Rent No. C/R 87 Tithe No. 927
Listed building. Probably 16th.
century through passage with open heath. Built
of cob and stone footings, thatched. Refurbished
1623 with carpenters date mark on a beam.
Lateral stacks built front and rear. The Elliott
family had been in Otterton from 1613 and
probably made the alterations. 1691 Andrew
Elliott was a Churchwarden. The family were
farming there to 1770. In 1774 the farm was
known as Robert Bartletts Estate and he and
Jacob Skinner held Elliotts Farm lease (No.87)
Skinner with the farm and Bartlett with the
adjoining orchard (1 rood). By 1781 Jacob
Skinner was sole leaseholder and his family held
it to 1868.
In 1786 Denis Rolle had bought the
Otterton and East Budleigh Estates from the Duke
Family and the Rolles began a policy of
enlargement of farms. To gain tighter control of
agricultural production on the Estate, calling
in the 99 year Leases with lives on farms was
necessary and grouping the many small holdings
into larger units. In 1779 Elliotts holding was
only 14 acres of land and it was on a Lease. It
was decided to increase the acreage of
“Elliotts” Farm and by the 1843/6 Tithe Award
its acreage had increased to 116.5 acres being 7
leases now on 14 year Rack Rents. This included
No.87 Elliotts, messuage & tenement together
with 4 other small holdings. It is of interest
that 2 of these holdings had been held by Revd,
Samuel Leatt living at Housterns Farm in Fore
Street, Otterton. (See separate piece on
Housterns Farm).
Jacob Skinner died in 1815 and his
son Isaac succeeded him followed by his grandson
John born in 1819. By 1861 John was employing 7
men and 5 servants. He and his wife Frances had
3 sons and 6 daughters and his father Isaac was
living with them. He died the following year age
86. The farm was now 160 acres. Following the
1861 Survey the Estate started reorganising
farms it had enlarged. In 1867 they took the
fields at Ladram of Elliotts and Anchoring Farms
and grouped them to form a new compact farm of
166 acres on an annual renewable tenancy. John
Skinner was given the tenancy and the farm was
known as “Skinners, Larderham”.( It was renamed
Sea View Farm in 1876). The remaining fields of
Elliotts were granted to Anchoring Farm to
increase it to 173 acres. This was farmed by
Jacob Skinner, John’s Brother. Elliotts
Farmhouse (The Barn) was granted to the Gosling
family, Otterton Blacksmiths. They had been
smiths in the village at least since the 1840’s.
