1928 Diary of Elliot Woolford of Hook Farm, Lydiard Tregoze

1928

At the beginning of the year Elliot receives distressing news from his brother. Kate, Rowland’s wife, has had a stroke. Elliot and Amy travel to Gt Somerford and find Kate ‘very poorly & cannot speak that we can understand.’ Kate died on February 22. Elliot writes following the funeral five days later – ‘there was a lot of farmers & friends met us at the Church had 2 hymns great many beautiful wreaths and everybody in the neighbourhood shown every respect.’

Now aged 14 and although still at school, Elliot’s son Rowlie is playing an increasingly more responsible role on the farm where he has a particular interest in the poultry. He enters his own birds in competition at local agricultural shows and trades his stock with neighbouring farmers. 

Background

In a meticulously kept and unbroken series of diaries, Elliot Woolford provides the reader with a no-nonsense view of farming life at Lydiard Tregoze spanning more than 45 years. His livelihood was forever at the mercy of the vagaries of the weather and fluctuating market prices.

Elliot and his brother Rowland acquired the tenancy of Hook Farm in 1899 from the 5th Viscount Bolingbroke. In 1930 Elliott was able to purchase the farm when part of the Bolingbroke estate was sold by the Viscount's widow, Mary. The Woolford family remain there to this day.