THE ENGLISH PRIORY OF THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER WAS SUPPRESSED IN 1540 BY KING HENRY VIII AND THEIR PROPERTIES AND ESTATES CONFISCATED BY THE CROWN. PROPERTY PREVIOUSLY HELD BY THE PRIORY IN THE PARISH OF NONINGTON IS DESCRIBED IN THE 1558 PHILIP AND MARY ROLL, A PATENT ROLL MADE IN THE 4^TH YEAR OF THE REIGN PHILIP AND MARY CONTAINING PROVISIONS FOR THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRIORY IN ENGLAND WHICH LISTED THE PROPERTY AND ASSETS PREVIOUSLY HELD BY THE PRIORY BEFORE ITS DISSOLUTION. THESE WERE RESTORED TO THE PRIORY ONLY TO BE CONFISCATED AGAIN IN 1559 BY QUEEN ELIZABETH I, ALTHOUGH NO PROVISION WAS ACTUALLY MADE TO RE-SUPPRESS THE ENGLISH GRAND PRIORY. THE REMAINING HANDFUL OF THE ENGLISH KNIGHTS LATER FOUGHT IN THE SIEGE OF MALTA AGAINST THE TURKS.

THE LANDS IN NONINGTON AND WOMENSWOLD ARE LISTED IN THE ROLL AS FOLLOWS:

REDDIT IN DIVS VILLIS. ET DE IIIJ LI V S IIIL D I( £3 5/- 4d) IN REDDTAM, LITSOR QAM CUSTUM TENEN AC AD VOLUNT IN DIV VILLIS SEQUENT SOLVENCT AD FM SCI MICTIS ARCHI IN ANNU VIZ HOLESTRET IN POCHIA DE NONYNGTON IJ S IIIJ D (2/- 3d) , WYMSWOLD INFRO POCHIAM DE KYNGESTON XXX S VJ D (30/- 6d).

RICHARD MOCKETT, A YEOMAN, IS REFERRED TO IN OTHER CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTS AS HOLDING 5 RODS OF LAND ‘OF THE LATE PRIORY OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM’ AND ’ FIVE RODS OF LAND NEXT HARELESTRETE BUTTS’, REFERENCES TO THE SAME PIECE OF PRIORY LAND. THE ‘BUTTS’ REFERRED TO ARE NOT ARCHERY BUTTS BUT THOSE FORMED WHERE THE BOUNDARIES OF SEPARATELY OWNED PIECES OF LAND ‘BUTTED’ TOGETHER. IN PRE-NINETEENTH CENTURY NONINGTON LAND HOLDINGS WERE OFTEN SMALL AND SCATTERED, SEPARATED FROM ADJOINING HOLDINGS BY SMALL RIDGES, HEDGES OR HEDGED-BANKS AND, IN SOME LARGER HOLDINGS SUCH AS COOKY’S, BANKED AND HEDGED DITCHES. SEVERAL OF THE FIELDS IN THE HOLT STREET AREA HAVE STILL VISIBLE BOUNDARY BANKS AND DITCHES, SOME OF WHICH STILL DIVIDE MODERN LAND HOLDINGS.

THE TENEMENT AND LAND REFERRED TO ABOVE APPEARS TO BE THE PRESENT BUTTER STREET COTTAGE AND THE SMALL ADJOINING FIELD WHICH HAS A WELL DEFINED EASTERN BOUNDARY BANK RUNNING FROM BUTTER STREET TOWARDS THE RAILWAY LINE. THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS BANK WAS A SEPARATE FIELD REFERRED TO ON A 1750’S MAP AS LITTLE COOKS HILL, AND WAS SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF COOK’S HILL BY A BANKED HEDGE, NOW GONE, WHICH FORMED ANOTHER PART OF THE ‘HARELESSTRETE BUTTS’ REFERRED TO ABOVE. UNTIL THE NINETEENTH CENTURY A TENEMENT WAS A SUBSTANTIAL HIGH STATUS BUILDING USUALLY WITH LAND ATTACHED AND NOT SLUM HOUSING AS IN CURRENT USAGE.

THE LAND REFERRED TO IN THE ROLLS AS THE CHURCH LANDS MOST PROBABLY REFERS TO WHAT LATER BECAME KNOWN AS ‘CLERKS ACRE’, WHICH ADJOINS THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF CHAPMANS CLOSE. IT IS IN FACT ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF AN ACRE, ITS REVENUE FORMED PART OF THE PARISH CLERKS SALARY UNTIL WELL INTO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, ITS EVENTUAL WORTH IN EXCESS OF FIVE POUNDS PER ANNUM. CHAPMANS CLOSE IS THE EMBANKED FIELD AT THE TOP OF CHAPMANS HILL ON THE SOUTHERN (RAILWAY LINE) SIDE AND IS NOW IN AYLESHAM PARISH, CHAPMAN WAS A 16^TH. CENTURY TENANT OF THE LAND.