Compiled by Heather Hurley 2005
The farm house was described by the Royal Commission of Historical Monuments in1929 as an 18th or 19th century building in which some earlier chamfered beams and one heavy oak door frame had been reused. It stands on the site of an earlier building with documentation dating from at least the early 17th century. In 1929 the barn and granary displayed a growth of dates from the 14th century with later additions. In 1934 the barn was destroyed by a fire that left some remains of the stone foundations.
In 1648 Edward Andrews released his claim of Caplor Farm, which was left to James Oswald in 1658, and since then the farm was probably occupied by the Powell family. In 1758 John Evans, a canon at Hereford Cathedral, acquired the property, and after his death in 1772 his wife and children inherited his estates including Caplor Farm and his Books, Quarto Bible and Harpsichord. His widow later sold Caplor Farm to her tenant John Powell for £1,200 in 1784. John Powell died in 1797 and left a will with many bequests to his wife and family including ‘my Estate called Caplor and the Camp with the Lands and premises’, ‘one of the best Hogsheads of Cyder produced from my Estate called Buckenhill’ and dwellings three dwellings ‘known by the name of Tayler’s, Addis’s and Tandy’s.
In 1843 ‘Capellar Farm’ consisted of 87 acres, but was heavily mortgaged and after the death of a later John Powell in 1896, it seemed inevitable that his ‘ Widow Hannah’ sold Caplor with its 87 acres of pasture, orchard, arable and woodland to William Kingsbury in 1918. Within four years the farm passed to Elizabeth Greenow then to Morgan T Williams in 1922. The sale particulars provide a good description of the farmhouse with its five bedrooms, sitting room and cellar, the outbuildings including the barn, granary, stables and cider mill, and the land.
Photographs of the barn taken in 1929 and of the farmhouse kitchen taken in 1934 survive as a vivid impression after Morgan Williams had acquired Caplor Farm. Since 1922 the holding has been farmed by the Williams family who possess a bundle of fascinating deeds, maps and notes that together with documents in the Hereford Record Office enable its history to be traced.
The farm lies below the north slope of Capler Camp occupied as a hillfort during the Iron Age. It is known that after the Roman invasion the displaced population re-settled in adjoining valleys, and at Caplor Farm footpaths meet indicating an ancient site. One path reveals remnants of an old sunken route aligning with a crossing over the Wye, and another leads to Lower Buckenhill, the site of the chapel of St. Dubric, where an ancient lane in Woolhope is traditionally known as the Pilgrim’s Way
Archenfield Archaeology conducted a farm survey at Caplor Farm as part of Landscape Origins of the Wye Valley project. The survey involved the study of documentary and cartographic material together with a walkover and general survey of farm buildings. Below is the survey in full.
Click here to download Caplor Farm Survey part 1
Click here to download Caplor Farm Survey part 2
