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The Mormon records of baptisms in Yorkshire between 1600-15 show that seven John Farrars were baptised, five in or around Halifax. One Halifax branch was descended from Henry Farrer (or Farror) who obtained Ewood Hall, Midgley from Sir Edmund Pilkington in 1470. Ewood then became the main residence of these Halifax Farrers and remained so for several generations. The original Ewood Hall has experienced many changes, but a building of that name still occupies the site. It is not marked on modern one inch Ordnance Survey maps, but in earlier centuries, Ewood was sufficiently important to feature on Saxton's and Speed's maps of Yorkshire dated 1577 and 1610, and on Thomas Jefferys' survey of 1723. Towards the end of the 15th century, Henry Farrer was
succeeded at Ewood by his son, also called Henry. He married Agnes Horsfall of
Stothley in Langfield and when he made his will in June 1548, he described
himself as being 'of hool mynde and pfete memorie'. He gave instructions that
his body should be buried in Heptonstall church, and he mentioned his brother
John Farror of Elphaborough Hall, and sons: The eldest son, William became the next occupier of Ewood. He
married Margaret Lacy of Brierley, and they had three sons: As the family wills demonstrate, the Ewood Farrers were prosperous owning property in and around Halifax, and in other parts of northern England. Henry Farrer, who was born in 1537, married Ellen Blakey (or Blackee) of Colne in 1558, a girl of about 16 or 17 years old. He inherited Ewood in 1573 and gradually increased the family's wealth. Soon he became a man of local importance and paid £1. 9s. 4d. in a tax levied in 1586, the second highest amount in the township. He was one of the principal founders of Heath Grammar School and obtained its charter from Queen Elizabeth at his own expense. His brothers John and Hugh gave land at Skircoat for the building. Henry became a JP and was amongst the Justices who led the group who defied the Council of the North. He prospered through the clothing trade and increased the families estates when he purchased the Manors of Midgley and Methley, and a house called Clubcliffe in Methley, which incidentally was within a mile or so of the Farrars living in Oulton. Henry Farrer made several enemies locally which eventually resulted in his death. A local feud occurred when he erected two furling mills between Luddenden and Luddenden Foot, which required a water supply. They were close to Michael Foxcroft's mill, and he complained that the water had been diverted from his mill, and challenged Henry Farrer in the courts. In the summer of 1610 Henry was pursing a legal case against Thomas Oldfield of Warley in the Star Chamber Court in Westminster Hall. While the court was in session, they met in a gallery and began to quarrel. Oldfield drew his dagger and stabbed Henry in the side. He died of his wounds two days later. He was buried in Saint Margaret's, Westminster and a few days later Oldfield was hanged for the murder. Henry's brother, John, who held land at Croxton, Lincolnshire, and in London, assumed ownership of Ewood together with the lordship of the manor of Midgley. He had been granted the right to bear the Coat of Arms which consisted of a silver shield bearing three silver horse shoes on an black engrailed bend. The Arms were similar in design to those used (legally or not) by many earlier branches of Farrers and Ferrers. The choice of three horse shoes suggest a link with the Ferrers who used similar arms in 17th century London and in medieval Devon. Ellen, Henry's widow continued to live at Ewood until her death in 1625. Afterwards, 'a true and pfect inventories of the goods chattels and utensyles of Mrs Ellin Farrer of the Eawood' was taken. It showed that sheets, napkins, bedding were valued at £36 16s. 8d. Plate, table and cupboard coverings, a little green chair, with candle-chest and other furniture and carpets at £40. In the kitchen were; spreading knives, a bible and other books, a dripping pan, spice chest, a breeling iron and a pair of garden sheers. Other items included a Flanders chest, rings, jewellery and bills and bonds worth £153. 13s. 8d. During the Civil War, William Farrar JP of Ewood became a captain with the Parliamentarian forces and helped to train local troops. He was involved in fighting around Halifax in 1644 and when the Royalists gained the town he is said to have fled to Lancashire for safety. After the war, he returned to Ewood where a number of marriages where solemnised. In November 1653, William Farrar, along with Susan, his mother, sold the greater part of the Ewood estate to John Lockwood and thus began the decline of the fortunes of the Farrer family at Ewood. William continued to occupy Ewood Hall and married Frances, daughter of Richard James of Portsmouth. They had seven children. William died of a stroke in October 1684 while visiting his daughter who lived at Stapleton Hall. His memorial is in the form of a table like tomb in Darrington church. William's son, John Farrer, inherited Ewood along with the manors of Midgley, Saddleworth and Wortley. He married Eliza Creswick and appears to have got into financial difficulty. He took little interest in Ewood Hall though his son, James, occupied the house and is thought to have built the present house. In August 1696 James married Mary Brearly, a widow from Rochdale. They had no children. When James died, his wife Mary inherited Ewood Hall with its lands for life. His cousin, William, inherited the manors of Midgley, Wortley and Saddleworth. When Mary Farrer died in 1741, she left Ewood to her cousin, James Farrer. In October 1743, James married a daughter of Samuel Armytage of Kirklees and decided to live in Barnborough Grange which he had purchased from Mrs Kirby. References:
In 1970, 'The Reginald Farrer Trail' was established in Clapham to mark European Conservation year. This coincided with the 50th anniversary of the death of Reginald Farrer, one of the great botanist and plant collectors of the 19th century. He was born at Ingleborough Hall in 1880, the son of James Anson Farrer, lord of the manor of Clapham and principal landowner in the area. After a term in Oxford, Reginald became an explorer and plant gatherer. Many of the plant species he discovered are now widely grown and still bear his name. He was a gifted painter and novelist, but is perhaps best remembered for his association with rock gardening and his book My Rock Garden. He died tragically in 1920, at the early age of 40, after contracting diphtheria while on an expedition in the mountains of Burma. Now the trail which bears his name takes visitors through the delightful scenery of the Ingleborough Estate, past an artificial lake created by James William and Oliver Farrer when they dammed the Clapham Beck, through woodland planted with specimens brought to England by Reginald, and to the caves discovered by the Farrar family in the 19th century. The association of Farrers with Clapham began in 1725, when Richard Farrer moved there from Greystoneleigh. His grandson James married Mary Harrison and practised as an Attorney in Clapham. When their son Oliver was aged 17, he was sent complete his training with Messrs N and M Coulthurst of Chancery Lane, London. Oliver soon became nicknamed 'Penny Bunn Oliver' because tradition says he dined off a penny bun and drank at the pump in Lincoln's Inn Fields. However, he was to prove that being thrifty can pay dividends. He was admitted a solicitor in 1762 and soon appointed managing clerk. He was still in his early 20s when his father died and was obliged to support his mother and his younger brothers and sisters. Later he became a partner in the firm, and on the death of Mathew Coulthurst, took full possession. He developed the business which grew into one of the best known firms of solicitors in London. In 1780, Oliver married Anne Selina Fawcett, daughter of General Sir William Fawcett, Supreme Commander of the British Army. They lived in Bedford Square, London, until Oliver retired in 1800, when they moved to Eltham, Kent. Oliver spent some of his fortune re-purchasing the lands in Clapham which had been sold by his father. There the family prospered and are largely responsible for the development of the area. In 1838, Josiah Harrison, a gardener employed by the Farrars, broke through a stalagmite barrier which had been formed by water, and created access to a series of caves and passages with underground waterfalls, deep pools and a display of the most beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. James Farrar, with a small group of men, explored many of the new found caves. They descended into the lower levels utterly ignorant of what lay ahead. Coming on to a ledge of rock, they found themselves standing at the edge of a large dark pool. James decided to swim across the subterranean lake with a candle in his cap and a rope round his body. Eventually he reached a limestone barrier and was unable to make further progress. Ingleborough Cave, about one-and-a-half miles from Clapham, is thought to be one of the most magnificent caverns in England. Oliver Farrer, and his great, great nephew, Thomas Cecil, second Lord Farrer of Abinger, put a good deal of effort into researching his family history. Lord Farrer was assisted by Fredrick Montague Farrar of Holbein Square and they collected a wealth of information which formed the basis of Some Farrer Memorials published in 1923 by George Sherwood, and Farrer Wills, a collection of extracts from wills privately published in 1936. They traced the family back to Greystoneleigh. This was described by Lord Farrer as 'a wild spot' and a little estate of about 250 acres which possessed some rights over nearby moors. He and his wife visited the house in 1894. 'We drove about 7 miles from Clitheroe, and walked the last mile of the way, as the road was a mere cart track. The house stands in a pleasant situation, above the little stream which runs down the ravine, in which the house is placed, to the Hodder, and thought the building has be a good 'fettled,' as an old farmer told me, it is rather larger than the usual farmer's house of the district: containing about six large bedrooms, and good kitchens and parlours. It was occupied by an old Mrs. Preston, with her son and daughter-in-law ... Since writing this I have again been to Lower Greystoneleigh with my daughter Kitty and James Anson Farrer of Ingleborough and his wife on 26 August 1918; a very different thing in these days of motor-cars.' 'We found the door lintel of the old house built into the wall of an outhouse inscribed 'R F 1682.' Doubtless these are Richard Farrer's initials.' Reference:
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