The vill’s of North and South Nonington

The parish of Nonnington was one of four formed in 1282 from  the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Manor of Wingham, and St. Mary’s Church, previously a  chapel of ease to Wingham, became a church in it’s own right.  New parish churches were usually situated either close to the house of the lord of the manor or, as in the case of  St. Mary’s church, in the centre of the new parish.
The word hamlet is used in the survey of the Manor of Wingham to represent a small settlement and the land surrounding it which was either not part of a knight’s fee or not classified as freeland, which was land held to be similar in status to a knight’s fee.
The hamlet of Suthnonington, on later maps shortened to Nonington, is mentioned in the foundation document of the College of Wingham in 1282, and would then probably have consisted of the church buildings, at least four farm-houses, or messuages, two of which had quite large land holdings, (see “A survey of Archbishop Pecham’s Kentish Manors 1283-85”, below), as well as some  land-workers dwellings. In later times the hamlet included “The White Horse” ale house and a forge, and the vicarage. The 103 acres of so of land in Suthnonington recorded in Pecham’s survey would have been to the east and south of the hamlet, where it bounded with Ackholt
The North Nonnington hamlet and land which Pecham’s survey records as extending to some 315 or so acres was to the north and west of the hamlet of Nonington to its boundaries with Ackholt, Curleswood Park, and Old Court. Within the hamlet the survey records at least four farm-houses, or messuages, with sizeable land holdings.

The following information is  taken from
“A survey of Archbishop Pecham’s Kentish Manors 1283-85”, 
published by The Kent Archaeological Society, 2000.

North Nonington.
Margaret daughter of William of Nonington holds 50 acres from the land of Alfred and she and Adam Herlewyne hold 25 acres. From these 75 acres they provide 1 boon-worker, 2 carts and perform as much as pertains to ½ Shireman together with customs of ploughing and reaping. They also hold 3 acres 3 roods of inland for which they owe no service.
Hamo at Mede holds 75 acres for which he provides 1 boon-worker and 2 carts and performs as much as pertains to ½ Shireman with customs of ploughing and reaping. He also holds 3 acres 3 roods of inland for which he owes no service.
From the tenements of Burnevale, Thomas of Bonnington holds 45 acres, Gilbert son of Thomas and Peter son of Alan hold 5 acres, the heirs of Robert Shameles hold 5 acres; the heirs of Thomas of Ackholt hold 18 acres; John Storm holds 1 ½ acres; Thomas [? The] Chaplain holds 11 acres; William of Nonington 47 acres; Geoffrey of Wood {Word =Worth? my note} holds 3 ½ acres Stephen Goldsmith holds 1 ½ acres; John of Messeberghe (Marshborough ? my note) and Thomas of Chillenden holds 12 acres; and Emma Shameles holds 4 ½ acres. And there remains 2 acres for which they all answer. For these 157 ½ acres they provide 2 boon-workers and 2 carters undertake 1 averagium and make 1 seam of malt.
This hamlet contains 307 ½ acres of gavel-land [free hold], and 7 ½ acres of inland [held from the desmesne land]. The gavel-land provides 4 boon-workers, 6 carters, 1 averagium and 1 seam of malt. And the hamlet contains 1 Shireland.

Payments to the Archbishop.
From the messuage of Alfred of Nonnington, 1 hen. From the messuage of Hamo of Mede, 1 hen. From the messuage of Herlewyne, 1 hen. From the messuage of Burnevale, 1 hen.
In total, 4 hens.

South Nonington.
Simon and John sons of Robert Shameles hold 25 acres 1 virgate for which they provide 2 boon-workers and 2 carters, undertake 1 averagium and make 1 seam of malt.
Robert of Fingesthere and John his brother hold 25 ½ acres for which they provide 2 boon-workers and 2 stackers, undertake 1 averagium and make 1 seam of malt.
The heirs of Robert Shameles and Robert Shameles hold 4 acres of pasture for which no customs are owed.
John Storm, Alfred and Reyn’us hold 5 acres and also 3 acres 3 virgates from the tenement of Humbold from which Richard Shameles holds another 2 ½ acres. For these 13 acres 3 virgates they provide 2 boon-workers and 2 stackers, undertake 1 averagium and make 1 seam of malt.
Sayena of Ackholt holds 11 ½ acres from the lands of Sedemay and 5 acres 3 virgates from the land of Geremund , from the same land the heirs of William son of Alexander and John son of Alexander hold 3 acres 3 virgates. For these 23 acres they provide 2 boon-workers and 2 stackers, undertake 1 averagium and make 1 seam of malt.
Robert son of Walter Lap and John and William his brothers hold 2 ½ acres; Richard Shameles and his partners hold 2 ½ acres from the land of Sneynot. For these 5 acres they provide 1 boon-worker and 1 stacker and undertake 1 foot- averagium.
The heirs of William son of Alexander and their partners hold 7 acres from the land of Asketyn for which they provide 1 boon-worker and 1 stacker and undertake 1 foot-averagium.
This hamlet contains 99 ½ acres of gavel-land [free hold] and 4 acres of pasture. The gavel-land provides 10 boon-workers, 8 stackers, 2 carters, 4 averagia, 2 foot-averagia and 4 seams of malt. The pasture owes no service.

Payments to the Archbishop.
John Storm (of Stourmouth) for messuage, 1 hen. Alfred Storm (of Stourmouth) for the messuage, 1 hen. Reynard storm (of Stourmouth) for the messuage, 1 hen. Richard Shameles of Dennesland, 1 hen. Simon Shameles & partners, 1 hen. John Mobili [?], & partners for Geremund, 1 hen. Henry le Lap & partners, 1 hen. Richard Shameles for messuage, 1 hen. In total 8 hens.

South Nonington is bordered on the south by Wingham manor’s land holdings at Ackholt, and North Nonington is bordered to the south and west by Wingham’s holdings at Ackholt, Curleswood, and Estratling [Old Court] respectively.

A  survey of Wingham Manor some two hundred or so years later in 1469 records “North Nonynton” as being 355 acres in extent, a gain of forty acres  on the  315 acres recorded in the 1280’s, also mentioned was an “old pytte somewhere between North Nonynton Farm and road”.  South Nonynton was recorded as being 97 acres, about six acres less than in the 1280’s.

After the Dissolution of the Monastries im the reign of Henry VIII, much of the Manor of Wingham’s  North and South Nonington lands, excluding what later became Ratling Court, were eventually acquired first by the Boys family of Fredville, and then later by the Hammond family of  St. Alban’s Court and were still part of this estate when it was sold in 1938.