The history of Manor Farm Church Lawford, along with the Manor House go back many centuries.
This page looks at the history of the farm itself – separate pages will consider the Manor House itself – although there will necessarily be some repetition.
During the 18th Century Manor Farm in Church Lawford was under the control of the Enoch family. During that period a tithe map was produced of the village which showed that the tenants of the Manor House and Farm were the Enoch family. Thomas Enoch is shown as farming 133 acres with his land bracketing a large area of Glebe land as it stretched across the Rugby to Coventry Road – details here.
His son John took over during that century, and his daughter Elizabeth married Thomas Townsend (1750-1828) in 1771. The Townsend family had interests in the Rugby area by this stage, as detailed here, where their longer term history is considered and a few assumptions challenged. There is also clarification of the relationships between the various branches of the family in King’s Newnham, Long Lawford, Hillmorton and Clifton-upon-Dunsmore.
Thomas Townsend’s son William Samuel Townsend (1792-1829) briefly farmed at Manor Farm Church Lawford, but the farm passed to his brother John Hands Townsend (1801-1854) when he died at an early age, while his son (also called William Samuel) was still a minor. When the Tithe Records for 1849/50 were produced it was still in the control of John Hands Townsend.
In the mid 1850s William Samuel Townsend junior (1827-1887) inherited the tenancy of the farm, along with the Manor House. He, along with his wife Elizabeth and his sister Louisa Hartlett Townsend (1824-1886) donated the clock to the new church in 1872, as confirmed by an inscription on the clock. Louisa Hartlett Townsend was also a benefactor to Long Lawford, having bought the old village school in 1878 and then bequeathing it to the village as a Reading Room and Sunday School. During this period the various members of the Townsend family performed roles in the village such as Church Warden, Overseer of the Poor or Surveyor as well as supporting various functions.
When William Samuel Townsend died in 1887, without an heir, the Manor Farm tenancy was acquired by Edward Riley. For many years the Riley family played an active part in village life, and were noted for their charitable acts over the festive periods.
However, in 1913 the tenancy was terminated, and the Riley family moved to Rugby. The village community gave the family a heartfelt send-off as detailed below. Edward’s sister Catherine, a retired Governess remained in her cottage in Church Road which was named Jaggard’s Cottage, the siblings’ mother’s maiden name.
The tenancy then switched to the Robinson family during 1913. Simeon Robinson was from Cheshire, but had been farming in the Dunchurch area prior to moving to Manor Farm.
Five years later the various properties in the two villages were put up for auction, and Simeon was able to buy the farm.
The composition of the lot (20 – in purple) was then detailed on the associated map.
Simeon was active in village life, being a Church Warden for 23 years as well as Parish Council chairman and a member of Rugby Rural District Council over the years. Simeon retired from farming shortly before the Second World War, with his son Len Robinson taking charge of what was now the family farm.
Len ran the farm for many years until the 1980s, continuing the tradition of involvement with St Peters in terms of a role on the church council as well as being church warden for a period. His dairy herd was well reknowned throughout the district, winning many awards, and the sight of that herd coming back to the farm to be milked across Church Road provided a long-term memory for many people – as did the regular arrival of the milk tanker down that road.
More on the history of this farm will be added here. For more details on the Manor House itself see this link.
