Bishopstone Stud Farm

This information was brought to our attention by Mr Hugh Leader from Braintree in Essex. His relative was William Leader from Wroughton who was in the horse training business. The Dore's were well known farmers in the village of Bishopstone and had been there since 1813. They occupied Manor Farm and were well known in the farming community for producing fine livestock. But what is less well known is that from 1894 to 1900, William J. Dore operated a very successful stud farm and was nationally renown for producing fine race horses. A look through the newspaper advertisements from the period backs this up. 

Mr Hugh Leader who contacted us informs in his letter that William Dore had boxes for forty two mares at the lower paddocks and twenty four for yearlings at the Home Yard. This possibly explains then why the farm just down the hill on the Bourton/Shrivenham road is called Lower Farm and maps from the period show a track leading from there up the slope to Manor Farm in Bishopstone.