Croxton is recorded in the Domesday Book as 'Crokestone' - derived either from 'farmstead in a nook’ or the family name ‘Krókr', and was possibly a late Scandinavian settlement.
The main house was built in the 18th century on the site of a much older dwelling. It is surrounded by scheduled monument earthworks that show the remains of a medieval village as well as different types of ridge and furrow. As the populations have shifted over the centuries so has the land use, from predominantly arable at the end of the thirteenth century to sheep in the fourteenth century. Arable returned in the nineteenth century and was expanded in the early twentieth century under the stewardship of George Cochrane Newton who was awarded a title in 1934 for his services to agriculture, in particular the introduction of mechanised ploughing to the heavy clay soils of East Anglia.
Today the estate remains in private hands and the focus is on sustainability while maintaining the tradition of innovation set by Baron Eltisley. As part of this we converted the farm to organic back in 1999 and increased the number of livestock. We are continually learning, seeking to minimise all external inputs and soil disturbance as much as possible. As part of this we sensitively manage the woodland to provide diverse habitats for wildlife and fuel for the estate.