On This Day in Wembury
28 October 1944 — Thorn Farm Grazing to Let
On this day the Western Morning News advertised a forthcoming auction of grazing rights at Thorn Farm, Wembury, to be held on the premises on 18 November 1944. Auctioneers John Pearse & Sons, instructed by Mr. H. O. Lugar, announced that 35½ acres of grass would be offered in lots to be arranged, to be depastured with cattle only until February 1945. Detailed particulars were to follow.
Thorn Farm lay close to Knighton, just a few minutes’ walk from the village and on the Wembury–Plymouth bus route. It formed part of the wider Thorn estate (also known historically as South Wembury or South Wembury House), which by the 20th century included both the mansion and associated farmland. The vendor, Henry Osborne Lugar, was a member of the Lugar family, whose son Peter Lugar would later become the well-known local historian and author of the Wembury Memories series.
This wartime notice highlights how estate land was carefully managed for short-term use during periods of pressure on food supply. Letting out grass keep ensured productivity and supported local farmers, while also showing how Wembury’s estates adapted to the demands of the 1940s.
Source: Western Morning News, 28 October 1944 (advertisement for auction of grazing rights at Thorn Farm on 18 November).