ESRO Church Records

M; Mar 1604 – Apr 1629

B; Mar 1604 – Apr 1629

1v  note of grant of licences allowing the consumption of meat at a time of abstinence to Ann Dunmoll wife of John Dunmoll, gent, in her sickness, 8 Mar 1621, and to John Hatley, vicar, in his sickness,  4 Mar 1633

2r  note of the presentation of the Rev John Hatley, born at Haslingfield in Cambridgeshire, MA, by Thomas Ainscombe the father and son, his institution by Thomas Nevill, dean of Canterbury, and induction by George Carleton [vicar of Mayfield], 21 Mar 1604; with an account of Carleton’s future career ro c1620

18r  note of the burial of Old Mother Stone, who ‘was a French woman and lived 110 years’; 15 Apr 1613

48v  Latin verse on the death and burial of Thomas Ballarde, esq; Feb 1624

49r  note that there was a great fall of snow which lasted from January to April 1624

53v  note of the burial of Thomas Edwards of London, merchant, ‘who built Faircrouch and died there in the year of the great plague’; 10 Oct 1625

63v  note that this register and particularly the memorandum on folio 64r was shown to John Smith, gent, at the time of his examination for the complainant in the case of the Rev John Willett v John Dunmoll in Exchequer; 26 Sep 1721

64r  Memorandum of the terms of the composition between the Rev John Hatley of Wadhurst and Nicholas Manser for tithes, 25 May 1625; note that this entry was shown to John Smith, gent, his wife Catherine and William Cruttall at their examinations in the case of the Rev John Willett v Thomas Dupleck, John Newington and others in the Exchequer, 10 Sep 1717

64v  Note that Joan Manser, widow, gave £22 in the hands of several debtors (named, including Thomas Baker of Wadhurst, kempster, and Thomas Manser of Wadhurst, spoonmaker), to the churchwardens in trust for her own use and that of her daughter Sarah Manser on her death or the daughter reaching 21 years; 19 Apr 1619

65-66r  list of people whipped, 1613-1623, 1633-1638

inside back cover: note of agreement between Thomas Apps and the Rev John Hatley concerning the rent by the parish of TA’s house occupied by Thomas Luck, ‘alekeeper’, 1625; note of the payment of [blank] Pocock of Sevenoaks’ legacy to the poor by John Pocock of Rotherfield; c1625

1r  Note that this register was shown to John Smith and his wife Katherine at their examinations in the case of the Rev John Willett v Thomas Dupleck, John Newington and others in Exchequer, 10 Sep 1717, and in the Rev John Willett v John Dunmoll in Exchequer, 26 Sep 1721

3v  Note of the burial of John Saunder aged 105 or 112; 8 Oct 1629

8r  Note that the church steeple was ‘rent and blown up’ in a storm, as it had been c1575 and c1595; 17 Feb 1631

33r  Note of the burial of Thomas Upton `the Archimedes of Wadhurst’ who was by trade a glover, joiner, carpenter, instrument maker and a curious workman for jacks, clocks, pieces of stoves and vices for glaziers; 13 Nov 1673

34v  Note of a very infectious summer especially o the Downs; building of a gallery over the north aisle and another over the little chancel, by the care and labour of Alexander Callice, churchwarden; the wainscot in the great chancel was set up by Anthony Butcher and that the almshouses in the Bivelham and Week Quarters were built by Thomas Coleman and Thomas Diprose, overseers; 1638

38r  note that `this year was the great sea battle near unto Dover betwixt the mighty armado of Spain riding near our coasts near Deal and the Hollanders wherein that mighty armado consisting of [blank] great ships was vanquished by the Hollanders’; a stormy winter with much shipwreck; the expedition into Scotland due to the mutinies there; 1639

42v  note that the Scots entered England; 1641

46v  note of the baptism of three children of Michael Luck of Lamberhurst in 1647, 1649 and 1651

59r  note of five people whipped as vagrants; 6 Apr 1648

65r  Note that the addition of `the appropriate parish after the names of those born outside Wadhurst but baptised there that Anabaptism might not be encouraged’; 1653

65v-66v  list of paupers receiving money and clothing from the gifts of Thomas Whitfield and Susan Edwards; 1633-1638

67r  note of the erection of two seats in the church, one for the use of Mr Benge’s house (where the vicar lived) and the other for his servants; 29 Sep 1655

note that John Smith of Pell had enlarged the second pew for the use of the maid-servants of Pell; 29 Sep 1695

68v  memorandum by the Rev John Hatley of his opposition to the the appropriation of Thomas Whitfield’s legacy to abate the assessment of the taxes of the rich rather than the poor of Wadhurst, for which he suffered ‘many foul words’; 1634

annual totals of baptisms and burials, 1629-1640

1r  note of the price of the register, 43s 0d; note of examination by WB [William Burrell], 1782

2r  Note that the entries for 1653-1656 were copied from a paper register

17r  Note of the presentation and induction of John Smith of King’s College, Cambridge; 29 Mar 1662

19r  Note of an outbreak of smallpox; Aug 1664 – Jan 1665

20r  Note of the Great Fire of London; 1666

20v  Note of a raid by the Dutch and the capture of several English ships; 1667

21r  Note of the peace concluded between the Dutch, Danes, French and English; 1667

29r  Note that the steeple was struck by lightning; 2 Sep 1679

32r, v  Note of the public denunciation and excommunication of Eleanor Woodgate and Sarah Moone; 6 Jul 1684, and their penance, 5 Apr 1685

34v  Note of the invasion and proclamation of William of Orange and Mary as King and Queen; 1689

35r  Note of the coronation; 11 Apr 1689

37r  Note of the defeat of the French fleet; May 1692

37v  Note of an earthquake on 8 Sep 1692, the gift by Thomas Young to the poor of Week and Cousley Wood Quarters, and the excommunication and absolution of Edward Benge, 1693

38v  Note of the death of Queen Mary from St Anthony’s fire, smallpox and spotted fever; 28 Dec 1694

39r  Note of an attempt on the life of the King; 1696

40v  Note that John Wakeford, a disbanded soldier, died from exhaustion and exposure between Lamberhurst and Wadhurst; 29 Apr 1698

49r  Note of the presentation and induction of John Willett, fellow of Wadham College, Oxford; 8 Jun 1714

68v  Note of the presentation and induction of Samuel Bush, fellow of Wadham College, Oxford; 22 Jul 1743

74v-75r  Note by the Rev Samuel Bush concerning the change from the Julian to Gregorian calendars; Dec 1751

125v  Appointment of a seat, built in the north great gallery of the church for the use of George Courthope and his family under a vestry order of 25 Jun 1721, to GC and his heirs for ever, 26 Mar 1722; payment of £2 2s by Thomas Noakes, shopkeeper, for a vault, 23 Mar 1774

126v  Note of the gift of plate to the church by Mrs Katherine and Mrs Ann Smith, daughters of Mr John Smith of Pell, 1722; note concerning a seat for the use of Squire Hutton’s Cousleywood House occupied by Richard Wood, Dec 1729; note that the parish paid £10 10s to the Rev Bush for breaking an agreement not to assess him for the poor rate, 31 Jul 1747

127r  Note concerning the appropriation of a pew for Thomas Saunders of Little Pell and for Little Butts; 1715-1722

127v  Note concerning the appropriation of church seats for Mr Benge’s house in Couslywood Street and the owners of Chidinghurst; 13 Mar 1715

128v  List of the licences to eat meat granted by the Rev James Wilcock; Mar 1661

1-48  Banns; Oct 1791 – Aug 1810

120r  Note concerning the placing of two stoves in the church and the prevalence of cholera in England; 1849

120v – 122r  Memoranda of collections for various charities; 1819-1847

Missing on transfer

Missing on transfer

in reverse: Sunday School accounts, 1789-1825

at end: note of confirmation of 600 people at Wadhurst, 29 Jul 1817; accounts of money collected on briefs, 1787-1794

For other sacrament-money lists, see PAR 498/9/2, 29/4

Missing on transfer

For the faculty, see PAR 498/4/1/20

Re-bound by Robert Barlow Gardiner, vicar, 1840.

The second half of the book contains notes, probably for sermons, on subjects such as ‘against drunkenness’ and ‘false and true happiness’; many are extracted from the Gentleman’s Magazine and a few are dated 1733

The volume can probably be associated with John Willett, vicar 1714-1743, who had been a fellow of Wadham 1699-1715.

Missing on transfer

Missing on transfer

mounted on a lithograph of Christ Church, Broad Green, Croydon [in Surrey]

to permit any buildings to be used as a parish room (details) as the vicar, churchwardens and chairman of the parish council shall direct

W: John Woollett, Thomas Hammond; acknowledged by JN in Chancery, 21 Jul 1778

TNA: PRO C54/6501

For the account of Jeremiah Curteis of Rye for legal work in connection with the conveyance, see PAR 498/31/1/18

The Church Lands were apparently given by John a Berry, but the first document that could be found by the Commissioners of Enquiry into Charitable Lands in the 1830s was a feoffment to new trustees of 1699 and a map of the previous year (ACC 6077/15/70). That land, the history of which to 1832 is given by the printed report, consisted of an almshouse and 28 acres. When William Courthope examined the contents of the parish chest in about 1843, it contained deeds of the Parish Lands from 1605 to 1814, consisting of leases, appointments of new trustees and the map previously mentioned. It is clear from the map that the endowment of the charity lay near Scrag Oak. That land was exchanged, by an order of the Enclosure Commissioners, for Hunters Hall, a cottage and 37½ acres of land near Cousley Wood. Hunters Hall, which might have been identical to the estate of the same name purchased by George Courthope in 1824 (AMS 6387/1/1), was sold in 1888 and stock purchased from the proceeds.

The funds of the Charity had always been used to reduce the poor rate rather than for any specific object. In 1992, in the absence of trustees or records, the PCC began to investigate the possibility of transferring the assets of the Charity to itself, and succeeded in terminating the Charity in 1995.

For William Courthope’s list of documents in the Wadhurst parish chest, c1843, including the deeds of the Church Lands, 1605-1814, and of other charity lands, 1637-1819, see XA 38/1; for a map of Church Lands, surveyed by order of the churchwardens by John Walker of Rotherfield, 1698, see ACC 6077/15/70; for other files of the PCC treasurers, see PAR 498/16/8

W: Samuel Newington, Thomas Shorte

Endorsed: receipts for interest, 1699-1723