Ivy House Farm
Some of the building is believed to date from the 16th Century but the first identified reference to the property was at the time of the Inclosures at Norton in 1807.
The farm is clearly marked on the OS, 25inch, 1st Edition, map dated 1844-1888.
At the time of the 1851 Census, Mary White, a 47 year old born at Norton, is recorded as a farmer of 91 acres employing three labourers. She is in residence with two daughters, a visitor and four servants. The electoral list for the village in 1852 records a Thomas Butt as owner of a ‘farm near Worlds End’ with a Miss White as tenant and this must have been Ivy House. The same source in 1855 still records Thomas Butt but no longer Miss White.
In 1851 Norton Farm was occupied by Edward Wrensford Herbert, a 37 year old farmer from Barnwood, along with his wife Harriet, who was born at Norton, and 5 year old daughter Elizabeth. He was employing 7 labourers to work the land. He was still occupier in 1861 when once again the farm is referred to as ‘Arkells Farm’ and had grown to 250 acres employing 7 labourers and 5 boys. At some time he also took on Ivy House Farm but was given them both up in 1863 to leave the village.
The Gloucester Journal newspaper of 25 April 1863 advertised; “Ivy House Farm, Norton, four miles from Gloucester, grass keep and seeds. Bruton and Knowles have received instructions from Mr Herbert, who is giving the farm, to sell by auction, at the King’s Head Inn, Norton, on Monday, the 27th day of April, 1838, at five o’clock in the evening; - the following seeds and grass keep, from the day of sale to the 29th of September next, free of payment:- Lot 1. Fore Meadow, grass, 12-2-18, Lot 2, the Hill Ground, grass, 5-0-0, Lot 3, The Brier, (seeds), to be mown once, and afterwards grazed with sheep. The hay to be spent upon the premises. The above lots are well watered and shaded”.
The Gloucester Journal newspaper of 25 July 1863 also advertised; “Alteration of day of sale. Ivy House and Norton Farms. Four miles from Gloucester. Sale of superior growing crops of corn, ricks of wheat, beans and hay, grass keep, fruit, wagon, horses, implements, harness, cider, casks, &c. Bruton and Knowles have received instructions from Mr E W Herbert, who is quitting the above farms, to sell by auction at Ivy House, on Wednesday, the 29th of July, 1863, (instead of Friday, the 31st), at two o’clock in the afternoon; - 47 acres of capital wheat, 24 ditto of beans and peas, and 7 ditto of barley and oats, ricks of well harvested wheat, beans and hay (part to go off, and convenient folds to spend the remainder), 6 acres of grass keep, promising crop of table and cider fruit, 5 wagon horses, broad-wheel wagon, 2 broad wheel carts, narrow wheel ditto, 550 gallons of best cider and perry, excellent casks and hogsheads, a few articles of furniture, &c”.
William Cook appears to have been owner of the farm between at least 1870 till 1879 and in the Gloucester Journal newspaper of 1 September 1877 I found the report of a fire at Ivy House farm; “Fire – On Wednesday evening a rick of hay belonging to Mr Cook of Ivy House Farm, Norton, was destroyed by fire. The Norwich and Liverpool, London and Globe fire engines attended. The rick contained from 20 to 25 tons of hay, and it caught fire from over-heating”.
In 1881 it was being farmed by a John Pinchin, 50 year old from Cranham, living with his wife and one daughter.
In 1885 a Samuel Parslow was farming here.
The Gloucestershire Chronicle newspaper of 8 May 1886 advertised; “To Let, Ivy House Farm, Norton, near Gloucester, from Ladyday, 1887, about 45 acres Pasture and orcharding and 38 acres Arable; comfortable Farmhouse and Homestead. Apply, first, to Mr. Pope, Norton, near Gloucester. It is possible an arrangement may be made with the present tenant to give up at Michaelmas next”.
John Raymond Pope had married into the White family who were likely owners at this time and Samuel Parslow the tenant that was leaving.
The next tenant was Abraham Newton Pratt who seems to have used the name Newton Pratt during his brief time here. Born at Leamington Spa, Warks, in 1834, the son of Abraham and Harriett Pratt. He grew up at Whitnach, Warks, before the family moved to Beckley, Oxon, where they farmed. He married Emily Whitehouse at Warwick in 1872 at and by 1881 they had two daughters and were farming 150 acres at Butlers Marston, Warks.
On 12 February 1895 Newton Pratt, of Ivy House Farm, brought a case to Gloucester County Court. His account was that Messrs R B Bailey, brewers of Eastgate Street, Gloucester, owed him payment for some perry he had supplied them with as agreed. The issue seemed to be about the quality of the perry supplied not being up to bottling standard but Mr Pratt argued that this was never part of the agreement and that he was asked to supply pure perry without water and that is what he had done. Judgement was given in favour of Mr Pratt who received payment of 7d per gallon, in total £2 4s 6d, less 10s for the return of an empty barrel.
The Gloucester Journal newspaper of 20 April 1895 advertised; “Ivy House, Norton. Messrs Villar and Bellamy have been instructed by Mr Pratt to sell by auction, at the King’s Head, Norton, on Tuesday, May 7th, at 5 for 6 o'clock; - 39 acres of mowing grass and grass keep in convenient lots (part to go off)”.
The Gloucestershire Chronicle newspaper of 17 August 1895 advertised; "Bruton, Knowles and Priday are instructed by the trustees of the late Mrs Mary Ann White's marriage settlement, to sell by auction at the Spread Eagle Hotel, Gloucester, on Saturday, the 31st August, 1895, at three for four o'clock in the afternoon; a valuable freehold estate known as the Ivy House Farm in the following Lots; Lot 1, an excellent residence known as Ivy House, containing two sitting-rooms, five bedrooms, two attics, kitchen, back kitchen, dairy &c, set of agricultural buildings and 58a 1r 24p of pasture and arable land, including some good orcharding, lying in a ring fence". Other Lots were land and cottages that belonged to the property which were under the tenancy of Mr Newton Pratt which was due to expire at Michaelmas next.
Newton Pratt left Ivy House Farm at Michaelmas, September, 1895, having sold all of his stock with the exception of three horses. In April 1896 he was using his full name, Abraham Newton Pratt, and was living at 22 Goodyear Street, Gloucester. Abraham Newton Pratt was at Hooks Farm, Great Marlow, Bucks, in 1901-1906, and died in 1908 at Coventry.
In 1897 John Raymond Pope, who lived at Elm House, Cold Elm, was also recorded at Ivy House, so did he buy it ? Later in 1897, John M Bevan was tenant.
On 19th August 1898, Ivy House Farm, a messuage and farm, was sold by Mary Elizabeth Cook formerly of Widden Street, Gloucester and wife of Arthur Joseph Cook, farmer of Norton, and Joseph Mann, carpenter of Norton, to Edwin Taylor, butcher of Barton Street in the City of Gloucester. The Schedule of farm taken from the Deeds at that time described the property as follows :-
No on Map Description Area
250 Shepherds Close Pasture 7- 2-27
258 Pasture 4- 3-21
259 Apple Orchard - Pasture orchard 4- 0-11
261 Ivy House Farmyard, buildings etc 3-39
262 Pond 16
263 Pig Patch - Pasture orchard 3-17
317 The Briars - Arable 9- 2-30
318 Puppies Hill - Pasture 4- 1-31
319 Big Gravis - Arable 8- 3-15
321 The Riddings - Arable 11- 0- 9
323 Little Gravis - Arable 5- 3-24
58- 1-24
Shortly after the sale, on 22nd August 1898, a mortgage was taken on Ivy House Farm by Edwin Taylor to Mr Washbourne, solicitor of Gloucester. On 29th September 1898 a further mortgage was taken by Edwin Taylor for £700 to Mr Joseph Ellis of Water End, Longney, farmer.
John Bevan was still the tenant in 1900. On 3rd August 1901 both of Edwin Taylors mortgages were paid off.
In 1901 the tenant was recorded as John Moody Coleman, a 48 year old farmer from Hartbury who was living with his wife and one servant. Both John Bevan and John Coleman are listed in 1902 but by 1903 it had changed again to Charles Baker and by 1904 to Walter Teakle.
Walter James Teakle was born at Chalford in 1857, he married Esther Ann Newman at Sandhurst in 1886, and they were to have eight children. In 1901 Walter was employed as a farmer living with his wife and seven children at The Downs, Sapperton. By 1904 Walter was having financial difficulties that resulted in the farm owner, Edwin Taylor, seizing and selling his farm stock to cover the rent he was owed. The Gloucester Citizen newspaper of 28 May 1904 reported; “Sale Monday next. Ivy House Farm, Norton, 5 miles from Gloucester. Sandoe and Son will sell by auction, upon the above farm and premises, in the occupation of Walter James Teakle, on Monday next, May 30th 1904, at 2 o’clock prompt, - The live and dead farming stock, viz., 5 sows, 40 young pigs, 2 stores, grey pony, poultry, rick of hay, about 4 tons (to go off), 5 hog tubs, pig trough, sheep rack, chicken coop, wood feeding trough, water butt, bench, ladder, &c., seized under a distraint for rent”.
Walter James Teakle was still at Ivy House Farm as tenant to Edwin Taylor in 1905, at which time Edwin was a butcher of Barton Street, Gloucester, living at Knoyle, Denmark Road. In February 1905 Edwin Taylor started proceedings against Walter to have him declared bankrupt and they appeared at the bankruptcy court many times over the following eighteen months in very a drawn out affair. Walter was said to be “an illiterate man ... that did not understand the necessity for disclosing the goods mentioned ... had previously borne good character, was a tenant, under Earl Bathurst for 16 years before coming to Norton". It was August 1906 before the bankruptcy was finally completed.
By October 1905 Walter was living at Coombe Hill when there was a fire in the cottage where he was living after which only ‘the mere shell of the cottage remained’. In July 1906 Walter was at The Leigh when he was charged with assaulting Edwin Taylor and using obscene language. By 1911 Walter Teakle was back at Norton living with his family at No 1 Cold Elm. Walter was employed as a hedger, his two sons as cowmen and a daughter who was in service at Norton Court Farm. Walter died at Cheltenham in 1935.
It is not known when he arrived at Norton but by October 1907 Thomas Betterton was tenant with the farm still owned by Edwin Taylor; "Sale of hay, Gloucester Cattle Market. Bruton, Knowles and Co are instructed by Mr T Betterton to sell by auction, in the above market, on Monday next, October 7th, at 10:30, - a rick of prime 1907 meadow hay, standing in the rickyard at Ivy House Farm, Norton".
Thomas Betterton was born in 1872 at Awre, son of James and Jane Betterton, and he grew up there working as a farm labourer and later a farm bailiff. Thomas married Alice Whiting at All Saints, Gloucester, in 1903, and they had two children; Elsie Irene and Daisy Marguerite. Alice Pratt was born in 1871 at Sunninghill, Berkshire, and had previously married Evan William Whiting, a police sergeant in Gloucester, in 1888. The couple had five children but Evan died in 1896. In 1901 the children were mostly living with their widowed grandmother Esther Whiting at Bollow, near Westbury on Severn. Widowed Alice was living in Alvin Terrace, off London Road, Gloucester, employed as a laundress, with daughter Gwendoline also in residence. The Bettertons were still at Ivy House Farm in 1911 with their two daughters, stepson Evan Whiting and a grandaughter Violet; illegitimate daughter of Gwendoline. Their time here was brief and on 13 October 1911 the family left, emigrating to Australia, sailing to Brisbane, and settling at ‘Edgecombe’, Curzon Street, Toowoomba, Queensland.
Their early years in Australia were not all to be happy ones. Alice’s son, Archibald Evan Whiting, was born in Gloucester in 1889 and although he was not living at Norton with his mother and stepfather in 1911 he must have emigrated to Australia with them. Just a few years after leaving England the First World War began and it wasn’t long before he was heading back to Europe. Archibald, then employed as a seaman, enlisted on 12 June 1915 at Liverpool, New South Wales, as Private, No 2462, 13th Battalion, Australian Infantry. Archibald was 5ft 6¼ins tall, had a 33ins chest, weighed 138lbs, had a dark complexion, dark brown eyes and dark hair. Embarking from Sydney aboard HMAT Shropshire, on 23 October 1915, he joined the 13th Battalion at Mudros, Greece, sailing on to Alexandria, Egypt, aboard HMT Tunisian, disembarking on 3 January 1916 and joining his unit at Moascar. Between 13 and 16 January 1916 he was in hospital at Ismailia before transferring to the 45th Battalion, Tel-el-Kebir, on 3 March and joining a Lewis Gun section on 24 March at Serapeum. On 2 June he left Alexandria aboard HMT Kinfauns Castle disembarking at Marseilles on 8 June. On 11 June he went AWOL and forfeited two days’ pay whilst at Bailleul. On 27 June he received gunshot wounds to the buttocks, legs and right hand and on 28 September 1916 he died at 17th Casualty Clearing Section, Belgium, as a result of wounds received whilst fighting with 45th Battalion, Machine Gun Section, Australian Infantry. Archibald was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium, where his headstone carries the inscription, at his mother’s request; “He gave his all for his country”.
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery and the 'Mother’s Badge' sent to Alice Betterton in 1922. She was also sent the memorial scroll and plaque then in 1929 she was sent a photograph of his grave.
Alice’s other son, Evan William, joined the railway at Cairns, Queensland, on 4 August 1916, and was employed as a locomotive fireman. On 25 November 1918, Evan was working on a light engine travelling between Kuranda and Cairns when something caused things to get out of control. The locomotive was seen travelling at great speed and when rounding a sharp bend, ‘five mile curve’, the tender left the rails. The locomotive dragged the tender behind it before it too was finally pulled over, crashing into a wall of rock at the head of the Barron Gorge. Had the locomotive not hit this embankment it would have fallen into the gorge and the Barron River. Whilst all three of the crew received injuries commensurate with the accident itself, the steam that had come from a severed boiler pipe had badly scolded the men. Evan put his hands in front of his face to protect himself but it appeared that his eyes had been gouged out. When help arrived he couldn’t stand or lie down, was in agony crying for water and a doctor, and died, along with the driver, shortly after arriving at Cairns hospital. Evan is buried in an unmarked grave at Martyn Street Cemetery, Cairns.
Thomas and Alice’s two daughters also emigrated to Australia with the family. Daughter Elsie married in Toowoomba, descendants are still in Australia, and in 2024 I was in contact with one of her grandaughters. It is not known what happened to her sister Daisy. Alice died on 29 May 1943 and Thomas on 6 June 1944 and both were buried at Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery, Toowoomba, Queensland.
In 1911 James and Catherine Groves were farming at Northway Mill near Tewkesbury before moving to Church Farm and taking over at Ivy House in 1916. One of their daughters was Catherine Evelyn who I visited at Dursley in the late 1990s. The following piece was later written by Catherine's daughter Averil Riddick, of Dursley, based upon her mothers recollections of the farm :- “My mother lived at Ivy House Farm from 1916-1924, previously her family (Groves) lived at Church Farm . Ivy House belonged to someone called Taylor (my grandfather rented the farm), he lived in Cromwell Street, Gloucester. There was a pond opposite the cowsheds and a pump on the lawn to the left of the house but it never had any water. Water was brought by float from a house at the end of the lane owned by someone called Hopkins. Fields and orchards belonged to it, across the yard another pond with eels in it. There was a barn, cowsheds, stables and a cider mill in front. There was a large chestnut tree nearest Marlpit Lane. There was a dairy behind the cheeseroom, 4 bedrooms plus attics, a sitting room on the right hand side of the front door and a living room to the left, a lean-to kitchen behind the living room. The windows had large panes of glass. At the end of the house there was an outhouse, a fireplace and wash boiler. The building on the end was a separate cottage with its own front door”. In the 1990s I was told by a Catherine Riddick (nee Groves) who had been at Ivy House Farm in 1920; "We had no running water at our farm, course in those days you didn’t, we had a pump but there was nothing forthcoming so we used to buy our water from them [Hopkins]".
Louis Henry and Maud Gingell appear to have taken on the property after the Groves family left for Eldersfield and were in residence in 1924. In 1931 the tenant was recorded as Owen Randall and in 1935 as Louis Henry Gingell again. These last two seem to have swapped properties as in 1931 Louis Henry Gingell had been at Barn Farm and in 1935 that is where Owen Randall had moved to.
Edwin Taylor appears to have died in 1936 and the farm was put up for sale. The following is reproduced from the auction leaflet; “Bruton Knowles & Co are instructed by the executors of Mr Edwin Taylor, deceased, to sell this valuable freehold property by auction at The Bell Hotel, Gloucester, on Saturday 18th July, 1936 at 3 o’clock punctually. Particulars of sale of Ivy House Farm, an excellent small pasture farm occupying a convenient situation at Priors Norton within half a mile of the main Gloucester to Tewkesbury road about four miles from Gloucester and five from Tewkesbury. It comprises a farmhouse, buildings, pasture and pasture orcharding, containing an area of about 58a 1r 24p…. The farmhouse is placed conveniently near to the road at Priors Norton and is constructed of brick with tiled and slated roofs. It contains on the ground floor: hall, sitting room 16’3’’x12’ with cupboards, living room 16’3’’x13’ with cupboard and shelves, sitting room 10’8’’x10’3’’, cheese room, dairy, back kitchen with shelves and on the first floor are three bed rooms, small room that could be used as a bath room, and two store rooms. On the second floor are three attics. Adjoining the house is a wash house with furnace and baking oven. The water supply is obtained from a well in the garden. The buildings comprise a brick built cider mill house with mill and press and granary over, and adjoining are stables for four horses with loft over, timber and iron cow shed for eight cows with concrete floor, three-bay open cart shed of timber and iron, trolley shed and poultry houses and timber and iron shed with manger. The farm is compact, occupies a good position, and is entirely sound old pasture. The purchaser will be required to pay in addition to his purchase money the sum of £101 in respect of the growing timber. The farm is let to Mr L J Gingell on a Michaelmas tenancy at a rent of £100 a year. The property is subject to a right of way adjoining the boundary fence in the south east corner of No319 on the sale plan”.
On 24th September 1936 a land search was requested by Madge, Lloyd & Gibson of 20 Bell Lane, Gloucester. The named owners of the farm were on the Deeds as; Edwin Taylor, retired butcher, of 27 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, Edwin Taylor (the younger), butcher, of 50 St James Street, Gloucester, Annie Kate Shatford, wife of William Henry Shatford of ‘Morningside’, Upton St Leonards, Gloucester, (on 19 August 1964 she was noted to be living at 37a London Road, Gloucester). On 26th September 1936 the farm was sold by Annie Kate Shatford to Sidney Herbert Smith of Hurst Farm, Lydney (also from Duncombe House, Bulley, Churcham, Glos) for the sum of £1800. On these Deeds, Edwin Taylor (the younger) was noted as deceased on 18 February 1931. Later Sidney Smith entered into an agreement with Arthur George Dix, engineer, of 20 Hauman Road, Gloucester, and Jessica Edith Elliot and Maurice Frederick Elliott also both of 20 Hauman Road, Gloucester, to make all four equal sharing tenants in trust for sale.
A Ministry of Agriculture farm survey dated 1941-3 recorded that Ivy House was owned by Mr H Smith and farmed by Louis Gingell. It was a mixed farm and rated ‘Class B’ due to lack of capital. Louis Henry and Maud Elizabeth Gingell were still at Ivy House Farm in 1955.
In 1959 the farm was in the hands of Maurice F and Jessica E Elliott. On 16th November 1963, Maurice Elliott, now at Cranford Farm, Pucklechurch, Jessica Elliot and Arthur G Dix, paid off £3500 to Sidney Smith for his share to become three equal owners and on 18th November 1963 part of farm was sold in equal parts by Arthur Dix and the Elliotts to Richard Eric Beale of Benges Farm, Priors Norton, for £11500.
On 24th August 1964 the farmhouse was sold to Richard Abdiel Chorley of 61 Church Street, Tewkesbury, for £2900 and on 22nd January 1972 Richard Abdiel Chorley and Kathleen Joanna Chorley became co-owners. After retiring from his job at Smiths Instruments they went to live in the Abbey Precinct, Tewkesbury, where Dick was organist and steward at Tewkesbury Abbey.
On 18th October 1983 the farmhouse was sold again to Dr Peter Fairbairn Griffiths and Lindsay Jane Griffiths.
In 1985 Ivy House Farm was listed as Grade II and described; “Former farmhouse now house. C16, early C18, C19 and C20. Main body brick, concealing remnants of former close-studded timber-framing, extension in brick, red tile and concrete pantile and slate roofing, brick stacks. Rectangular plan to main body with narrow C19 extension on to left gable-end, C19 wash house at right gable end. C20 lean-tos at rear of main body not of special interest. Main body: 2 storeys and attic with garret lights. Three-windowed facade; 2-light casements with glazing bars to first floor, 3-light casement with glazing bars to ground floor left, 16-pane sash right. Central C20 part-glazed door in deep reveal. Two-light casement with glazing bars lighting Cl9 extension left. All openings on ground floor with gauged brick heads. Twelve-pane sashes lighting-- gable-end of C19 extension left. Interior of main body: three-roomed with parallel, deep-chamfered spine beams-and run out stops in rooms at either end, tie beam in central room. Two open fireplaces with bressumers (one blocked)”.
The Griffiths’ remained at Ivy House Farm for nearly 20 years until December 2000 when they moved to Dorset selling to the current owners.
[Thanks to Lindsay Griffiths, who lived at the farm from 1983-2000, for sharing details from the surviving Deeds].
