MDE20577 - Highley Farm, Parracombe (Building)

Highley. Documented in 1330 and 1702. [1] The farm is shown on the Tithe Map for Parracombe as a group of seven buildings. The farmhouse appears to have been set away from the farmstead to the north of the site, next to an orchard. The farmhouse and at least three of the other buildings (at c. SS 6787 4389, SS 6785 4388 and possibly SS 6783 4388) may still be extant. The Tithe Apportionment states that the site was farmed by John Gammon in c 1840 and has an area of 106 acres. [2,3] By the time the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map was drawn, one of the barns shown on the tithe map (at c. SS 6791 4388) had been demolished. Another at SS 6788 4388 had been reduced in size. A barn between the two, at SS 6790 4388 was still depicted. The plan of the farmstead shown on the 1st Edition map appears to change little before the 2nd Edition map was surveyed. However, since these maps were drawn, all three of these barns have been demolished and their site is now occupied by a large modern agricultural building. [3-5] The farmstead was visited in December 1996. The house was thought to be 19th Century and was rendered and the historic farm buildings were said to be dispersed and built of stone rubble. The enclosures surrounding the site were described as ancient, with field gutters, complicated lanes, water courses, yards and enclosures around the farmstead all mentioned (although no comments about their locations were made). [6]