The Jefferies' family had left the old farm at Coate by 1886, but the map for that year still holds true.
The farm was originally bought by Richard Jefferies' great grandfather (also named Richard) in 1800.
By 1825 it was inherited by John Jefferies (Richard's grandfather) whilst James Luckett Jefferies (Richard's father) worked the dairy farm as a teenager and continued to do so once married.
When John Jefferies' died in 1868, James inherited the farm but with a condition that legacies amounting to £1,300 must be paid to his married sisters Martha Hall and Fanny Cox. James had to mortgage the farm to meet the terms of the Will. The financial burden was too great for James and he was forced into selling the farm in 1877.
The map below shows the extent of the farm that stretched across the main Coate Road.
The Freehold Estate for sale in 1877.
After a succession of different owners Swindon Corporation bought the farmhouse and land in 1926 (coloured pink on the map above). The associated fields became part of Coate Water Country Park that Swindon Corporation already owned. The farmhouse was rented out to mainly council employees working at Coate Water, but by 1960 one room was dedicated as a Museum to Richard Jefferies and Alfred Williams. The Museum was later enlarged to include the attic rooms. Around 2014 a Richard Jefferies Museum Trust (a charity run by volunteers) was formed to manage the farmhouse, out-buildings and garden after the Richard Jefferies Society and the Jefferies Land Conservation Trust (also charities run by volunteers) had rescued them from almost dereliction as a result of vandalism and a total lack of interest in the old farm by the owners, Swindon Council. Long may the Museum remain a memorial to Richard Jefferies and may his writing never be forgotten.
