Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
Maufant Farm
Other names
- Cowley Farm
- Maufant Farmhouse
Location
Route de Maufant, St Saviour
Type of property
Farm with 16th century origins, now divided into six residential units
Valuations
- Cowley Farm sold for £725,000 in 2007 and £1 million in 2008
- Various residential units changed hands for between £485,000 and £1,575,000 between 2010 and 2021
Families associated with the property
- Falle: This was a junior branch of the Falles of Clairval, St Saviour, who lived in Maufant from the early 17th century
- De Gruchy: This was the birthplace in 1780 of Abraham de Gruchy
- Gaudin: The Gaudins of nearby La Maitrerie, Queruée, St Martin, were the principal heirs in 1869 of the de Gruchys. They were named as the owners in the 1878 Rates List, letting the house and farmland to tenants
- Blight: In 1941 Leonard Henry Blight (1893- ) and his daughter Maud May Blight (1922- ) were living at Cowley Farm, the name this property acquired between the two world wars
Datestones
- PDG ELG 1773 - For Philippe de Gruchy and Elizabeth Le Geyt
- EDGC 1832 - For Edouard de Gruchy, who inherited in that year but died three years later, unmarried. He was the grandson of those featured on the earlier datestone
History
Philippe Falle (1624- ), eldest son of Jean Falle (c1594-1670) and Anne Faultrat, his wife, of Maufant, was Chef-Sergent of St Saviour in 1659. He married in 1652 Marie Payn and had issue Philippe (1658- ), husband in 1688 of Marie Baudains, daughter of Jean. Thomas Falle, brother of Philippe, is recorded by the the Rev J A Messervy, as having settled circa 1699 in New England. Philippe and his wife had issue an only son, also named Philippe Falle (1691-1757), who entered the Church. He was, from 1719-1757, Rector of St Ouen. Despite marrying three times, he died without issue. His paternal Maufant property was thus inherited by his three sisters, the senior of whom, and principal heiress, was Anne Falle (1693-1767), wife of Pierre de la Place of St Ouen [1]
On 3 March 1770, Pierre de la Place, son of Pierre and of the late Anne Falle, his wife, sold to Philippe de Gruchy, son of Philippe, son of Noé, the house or houses which belonged to the late Anne Falle, his mother, with outbuildings, stackyard, approaches and access and le Jardin à Potage, le Clos appelé Le Douaire, le Grand Jardin, la Pépinière, etc, on Fief du Roi, St Saviour, for the price of 13 quartiers, 1 cabot and 5 sixtonniers annual rente. Philippe de Gruchy was the husband of Marie Alexandre, of Beaulieu, Trinity. On his death in 1772 his property, consisting of land and three houses, was divided in 1773 among his issue. His eldest son and namesake, Philippe (1741-1804), inherited Maison de Maufant and its land, to which he added in 1774 parcels of land within Le Pré du Douaire and Le Parquet, the vendor being Rachel de la Place, sister of Anne, and further land in Maufant purchased in the same year from the remaining Falle heirs. Le Dos de Nicolas on the same Fief du Roi was added in 1777 [2]
Philippe de Gruchy died in 1804, his principal heir being his eldest son, also named Philippe (1767-1831). He was probably both farmer and master mariner as, like his grandfather, he engaged in several purchases in the neighbourhood. In 1803 he bought a farmhouse and its land immediately in front of the Calvinist Chapel, to the north of his father`s property, as a result of which he was, in the next year, a farmer of 45 vergées. In 1824 he bought a house directly to the south of the chapel. He is thought to have also been co-owner of the 60-ton sloop Young Eliza, lost in January 1809 off La Tour de Rozel. His wife was Elizabeth Binet, daughter of Edouard, of Trinity. He and his wife were rather unlucky in their sons. [3] The first and fourth died without heirs at an early age, the second died overseas in 1814, as did the third, by 1833. The fifth died unmarried suddenly in 1835, within three years of inheriting and the seventh died as an infant. Only Elie de Gruchy, the sixth son, lived to enjoy ownership, for whom see Laurel Lands
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
Historic farmhouse with early origins, retaining its proportions, fine stonework and character. This building is shown on the Richmond Map of 1795. It is considered to have medieval origins with 16th century development and 18th century refronting. 19th century outshot extension. 21st century refurbishment.
Former farmhouse, five-bay, two-storey with attic. Renewed pitched slate roof extending over rear outshot extension. Pair of dressed granite gable chimneystacks on main house; brick chimney on outshot. Central first floor window sill inscribed as datestone . Gable (east) elevation to roadside: rubble granite with dressed quoins, blocked window to first floor, small ventilation slot to attic. Outshot in roughly squared granite with stone quoins; brick dressed openings. Two corbelled granite fireplaces are retained in the farmhouse.
Notes and references
- ↑ Messervy in ABSJ V, 218-220
- ↑ Reg Pub. 52/54 (1770) and Cour d`Hér 34 (1770)
- ↑ They were more fortunate in their daughters, three of whom had issue, the youngest of whom was Anne de Gruchy, wife of Captain Elie Whitley. She is credited with her grandson, the Revd. George Whitley, having gone into the Church, having been greatly influenced as a child by her godliness and unswerving faith
