Wardens
Post date: Feb 08, 2012 4:9:43 PM
The following article by Larry Ilott, a Wateringbury resident, was previously published in Wateringbury People and Places (1996).
Wardens in Bow Road is one of the oldest occupied sites in the parish. A watermill stood next to the house, one of the three Wateringbury mills mentioned in Domesday Book. It worked until 1914 and was demolished soon afterwards. The millpond was drained and planted as an orchard. The site can be viewed easily from the bridle path which runs between Bow Road and Love Lane and the water can be heard running through the culvert beneath the path. When the dam was intact there would have been at least eight feet head of water to power the wheel.
A document dated 28 Edw I (1299 -1300) records the sale of a piece of land and a house in Wateringbury by William de molendino de Wateringbury [William the miller of Wateringbury] but we are not told which mill. Among the Feet of Fines for the reign of Edward III are two of interest for this property. The first is dated 'St. Michael in one month 4 Edw III' (1330). Ralph, son of Godefridus at mellne and Isabella his wife (we would say Godfrey at the mill, or Godfrey Miller) acquired a messuage [dwelling], mill and 48 acres of land in Wateringbury. Godfrey granted the property to Ralph and Isabella and the heirs of Ralph by the service of 12 quarters of wheat, 5 quarters of barley and 10 quarters of oats yearly during the life of Godfrey. In other words Ralph took over the running of the mill but guaranteed his father a lifetime annuity. The Fine is endorsed 'Richard son of Nicholas atte melle asserts his claim'.
Bow Road was known as 'Wardens Hyll as long ago as 1563 when it was so described in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Canon Court. The house and mill took their name from the family of Wardeyn who owned them at least as long ago as 1369. By a Fine dated 'Michaelmas in 15 days 43 Edw III (1369), Roger Wardeyn gave 20 marks [ 1 mark = 13s 4d] for himself and his heirs to Roger atte Melle and his wife Joan. He thus acquired a messuage and 24 acres of land in Wateringbury.
In his will dated 18 November 1453 Stephen Smyth left to his son William '... iii altera pcella terr...vocat Wardeynes' [three other parcels of land... called Wardeynes].
In 1630 died Henry Wood citizen and haberdasher of London and a native of Wateringbury. Hasted describes Wardens as '... the antient seat of this family'. He bequeathed 40s per annum to the poor of the parish and 8s per annum for a sermon to be preached on the Sunday next after Candlemas-day in the afternoon, when the money is to be distributed. In 1674 his brother Robert Wood sold Wardens to Sir Thomas Style whose son, also Sir Thomas, sold it to William Burleston.
Richard Burleston, father of William, was a tenant of the Styles. He died in 1689. An inventory of Richard Burleston's effects gives a snapshot of the contents of a Wateringbury farmhouse in 1689. We can be sure that the house in question is Wardens because of the mention of cellars and its location near the parish boundary with Nettlestead.
William Burleston, son of Richard died 1 October, 1719. He was Rector of Warehorne and Midley. His memorial plaque is still to be seen on the wall of Wateringbury church. In his will he left Warden Farm 'now in my own and James Dann's occupation' to his daughter Mary for the lifetime of his widow Susannah, at which time it passed to his son Robert and his heirs. On the death of her mother, Mary was to inherit one half of Burleston's farm at West Mailing in the occupation of James Fuller.
According to Hasted the Burleston family must have sold the house c. 1770 to John Whitaker of Barming, from whom it passed to his nephew John Whitaker of Trottiscliffe. In November 1822 the mill, house and land were leased by John Selby of Marden and John Fellow of Eynsford to John Savage of Cobham for seven years at an annual rent of £150. The rent included a lease of Warden Place. The lease informs us that Warden Place had previously been leased to Robert Brattle and John Hosmer.
In 1829 James Fremlin took over the lease. By this time the property was valued at £100 per year. In 1871 James Fremlin purchased a moiety of the house, mill and land from Selby for £2055. In 1876 Fremlin purchased the other moiety from Frederick Leney.
Mill Farm was purchased by Mr Fisher in 1973. He sold off the coach house, gardens cottage and much of the land fronting Bow Road from Wardens for development. The house was acquired in the 1980's by Alan and Jennifer Button, the current owners.
The existing house was built about 1540, possibly over the cellars of an older structure. The cellars and the east facing elevation are probably the oldest surviving portions of the house. As might be expected, a number of additions have been made to the structure over the centuries.
INVENTORY
A true ... Inventory.. of Richard Burstone late of Wateringbury ..Yeoman .. January 1689. By William Croft and Thomas Deane.
Imprimis
his wearing apparel & ready money 1 0 0
In the hall
Item
One table one cupboard one dresser one settle one still
six chaires two Iron potts two paire of pothookes two spitts
a Rosting Iron An Apple Roster & a gridiron one pair of Andirons
fire pann & Tongs a Cleever Shredding Knife sixe dishes of pewter
two skillets one warming pan
three candlesticks a dozen of trenchers 1 13 3
In the parlour chamber
Item
One Trunk three chests one cupboard two chaires
one flock bed & bolster one blanket & rugg curtaines
& vallence & bedsted & all thereto belonging a
paire of bellows 4 15 0
In the Hall Chamber
Item
one feather bed & bolster two flock beds & two bolsters
three blanketts & three Coverlids three bedsteddles
matts & cords one paire of curtaines
& vallances & chest 6 0 0
Item
a parcel! of [paper?] 1 7 0
Item
eight paire of sheetes six table cloathes six towells 2 18 0
Item
two bushells of peas 0 5 0
In the Buttery
Item
five brine vessels a hogg tubb two coolers a flower
tubb a bushell three sieves a leather bag 1 1 6
In the Cellars
Item
One brewing tubb one bucking tubb five brine vessells
two powdring Tubbs a Cyder Press
a cooler & a hogg Tubb three stalders 2 3 0
In the Milkhouse
Item
fower milk coolers six trayes one churne & staffe
a Bacon trough fouer payles one frying pann 1 0 6
In the Bakehouse
Item
One furnace one Iron pot a cheese presse two coolers 17 0
Item
The barley in the Bame 9 15 0
Item
The wheat in the barne 6 8 0
Without doores
Item
One paire of oxen 12 0 0
Item
Fouer cowes & 3 young bullocks 15 0 0
Item
Three twelve monthing bullocks 3 0 0
Item
Fouer horses and two colts 1 10 0
Item
The husbandry tackle of all sorts & harness 4 10 0
Item
Fouer sheates 2 0 0
Item
a stack of hay 4 0 0
Item
7 acres of wheat upon the ground 6 6 0
Item
24 sheep 10 0 0
The corne in the Barne at Nettlestead 5 0 0
The corne upon the ground at Nettlested 2 14 0
item
Debts 2 0 0
item
Old lumber & things unseen & forgotten 0 10 0
The whole inventory amounts to 117 3 3
See also Wardens: wall paintings