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Wiggins Hill Wigginshill Farm Minworth

pjmburns

pjmburns

master brummie
This thread has been created from posts about Wiggins Hill Farm in the Old Barn Wiggins Hill thread here


Goayr Ben

Thread 'Old Barn, Wiggins Hill Road, Wishaw'

In August 1938 the father of my uncle, Francis John Armstrong purchased this property which is mentioned in the Domesday book for £500



At the time this property consisted of two cottages joined together one of one room and one two down and two up



At the time of purchase the building was described as a “Tudor farmhouse messuage”,- otherwise buildings with land and in existence in 1510 or earlier



Francis combined them by knocking out a wall. He also installed water, power and sewerage



The property consisted of the cottage, a three quarter acre paddock, large vegetable garden...
  • Appreciate


Don't have a date as this was only labelled "Victorian map". (approx 1805 - 1845). On later maps the cottage seems to be next to Wiggins Hall Farm although not labelled as Old Barn until quite late (1960s).
victorian map.JPG
 
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Looking at the map, surely the Old Barn and Old Barn Cottages were once part of Wiggins Hill Farm ? But a long time ago obviously. (Wiggins Hill Farmhouse is 17th century - the building with gables on Wiggins Hill Road, but it was once part of a medieaval cluster ) Maybe these formed the Wiggins Hill hamlet. Perhaps Minworth Greaves was also part of the hamlet (the house remains of which were moved - then constructed using some parts from other similar houses) to Bournville.

Was wondering if Bournville Village Trust might know anything. Possibly not that closely linked, but you never know.
 
I wondered that Viv but, in that case, when did it become a separate property?
Even on 1911 census it doesn't get a separate listing.
Wonder about 1921 census?
 
1895 map - below the white dot is where I think Old Barn etc is. 20240810_133744.jpg1834 (edit) map below the white dot is where I think Old Barn etc is

20240810_133723.jpg
 
It struck me as odd that there is a Barn and cottages so close to Wiggins Hill Farm. It makes me think that the Old Barn cottage(s) might have been workers and/or a bailiffs cottage(s).
 
Your map matches the map I posted in post # 18
If it was originally two cottages would it have been listed in with the farm or listed separately on the censuses?
 
Here are the OS images from 1834 and 1862 editions, which describe it as Wigginshall, not a Farm, but a hamlet

wigginshall 1834.jpgwigginshall 1862.jpg
 
There were two cottages when purchased in 1938 according to post #1 Janice. Two would make sense if they were workers cottages.

So the map's earlier Mike. Very little change! Apologies, the second map I posted is 1834. Here's the 1909 one.Shall edit earlier post. Thanks Mike and Janice.

20240810_184244.jpg
 
Got it ! Thanks Janice.

A bit of background to the occupants and activities at Wiggins Hill Farm (WHF). from 1900 onwards. It may help a little (or not) to narrow down a date. After the 1930s I get the impression the family is no longer farming. So the separation date could feasibly be 1938. Can't, however, find any hard evidence yet. All sourced from British Newspaper Archives.

1902 WHF had a bailiff
1911 Rymond advertised for waggoner with lad, cottage provided at 18s per week
1916 Rymond family occupied WHF, advertised potatoes for sale
1914-1918 Bailiff for Joshua Rymond at WHF was Walter Rumble
1920s farm was managed by 'Josh Rymond'
1930s Jervais (Gervais) Rymond and wife Amelia living at WHF. Wife drowned in nearby canal in 1931 (aged 31)
1932 Jervais of WHF committed lighting offence (?)
1939 Walter Rymond of WHF was known as "Old House Walter"
1940s Walter Rymond frequently advertising items for sale from WHF: Pigs (1940), Boilers and Steamers (1941), Horse box trailer 1943), carthorse (1944), car spares (1944), farmhouse sink (1947), steel water butts (1948), storage for laid up cars or caravans (1950), garden roller (1951), lawnmower (1953), garage doors (1955)
1970s Jervais died - on his death there was WHF and 'holdings'
 
There's much more activity in newspapers relating to Walter Rymond. He seems to have dealt with a diversity of items and was doing so at least from the 1930s through to the 1950s. He also seems to have handled either the letting or sale of other property (outside of Minworth) - all privately advertised via Walter, so presumably owned by the family. I've now seen a couple of early 1900 adverts where Jervais advertised for a farm worker with the option of a cottage for rent. It doesn't name the cottage or say where it was, so it could be located somewhere else, of course.

Jervais (Gervais) seems to have been the farmer of the family, mainly livestock. I think they had a shop or shops too - butchers. In 1917, Jervais (and other local farmers) were appealing to the government for skilled agricultural workers to maintain the home food supply from farms, even suggesting they be brought back from military depots or the Front !
 
Jervis (Jervais/Gervais) Rymonds death in 1970. (Source: British Newspaper Archive). A tidy sum in 1970.
 

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Yes Viv. Most newspaper references seem to relate to Rymond but with little indication if/when he sold the place or even part of it.
 
It's Grade 2 listed. Here are Historic England''s details and images - the last 3 are from Streetview.

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Thanks Pedrro. Hadn't noticed that. Wonder if it was defensive or status symbol? So much history crammed into this small area, and on the fringes of Brum.
 
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