Fifty Farm, Isleham Fen

History of Filty Farm

Thomas Aves lived here as tenant. The farm was owned by a charity. It fell down after the war. Polly Hills book, The History of Isleham Fen in the 1930s contains a section of the Aves family; her interest in them is that she states that they are the only example of a Fen family which farmed on such a large scale, by Fen standards, over a period of at least a century.

1881

Charles Aves, bailiff

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1901

Charles Aves, 57, farmer, b Isleham

Sarah, 53, b Downham

Bertie, 23, b Isleham

Thomas, 21, b Isleham

Valraita, 19, b Isleham

Belanda, 15, b Isleham

Emily, 12, b Isleham

In 1891 the Aves family were living at St Bernards Cottage, Mildenhall Road

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1911 Fen Bank (farm rented from School Charity Trustees)

Thomas Aves, 31, farm labourer

Elizabeth, 27,

Dorothy, 5,

Cyril, 2,

William, 1,

The farm, of 50 acres, was large, with a dairy and up to 18 cows. Thomas Aves was growing sugar beet before the beet factory opened at Queen Adelaide in 1925.

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1921 The Bank

Thomas Aves, 42, farmer, b Isleham

Elizabeth, 37, b Isleham

Sara Aves, mother, 73, b Little Downham

Dorothy, 15, b Isleham

Cyril, 13, b Isleham

William, 11, b Isleham

Sidney, 8, b Isleham

Lilian, 2, b Isleham

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1948

Will Aves married Evelyn Palmer whose father was a farm worker on the Fen bank.

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1963

Thomas Aves died