History of the Haggs

The area around Haggs Farm - Greasley Haggs - has been farmed for centuries. In 1541, the lands of the dissolved Beauvale Priory were granted to Sir William Hussey and included "the close and pasture of Hagge Lease". In 1626, Francis Cocke of Underwood was leasing "two closes called the Hagges" from Sir Charles Morison, and the fields are mentioned in a number of nineteenth century surveys and leases of the Melbourne estate.

The earliest mention of the farm as such is in a valuation of the estate in 1805 which shows John Leivers possessing a cottage and 10 acres. The description reads as follows:

"In the possession of John Leivers, tenant at will, at a yearly rent of £8 10s 3d. A cottage with a small barn and cowhouse built at the tenants expense. Brick walls, part tiled, part thatched. Taken from A. Jackson's farm."

There is no mention of the tenancy or duildings in a survey made 10 years earlier and it therefore seems probable that John Leivers built his cottage sometime between 1795 and 1805.

According to the description, when the farm was designated as a listed building in 1966, the house was extended and altered in the early nineteenth century and an estate survey in 1824 does refer to a 'new cottage'. But the farmhouse was never large and comprised fairly basic accomodation.

The Leivers family remained as tenants throughout the nineteenth century until another John, grandson of the cottage builder, moved out in 1898. It seems likely that the farm barely provided a reasonable living since nineteenth century census returns show the Leivers sons working as miners. However, the acreage farmed had increased over the years and was some 33 acres in 1898. Perhaps the most eventful episode during the years of the Leivers' tenancy came during the Selston and Underwood enclosure riots during the 1870s.

Following the enclosure of the common lands, John Leivers leased two pieces of the former common from Earl Cowper to add to his holding. In June 1878, protesters climbed over the fences surrounding the property and holding and "behaved in a tumultuous manner". In August that year, John Leivers - almost certainly at the behest of his landlord who met the costs, took proceedings in the High Court of Justice, seeking damages for acts of trespass and an injunction against further such acts. In due course, the perceived ringleader of the rioters, William Stoppard, was committed to Holloway gaol for contempt of court, having breached the injunction which had been granted.

The Chambers were the next tenants and following their departure in 1910, there were three or four other tenants during the twentieth century before the farm was abandoned around 1960. In 1916, the property was bought by Thomas Barber of Lamb Close, a local mine owner, and the farm still belongs to the Barber family.

In 1942, just after Albert Rigley had become the tenant, the farm was inspected as part of the National Farm Survey - an exercise aimed at increasing food production during wartime. The farmhouse was described as being in fair condition, though the outbuildings were rated 'bad'. Whilst there was piped water to the house, there was no electricity supply. The land was heavily infested with weeds and overall the farm was regarded as being in a neglected state. The acreage at that time was some 47 acres, a mixture of arable and pasture.

The Haggs Today

The farm has now been uninhabited for over 30 years. Its status as a Grade 2 listed building - mainly because of the Lawrence connection - provides some limited protection, but the house is in a derelict condition and the barn, formerly attached to the house, has fallen down.

Whilst there is no public access to the site, a walk through the neighbouring countryside can still provide today's visitor with some insight into why the farm and its locality had such an impact on D.H. Lawrence's heart and mind. Perhaps the final words should be his. He wrote to David Chambers in 1928: