A HAMLET A QUARTER OF A MILE TO THE SOUTH-EAST OF THE CHURCH, THE NAME DRIVING FROM THE O.E. ‘HOLT’, MEANING A THICKET, HOLT STREET WAS THE HAMLET CLUSTERED AROUND HOLT STREET FARM. THE LOWER PART OF HOLT, OR OLD, STREET, FROM THE ASH PATH TO EASOLE STREET WAS REFERRED TO AS THE DROVE. OLD STREET, OFTEN REFERRED TO IN DOCUMENTS AND MAPS, IS SIMPLY HOLT WITH THE H DROPPED AND THE T PRONOUNCED AS D.

1283-1285. ARCHBISHOP PECHAM’S SURVEY: SIMON OF HOLESTREETE AND ROGER OF HOLESTREETE LISTED AS HOLDING 2 ACRES 1 VIRGATE AND 1 ½ ACRES RESPECTIVELY IN ACKHOLT (ADJOINING HOLESTREETE) TO THE SOUTH-WEST.

1290-1300. ROBERT HOLLESTRETE MENTIONED.

1505-6. EXTRACT FROM THE WILL OF ROBERT BAKER: LIGHT OF OUR LADY OF HOLSTREET AND TO THE CROSS LIGHT OF HOLSTREET A BUSHEL OF BARLEY EACH. TO THE BUYING OF AN ANTIPHONER FOR THE CHURCH, 20S.

1516.(7^TH YEAR HENRY VIII). ROBERT AUSTEN OF NONNINGTON, ONE OF THE CHIEF PARISHIONERS AT THE VISITATION OF ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM WARHAM IN 1511 AND HUSBAND OF JOAN AUSTEN, SOLD TO RICHARD MOCKETT OF NONNINGTON, HER SON, THE MESSUAGE CALLED COOKY’S AND TWENTY-EIGHT ACRES OF LAND IN NONNINGTON FOR £10. THE PRESENT HOLT COTTAGE WAS RE-BUILT ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF A MUCH OLDER THATCHED BRICK HOUSE, THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED MESSUAGE, WHICH WAS DEMOLISHED AFTER SEVERE DAMAGE BY AN ARIEL MINE IN 1940. THE HOUSE IS SURROUNDED BY A SYSTEM OF OLD FIELD ENCLOSURE BANKS AND HEDGES WHICH MARK THE EXTENT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDING. PART OF COOKY’S WAS THE EASTERN OF THE TWO FIELDS, NOW KNOWN AS COOK’S HILL, LYING BETWEEN BUTTER STREET AND THE RAILWAY LINE, AND UNTIL FAIRLY RECENTLY DIVIDED BY A BOUNDARY DITCH AND HEDGED BANK. THE BANK AND DITCH ARE STILL VISIBLE BUT THE HEDGE WAS REMOVED AFTER WORLD WAR II TO MAKE THE TWO FIELDS INTO ONE. THE OTHER PART OF THE PRESENT COOK’S HILL, SOME THIRTY-TWO ACRES, BELONGED TO THE ST. ALBAN’S ESTATE UNTIL ITS BREAK-UP IN THE 1930’S WHEN THE FIELD BECAME PART OF FREDVILLE. ANOTHER HEDGE, AGAIN NOW GONE, SEPARATED THE EASTERN PART OF COOKS HILL FROM DRY CLOSE, LATER OCCUPIED BY SNOWDOWN COLLIERY’S CANTEEN AND BATHS.

(REF. E. KENT ARCHIVES, WHITFIELD EK 1496/T12).

FIVE ACRES AND A HALF OF ARABLE AND PASTURE IN NONINGTON OCC. BY THOS. CHAPMAN AND FOUR ACRES IN NONINGTON OCC. HENRY HOLMER.

A CAPITAL MESSUAGE AND APPURTENENCES TOGETHER WITH BARNES STABLES PIDGEON HOUSE AND OUT-HOUSES THERETO BELONGING OR THERETO USED TO ENJOY. AND ALL THE ARABLE LANDS MEADOWS PASTURES DOWN-LANDS AND WOODLAND THERETO BELONGING CONTAINING 252 ACRES MORE OR LESS AT OR NEAR HOLT STREET IN THE PARISH OF NONINGTON IN KENT. NOW HOLT STREET FARM HOUSE AND FARM YARD. SEE PHOTO NO. 1.

AND ALL THAT MESSUAGE WITH THE APPURTENENCES AND ALL THE LAND MEADOWS AND PASTURE THEREUNTO BELONGING CONTAINING 14 ACRES LYING IN OR NEAR HOLT STREET NOW OR LATE IN THE OCCUPATION OF ? LATE IN OCCUPATION OF GEORGE COCK OR HIS ASSIGNS. THIS IS NOW HOLT STREET COTTAGE. SEE PHOTO NO. 4.

AND THE MESSUAGE AND 3 ACRES OF LAND THEREIN ENJOYED NEAR HOLT STREET LATE IN THE OCCUPATION OF EDWARD SYMONDS AND HIS ASSIGNS. NOW INGLESIDE, NEXT TO THE BRETHRENS MEETING HOUSE. AS LATE AS 1900 THIS WAS RECORDED AS A SEPARATE SMALL HOLDING. SEE PHOTO NO.5.

AND THE BARN CALLED SYMONS’S BARN AND THE APPURTENENCES BEING IN THE PLACE OR YARD OF THE MESSUAGE LAST BEFORE MENTIONED AND THEN OCCUPIED BY EDWARD SYMONDS BUT NOW OF RICHARD KINGSFORD OR HIS ASSIGNS. THE REMAINS OF THE BARN WAS ONLY DEMOLISHED IN THE 1960’S.

AND THE MESSUAGE OR TENEMENT AND APPURTENENCES AND 3 ACRES OF LAND MORE OR LESS THERETO BUTTING OR ADJOINING AFORESAID AT OR NEAR HOLT STREET IN THE OCCUPATION OF THOMAS PACKTON OR HIS ASSIGNS. BELIEVED TO BE THE HOUSE TO THE NORTH OF NIGHTINGALE LANE AT ITS JUNCTION WITH HOLT ST. SEE PHOTOS NOS. 2 & 3..

AND THE COTTAGE OR TENEMENT AND APPURTENENCES AND 1 ACRE OF LAND MORE OR LESS ( -?- ) NEAR HOLT STREET WITHIN THE LANDS OCCUPIED OF GEORGE CORK AND THEN OR LATE OF SAMUEL TURVEY AND HIS ASSIGNS. NOW PART OF JOHNSON’S TERRACE, THE BUILDING STOOD TO THE SOUTH OF NIGHTINGALE LANE AT ITS JUNCTION WITH HOLT ST. SEE PHOTO NO 2.

*AND THE MESSUAGE AND 4 ACRES OF LAND MORE OR LESS BEING IN NONINGTON ALSO IN THE OCCUPATION OF THOMAS PACKTON OR HIS ASSIGNS.

*AND THE MESSUAGE OR TENEMENT AND 4 ACRES OF LAND MORE OR LESS THERETO BELONGING OR THE SAME USED OCCUPIED OR ENJOYED SITUATED IN WOMENSWOLD OCCUPIED BY JOHN MORRIS.

*AND A COTTAGE OR TENEMENT AND 1 ACRE OF LAND BY ESTIMATION IN NONINGTON IN THE TENURE OF SAMUEL BROWNING AND HIS ASSIGNS.

*AND A COTTAGE OR TENEMENT AND 2 ACRES IN NONINGTON IN THE OCCUPATION OF GEORGE MARSH.

*AND A COTTAGE OR TENEMENT AND APPURTENENCES AND 1 ACRE OF LAND BY ESTIMATION THERETO BELONGING IN NONINGTON AND IN THE OCCUPATION OF WM FAGG AND HIS ASSIGNS.

AND 2 PIECES OR PARCELLS OF ARABLE LAND CALLED CHAPMAN’S CLOSE AND THEREOF 8 ACRES OR BY WHAT OTHER NAME THE SAME ARE CALLED CONTAINING 20 ACRES IN NONINGTON AND IN THE OCCUPATION OF RICHARD KINGSFORD OR HIS ASSIGNS.

AND THAT WOOD AND WOODLAND CALLED -?- WOOD (POSSIBLY PART OF A LARGER BROOMHILL WOOD BUT MOST PROBABLY WHAT IS NOW BIG AND LITTLE RUBERRIES WITHOUT ‘THE LARCHES’ ) CONTAINING 13 ACRES AND ONE HALF IN NONINGTON IN THE OCCUPATION OF JEREMY GAY & E. CURTEIS.

1606. EDWARD BOYS OF HOLTSTREETE, GENTLEMAN, MENTIONED IN PARISH REGISTER AS FATHER OF JANE, BAPTIZED 29^TH MAY 1606. PROBABLY RESIDENT IN AN EARLIER HOLT STREET FARM HOUSE, THE CELLARS OF THE PRESENT HOUSE APPEAR TO BE MUCH OLDER THAN THE STRUCTURE. THE BOYS FAMILY OWNED SEVERAL THOUSAND ACRES OF LAND IN NONINGTON AND ADJOINING PARISHES).

A MESSUAGE OR MANSION HOUSE AND ALL BARNS STABLES PIDGEON HOUSE AND OUTHOUSES EDIFICES AND BUILDINGS GARDENS ORCHARDS AND YARDS. 258 ACRES OF LAND WOOD AND PASTURE OCCUPIED BY RICH. KINGSFORD.

OTHER LANDS OCCUPIED AS ABOVE.

LAND APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN BOUGHT AROUND 1684 BY FULKE ROSE, A JAMAICA MERCHANT.

1684. CONSISTED OF 12 MESSUAGES AND GARDENS, 220 ACRES OF LAND, 100 ACRES OF PASTURES AND 15 ACRES OF WOODLAND IN NONINGTON & WOMENSWOLD PARISHES. ALSO COURT LEET MENTIONED.

SALE OF A PIECE OF ARABLE LAND, ABOUT FOUR ACRES AND APPURTENENCES LYING IN NONNINGTON AFORESAID ABUTTING TO A WOOD CALLED CONEY WOOD TO THE WEST, AND THE LANDS OF FULKE ROSE (HOLT STREET FARMS OCCUPIER) TOWARDS THE NORTH AND SOUTH.

1689. CHRISTOPHER BOYS IN DEBT TO FULKE ROSE.

1693. KNOWN AS NUNNINGTON FARM IN DOCUMENTS. WILLED BY FULKE ROSE TO HIS DAUGHTER, MARY, FOREVER.

1700. KNOWN AS NUNNINGTON ESTATE IN DOCUMENTS.

1731. 252 ACRES ECT. IN THE POSSESSION OF THOMAS SHARPE NEAR HOLT STREET, TENANTED BY JOHN COX, ROBERT CUSSONS, WILLIAM CORK, THOMAS ATTWOOD, WILLIAM BEANE, VALENTINE BEANE AND WIDOW PILCHER.

1740. THOMAS GREEN WILLS FARM.

THE 1754 DOC. STATES THAT FRANKENPLEDGE CONCERNS:‘ ALL TENANTS RESIDENTS AND INHABITANTS ALSO ALL OTHER RESIDENTS OR COMMONERS WITHIN THE MANOR LORDSHIP VILL AND HAMLET OF FREDVILL AND ST. ALBANS IN THE SAID MANOR OF KENT AND WITHIN THE MOYETY OR HALF HUNDRED OF ESTRAY (EASTRY)’.

IN ANGLO-SAXON SOCIETY A MANS KINDRED WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OFFENCES HE COMMITTED. THE LAWS OF ATHELSTAN (924-940), EDGAR (959-975) AND CANUTE (1016-35) SYSTEMIZE THE NOTION OF COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY BY REQUIRING EVERY MAN TO HAVE A BORH OR SURETY. FRANKENPLEDGE HAD FULLY EVOLVED BY WILLIAM I. TIME, IN THE NORTH IT WAS KNOWN AS TENMANNETALLE. EVERY FREEMAN HAD TO ENROLE IN A GROUP OF TEN (TITHING) WHO WERE THEN BOUND TO PRODUCE ANY OF THEIR NUMBER WANTED BY THE LAW, FOR EXAMPLE, TO GIVE EVIDENCE OR PAY PENALTY. TWICE YEARLY THE SHERIFF HELD A ‘VIEW TO FRANKENPLEDGE’ IN THE HUNDRED COURT TO ENSURE MEN WERE ENROLLED. VIEW RIGHTS WERE SOMETIMES GIVEN TO INDIVIDUAL LORDS OR BOROUGHS.

COURT LEETS WERE USED WHERE LORDS ENJOYED THE RIGHTS OF ‘SOC AND SAC’, RIGHTS ENJOYED BY THE LORDS WHO HELD ESTATES WHERE JURISDICTION WAS IN PRIVATE HANDS. THESE COURTS SHIRE WERE INDEPENDENT OF THE HUNDRED COURTS BUT NOT THE COURTS.

COURTS: BARON= A USUALLY ANNUAL COURT TO RESOLVE SMALL CIVIL DISPUTES CONSISTING OF THE FREE-HOLDERS OF A MANOR UNDER THE CHAIRMAN SHIP OF THE MANORIAL STEWARD. THE MANORIAL COURT WHICH DEALT WITH THE TRANSFER OF COPYHOLD LAND, UPON INHERITANCE OR SALE, WHICH DETERMINED THE CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR, AND WHICH ENFORCED PAYMENT OF SERVICES WHICH WERE DUE TO THE LORD. IT WAS NORMALLY HELD EVERY THREE WEEKS.

LEET = THE MANORIAL COURT WHICH DEALT WITH PETTY LAW AND ORDER AND ADMINISTERED COMMUNAL AGRICULTURE. BY THE LATE MIDDLE AGES THE COURT LEET AND THE VIEW OF FRANKENPLEDGE WERE VIEWED AS ALTERNATIVE NAMES FOR THE SAME JURISDICTION.