Wethersfield, the village that grew out of the land

WETHERSFIELD is what it has always been, a farming village. Reminders of its long agricultural past lie in the farm names: Summers Hall, from Henry Ie Somenour 1264; Brook Farm, held by the Clerke family for 400 years;
Stammers Farm given to John Stammer in 1456 (now called School Green Farm, since the founding of a school on the green in 1701); Pouches Farm the home of the Fitch family for over 400 years. There are many other examples. Today huge combines collect the harvest, and only on rare occasions will a farm labourer be seen. The day of the business farmer has arrived.
Like many other villages in this part of North Essex, Wethersfield was dominated by two industries: wool and cloth making , which was part of the every day life of the village, from the 13th century until the late 18th century; and farming.
The 15th & 16th centuries was a time of small yeoman farmers with about 50 acres of land, and the peasant farmer, who was lucky

Old picture of Brook Farm
Brook Farm, Wethersfield, from a
picture postcard of the 1930s
to make a living with only about 10 acres. There was little change in the farming scene until the mid-18th century when the introduction of new methods, such as the seed drill, the drainage of land, the increasing use of manure and fertilisers and the new crops that were introduced, radically changed the way
Wethersfield tithe map
The tithe map for Wethersfield,
showing the numbered fields 		the farmer operated. Clover which fixes nitrogen into the soil, root crops such as turnips were introduced, the end of the three-year crop rotation and one fallow year was abolished: agricultural societies were formed, and added to these changes was the demand from the ever-growing towns, and the huge demand coming from the capital city, London. This growth situation came to an end in the 19th century when grain could be imported from Canada and America cheaper than British farmers could produce it themselves. This had a profound effect on villages like Wethersfield. Men who could no longer find work in their home village sought employment in the towns and cities. Many emigrated to the expanding colonies. In the following articles farmers and workers remember their days on the land.
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