Parishes: Hayes

HAYES

LIES south westward from Chesilhurst, being formerly written in old deeds, Hese.

This parish is but small, the village stands nearly in the center of it, having the church on the western side of it, and about one hundred yards from it Hayesplace. The river Ravensborne flows by the northeast boundaries of this parish; in the southern part of it is Hayes common, on the edge of which is the antient scite of Baston manor, which claims over the greatest part of this parish, subordinate to the manor of Great Orpington, belonging to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. of which manor this parish is accounted an appendage. In the western part lies the reputed manor or farm of Pickhurst. The air is very healthy, the surface forms a valley, running nearly north and south, with the ground rising gradually on each side, on the west, towards Beckenham, where Pickhurstgreen, and part of Langley-park, is at least of equal elevation; and on the east, towards Bromley com mon, the two predominant soils are gravel and clay, though there is some loam and sand.

The MANOR OF BASTON, mentioned above, was formerly part of the possession of the Squeries, a family of eminence in this part of the county, who bone for their arms, A squirrel brouzing a bazel nut; one of whom, Sir John de Squerie, was seated at Squerie'scourt, in Westerham, as early as the reign of king Edward III. One of his descendants, Thos. Squerie, died in the 17th year of king Henry VI. possessed of this manor, as well as of the adjoining one of West Wickham, and left them to his son and heir, John Squerie, who dying without issue, in the 4th year of king Edward IV. his two sisters became his coheirs, of whom, Margaret married to Sir William Cromer of Tunstal, and Dorothy to Richared Mervin of Fontel's in Wiltshire, who in her right became possessed of both these manors. (fn. 1) The manor itself of Baston, though the scite of it, with the demesne lands, were at some time afterwards, but when is not to be found, sold off to other proprietors, remained in the same tract of ownership as the manor of West Wickham, in the family of Heydon and Lennard; by the marriage of a female heir of the latter, Mary, daughter of Samuel Lennared, esq. they became together the property of John Farnaby, esq. (younger brother of Sir Charles Farnaby Radcliffe, bart.) and be is the present possessor of both these manors. (fn. 2)

THE SCITE of BASTON MANOR, called BASTON-COURT, with the demesne lands, after several intermediate owners, came into the name of Luxford, and William Luxford, in 1795, alienated Baston-court and the demesne lands adjoining to it, to Mr. James Randal, the present owner of them; but the rest of the lands, on the opposite side of the common, were sold by him at the same time to a different person, who annexed them to another farm.

HAYES-PLACE is a seat in this parish, situated about one hundred yards from the church westward, which was once the antient residence of a branch of the family of the Scotts of Halden, in this county. Sir Stephen Scott, knt. one of the sons of John Scott, esq. of Halden, who bore for his arms, Argent a cross corslet sable, kept his shrievalty for this county at this seat, in 1648, being then one of the gentlemen pensioners to Charles I. He afterwards removed his residence to Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, where he died in the year 1658, and was buried in this church. By his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of John Brograve, esq. he had several children, of whom John Scott, esq. the eldest son, became his heir in this seat, and was a gentleman of the king's privy chamber. He married dame Hester, widow of Sir Humphry Style, knt. and bart. of Langley, in whose right he resided there, and dying in 1670, lies buried here. Their descendant, Stephen Scott, esq. alienated this seat to Mr. John Harrison of Southwark, whence it was sold, in 1757, to the Rt. Hon. William Pitt, the second son of Robert Pitt of Boconnock, in Cornwall, esq. who was descended from Thomas Pitt, esq. sometime governor of fort St. George, who bore for his arms, Sable a fess chequy argent and azure between three bezants. He died in 1726, leaving three sons and two daughters; of the sons, Robert, the eldest, will be mentioned hereafter. Thomas, the second, was created earl of Londonderry, and John was in the army. Robert Pitt, esq. the eldest son, was of Boconnock, and married Harriet, sister of John Villers, viscount Grandison, by whom he had two sons; Thomas Pitt, esq. who was of Boconnock, and William, the purchaser of this seat, as above mentioned. (fn. 3), who in 1756, being then a privy counsellor, had the conduct of government intrusted to him, as prime minister, in which post he conducted himself so ably that the English were united and happy at home, and feared and respected abroad; the British ensigns were displayed in the remotest regions, and the national honour advanced to a pitch unknown before.

On his resignation of the office of secretary of state, on Oct. 5, 1761, the king, in consideration of his great and important services, granted to the lady Hester Pitt, his wife, sister to Richard earl Temple, the dignity of Baroness of Chatham, in this county, to herself, and of Baron of Chatham to his heirs male. In 1766, he was again called to be minister of state, and on July 30, that year, was advanced to the titles of Viscount Pitt of Burton Pynsent, in Somersetshire, and earl of Chatham in this county, and at the same time he had the custody of the privy seal delivered to him, which he soon afterwards resigned. Soon after his purchasing this seat, he entirely rebuilt it, nearly on the old scite, but there being only a garden, and very little land belonging to it, he added to it several other parcels of land, which he bought as opportunity offered. When he came to the BurtonPynsent estate, he sold this seat, with his property in this parish, in 1766, to the Hon. Thomas Walpole, who was the second son of the late Horatio lord Walpole, younger brother of Sir Robert Walpole, the first earl of Oxford of this family. He resided here, and made considerable improvements to this place, but two years afterwards re-sold it to the earl of Chatham, at his very earnest and importunate request, who after his retirement from public affairs, resided much here, during which time he finished the grounds and plantations round this seat with that elegance of taste and judgement in which he so particularly excelled, inclosing the whole within a park pale. This earl, called from his superior talents, The great Earl of Chat ham, died at this seat, on May 11, 1778, in consequence of the violent exertions he had made during a speech in the house of lords; when, sainting away, he was carried home to his house in London, and from thence hither, where he languished but a short time till his death, and was afterwards buried in Westminster abbey at the public expence. After his death, this seat was retained by his family only a few years, and in 1785, was by them alienated to James Bond, esq. then lately arrived from the East Indies, he resided here, and was high sheriff of this county in 1788, and part of the year 1789; when, being created a baronet of Ireland, he removed thither, having previously, in the latter year, sold this estate to the Rt. Hon. George viscount Lewisham, eldest son of the earl of Dartmouth, who is the present possessor, and now resides here. (fn. 4)

The Right Hon. William Pitt, now prime minister of this kingdom, whose eminent and superior abilities justly entitle him to the admiration of all Europe, being the second son of The great Earl of Chatham, was born at Hayes-place, on May 28, 1759, during his father's residence here.

Charities

ELIZABETH LIOYED by will, in 1693, gave, for putting poor children to school, a rent charge upon land, part now in the possession of Mr. Stephen Austen Cumberlege, and part in the possession of Miss Cleaver, of the annual produce of 3l.

ELIZABETH HARRISON by will, in 1738, gave 40s. yearly, for putting poor children to school, 10s. on every Good Friday, to such as should say their catechism best, and 10s. for the trustees, being in money 100l. vested in the 3 per cent. Bank ann. in trust, now of the annual produce of 3l.

HAYES is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester. It is a peculiar to the archbishop of Canterbury, and as such, is in the deanry of Shoreham.

The church is dedicated to St. Mary, and stands about the middle of the village. It consists of one isle and a chancel, and has a tower, on which is a low and rather unfightly pyramid; in it hang three bells, the most antient of which was cast by Robert Mot, anno 1602.

In this church, among others, are the following monuments and inscriptions. In the chancel, on a brass plate, the figure of a man in a priest's habit, and memorial for Sir John Heygee, late parson of this church, obt Dec. 19, 1523; another like plate for Sir John Andrew, but without date; a brass plate for John Handford, son of Humphry Handford of London, merchant, died an infant, 1610; another for John Hoare, eighteen years rector here, obt. Feb. 11, 1584, æt. 63; on a brass plate the figure of a priest, and inscription for John Osteler, rector of this church; an inscription under the east window for Rob. Garret, priest, rector of Hayes and Chesilhurst, obt. 1560; on a stone, a monument for John Scott, esq. eldest son of Sir Step. Scott of this county, who married dame Hester, widow of Sir Humphry Style, knt. and bt. of Langley; he was of the king's privy chamber and justice of the peace in quorum for this county, obt. 1670, æt. 45; on a gravestone, two coats quarterly, 1st and 4th, Scott, a cross croslet, 2d and 3d, a chevron between three fleurs de lis; and a memorial for Sir Edw. Scott; on another, with a shield, the like arms; another Scott, impaling on a bend voided three fleurs de lis, a crescent for difference; a third Scott, impaling Brograve, a like disference, and a memorial for Sir Stephen Scott, one of the sons of John Scott, esq. of Halden, gentleman pensioner to the late king Charles, and sheriff in 1648; he married first Jane Morral, widow, daughter of Sir Cuthbert Hackett, secondly Elizabeth, daughter of John Brograve, esq. by whom he had five sons and four daughters; after a long residence in this parish he removed to his seat at Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, where he died in 1658, æt. 79; on a stone, the arms of Bradgate, impaling Scott; and a memorial for Elizabeth, the wife of T. Bradgate, merchant, the eldest daughter of Sir Stephen Scott, and dame Eliz. his wife, obt. 1655, æt. 26, leaving a son, Martin, and a daughter, Elizabeth; on a stone a shield, Reeve impaling Scott, and a memorial for Anne, daughter of Sir Stephen Scott, late of this parish, deceased, and wife of Wm. Reeve, gent. of Fayrle in the isle of Wight, obt. 1661, æt. 31; besides which there are several grave stones over the insant children of Sir Stephen Scott. (fn. 5)

In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church of Hese was valued at then marcs. (fn. 6) By virtue of a commission of enquiry into the value of church livings, in 1650, out of chancery, it was returned, that Hayes was a parsonage, having a house and sixteen acres of land belonging to it, worth forty pounds per annum, one Mr. Christopher Montjoy enjoying it, and honest painful preacher. (fn. 7) It is a discharged living, in the king's books, of the clear yearly certified value of 49l. the yearly tenths of which are 13s. 9½d.

The church of Hayes is at present a rectory, having the church of Downe as a Chapel annexed to it, in the patronage of the rector of Orpington. There was a pension of 6s. 8d. (not 16s. 8d. as erroneously printed in Ecton) demanded by the rector of Orpington from the rector of this parish yearly, the payment of which, as there was not any trace found of its being paid for a number of years past, was refused a few years ago, and was immediately given up by the rector of Orpington.

Church Of Hayes.