WILLIAM COLE, farmer, of Chiddingstone (1722-1795).

William Cole was born on 11th March and baptised on March 14th 1723 at Chiddingstone, the son of John Cole, butcher, of Chiddingstone and Sarah.
Since his first son John was baptised in Chiddingstone in February 1746 William Cole presumably married his wife Ann before that, but the place is not known.
When John Cole died in 1751 his son William inherited all his property:

• Little Hilders, a messuage and 5 acres (manor of Sundridge Weald 2d).
• Half an acre near Clinton Brook, near Bowbeech (manor of Chiddingstone Burghurst 1d).
• Six acres between Bowers Pitts and Clinton Land, near Bowbeech (manor of Millbrooks alias Somerden, 8d).
• Redhill and Symonds Croft in Brasted (manor of Brasted 2s 6d).

In 1758 he sold the properties to Thomas Hambleton of Sundridge, collarmaker, whose son Richard Hambleton married Mary, William's daughter at Sundridge in 1778.
In 1763 William Cole acknowledged to hold of the manor of Penshurst Halemote a messuage and 4 acres of land in Penshurst near Chiddingstone Causeway (or Chested) in the occupation of Samuel Chalklin (4d). This must be Great Horseshoe Mead. There is no evidence that William inherited this land from his father.
In 1752 William Cole paid 2s 4d rates to the Chiddingstone churchwardens for his own land at Little Hilders and 1s for the land at Clinton Brook occupied by widow Medhurst. In 1755 he added to this part of Salmonds (ie Great Hilders) at 15s. This also shows up in the Chiddingstone overseers' accounts. He paid 7s, rising to 13s for Little Hilders, 3s for widow Medhurst, and £2-5s-0d for part of Salmonds; the other part of Salmonds was held by Robert Saxby (£3).
In 1790 William Cole is shown on an estate map as owning Great Sheffield at Bowbeech. He also occupied Dean Lands and Newlands, also Monks (a small property in Chiddingstone), and was recorded as a ratepayer in Hever parish.
William Cole began taking parish office while his father was still alive.

• 1746 Surveyor of the highways, Chiddingstone. Also in 1757-58, 1767, 1775 and 1787.
• 1752 Overseer of the poor, Chiddingstone. Also 1775.
• 1759 Churchwarden, Chiddingstone. Also 1769-70, 1782-84.
• 1782 Borsholder for Chiddingstone.

There are many references to William Cole in the overseers' accounts. In 1754 Chiddingstone parish paid him for keeping Ann Card. From April 1757 there are many references to Mary Jessup. She was presumably a poor girl who William was paid to keep; for him she was an unpaid servant. The parish at various times paid for her clothes, shoes, stockings, a gown, clogs, pattens, changes (?of underwear). Later she was joined by Mary Cockerell.

Then there was a disaster.
August 1761 The parish paid Thomas Wicking, the borsholder, to go to Edenbridge to arrest William Cole of Medhurst Row, Edenbridge.

• September 1761 Samuel Bevan was paid for a journey to James Cole at Medhurst Row.
• October 1761 Widow Vincent was paid 5s for nursing Mary Jessup and Mrs Cronk was paid 5s for laying Mary Jessup.
• 1761 Bastardy Bond. "Whereas Mary Jessup of Chiddingstone singlewoman was lately gotten with child by William Cole as appeareth by the examination on oath of the said Mary Jessup taken before Thomas Curteis, one of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace for Kent and she the said Mary Jessup being as yet undelivered is likely to become chargeable to the said parish of Chiddingstone, William Cole, husbandman and James Cole, weaver and father of William Cole, all of Chiddingstone, are bound in the sum of £50 to indemnify the parish of Chiddingstone for the expense of bringing up the child over the next 21 years".
• 1759 William Cole was paid for going to the doctor (who might have lived in Sevenoaks) on account of George Weller's shoulder.
• 1759 William Cole was paid for moving Elizabeth Medhurst's goods to Elizabeth Denton's.
• 1764 He was paid for faggots for the highway.
• 1774 He was paid for fetching stones and sand for the causeway going to Bowbeech.
• 1778-80 He was paid for keeping Thomas Baker's child.
• 1783 He was paid for a journey to Croydon.

William Cole is frequently mentioned in the accounts of Henry Streatfeild, the squire of Chiddingstone. Usually it was for the purchase by William of a calf; on one occasion William sold to Streatfeild a kiln of lime.
1782 To Farmer Cole for a spotted pole cow big with calf at four years £6.

William Cole was buried at Chiddingstone on July 19th 1795, aged 73. In his will he left Little Hilders to his wife Ann for life and then to his three sons John, William and Edward. This will is mentioned in the manorial records of Sundridge Weald but has not otherwise been located. After his death his widow Ann continued to run the family farm business until her death in 1810, being buried at Chiddingstone on March 21st .