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Farms and their Occupants
There was a time when Box had a score of farms in the parish. Before Victorian shops arrived in the village, most people lived on their garden-grown vegetables and fruit, some residents reared domestic animals and poultry, and a few people produced enough to sell their surplus to others. These were often known as farms.

You can find details of farms recorded on this website by clicking on the blue links below.

Right: Ashley Farm during World War 2 (courtesy Sheila Snelgrove)
Picture
What is a Farm?
Strictly speaking, a farm is an area of land and farm buildings (referred to as a farmstead) used for growing crops and rearing animals. It does not require occupation of the land with a farmhouse (although modern farm tenancies often insist on residence) nor does it require a specific acreage. So, if you use land for husbandry, then you may have a farm, although often we regard areas smaller than fifty acres as smallholdings or, if very small, we call them gardens and orchards.
 
There is no continuity about the land being a used on a farm, which could be worked by the occupier or let out to neighbouring farmers. It often depended on the wishes of governments and grants available, particularly at times of war when the promotion of domestic agriculture was deemed necessary. Land does not relate to specific ownership titles and often shifts around as some farmers sought to expand their acreage. 

This is a summary of land listed as farms based on the censuses (n/k = not identified; - = not named in census). For more details about these farms and their occupants please click blue links.
Name of Farm
Acreage recorded in census records


Alcombe
Ashley
Bayliffe (later called Manor Farm, Wadswick)
Blue Vein
Boxfield
Box Hill
Box Quarries
Cheney Court
Coles
Cross Roads
Drewetts
Folly
Grove
Hatt
Hazelbury
Henley
Hill House
Hulberts
Kingsdown (including Closes)
Manor Farm, Box (also called Box Farm)
Old Jockey
Rising Sun (also called Millsplatt)
Rudloe (also called Upper Rudloe)
South Rudloe (also called Fogham and Lower Rudloe)
Salt Box
Sheylors
Slades
Spencers (also called Ashley Village)
Wadswick Farm
Weavern
Widdenham
Wormwood

1861

-
87
-
n/k
150
24
60
303
140
-
80
-
-
184
-
n/k
130
21
-
40
100
-
262
-
-
​-
168
225
12
338
-
​-
n/k

1871

-
265
n/k
-
138
-
-
280
120
-
-
-
-
185
1000
150
120
21
60
40
1160
22
280
90
-
-
150
218
11
-
-
​-
n/k

1881

37
281
-
n/k
n/k
- 
-
350
67
-
-
-
-
194
n/k
n/k
125
-
60
44
n/k
22
285
90
-
​-
n/k
200
40
165
-
​-
-

1891

n/k
n/k
-
n/k
-
-
-
n/k
n/k
-
-
-
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
-​
-
n/k
n/k
-
n/k
-
​-
n/k

1901

-
n/k
-
n/k
-
-
-
n/k
-
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
-​
- 
n/k
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
​-
-

1911

-
n/k
-
n/k
-
-
-
n/k
-
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
-
n/k
n/k
-
​n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
n/k
-
-
n/k