A Survey of Chelsfield in 1798

Introduction to the Survey - In about 1950, when I had the run of the fine collection of documents kept in the Vestry at Chelsfield parish church, I found and transcribed a leather-bound volume containing a survey of the parish of Chelsfield and Farnborough, taken in 1798. Later on this was among a few items which were deposited at Bromley Local Studies Library, reference P86/3/1, unfortunately dated to 1817 rather than 1798. This confusion has arisen because the volume later belonged to Thomas Waring, and bears on the fly-leaf his signature and the date 1817.
    Spurred on by the efforts made by the Kent Archaeological Society to publish transcripts of such material on its website, I recently checked through my own work, and have now put on computer the part referring to Chelsfield – I hope to add the Farnborough section in due course. I have corrected a few obvious errors, and have added in square brackets some farm names not included in the original, but otherwise this is a literal transcript.
   The survey is similar to the Tithe surveys of 40 years later, although less detailed; the accompanying map is described only as an "eye sketch" and the parish is shown divided into 15 sections, to which reference is made in the terrier. The introductory page reads –
   CHELSFIELD – The Number of Acres in the following Terrier, is generally ascertained by Computation. In a few Instances, however, it will appear that the Contents are stated, in Acres, Roods, and Perches, which were, in such Cases, where the Owner, produced a Map of the Estate – Each Piece was nevertheless viewed, previous to its Quantity being set down.

    I have included photographs of the map and of specimen pages from the survey, and a tracing of the map for ease of reference.                                                          Geoffrey Copus October 2005
                                                                                           17 Oakdale Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8DS

The Schedule  (155KB)   With names of landowners, occupiers, fieldnames and field uses with acreages  

The Maps  To view individual pictures click on the thumbnail picture.

1798 Survey of ChelsfieldTracing of 1798 Survey of ChelsfieldPage of 1798 Survey of Chelsfield