Tithe No.1123
Rent No. 19,21,18 (Common)
The farmhouse is of early 16th or late 15th
centuries build close to Otterton harbour as a
three room-through-passage house open to the roof
with open hearth with lateral stack built on the
north side.
The Lease No.19
Tithe Map No 1123 marks “Homestead &
Courtlage” in Otterton Fore Street as illustrated
above now named Housterns Farmhouse. The earliest
Lease No.19 seen is dated 27th. September 1723 to
John Baylie and previously held by George Austin
deceased. He had been Otterton Churchwarden in
1713. In 1684 he had been charged with others
smuggling locally. Members of the Austin/Austyn
family had been living in Otterton since 1524 and
may have been farming from the farm in Fore
Street.
The Baylies’ farmed
there also but by 1779 Rev. Samuel Leat, Pastor of
Salem Chapel, East Budleigh was holding 8 Leases,
ie. 4 “farms” which included No.19 also 110 acres
land including 28 acres Common for 40 sheep on
Peak
Hill. No.19 was then named “Leatts” Farm. Rev,
Leat had become Pastor of Salem Chapel in 1768. He
“was in a position to preach the gospel without
receiving an annual stipend from the people”. He
was already a man of property at the age of 29. It
is believed that Salem Chapel was used to store
goods from smuggling activities and Revd. Leat was
involved, benefiting from these activities. He
gave up his ministry at Salem Chapel in 1807 and
retired to one of the 4 houses he owned in
Otterton. We believe this was Leats Farmhouse. He
died in 1817 and buried in Otterton Churchyard.
There was then a dispute as to who were the
administrators of his affairs as a will was not
discovered. In March 1818 his grave was opened and
corpse mangled. No further record has come to
light on this event.
William Leat gave
up the lease in 1825 the tenancy was then
continued on a Rack Rent and granted to Isaac
Halse.
In 1842 the
Farmhouse was nearly rebuilt. John Gush did
considerable carpentary work and thatching in
wheat reed. The later was supplied by farmers from
Ash Tree, Lower Pinn, Pinn Barton, Basclose,
Stantyway and Mullens farms for £18.10/-. At this
time Houstern Farm had 54 acres of land.
The name of the
farm had derived from Housteren field 5acres at
Stantyway which Halse held before taking over
Leats Farm. 1852 Mollands/Mullins Farm adjoining
was grouped with Houstern and members of the Halse
family lived in both.
1881 William Beer
is tenant and Mullins farmhouse was demolished.
Thomas White
followed by 1902, with 140 acres. At the 1911
Survey it is described as compact, well farmed.
The fields were grouped south of Stantyway fields
and where the sewage farm is today. John Dowell is
tenant in the 1920’s until his death in
1977.
The Estate took
over the farmhouse and the fields were passed to
Clinton Devon Farm Partnership. John Bain, Estate
Land Agent, and family lived in the house for a
few years and it was sold to Michael Dickens in
the 1990’s.
Houstern
Farm 2013
© Gerald
Millington 2013
SOURCES
Clinton Devon Estates Archives
Devon Records Office; Land Tax Returns
Salem Chapel Archives
