JOHN COLE, butcher of Chiddingstone (1671-1751)

John was baptized on March 21st 1672 in Chiddingstone, the eldest surviving son of William Cole, butcher, of Chiddingstone and Martha.
In the rental of the manor of Stangrave in Edenbridge for 1697 John Cole held a tenement with a rent of 4d. This appears to be TA 502, perhaps originally one with TA 510, and known as Cole Houses in Church Lane, opposite the church gate, Presumably William had transferred his rights to his son John. In 1722 it was described as "a little tenement of John Cole". By 1740 John Cole had sold it.
John Cole may have married twice. In 1707 Chiddingstone parish paid 2s 6d to the wife of John Cole for laying forth the poor traveller being dead and making an affidavit for burying him in woollen. John does not seem to have had any children by this wife, unless Mary Cole who married Samuel Moyce at Chiddingstone in 1736 was such. In September 1776 Dame Moyce was paid by Chiddingstone overseers for laying Ann Cole, the granddaughter of John, when she had an illegitimate baby. However Mary Cole could equally have been the daughter of George Cole of Edenbridge. The death of this first wife is not recorded and in 1719 John Cole married Sarah Hayward of Chiddingstone at Ashurst, on 29th June, followed by the baptism of his son John on October 27th. There was another John Cole in Ashurst at the time, so the identification is not water-tight. In 1709 John Cole of Stone Cross in Groombridge, labourer, was mentioned in the Sevenoaks Petty Sessions. Stone Cross is almost in Ashurst but actually in Penshurst.
In 1716 John's father William died, leaving the bulk of his property to John. This included "all that my messuage or tenement with the barn outhouses edifices and buildings closes yards gardens and orchards and one piece or parcel of land thereunto belonging containing 4 acres in Chiddingstone called by the name of Hilders and now in mine own occupation". When John wrote his will in 1732 he left to his son "all that my messuage or tenement wherein I now do dwell with the barns, buildings, yards, gardens, orchards and lands belonging situate at or near Hilders in the parish of Chiddingstone which I lately purchased of Thomas Budgin". So presumably William had only left a lease of Hiders to John, or a mortgage. Perhaps John sold his property in Edenbridge to enable him to purchase Hilders. However the manorial records for Sundridge Weald manor suggest that William did in fact own his property at Hilders, because in 1721 John had to pay relief of 2s to the manor on the death of his father to enter his freehold, "a tenement and backside and 5 acres of land over against Hilders". John's property was actually Little Hilders which lies across the road from Hilders proper, also known as Salmons, a much larger farm. In 1724 a survey was made of seating in Chiddingstone church. John Cole was the owner of a house at Hilders, but the main house at Hilders belonged to Thomas Streatfeild. In 1733 there was an assessment for repairing the church. John Cole paid 1s 9d for his house and land out of a parish total of £14-6s-5 1/2d.
The overseers' assessments show William Cole in the occupation of Little Hilders from at least 1701 and John Cole for the same property after the death of William, at the rate of 1s 8d or 3s 4d. The Land Tax records (Kings Borough) show the same, perhaps initially for 2 acres, later for 4, which could explain the reference to Thomas Budgin.
In 1733 John Cronk is recorded as tenant to John Cole for a property in Chiddingstone north of the river, valued at £2. From 1734 George Cronk is tenant to John Cole, from 1740 Robert and William Cronk, from 1741 David Anscomb (a mason), and from 1743 to 1759 widow Medhurst. This property is probably referred to in a court roll of the manor of Millbrooks of 1750 which states that since the last court Edward and William Cronk had sold to John Cole six acres lying between Bowers Pits and Clinton Lands with a quitrent of 8d. There may have been a further half acre belonging to the manor of Chiddingstone Burghurst sold before 1764 to John Cole by Edward Cronk and others, the heirs of John Cronk deceased. This is Birch Hurst Farm near Bough Beech, also known as Clinton Brook, which either now or later included a detached field called Great Sheffield, belonging to the manor of Hever Brocas (in Chiddingstone parish).
In 1722 John Sutton of Penshurst leased Blackvens and the Hoops to John Cole of Chiddingston, butcher. A receipt of John Cole is dated January 24th 1728. On October 15th 1731 the land was held by someone else. John Cole is mentioned several times in the records of Penshurst, but which John Cole?
In 1732 John Cole, butcher of Chiddingstone, bought Redhill, a messuage situated near the foot of Toys Hill, Brased, and Symonds Croft, 3 acres, a property in Brasted Upland, from John Day for £110. As a result he hads to pay quitrent at the rate of 2s 6d a year to the manor of Brasted from 1734 to 1747 at least. In the Brasted accounts John Cole appears as the tenant of David Marshall, paying an average of 1s 6d a year from 1734 to 1752.
In 1738 Dorcas Owtrem of Limpsfield mortgaged her two-fifths share of the Rushetts or Blacklands in Edenbridge to John Cole for £60 but in 1739 it was redeemed for £62-8s.
John Cole was therefore prosperous and an active businessman. From 1716 to 1751 he was a ratepayer of Chiddingstone parish, and from 1717 to 1747 a freeholder of Kings Borough. Hilders lay in both.

In 1717 he was collector of Land Tax in Chiddingstone North with Thomas Wallis.
In 1718 he was collector of Windows Tax in Chiddingstone North with Thomas Wallis.
In 1719 he was overseer of the poor for Chiddingstone parish. Also in 1735-37.
In 1719 he was borsholder of Kings Borough.
In 1724 he was constable of Somerden hundred with Thomas Weller.
In 1732 he was surveyor of the highways, Chiddingstone, and again in 1739.
In 1739 Chiddingstone parish paid 2s to John Cole for meat for Michael Kinman's wife when she lay ill.

Sarah, the wife of John Cole, was buried on January 13th 1746, and John himself on May 10th 1751, aged 79, at Chiddingstone. He had written his will in 1732. In it:

• Sarah his wife was to have all his property and to bring up their son William until he reached the age of 21.
• After William came of age Sarah was to have a quarterly income of £2-10s as long as she remained a widow; otherwise £20.
• When he came of age William was to have Little Hilders.