Farming

A tithe map drawn up about 1847 shows every field with its name and area, and the name of the occupier. All of the fields farmed by John Allsop and Laurence Fearn in 1847 belong to us today. We have re-introduced the old names for most of them. We also occupy most of the fields of the former Low Leas Farm.

Edmund Spencer in 1635 had a harrow, six cows, two calves, and ten sheep. His Inventory was done in March.

That of Isaac Allsop in 1716 by contrast, which was done in August, lists corn and hay as well as far greater numbers of livestock (five cows, four bullocks, three heifers and seven rearing calves, and forty three sheep). Mr Allsop also had four horses, two of which were mares.

Bear in mind that these men were farming the original High Leas Farm, about 80 acres.

Much of the farm used to be crop-growing. An article in the Derbyshire Advertiser in 1913 (when W.H.Lowe was here) makes this clear. Many of the fields still were listed as arable in the 1957 Sale Particulars.

In the 1960s and 1970s High Leas (then about 125 acres) was an exclusive dairy farm, with at least sixty milking cows at one time. More recently it was, in effect, rented out for sheep-grazing.

Now all we have is 150 odd ewes and the lambs. For many years it has all been down to pasture, and there is no doubt that a mixed system would be better, as it permits rotation and helps with disease-control.

Isaac Allsop’s Inventory (PDF file)

The 1957 auction particulars (PDF file)
Images:

Harvesting in the 1960s

Friesian cows at High Leas about 1980