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Undy's Farm or Undy's Farm Cottage?

This article covers two dwellings - Undy's Farm and Undy's Farm Cottage. However, there is some debate about which is which! It seems very likely that the names were switched by common useage, sometime after 1886.

a) The building standing on the corner of the Bath Road and the road to Chilton Foliat. The building is currently occupied by Kerridge Insurance. It has been called "Undy's Farm" since at least the 1940s, and it is a listed building (Grade II). In the height of the coaching era, it was the Crown Inn.

b) A large collection of farm buildings that used to stand behind (slightly north of) the old Crown Inn. These buildings were clearly called "Undy's Farm" on the 1886 OS map (see Photo Gallery). The last of the buildings, which is said to have been called "Undy's Farm Cottage" was demolished c1978.

Current useage:

However, by the 20th century, the building on the corner was known as Undy's Farm House - and Undy's Farm Cottage was the remaining small farm cottage in the old farm buildings.

In this article, I am calling giving the name "Old Undy's Farm" to the larger collection of buildings to the north of the old "Crown Inn" building on the corner (which I am calling "Undy's Farm House".

Some confusion regarding the history and occupation of these buildings will inevitably continue.

To discover how the name "Undy" arose, see "From Hommedieu to Undy", by Norman Hidden. 

Summary:

Earliest information: 1780
Date of current building: 17th and 18th century.
Listed: Grade II

Description of property:

Undy's Farm House: From Listed Building records: House. C17 and C18. Hipped tiled roof, vitrified brick front, rendered sides, and chimneys. H plan with 2 higher wings to rear. 2 storeys. 3 C19 casements, central door flanked by canted bays with glazing bar sashes and flat heads.

Photo Gallery:

 

img_0018
img_0018

Kerridge Insurance Services Ltd, Undy's Cottage, Jan 2010

 

1761 rocque img_5671a
1761 rocque img_5671a

Part of John Rocque's map, 1761, showing The Crown and Undy's Farm.

1819 enclosure-08
1819 enclosure-08

Part of 1819 Enclosure Award map, showing the Crown inn on the corner of Charnham Street and the road to Chitlon Foliat.

19891100 undys farm
19891100 undys farm

Undy's Farm, Nov 1989 [Ivor Speed Collection]

p6092194
p6092194

Undy's Farm, Jun 2007, previously The Crown Inn

1886 os charnham st all
1886 os charnham st all

Part of 1886 OS map showing Undy's Farm.

19920400 Undys Farm
19920400 Undys Farm

Undy's Farm, Apr 1992.

20070400 Undys Farm
20070400 Undys Farm

Undy's Farm, Apr 2007.

- Kerridge Insurance Services Ltd, Undy's Cottage, January 2010.

- Part of John Rocque's map, 1761, showing The Crown and Undy's Farm.

- Part of 1819 Enclosure Award map, showing the Crown inn on the corner of Charnham Street and the road to Chitlon Foliat.

- Part of 1886 OS map showing Undy's Farm.

- Undy's Farm Cottage, November 1989 [Ivor Speed Collection]

- Undy's Farm, April 1992.

- Undy's Farm, April 2007.

- Undy's Farm Cottage, June 2007, previously The Crown Inn.

"Old" Undy's Farm:

Timeline:

1780 Land Tax Assessment: "Mr Thomas Randall for Undys Farm, occupier John Whale, £1 16s 0d"
1781 Land Tax Assessment: "Thomas Randall for Undys, occupier John Whale, £1 16s 0d"

1815 Land Tax Assessment: "Thomas Rendall  - Undies Farm - occupier George Cundell, £2 1s 0d".

1837 (Vestry Minute Book) Richard Greene, church warden - for Undies.

1841 Census: George Cundell (35), yeoman, wife Mary (30), 1 servant. (1st entry in census for Charnham Street, probably Undy's Farm)
1847 (Tithe Award) EWL Popham - occupied by George B Cundell.
1851 Census: #85: George Cundell (48), farmer, 180 acres, employing 7 labourers, wife Mary (42), 1 niece, 1 visitor, 3 servants.

1861 Census: #64: Charles Barnlock(?) (69), retired farmer, wife Elizabeth (6), 1 servant.

1871 Census: #64: Undy's Farm: William Smart (35), carter, wife Susannah (37), 3 sons, 1 daughter, 3 agricultural labourers.

1881 Census: #62: "Undy's Farm": Charles Goodman (37), agricultural labourer, carter, wife Sarah (34), 1 son, 3 daughters, 1 servant.

Note: It seems fairly certain that by 1891, when William Kimber was farmer at Undy's Farm, that he was living in the old Crown Inn property, which had become known as Undy's Farm House. The cottage amongst the farm buildings became known as Undy's Farm Cottage:

1891 Census:
     #60a: "Undy's Farm Cottage": Charles Taylor (66), agriculural labourer, wife Hannah (62)
     #60: "Undy's Farm Cottage": Thomas Whitbread (63), carter, 1 daughter.

1901 Census: Jesse Marsh (38), Farm Gardener, wife Rosa (36), 3 sons, 1 daughter.

1911 Census: #148: "Undy's Farm Cottage": Francis Martin (43), carter on farm, wife Harriett (36), 3 sons, 4 daughters, 2 rooms "1 up, 1 down". (Shane Bywaters, West Oxfordshire contacted the Virtual Museum 2012. Her great-grandmother and her parents/siblings were the Martins, living at Undys Farm Cottage at the time of the 1911 census).

The farm buildings included pig styes, dutch barns and other store sheds. The dairy herd (originally shorthorns, but later 80-100 Freisans) stopped c1970. Two barns were demolished c1970-72 (Alan Holland), leaving only "Undy's farm Cottage".

c1960-78 (Alan Holland) Bert Noon.

c1978 Undy's Farm Cottage was demolished.

1988-89: An extensive 12-hectare archaeological excavation on the site of Undy's Farm, between the Hungerford to Chilton Foliat Road and the flood plain of the River Kennet was carried out. Evidence was found of habitation on the site from the Mesolithic period (10,000BC), Bronze Age (2100-750BC), and the Medieval period (1100-1500AD).

1990s: Charnham Lane industrial estate was built on this land, extending east towards the Kennet bridge.


"Undy's Farm House":

Timeline:

c1700 Listed Buildings records: The building is thought to date from the 17th century, with 18th century additions.

The Crown Alehouse, c1780-c1830:

1780 Land Tax Assessment: Mrs Deane was paying 6s 7d "for The Crown", William Fowler was the occupier, and presumably innkeeper.
1781 Land Tax Assessment: Bertha Gregory for the Crown Alehouse, occupied by William Fowler, 6s 7d".

1792 (Universal British Directory): John Kimber, publican.
1796 (Berkshire Directory) John Kimber.

1815 Land Tax Assessment: No mention of Crown Alehouse.

1823 (Pigot Directory) James Liley, landlord.

1830 (Pigot Directory) Ann Card. This is the last known entry for The Crown. No doubt it cleased as a result of the rapidly declining coaching trade along the Bath Road after the opening of the Great Western Railway in 1841. See Coaching and Railway.

Crown Cottage, c1830-c1890:

When the Crown closed, the property became known as Crown Cottage, It seems that at some date between 1871 and 1891 it became the main Undy's Farm House, the dwelling house amongst the farm buildings then becoming known as Undy's farm Cottage.

1841 Census: Samuel Hughes (30), M.S., wife Elizabeth (40), 1 son. (2nd entry for Charnham Street, probably Crown Cottage?)

1851 Census:
     #86: (?Undy's Farm Cottage): Charles Taylor (26), labourer, wife Hannah (23), 1 daughter, 2 visitors.
     #87: (?additional cottages on farm): George Huntley (44), labourer, 1 visitor
     #88: (?additional cottages on farm): Charles Lambourn (47), labourer, wife Charlott, 4 sons, 1 daughter.

1861 Census: (No entry between #64 (?"old" Undy's Farm) Charles Barnlock(?) (69), retired farmer, wife Elizabeth (6), 1 servant, and #65 (?38 Charnham Street): Thomas Scott (40), Ag Lab, wife Charlotte (45), 2 sons. ?Unoccupied at this time?

1871 Census: #65: "Crown Cottage": William Sims (60), carpenter, wife Mary (55).

1881 Census: #63: "House unoccupied".

Note: It seems fairly certain that by 1891, when William Kimber was farmer at Undy's Farm, he was living in the old Crown Inn property, which had become known as Undy's Farm House:

Undy's Farm House, c1890-present:

1891 Census: #61: "Undy's Farm": William Kimber (30), Farmer, wife Hester (32), 2 daughters, 1 boarder.
1895 Kelly Dir: William Kimber, Undy's Farm.
1901 Census: William Kimber (40), Farmer, wife Hester (43), 1 daughter, 1 servant.
1903 Kelly: William Kimber, Farmer, Undys Farm.
1906 Cosburn's Dir: W Kimber, Undy's Farm.
1911 Census: #147: "Undy's Farm": William Kimber (50), farmer, wife Hester (52), 2 daughters, 1 servant, 9 rooms.
1916 Cosburn's Dir: W Kimber, Undy's Farm.
1920 Kelly Dir: William Kimber, farmer, Undy's Farm.
c1928 (Alison Plummer contacted the Virtual Museum in Jan 2015 to say that her mother lived at Undy's Farm with her grandparents William and Hester Kimber from around 1928.)
1939 Blacket's Dir: (No number - Undy's Farm): W Kimber.

c1940: Albert Holland, who had recently married Joan Rosier, daughter of the Rosier family who lived in the house at Laundry Yard, moved here from Hopgrass Farm. There is mention that when Albert Holland came to the property, it was known as "Kimber's Corner".

1978 Albert Holland retired from the farm. He died 200, aged 90 yrs.

Allan Holland kindly adds (2015): "Undys Farm House, comprised, four ground floor rooms. four bedrooms on the first floor and three attic rooms on the third floor. The attic rooms housed the Richens family  who were evacuees during the war years from London.

Undys Farm Cottage, the one in the farm yard, which was demolished, was a very small two up and two down. The Noon family lived in Undys Farm cottage, who worked for my father, and his daughter Doris aged 15, worked for my parents when I was born, as mother was so ill, and she worked there until my father went into Brendoncare.

After the Noon family moved into Hungerford, circa 1955 Joe Hart and his wife Jennifer of the Hungerford Hart family, lived. in the cottage as my father's  cowman until the dairy herd was sold in 1977. The cottage was rented to another Hungerford family until the buildings were all demolished for the building of the Hungerford Business Park."

2008-09: Undy's Farm House was fully renovated, as Kerridge Insurance Services Ltd.

See also:

- "From Hommedieu to Undy", by Norman Hidden.

- Coaching

- Railway.