1828 - The Youngs of Huish Manor Farm [1828 to 1921]

George Young the elder born in 1779 to James Young and Betty nee Beames in Corsham, married Betty Brown born c1787 at Box, they married there on the 10th of February 1810 they were both registered of this parish at that time.  Their first child a son called John was born on the 4th March and baptized on the 2nd April 1811.

The family moved to Homington not long after and John was buried aged one on the 14th March 1812, later that year a second son James was baptized on the 21st October 1812 the rector who wrote the details in the register noted James as the son of George and Elizabeth Young (maybe he did not like the diminutive of Betty) and George’s occupation was noted as Yeoman, another son also called John followed in 1814 but he did not survive past one year old.  Daughters followed first Elizabeth and then Mary Ann both baptized on the same day 29th May 1817.

The next child Martha born c1820 does not appear to have been baptized in the same parish, although on the census that is given has her place of birth.

Their last son William was born on the 14th December 1824 and baptized on the 21st October 1827 when they were living at Cuttenham Farm Wilsford where George was a farmer.

George came late to the tenancy of Huish Farm approx 1828 when he was nearly 50 yrs of age. At the time of the 1841 census his children James, Mary, Martha and William were living with him at the farm Elizabeth was elsewhere.  George lived at the farm for the next 30 years he died on the 31st May 1858 at the age of 78 and is buried at Huish.  Betty survived her husband and was buried on the 17 February 1865 at Huish. 

Huish Farm House as painted by Katie Bleek aged 13 yrs in 1863 before it was condemned and demolished later that year for the new farm house in 1864. It had been reported as in poor repair and poorly constructed in the survey of 1934 so in July 1963 it was decided to take it down and rebuild it.

At the time of his fathers death James the eldest son was already farming at Manor Farm, Alton Barnes.  James had survived a serious accident in December 1846 when he was thrown from his horse whilst returning with his brother William from market in Devizes, he was unconscious for a fortnight but recovered.

William the youngest son took over the tenancy from his father, he married Martha Pavey on the 15th October 1857 at Huish. Their first child George William Young was born 1860 and baptized on the 29th July 1860 at Huish.

The census of 1861 showed that William was farming 560 acres with 16 labourers and 7 boys nearly half the workforce that his father had been using in the previous decade, his father had been farming the same acreage with 35 labourers, some of this would be down to improved farming practices but it must have impacted on the village labourers who depended on the local farms for their living.

James his second son was born in 1862 and baptized on the 2nd November 1862 at Wilcot, his daughter Martha Emily was born on 29th June 1864 in Oare.

1863-4 was a good year for the family.  The old farm house was demolished late in 1863 and new farm house was completed by 1864, one would imagine to the delight of the family and which explains Martha Emily’s birth being in Oare.  Parts of the old house were reused and timber from Gopher wood was harvested to meet the cost by the family’s landlords, the Trustees of (Somerset) Froxfield Hospital.

Image of the new farm house completed 1864 courtesy of documents from the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. It was known as the Marquis House, as the Marquis had the final decision on the proposed plans on behalf of the Trustees.

1865 saw the death of Williams’s sister Elizabeth who had been living with James his brother at Alton Barnes she was buried at Huish on the 5th January aged 50 followed by the death of his mother Betty in February, later that year his daughter Martha Emily was baptized on the 3rd September 1865 in Huish.

In August of 1865 Georges remaining children plus other cousins were involved in a court case in which their Aunt Betty Hayward’s son Philip was contesting the validity of his mothers will and codicil, they were all beneficiaries in some way.  They eventually all came to an amicable agreement.

Two years later Williams sister Mary Ann was buried on the 25th January 1867 aged 49 and shortly after this his wife gave birth to another daughter named Mary Elizabeth (possibly named in memory of his sisters) baptized on the 7th April 1867 at Huish.

The following year Martha gave birth to their third son baptized William Pavy on the 23rd August 1868.  Catastrophe followed in August 1869 with a large fire that virtually destroyed the farm although the [new] farmhouse was saved.  Five days later his young son James who had been seriously ill at the time of the fire died and was buried on the 3rd September 1869, at the beginning of the following year his son William also died on the 12th February 1870.  Later that year Martha gave birth to another son baptized John on the 24th July 1870 at Huish.

At the time of the 1871 census William and Martha were in Ventnor, Isle of Wight with the 3 youngest children left at home in the care of a governess, he was now farming 600 acres and employing 20 men and 3 boys.

Their last child was born on the 6 Oct 1874 and baptized Blanche Augusta on the 22 Nov 1874 at Huish.

By 1881 William’s acreage had risen to 660 acres and he was employing 26 labourers and 6 boys.

In 1885 William fell foul of the law when he was summoned for keeping a carriage without a license, he was fined 15s and costs of 8s.

He was still looking after the farm with the help of his son George William Young at the time of the 1891 census aged 66 yrs.  George William Young married Alice Mary Arnold on the 23rd January 1895 and it was about this time that William and his wife Martha and his three daughters left the farm and went to live at the old rectory at Marden.  William continued to live at Marden until his death in 1906, he was buried at Huish on the 5th September 1906 and a year later Martha his wife died and was buried on the 4th November 1907 at Huish, the daughters continued to live at Marden.

George William Young was now in sole control of the farm, Alice his wife gave birth to their 1st child in November 1895 and named him George Arnold Young, he was followed 3 years later by a second son called John William baptized at Marden on the 12 July 1898. They were still at the farm during the next two censuses 1901 and 1911, although on the latter census John William was away at school in Weston Super Mare.

George Arnold volunteered during the Great War, he was firstly a 1st Lieutenant in the Wiltshire Regiment, he was then transferred to the Indian Army Reserve of Officers attached to Indian Signals holding the post of Captain and served in India and finally was posted back to the Wiltshire Regiment as an Acting Captain. They appear to have given up the tenancy just after the 1st World War because the farm was sold in 1921 bringing to an end the tenancy of the Young Family at Huish Farm.

Martha Emily Young and Mary Elizabeth Young were both living together at Manor Cottage Pewsey at the outbreak of the Second World War and Blanche Young was living at Marden Manor as Nurse/Companion to Mrs. F Kingstone.

Mary Elizabeth Young died at Woodborough on the 28th February 1951 leaving £1662.13s 9d. Martha Emily Young died on the 28 March 1954 at a convalescent home leaving £2288 14s 4d. None of the sisters ever married.

John was the only son of William’s to move away from Wiltshire he became a Brewer, married and made his home in Kent.  He died in 1920.

George William Young died on the 4 July 1931 age 71 at The Brow, Pewsey leaving  £14809 2s 1d in his will, his sons continued farming in Wiltshire.

Alice Mary Young his wife died in Swanage, Hampshire on the 15 Mar 1953, she left the bulk of her estate £4532 14s 1d to her sons.

George Arnold Young died on the 16 April 1963 at West Chisenbury leaving the bulk of his estate to his widow, she died in 1979, and his brother John William Young died in 1981.

The images below are the  graves of those buried at Huish. William and Martha and George and Alice and some of their children.

 

This article was researched and written by E Wilson for this project 2018.