EASTON MANOR

Easton Manor, located at the south end of the village, has its origins in the 16th century and for four hundred years was the farmhouse to Manor Farm. The oldest part of the house is the two storey and attic gable forming a boundary along the western side of the churchyard, with a wing that once extended further along the churchyard wall.

The earliest tenant of Manor Farm on record is Sir Henry Goodman, a yeoman who rented lands from Savernake estate in a lease of eighteen years dated 17th May 1765.

On expiry of the original lease, John Goodman followed Henry in a new lease dated 25th March 1783, which matches the datestone on the south gable end wall. This suggests that when John took over, he decided to improve the farmhouse and make it his own.

John must have been one of the principal inhabitants of Easton at that time. An Act of 1795 made it necessary to pay one guinea to use hair powder for wigs. In the 1796 tax list he is one of only three people in the village to be granted a certificate of permission for this extravagance. The other two were his wife Mary and Jane Herne, a spinster, probably a relation of Giles Herne at Easton Farm.

John did not enjoy the fruits of his labour for very long, as this letter to Lord Bruce from his steward Thomas Young dated 23rd December 1808 describes:

“I take the earliest opportunity of informing your Lordship that a disastrous fire broke out yesterday about two o’clock at a farmhouse in Easton in the occupation of Mr Goodman, which entirely burnt to the ground, but which has happily been confined to the dwelling house alone, the front and end walls and the chimney of which alone are left standing.

Mr Collins being near the spot at the time the fire was discovered, immediately sent for the Tottenham engine which arrived at Easton as soon as possible, by which time the roof was fallen in upon the upper chambers and seemed to threaten to destruction the neighbouring thatched houses. But every exertion was used, an engine from Pewsey was kept playing at times on the cottages adjacent, while that from Tottenham was directed to where the fire seemed to rage most.

The fire would have been much sooner distinguished if we had more leather pipes for which we were at a great loss, the water being at a great distance. I think it very necessary that two additional pipes should be had.

Mr Collins saved a great part of the furniture and much of the wood work before the fire raged violently, but the farmer must have sustained a considerable loss and I find he has not insured his property.

I do not find how the fire originated. Mr Goodman considers it must have been from the wood ashes in the ash house having caught some of the timbers, but this appears incredible as the fire was first discovered in the thatching.’

Some twenty years later, John Goodman found himself in another tricky situation. New farm machinery was being introduced and the policy of field enclosures had meant the loss of common land. Farm labourers were facing increased poverty and lack of job security, without the vote they had no legal ways of protesting.

As a tenant farmer, John found himself in a farcical situation. Keen to modernise and cut down on labour costs, John hired workers as little and as briefly as he could, relying on the parish to maintain the unemployed. The parish could only do so by increasing the rates and in turn, John as a ratepayer, had to cut down on his labour requirement to afford the extra expenditure on Poor Relief.

The final straw came with the introduction of the threshing machine which labourers knew would deprive them of work during the winter months. In August 1830, farm workers in Kent set fire to a threshing machine in a desperate bid to highlight their plight and need for fairer wages.

Riots quickly spread across Britain and on 8th November, John heard that they had arrived in Wiltshire. Barns and haystacks were set alight, machinery was broken and some farmers were threatened by angry workers demanding beer, money and food.

On 23rd November the mob arrived at Manor Farm and smashed up John Goodman’s threshing machine even though he had already dismantled it. A week later the Marlborough Troop of the Wiltshire Yeomanry, accompanied by the Magistrates, came through the area and assisted in the apprehension of some of the more daring rioters. Trials took place in Salisbury Guildhall and as a result around 450 offenders were deported to Australia and 252 sentenced to death, although only nine were hanged.

The riots were not in vain. Wages began to rise and action by the Whig government resulted in the Reform Act of 1832 giving voting rights to the majority of the adult male population.

James Smith Haines became tenant of Manor Farm in 1878 having spent time farming in Canada. He was a member of the Pewsey Rural District Council for 58 years, sat regularly as a Justice of the Peace on the Pewsey bench and was churchwarden at Easton. He enjoyed all countryside pursuits – hunting, fishing and was an excellent shot.

During alterations to the manor house early in the 1900s, the southern part of the old wall of flint and limestone rubble collapsed. The Marquis decided not to rebuild but to stabilise the building with a new south facing wall and extend the house to the west.

In 1916, James Haines moved to Sunnylands in Milton Lilbourne and his son James Stanley Haines came here to farm, first as a tenant then as owner after the estate sale in 1929.

In 1954, Manor Farm was bought by Robert and Rosemary de Pass.  Following retirement, the house was sold and their son Mark with his wife Fiona, took over management of the farm.

Various alterations and extensions were added over the years, so Easton Manor is now mainly of 20th century construction and design, very different from the original 16th century dwelling.

Early fire engine

Manor farmhouse 1954