By 1861 Green Farm had become smaller being 190 acres but the staff had increased to seven labourers and three boys as well as a housekeeper, housemaid, dairymaid and a groom. Richard Taylor was to remain at the farm until 1863 when his stock, etc, was put up for auction; "Green Farm, Norton, Bruton and Knowles have received instructions from Mr Taylor, who is declining business, to sell by auction, on Wednesday, the 18th March, 1863; - the whole of his valuable and exceedingly useful dairy cows and heifers, fat cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, implements, cider, casks, ricks of wheat, dairy utensils, &c, comprising 8 cows and heifers, with calves or to calve; 11 stirk heifers, pair two year old steers, 7 yearling heifers, 2 weaned heifer calves, 3 prime fat cows, well-bred two year old shirt horn bull; 22 ewes with or to lamb; 40 cross bred wether and ewe tegs, prime fat ewe and ram, 22 capital pigs, 10 powerful wagon horses (including 3 mares in foal); handsome and valuable dark brown cob gelding, six years old, about 12 hands high; harness, farming implements, excellent spring cart, harness; large size rick-cloth, complete; 2000 gallons of best and family cider and perry; English oak hogsheads; rick of well harvested wheat; dairy utensils, &c. Refreshments will be on the table at eleven, and the sale will commence punctually with the sheep at twelve o’clock”.
Later in 1863 the tenancy transferred to James Weaver who took on a 7 year lease from Michaelmas. When the land tax was assessed on the Norton Court Estate in 1868 James Weaver was at Green Farm and was liable for £457 15s 9d with pasture land at an additional £8 5s. In 1871 James was described as a 55 year old farmer from Boynton, Worcestershire, and was living with his wife Anne, from Boddington, and two children. James Weaver died in February 1878 and in 1881 Green Farm is recorded under his widow, Anne’s, name as farmer and by 1883 under that of his son James William Weaver. Anne died in 1898, James William in 1918 and they have a memorial stone, along with their husband and father, at St Mary’s, Norton.
The next tenant, Richard Isaac, had assumed occupancy by 1885. At the County Petty Sessions of the Gloucester Police Court in April 1885 we find Richard Isaac of Norton summoned for non-payment of rates in respect of cottages at Norton. Mr Isaac alleged that he had been summoned on the word of the assistant overseer in revenge for him having advocated a reduction in the others salary. The case was adjourned. By 1889 he had been replaced by Henry Theyer.
Of all the strange places to come across a story relating to Norton, you would have to look long and hard to beat The North-Eastern Daily Gazette of Middlesborough, but it is to that publication that we now turn. In the newspaper of 15th August 1892 I found the following report; “Incendiarism By A Little Girl. The whole of the ricks on the farm of Mrs Theyer, Norton, Gloucester, have been destroyed by fire. A labourer saw a girl, aged 4, running from the direction of the ricks with a lighted match in one hand and a box in the other, and at the same moment he saw the flames and smoke rising from the rick”.
In 1891 Green Farm was the home of Henry and Elizabeth Theyer and their family.
Henry Isaac Theyer was born at Badgeworth in 1856, son of Isaac Theyer (1816-1897) and Sophia, nee Piff (1828-1869). Henry grew up at Badgeworth with the family at Crippetts Farm. In 1880 he married Elizabeth Fowler Champion Pope from Castlemorton, at Elkstone, near Cirencester. Shortly after this they emigrated to Australia where it is believed that Henry worked as a miner. Their first four children; Edward Isaac (1880-1969), Ida Mary (1883-1954), Horace Chalmers (1885-1960) and Margaret (1887-1891) were all born in Victoria, Australia, but by 1891 they had all returned to the UK and were settled at Norton.
Their stay at Norton must have been very brief and maybe the death of daughter Margaret and then the fire was enough motivation for them moving on but by 1896 when another daughter, Ethel Elizabeth, was born, the family were already living at Colethrop Farm, Haresfield. In 1881 we find that Henry’s father, Isaac, had moved to Parsonage Farm, Brockworth, and by 1911 Henry himself had taken on this farm.
The Archer family would appear to have arrived at Norton in the early 1890s from Twyning near Tewkesbury, Glos. and settled at Green Farm, Bishops Norton. It was Edwin, wife Matilda and two sons, Sydney James and William Harold who came here leaving another son and a daughter living elsewhere.
In April 1893, Edwin paid William Bankes £1 5s for thatching a summer house at the farm.
Edwin suffered a personal loss in July 1907 when his wife choked to death after a violent fit of coughing. The following article was printed in the Gloucester Citizen newspaper of 13th July 1907; “Fatal Fit Of Coughing. The Divisional Coroner (Mr J Waghorne) held an inquiry on Friday at the Mission Room, Norton, into the death of Mrs Henrietta Matilda Archer, aged 57, who died suddenly on Wednesday. Col Arbuthnot was foreman of the jury. Edwin Archer, farmer, Green Farm, Norton, husband of the deceased, said she usually enjoyed good health but in February last had an attack of pleurisy and was then attended by Dr Foster of Churchdown. She apparently got over that and continued well until July 10th. On the previous night she went to bed with witness about 10:30. About 4 o’clock she woke up and dozed off again but half an hour later woke again and was seized with a violent fit of coughing, seeming to have a great deal of phlegm she could not get rid of. She asked for some hot water with the intention of inhaling the steam. Witness called his son and the water was obtained as soon as possible but it was then too late. Herbert Edwin Archer, son of the first witness, corroborated. He went for Dr Moore of Churchdown. Dr Reginald Devereux Moore stated that in February deceased was attended by Dr Foster, his partner, and from a perusal of his notes from the case witness found that in February last deceased was suffering from a weak heart in addition to pleurisy. Witness was called about 5:30am on Wednesday and found on arrival at The Green Farm that Mrs Archer was dead. His opinion was that she died from syncope due to a weak heart brought about by the strain of coughing. A verdict in accordance with the medical evidence was returned. Col Arbuthnot, the Coroner, who remarked that it was a sad case, and the jury all expressed deep sympathy with Mr Archer and his family for which the farmer expressed his thanks”.
In approximately 1910 sons Sidney and William both emigrated to Australia and settled at Forbes, New South Wales. William died not long after arrival, on 5 September 1913 and on 28 December 1914 father Edwin died. Edwin, Matilda, and son William are all remembered on a memorial in the churchyard at St Mary’s, Norton; “Sacred to the memory of Henrietta Matilda the beloved wife of Edwin Archer of this Parish yeoman born Dec 12th 1850 died July 10th 1907. Also of the above Edwin Archer died Decr 28th 1914 aged 64 years. In the midst of life we are in death of whom may we seek for succour but of the O Lord. We know not what shall be on the morrow. Also of William Harold their youngest son died at Forbes NSW Sept 5th 1913 aged 27 years.”
With the death of Edwin, Green Farm passed into the hands of an elder son, Herbert Edwin, who had previously been learning his farming trade on the property of an uncle James Snelling at Cherrington, Glos.
When the First World War broke out in Europe Sidney, now in Australia, must have thought back to his home and the Gloucester Journal newspaper of 17th June 1916 carried the following report; “OLD NORTON BOYS PATRIOTISM A fine example of colonial patriotism is that of Mr S J Archer, son of the late Mr Edwin Archer of Norton. For a number of years he has been farming in the Forbes District, New South Wales, where he had made himself extremely popular. In April last he decided to sell his farm and go to the war and his friends and neighbours foregathered in large numbers to give him a send off. There was a musical programme, a dance and a banquet and during an interval Mr Archer was presented with a beautiful wristlet watch suitably inscribed and a gold ring. The speaker at the banquet referred to the recipients many good and admirable qualities – as a cricketer, a comrade and farmer, and all wished him a safe return. In responding Mr Archer said it was his intention to return to Forbes when the war was over”.
On 29th March 1916 Sidney applied to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at Bathurst Recruiting Office. His medical that day reported that he was 30 years, 11 months, old, 5ft 9ins tall and weighed 10 stone 8lbs. We do not have a photo of Sidney but his Australian service record also tells us that he had a dark complexion, grey eyes, brown hair and a 381/2 inch chest. His application was accepted by the Recruiting Officer on 8th April 1916. His attestation papers record that he was born in the parish of Twyning, near Tewkesbury, and that his next of kin was brother, Herbert Edwin Archer of Green Farm, Norton. As Private No 2368 he became part of the 5th Reinforcement of the 45th Battalion AIF that embarked from Sydney aboard ship No A68, HMAT Anchises, on 24th August 1916. Arriving at Devonport, England, on 11th October he was posted to No 12 T Battalion Camp at Codford. Whilst at Codford he went Absent Without Leave between midnight 20th October and 6pm 24th October for which offence he was ordered to forfeit 4 days pay—perhaps he took the opportunity to visit Norton one last time ? On 21st December he proceeded overseas to France from Folkestone aboard SS Princess Clementine. He was allotted the letter ‘A’ as a suffix to his service number, according to his records, ‘on account of a duplication of numbers’. He was taken onto the strength of 4th ADBD at Etaples on 22nd December and on 1st January of 45th Battalion ‘in the field’. His first month or so must have been particularly hard as on 24th February he was admitted to hospital feeling unwell and was diagnosed as suffering from exhaustion. He was admitted to 15th Field Ambulance on 25th February and transferred to No 5 DRS on the same day. He was discharged to rejoin his unit, 45th Battalion, until 3rd March 1917. Pvte Archer was reported killed in action whilst engaging the enemy at Messines Ridge, during the third battle of Ypres, on 7th June 1917. The Gloucester Journal newspaper of 21st July reported his death ‘whilst serving with the Australian Forces in France’. Pvte Archer has no known grave but is remembered on the Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium, and on Panel 139 of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Sidney is also remembered on the war memorial in the churchyard at St Mary’s, Norton.
[Howard Archer, recorded on the memorial, doesn’t appear to have been related].
In 1919 Green Farm was in the hands of son Herbert Edwin Archer and was described as being in excess of 150 acres.
In 1918/19 my grandmother, Margaret Emily (Peggy) Parker, travelled from her family farm in Co Durham to take on the duties of ‘mothers help’ for the Archers looking after their young children. My grandmother married a Norton man, Fred Mullens, in 1921 and her employment ended. The following are photographs that my grandmother kept of the young Archer children (Elsie Grace, (Herbert) Donald, Barbara and Mary Elizabeth Archer), in the fields around the farm.
In 1921 Herbert Edwin and wife Elsie Archer were still in residence at the nine roomed property along with five children below the age of 9 years all of whom had been born at Norton; Elsie Grace, Mary Elizabeth, Herbert Donald, Barbara and Dorothy Joan. Maggie Taylor of Overbury, Worcs, was also in residence employed as their general domestic servant.
The Archer family were to leave Norton in 1922, a departure partly recorded when on 20 September 1922, J Pearce, Pope & Sons held an auction on behalf of Mr H E Archer, "who is leaving the farm" to sell his surplus "implements, machinery, cider casks &c".
Gloucestershire Chronicle, 9 September 1922
The Archer family moved to Top Farm, Cleeve Prior, near Evesham. Herbert died in 1934, accidentally shooting himself at the farm whilst out after wood pigeons. Son Don took over and remained here throughout his life.
A report dated 19th December 1922 states that Green Farm was then held on a yearly Michaelmas tenancy by L T Yeates. It had an acreage of 164a 3r 19p and Yeates paid £134 per annum rent. He was variably known as Leonard Yeates and Thomas Yeates in surviving records, presumably his two forenames.
In 1927 the farm transferred again to Harold Melville Spiers and family.
In June 1940 the Gloucester County Bench had to decide on where priorities lay between the wife of a serving soldier and that of agricultural interests. Harold Spiers of Green Farm, Norton, had applied for possession to be granted to him of a cottage at Norton Green. Mrs Hooper was the occupant of the cottage alone as her husband Percy was on active service with the army. A compromise seems to have been reached whereby Mrs Hooper was to be found alternative accommodation and although an order was issued to give possession of the cottage to Mr Spiers in between 21 and 28 days, a level of flexibility was built in to make sure that Mrs Hoopers new cottage was available before she moved out.
Although this appears to have come before the Gloucester County Bench in June 1940 it would appear to have been an issue some time before that. On 28 November 1939, The Herald newspaper of London reported; ”His home is saved, the soldier need not worry. Mrs Hooper, a soldier’s wife with five children, will be able to keep her threatened cottage home. She lives at Norton, near Gloucester, where her husband was a cowman employed by Mr Melville Spiers, of Green Farm. When Mr Hooper was called up on the outbreak of war, Mr Spiers said he wanted the cottage for another man, and gave Mrs Hooper notice to quit. She refused to go. Mr Spiers then asked Gloucester Agricultural Committee to certify that the cottage was necessary for the proper cultivation of the farm. A sub-committee recommended such certification. But yesterday the full committee, by a majority, decided not to grant the certificate”.
In September 1948 it was reported that Mr Harold Melville Spiers, of Green Farm, Norton, had produced a single potato that weighed in at an impressive 3lbs 6oz.
A Ministry of Agriculture farm survey dated 1941-3 recorded that Green Farm was owned by Capt Walker, Norton Court Estate, and farmed by Harold Spiers. It was a mixed farm and rated ‘Class A’.
In June 1952 the Norton Court Estate was sold by auction and Green Farm, in the occupation of Mr H M Spiers on a Michaelmas tenancy which commenced in 1927, at a rent amounting to £311 5s per annum, was described as follows;
"Green Farm, a very attractive mixed farm forming part of the eastern boundary of the Estate and contained within a ring fence. Owing to the recent installation of main water to the house, buildings and part of the land by Mr Spiers, the tenant, it is well suited for adaptation as a dairy farm. The property comprises the farmhouse, good buildings, two cottages, lucrative pasture orcharding, pasture, meadows and arable land the whole extending to 165a 0r 17p.
The farmhouse is well built of brick and tile and contains: On the ground floor: Tiled hall with cupboard under stairs, dining room, 14ft x 12ft, with double cupboard and beamed ceiling; drawing room 13ft x 12ft, with brick fireplace and beamed ceiling, dairy and kitchen with range, dresser and cupboards. On the first floor: approached by two staircases are: five bedrooms, two having fireplaces and three a cupboard. Bathroom with bath and basin and cheese room. On the second floor: partitioned attics. Outside: Store, partly covered yard with pump, wood and coal house, wash house with three furnaces and meal house. The Elsan sanitary closet is claimed by the tenant. Main gas and water are connected to the house.
The farm buildings comprise: a brick and asbestos roof range consisting of a box and barn divided into three boxes, cart-horse stable and loft and harness room, brick, timber and tiled cow house with ties for 7, fodder house, a brick and asbestos roof barn with driving way and tallet floor, brick, timber and tiled cow house with ties for 12. A 6-bay brick and tiled shed and yard, a 9-bay brick and tiled shed, box and yard, 3 pigscots and a 5-bay brick and tiled cart and implement shed. The galvanised lean-to shed, dutch barn and engine shed are claimed by the tenant".
Green Farm was bought by Harold Spiers when the Norton Court Estate was auctioned in 1952 and has remained in the same family ever since now being farmed by two of Harold Spiers’ sons.
In 1985 Green Farm was a Grade II Listed Building described as follows; “Detached farmhouse. Late C17-early C18, C19 and C20. Brick and square-panelled timber-framing with unpainted brick infill, red tile roof, brick stacks. Late C17-early C18 farmhouse. L-shaped plan with C19 infill in angle between wings rear right, large C19 service wing rear left, altered and converted C20. Main body: 2 storeys and attic lit by single 2-light gabled roof dormer. Two C20 canted bays lighting ground floor at garden front, windows otherwise mostly 3-light casements with horizontal glazing bars. Projecting C19 gabled, part-glazed porch at centre of left-hand wall with pendant and finial. Fielded 4-panel door within”.
