The area where the farm is situated was once a hamlet called
Slamondesheia, which evolved from the Old English name of Sla-muntes-haeg
meaning "enclosure of the sloe (tree) hill". Over the years there
have been many spellings including Slamondshay, Slamondeseye and Slampseys and
the house has been in White Notley, Black Notley and now Great Notley parish
without ever moving. But we remain on a hill (a low Essex hill) and there are
still plenty of sloes growing in the hedges. We’ve recently planted a new
blackthorn hedge alongside the pig field to provide a bit of shade and shelter
for the pigs and to increase our annual crop of sloes.
