This is situated directly opposite the Church of St Werburgh’s on the corner of Cragg Lane and Church Hill.
The field in front of Church Farm house is recorded as Hall Field, or Hall Yard as shown on the map of 1758. Hall Yard is shown as 2 separate fields in the ownerships of James Royston and Sir William Molyneux of Teversal. Could this site have been the location of an early hall, perhaps part of the Molyneux estate? There are what appear to be earthworks to the west of this very level field.
The Downings at Church Farm
The Tithe record of 1839 and the first Census of Blackwell in 1841 shows that Church Farm was owned by Ann Downing, with William Downing as Farmer there. Local legend has it that William married Ann before Martha had died and was therefore not allowed to be buried in the churchyard, and so is buried in the garden at Newton Old Hall. But Ann and Martha’s birth name was Downing, and they were cousins of William. Martha died 23 years before sister Ann in 1832. This branch of the Downing family were of the non-conformist religion, and had no desire to be buried at the Parish Church.
The census of 1851 does show Martha as wife to William at Church Farm, but no record of a marriage can be found, so the mystery remains unsolved as to whether they were married or it was thought by the census enumerator that they were?
Ann, a daughter of William and Martha Downing and her husband Roger Wood Bagshaw were at Church Farm in 1861, but by 1871 the farm appears to have been occupied by Stephen Sampson. Stephen was resident in 1881, and his son Edward had taken over at Church Farm in 1891. On Edward’s death in 1895, Arthur Albert Smith from Tibshelf took on farm with his wife Hannah , who sadly died following childbirth in 1900. They had 2 daughters, Ellen in 1897 and Anne in 1900, but both were buried at Blackwell on the same day, 20th October 1902. Arthur’s sister Elizabeth was with him through 1901 and 1911.
Occupants of Church Farm in 1939 were William Thomas ( Tom) and Edith Freeman and their children, 2 of whom, Colin and his elder sister Doreen ran the farm in recent years; living and working together for decades, they died within one month of each other in 2012 and are buried in St Werburgh’s Churchyard.