You should check how heavily mortgaged the property was. There was an agricultural downturn in the British Isles associated with the opening up of the North American & South American trade in foodstuff. This ocurred in the late 1880's & 1890's. It was followed by the Dumbell's Bank crash in 1900. Many farms had been improved or bought on borrowed money & this proved impossible to repay. This could be one reason why a farm had to be sold.