The CHILTON ESTATE, HUNGERFORD, BERKSHIRE, GREAT SHEFFORD, BERKSHIRE, CHILTON FOLIAT, WILTSHIRE COLLECTION

Contains: General correspondence 1814-1958; in-letters of Sir John Hubert Ward and Lady Ward 1912-1939; in-letters of the Chilton Estate Office, 1930-1940; out-letters of the Chilton Estate Office 1915-1946; estate account books 1909-1942; cash books 1909-1953; allotment rents account books 1909-1944; sporting account books 1909-1947; garden account books 1909-1947; cottage rents account books 1909-1941; cottage and allotment rents account book 1900-1905; dairy account books 1909-1959; stud account books 1909-1945; farm rents account book 1912-1936; annual abstract of accounts 1915-1945; stamp account book 1940-1945; cash books of Dudley House, Park Lane London 1931-1944; summary of receipts and expenditure 1910-1943; balance sheets 1909-1940; vouchers 1937-1939; vouchers of Lady Ward, Dudley House 1939; monthly dairy accounts 1912-1920; accounts of Christmas beef allowance on the Chilton Estate 1926-1955; sundry loose accounts 1717-1927; ledger balances 1911-1920; list of outstanding accounts 1912; sale catalogue of Chilton Lodge Estate 1908; sale catalogue of live and dead farming stock of New Hayward Farm 1909; price list of iron and steel were supplied by Croggon and Co Ltd, London 1927; sale catalogue of 'Stype' a freehold sporting estate at Shalbourne, Hungerford, Berkshire 1932; certified extracts if marriages and baptisms 1773-1794; certificate of contract for the redemption of land tax for land in Chilton Foliat, Berkshire and Wiltshire 1799; certificate of exoneration from land tax granted to James Herbert for land in Hungerford 1799; deeds relating to manors of Leverton and Heywood, Chilton Park, Chilton Foliat, Wilts, land in Hungerford, Berkshire, Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire, West Shefford, Berkshire, Eddington, Berkshire, Leverton Wiltshire, Kintbury Berkshire, Chipping Lambourn and Hungerford, Berkshire, East Garston, Berkshire; herd book 1953-1965; inventories 1905-1908, 1935; labour account books 1928-1943; plan of freehold residential and sporting estate known as Chilton Lodge 1908; register of milk yield 1908-1918; report on right of inheritance to property in Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire 1807; report on drainage of Hungerford 1903; memorandum of Land Agents Society on the rating of woodlands and sporting rights 1928; completed forms relating to duties payable on land values at Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire 1910-1919; completed claims for additional relief from income tax on property at Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire 1927-1942; notices of assesment for income tax of Sir John H Ward of Chilton Foliat, Witlshire 1933-1946; correspondence and returns relating to assessments of annual value of property at Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire 1930-1936; terrier of the Chilton Estate, Hungerford, Berkshire c1884; papers relating to rating and valuation assessments of the Chilton Estate; wills 1661-1835; memoranda relating to farms on the Chilton Estate 1724-1938; acts of Parliament affecting estate management 1878-1948; official reports and memoranda affecting estate management 1878-1948; officail reports and memoranda affecting estate management 1908-1940; reports on agricultural rents, taxation and land valuation 1915-1951

The Chilton Estate lies in the parishes of Great Shefford, Berkshire, Hungerford, Berkshire and Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire. For many years, it was held by the Whitelocke family, one of whom, Bulstrode Whitelocke (1605-1675), played an active part in politics during the period of the Civil War and Commonwealth. He died at Chilton Lodge in 1675 (see Dictionary of national biography, v. 61, p. 110 ff). In the 18th century, the estate was sold to John Zephaniah Holwell (1711-1798) one of the survivors of the Black Hole of Calcutta, who subsequently became Governor of Bengal, (see Dictionary of national biography, v. 27, p. 212 ff). Early in the 19th century, it became the property of John Pearse, who demolished the old mansion and built the present one from designs by Pilkington. The mansion was enlarged and almost completely reconstructed between 1890 and 1892 by Sir William George Pearce, who bought the estate in 1890. Since 1908 it has been held by members of the Ward family.

In 1908 the estate comprised about 2,332 acres, and included eight farms: Old Hayward Farm (432 acres), New Hayward Farm (380 acres), Little Hidden Farm (171 acres), North Hidden Farm (364 acres), Chilton Park Farm (182 acres), Folly Farm (184 acres), Upper Eddington Farm (66 acres) and Eddington Farm. Of these, Little Hidden Farm, New Hayward Farm and Old Hayward Farm were cultivated in 1908 by the owner; the remainder were leased. Soil: chiefly loam with chalk subsoil

• CORRESPONDENCE
• BOOKS OF ACCOUNT
• CATALOGUES
• CERTIFICATES
• DEEDS
• HERD BOOKS
• INVENTORIES
• LABOUR BOOKS
• MAPS
• REGISTERS
• REPORTS
• RETURNS
• TERRIERS
• VALUATIONS
• WILLS
• SUNDRY PAPERS
• PRINTED MATERIAL

Open for consultation

Presented on permanent deposit 20 April 1968 by the Chilton Estate Office, (Farm Records Accession number 698)

Compiled by Caroline Gould, 4 March 2003

A detailed catalogue is available at the Museum of English Rural Life

Please contact the Archivist