Chillenden

The East Kent Order Book, Epiphany 1654/5  mentions a John Godfry:-

John Godfry of Chillenden is a man of good behaviour and the house where he dwells has been a very ancient victualling house, this court does now licence the said house and the said Godfrey to keep victualling and John Godfrey shall go with two sureties to a justice of the peace and enter into a recognizance to keep the usual articles entered into by victuallers.

In the mid-1670’s Ursula Hudson, widow, of Chillenden appears on victuallers licencing rolls with John Menbell and James Nash, a wealthy inhabitant of Nonington, giving recognence of £.10. each.

Richard and Elizabeth Jones also appear separately on the rolls in the 1670’s as holding a victualler’s license in Chillenden.

Ursula Hudson’s husband appears on the Heath tax list in 1664 as a taxpayer living in the borough of Chillenden in Wingham Hundred. No signs are listed on these early licensing documents so it must be presumed that the aforementioned were licensees of the "Dogg," the "Griffins" first known name.

Richard Bear is listed as living in Chillenden in the assessment for Church repairs tax of 1692. A victuallers license is shown as being issued in 1706 to Richard Bear/Bearman, licensee of premises known as the Dogg, it is suggested that this pub changed its name to the "Griffons/Griffins Head" about 1724.

In 1707 Elizabeth D’Aeth, nee Narborough of Knowlton Court, the first wife of Sir Thomas D’Aeth inherited the Knowlton Court estate to which owned The Dog. The D’Aeth crest was “A griffin’s head, or, with a trefoil in his mouth, vert”.

However 1724/25 John Johnson holds a victuallers license at the same time as Thos. Bax at the "Griffon," no sign shown, pays 8/- for license, the same as Bax, and the same two people stand surety for both licensees. So perhaps Chillenden did have two pubs at one time, and the "Dogg" closed.

LICENSEE LIST

GODFEY John 1654+

HUDSON Ursula 1670s+

MENBELL John 1670s+

NASH James 1670s+

JONES Richard & Elizabeth 1670s+

BEAR/BEARMAN Richard 1706+

BAXON/BAX/BAUX Thomas 1719+ (also carpenter)

JOHNSON John 1724