Hertfordshire Genealogy Answers to Questions

CRAWLEY, Woodrow Farm, Wigginton, 19th Century November, 2008

Places Wigginton

Early Records

The Place-names of Hertfordshire records  "Wodrewe" in Wigginton in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1525.

Map Evidence

The earliest map of sufficient scale to show the farm is A Topographical Map of Hertfordshire published in 1766. This was surveyed at approximately 2 inches to the mile - see extract on right. This shows a number of buildings on a road  running south on the east side  of the common, including Champneys. The northern end of the road from the village to Champneys is now called Wigginton Bottom, and the unnamed group of buildings to the north of Champneys must be Wood Row.

Byrant's map of 1822 (reprinted in Four County Maps of Hertfordshire) also shows buildings at this point, and the 1834 1 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey map names Wood Row.

 HALS (see their Catalogue of Manuscript Maps) holds several very large scale manuscript maps (13 inches to the mile or better) which will clearly show individual buildings. The earliest is an estate map of 1834 showing the Stocks Estate which covers part of Wigginton which may show farm. They also hold a Tithe Map of 1841 and an inclosure map of 1854. These last two will undoubtedly show the farm, and the layout of any associated buildings. Wood Row is marked and named on the 1880s large scale Ordnance Survey maps (see Oldmaps). I assume the change in the road layout happened at the time of inclosure.

Crawley's Lane (modern maps - see google maps) undoubtedly was associated with the farm.

Census Information

Census records show that the Crawley family were in residence from 1841 (the earliest census available) to 1901 (the last available), the farm passing from Joseph to his son Richard and grandson Charles. The full entries for each census are available on Ancestry.

Census	Location	Head of Household	Age	Occupation	Born	No. listed	Notes
1841	Wood Row	Joseph Crawley	64	Farmer	Not Hertfordshire	8	with wife and 5 children
1851	Wood Row Farm	Joseph Crawley	76	Farmer of 112 acres employing 8 labourer	Northall, Bucks	9	with wife, and son Richard with wife and infant daughter. As Richard (29) was born in Wigginton, Joseph may have been on the farm by 1822.
1861	Wood Row	Joseph Crawley	84	Farmer of 140 acres employing 6 men and 2 boys	Eddlesborough, Bucks	8	widower, son Richard & wife  with 5 children
1871	Wood Row Farm	Richard Crawley	44	Farmer of 144 acres employing 7 men and 1 boy	Wigginton	8	with wife and 6 children, including son Charles
1881	Wood Row Farm	Richard Crawley	59	Farmer of 238 acres employing 5 men and 3 boys	Wigginton	7	with wife, 4 children and 1 grandson. [Son Charles, now married, has a farm at Ashridge, Chesham, Bucks.]
1891	Wood Row Farm	Richard Crawley	68	Farmer (employer)	Wigginton	2	widower with daughter as housekeeper
1901	Wood Row Farm	Charles J Crawley	46	Farmer (employer)	Wigginton	3	with wife and nephew

Trade Directories

Post Office/Kelly's Directories which record Wigginton are available from 1851, published at about 4 year intervals. The following were checked.

Other Sources - Preliminary checks

Major Hertfordshire Histories: Wood Row Farm and the Crawley family in Wigginton is not mentioned in  Chauncy's History (1700), Salmon's History (1728), Clutterbuck's History (1815), Cussan's History (1879) or the Victoria County History (1912). This is what one would expect if Wood Row Farm was an ordinary farm in the manors of Champneys or Wigginton.

Wigginton Baptisms: The register for Wigginton between 1813-1832 is indexed on the British Vital Records Index. There is an entry for a Mary Jane Crawley, daughter of Joseph & Sarah, being baptised on 12th September, 1830. This does not conform with the 1841 census for the Crawley family living at Wood Row - so may have no connection. (The surname Crawley is quite common in West Herts, and nearby areas in Bucks.). The absence of any matching baptisms on the Vital Records Index or on familysearch could indicate that the family were non-conformists for which there are no surviving records.

Wigginton Burials 1800-1850: No Crawley entries

Land Tax 1746-1832: This is held at HALS and records, year by year. the owners and occupiers of taxable property. This should reveal when Joseph Crawley arrived on the farm, and also previous occupiers. HALS also holds other parish records which could mention Wood Row and/or the Crawley family.

William Brown's Account Book - Volume "C":  This volume is not yet indexed for entries other than the client's name. Daniel Sutton was at Champneys and had work done for him in 1853, 1865, 1867 and 1869. There is no explicit mention of Wood Row Farm by name but the 1865 payment relates to the Tithe Commission, and the 1867 payments relate to the enfranchisement of copyholds. There could well be relevant records at the National Archives or at HALS.

Tring Agricultural Association Record Books: These volumes are not yet indexed but a quick check shows that there were only two members of the Association in 1858 who came from Wigginton. They were William H Grange, and Daniel Sutton, of Champneys. A quick check at the entries for the 1868 show shows that Richard Ward had been a labourer for 18 years on Park Farm, Wigginton (farmer William H Grange). Daniel Sutton of Champneys entered competitions with 50 turnips, 50 mangold wortzell, and a breeding sow. No mention of the surname Crawley, or Wood Row, were seen in this spot check.

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March 2010

Added postcard of Woodrow House