Farmhouses The old farmhouses of the Peak District are often real gems of architecture. Some are hidden away in sheltered valleys but others, defying the winter weather, are perched on high hillsides. Many of them must once have been more important than they are today. Built in a grand style, in fine quality gritstone, usually under a wonderful old stone slated roof, they look like little manor houses rather than the working homes of ordinary farmers. Sadly, today, many have been sold off separately from the land and are no longer working farms. What was it like to be a prosperous farmer living in one of these splendid old houses? What sort of furniture and home comforts did they have? One good way to find out is by studying the wills they left and the inventories (lists of possessions) made when the head of the household died. Here is an example from the parish of Sheen. “Yeomen like John Percival lived in a degree of prosperity. His will of 1649 shows that he was worth some £300. He had a flock of 30 sheep, a herd of 24 cattle, 2 or 3 horses and all the usual geese, poultry and swine. Some of the essential farming and domestic equipment is listed: ploughs, harrows, yokes, looms, spinning wheel, as well as an expensive luxury - books. His dining table had cloth and napkins with five silver spoons, besides the usual pewter. There was cheese, butter and beef in the larder. He and his wife slept comfortably on a feather bed with sheets and six pairs of bed socks!” Taken from St Luke’s Church & Parish, Sheen. Published 1984 Want to know more? You can read a fascinating study of a group of beautiful historic farmhouses and the people who lived in them: Farms and Families of Hathersage Outseats, by Rosamund Meredith. Part 1 1981; Part 2 1983. Click here to search the books database More Pictures Houses great and small On the farm