Chapter Seven
Heyshott farms

Berrywood Farm

 
The name 'Berrywood' is first mentioned in 1509 in the form of Burywode or Brywode. There was certainly a tenement of 20 acres called 'Berryland' in Heyshott which was held by Gilbert, Rector of Stedham cum Heyshott, as early as 1377.
By 1647 Berrywood Farm was owned by a Mrs Double.
 
In 1731 a John Dennet died and left it in trust to John Shudd and John Charman to sell it after the death of Mrs Dennet. She died between 1752 and 1754 and John Shudd, the only durviving trustee, sold it to James Osborne for £1130.54.
The latter immediately resold it to John Shudd for the same amount. This was a crafty arrangement to allow John Shudd to take over the farm since he could not, as a trustee, sell it directly to himself.
At this time the property was being farmed by William Birt and John Tuesly.

 
It remained in the Shudd family for the next 50 years when we get the first really detailed record of the property by means of the map of Petworth House Archives dated 1803 'of the estate in the parish of Heyshott belonging to Miss Betty Shudd and Mrs Ann Price'. It lists the names of 45 fields or cottages, including the Berrywood Farm and Coldharbour properties.
 
Then in 1827, the estate was sold to the 3rd Earl of Egremont. A map of  'Lord Egremont's lands in Heyshott' dated 1828 refers to ' Land lately purchased of Robert Price Esq and his Trustees, in the occupation of the Executors of Anthony Mills, called Berrywood and Coldharbour Farms'. The 3rd Earl of Egremont died in 1837 and his son, George Wyndham, inherited.
Three years later we have the tithe map records which show that the properties were being farmed by Charles Challen.
He lived at Berrywood and Coldharbour housed the families of farm labourers.
 
Charles Challen continued on the farm until he died in 1877 when he was succeeded by his son John, aged 49, who carried on for the next 31 years, dying in 1908.
The next tenant was Robert Wood and, during his time, the ownership passed from Lord Leconsfield to Lord Cowdray.
 
From 1930 to 1933 Leonard Holman was the farmer then Ernest Hutchings, brother of J. Hutchings who was farming Manor Farm Cocking, moved to Berrywood Farm from Walkers Farm, a farm of 93 acres at the top end of the parish.
Denys Hutchings, son of Ernest, has written a graphic description of what it was like to grow up at Berrywood just before and during the early days of 1939-45 war.
 
The extent of the farm in 1933 was 193 acres 12 perches and the rent was £130 per annum, the land being in very poor shape. The tenancy was on a yearly basis, each side being required to give one year's notice of termination. Mr Ernest Hutchings retired from farming in 1963 and all the stock and machinery was sold at auction on the 15th March that year. The stock included 28 heavy Milking Friesan Cows, 27 Followers and 6 Aberdeen Angus cross steers and heifers. It was at this time that the land, the cattle and farm buildings (other than the farmhouse itself) were incorporated with Leggs Farm.
 
The Georgian farmhouse was sold by the Cowdray estate to Leslie Newsom Davis as a private house and the family still live there. As there are no longer any cattle on Leggs Farm, the old Berrywood barns are now used as riding stables.