Great Totham's Lofts farm house is steeped in history

I think it is more likely from the Middle English ‘lofte’, for “upper region”, but I don’t disagree with his statement that: “The house was (once) a mansion of considerable extent; the hall was particularly spacious. It was moated.”

By the time Johnson was writing: “A modern structure has been lately erected and is now a good farm house.”

The predecessor mansion had a remarkable history that, today, is almost forgotten – a story of power, conflict, drastic alteration, fragmentary survival and restoration.

'Loftes' is first mentioned in a rental of 1441 and the oldest parts of the surviving farm house, the timber-framing at the back, could date from that time.

The following century, in 1570, La Lofte estate was substantial, consisting of the mansion set in many acres of arable land, meadow, pasture and woodland. It was so important that it was the seat of a member of the powerful Bourchier family – Anne (1517-1571), Marchioness of Northampton.

She was the daughter of Henry Bourchier, Earl of Essex, and the wife of Sir William Parr, brother of none other than Catherine Parr, Queen Consort of England (1543-1547).

It was said that Anne preferred “the peace of the countryside to the excitement of Henry VIII's court”.

The yard and side profile of Lofts (Image: Ste)

Lofts must have been ideal, but hers was an unhappy marriage, leading to scandal and an illegitimate son by the Prior of Tanbridge (Surrey).

The next owners of Lofts were the Beriff family, Thomas Wise and then the Bullocks.

John Bullock, of “Wigborough and Lofts”, died in 1595.

He was succeeded to the estate, albeit briefly, by Edward Bullock, who died in 1596 and then it passed to Edward’s elder son, also Edward (1580-1644).

This later Edward was knighted by James I and was a Royalist during the English Civil War.

In 1637 he acquired Faulkbourne Hall, at Witham, and, although this became his principal seat, Lofts continued in Bullock ownership.

Legend has it that the mansion became an inn and that Cromwell stayed there.

Given Sir Edward’s sympathies, I think that unlikely, although Cromwell’s son, Richard (1626-1712), was educated at nearby Felsted and was an acquaintance of Maldon’s Thomas Plume.

In 1961 a stash of Civil War period swords was found in the loft of one of the barns.

By 1685 the Bullocks had a tenant farmer at Lofts – Josiah Needham.

However, when Edward Bullock, the grandson of Sir Edward, died in 1705, the estate was sold to Sir Nathan Wright (1654-1721).

Sir Nathan was a judge and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under William III and Queen Anne. He is known to have acquired many estates during his lifetime, but treated them as investments, rather than places to live.

In 1715 he leased Lofts to Phillip Good and it was occupied by the Belshams and by a John Warwick.

The Martin, Lewis and Lawley families were next.

Sir Robert Lawley (1736- 1793) sold it to Nicolas Wescomb, of Langford Grove. There is further evidence in the farm house of 18th century alterations, probably from Wescomb’s time.

Lofts continued to be owned by the Wescombs and, through marriage, the Byrons.

Then, in Johnson’s words, “a modern structure” was erected. Although it was more likely a part-demolition and re-build, the front-range would support that assertion.

In 1839, the tenant farmer was John Carter and in 1843 James Carter. The Carter’s successors included James Chalkin (in 1851), Benjamin Halls (1867), George Stebbing (1888), James Billingham (1900), William Wakelin (1906) and George Seex (1914).

James Percy Woodhead bought Lofts from the Byrons in 1918 and upon his death in 1941 it passed to Claude Woodhead.

My own interest in Lofts began in the 1970s when I was researching a B17 Fortress which crashed on Woodhead’s Farm on February 2, 1944.

Early timber frames (Image: Stephen Nunn)

I was also part of an archaeological team excavating a prehistoric site in advance of gravel extraction from 1978 to 1985.

Mr George W Playle had bought Lofts in 1956 and it continued in Playle and Hughes' ownership until Edwina Hughes sold the farmhouse in 2022.

The new owners, Jerry and Susan Reed, are undertaking a major restoration of the building and were kind enough to show me round. The 15th Century timber-frame has been revealed, some 17th Century plaster, along with features from the 18th and 19th centuries – all clues to chapters in the story of what is a truly fascinating building.