Yapton&FordLocalHistory Group

Bilsham Croft, born from humble beginnings

By Allen Misselbrook, Yapton & Ford local history

Bilsham Croft c1980

In the ancient hamlet of Bilsham, one of the oldest buildings lies in Bilsham Lane. It is now known as Bilsham Croft. In the ‘Bulsham Manor’ book it was listed as ‘one messuage yard and apparatus called Moots with 21 acres of land and one cottage with three acres called Pickmans. The date when it was built was not mentioned but it was probably sometime during the 17th century. When looking at the front view of the original house it is rather evident that there were two distinct phases of building. The left-hand side appears to be of a much older date than the righthand side. Further entries in the Manor Book record some of the owners along with the associated dates. These included the transference of the property in 1730 from William Brand to John Woods of Westhampnett. Another reference was made in 1742 concerning Ann, who, on the death of her father, Thomas Wyatt, inherited the farm and buildings. By 1757 she and her husband, Thomas Sparks, rented out the farm to Thomas Peachy of South Bersted who passed away in 1762 leaving his wife, Mary, to continue with the business. This she did for two years before marrying John Bailey, a Yeoman from Eartham. This was the start of a century of ownership by the Bailey family. Ownership of the farm becomes very confused over the following decades. The Tithe Map of 1839 recorded the property as being farmed by Edmund and James Bailey. This fact was born out by the 1841 and 1851 Census Returns. But by this time things had taken a turn for the worse for the family. An entry in the Manor Book dated ! 849 stated that J & E Bailey were in default to a John Oliver who subsequently sold the farm to the Lord Newburgh Trust of Slindon. At some point during the ownership of The Trust, the farmhouse was divided into a pair of semidetached cottages and given the house numbers 83, (the left-hand cottage) and 82, Bilsham Lane. Bilsham Croft 2022 The division of the property was not straight forward. Number 83 had a scullery at the rear which past beneath one of the bedrooms of the adjoining house. During the late 19th century John Clampitt Loveys arrived from Devon with his family and became the Tennent Farmer of Bilsham Farm which included the ‘Moots’ land and cottages. Eventually, in 1908, John Loveys bought the farm from the Newburgh Estate and it stayed in the Loveys family with John’s son, Walter, inheriting it from him and, in due course, following Walter’s retirement, passing down to Walter’s son, John Colin Loveys. During and shortly after WW2, the properties slowly fell into disrepair and condemned. Walter made the decision to have them renovated which were duly completed in 1950. The renovations included supplying mains water, which previously was drawn from a well, and electricity. Before this, light was produced by candle and oil-lamp. Cooking was carried out on a kitchen range. The outside toilet was replaced by a flushing one housed in a bathroom extension which included a bath, but no hot water. This was achieved by heating water in the copper in the scullery and using buckets to carry it through to the bath. The Farm was sold in the mid-1970’s due to the ill health of John Colin Loveys and the farm buildings sold off separately. Number 82 and 83 were converted into a single property and over the ensuing years the property has been greatly extended and land purchased from the landowner which has been landscaped. The gardens now include a vegetable plot, as well as a walled garden, flower borders surrounding extensive lawns, a wooded paddock and a sweeping front drive, a far cry from the dilapidated cottages of the mid20th century. To contact Allen Misselbrook on a local history matter please email: allen@yaptonhistory.org.uk