Extracts from "Haversham Estate And the Parish I Grew Up In" by David C. Brightman April 2000
The now derelict Field Farm
Mr Robinson Jnr., lived at Field Farm with his father and mother for some years, until a family quarrel, which led to the son shooting his mother to death and then himself. In the newspapers it says Reggie Partridge, aged 13, when he went start his part-time job at the farm, was first into the house on a Friday morning (to clean the occupants footwear) but did not go into the front room where the bodies lay, (but local gossip says that Reg found the bodies). Reg also used to sell watercress from a wicker basket around The Estate, and was also later a part-time gravedigger and gardener.

The Field Farm Murder and Suicide was fully reported in the Wolverton Express, (MK library) and I will give a shortened version:

'After the farm workers had done their early (7am) start on Friday 4th February 1938, and had been home for breakfast and returned to the farm, a remark was made that some window blinds were still drawn, this was unusual as Mr Robinson was an early riser. A Mr Frank Chown, a farm worker decided to investigate and went to the rear of the house, and on looking through a window saw the body of John Thomas Paul Robinson. He phoned Sgt Gee at the local police station, he arrived and the pair entered the house, in the first downstairs room with severe head wounds was John Robinson. Standing guard over the body was his pet Aberdeen terrier, in an adjoining room was his mother, Mrs Lizzie Tryphena Robinson also with head wounds, both the bodies were cold.

Later at the inquest Mr George William Robinson, a retired builder, who lived at 110 Church Street, Wolverton, said he identified the bodies, the female was Lizzie Robinson age 63 the wife of his brother Thomas Harry Robinson, farmer, who at the time of the incident was in a rest home in Wimbledon, the male body was John Paul Robinson age 27, farmer and builder of Field Farm Estate or the builder who started the Western side of the Wolverton Road.

It was revealed during the inquest that young Mr Robinson was secretly married to Miss Kitty Elizabeth Neale of 106b High Street, Stony Stratford, the marriage had taken place, by special licence in London before Christmas 1937. Miss Neale worked in McCorquodales Printers at Wolverton and her mother was unaware of the marriage, as was Mrs Lizzie Robinson, who eventually found out through a friend of her son, this led to the confrontation with her son, and her murder and his suicide. Both his mother and father were opposed to the marriage as they thought Kitty was not in as good social position as their son. Also pointed out at the inquest was that Mr and Mr Harry Robinson were first cousins and any child of such a marriage was likely to develop an unbalanced mind. John Robinson was known for his violent temper and outbursts of rage. The last person to see the pair alive at 6-40pm on the 3rd was postman Harold Jack Goodman of Bletchley.

The bodies were cremated at Golders Green, London on the 14th February 1938.
Members of the jury inquest were, Giles Randall, Alfred Washington, Oscar Souster, Fred Massey, Edward North, Roderick G. Adams and Arthur Webb.

Mr Robinson Snr. must have moved out shortly afterwards to his new bungalow, or stayed with his brother, after Mr Robinson Jnr. shot himself. Soon after Mr Ferguson moved in from Pikes Farm which prior to his arrival had become neglected and which he had rented on a joint tenancy with his sister Mrs Kemp.

Mrs Fraser (Jock) Ferguson was at Field Farm soon after, where traces of the murder were still apparent on the walls I was told many years ago. He rented or leased the farm from the eventual owners, Wolverton Co-operative Society until 1970, he then went to a smallholding at St. Day in Cornwall. Since then the farm has not been inhabited, leading to its present state of ruin, although the fields I believe are rented out to other farmers, who so far have kept them very tidy and well managed and keep the footpaths clear.
Reg Partridge
Mrs. Partridge