New development on site of Clay Farm, Trumpington (RGL 2016)

Edlestone Farm (Clay Farm), Cambridge

History of Edleston/Clay Farm

Two of the earliest inhabitants of Hills Road south of the railway line recorded in the UK census were the farmer Lilley Edlestone and the bailiff/steward William Winnel. The 1871 Trumpington census return describes them both as living on Hills Road.

Lilley Edlestone is recorded in 1851 as farming 171 acres and employing 7 men on the Cambridge Road, Trumpington. In 1861 he is based at Downing Cottage, Barnwell. In 1871 he is living on Hills Road, a farmer of 40 acres employing 3 men. In 1881 his farm is now only 38.5 acres and his address is Mill Road, the old name fro Long Road.

The Trumpington Local History Group include some notes about the Edlestone family in their web based commentary on Trumpington Parish graveyard and link the Mill Road farm with what is today known as Clay Farm.

The census entries are:

1871 Hills Road: Lilley Edleston 74 farmer of 40 acres, Sarah (sister) 70, Ellen Rowe visitor 30.

1871 Hills Road: William Winnell 53 farm steward, Rebecca 51 laundress. In 1866 William Winnell was charged with trespass in pursuit of game (Cambridge Chronicle 27 Oct).

1881 Mill Road Edleston’s Farm: Lilley Edleston head 84 farmer (Grocer) 38.5 acres, William Winnall servant 66 Jones’s Farm bailiff, Martha Fenn servant 50 housekeeper.

The site of Jone’s farm is unknown but is likely to have been close to the Clay Farm site.

Sources: UK Census, http://www.trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org/