I think you can be confident that the present house is the one in which Sir Thomas Wilford lived. Originally timber-framed, it would have been faced in brick at a later date, possibly in the Georgian period.
Interesting, Conan!
There are two other homes in Kent that are tied to the Wilford/Wilsford family - these in the Cranbrook area:
"THE BOROUCH OF FRI[E]ZLEY, as it is now called, corruptly for Freechister, alias Abbots Franchise, is a district situated about a mile eastward from Flishinhurst, and is within the liberty of the royal manor of Wye, which formerly belonged to the abbey of Batteli, whence it has likewise the name of Abbots Franchise. (fn. 3) This borough has a court leet of itself.
The principal estate in it formerly belonged to the Wilsfords, of Hartridge, one of whom sold it to the Hovendens, great clothiers here, whose principal mansion it was."
"HARTRID[G]E is a manor, which lies at the northern boundary of this parish, next to Stapelhurst, the mansion of which was formerly a seat of note, being the property and residence of an antient and worthy family of the time name, one of whom, Thomas Hartridge, was a conservator or justice of the peace in this county in the 34th year of Edward III. when there were eight only in the whole shire. In his descendant, who bore for their arms, Or, a chevron between three griffins heads, erased, sable, this seat continued, till it was at length sold by one of them, about the reign of Henry VIII. to
Thomas Wilsford, esq. who came and resided here at Hatridge, and by the acts of 31 king Henry VIII. and 2 and 3 Edward VI. had his lands disgavelled. He was descended from William Wilsford, of Devonshire, anno 4 Henry IV. of whose grandson, James was alderman and sheriff of London, anno 15 Henry VII. and Edmund was S. T. P. provost of Oriel college, in Oxford, &c. and died in 1507. They bore for their arms, Gules, a chevron ingrailed, between three leopards heads, or. By his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Walter Colepeper, of Bedgbury, he had two sons of nine daughters, of the former, Francis, the youngest, was of Nonington, and ancestor of the Wilsfords, of Dover and Yorkshire; and
James Wilsford, esq. the eldest, was of Hartridge. By this second wife he had Sir Thomas, who was of Ilden, in kingston, ancestor of those of that place, and of Rochester; and one daughter Cecilia, wife of Edwin Sandys, archbishop of York.
James Wilsford, esq. the eldest son by the first marriage, inherited and resided at Hartridge, and was afterwards knighted; from whom this seat at length descended down to James Wilsford, esq. his eldest grandson, who having married Anne, daughter and heir of Thomas Newman, esq. of Quendon, in Essex, removed to the seat of her inheritance there, where he died in 1619, before which he had alienated, this estate of Hartridge to Tindal, of Sutton Valence."
Source:
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol7/pp90-113The house at Friezley evidently still stands. The attached photo showing half-timber construction is Friezley. More details on it here, dating the earliest surviving construction to the 16th century:
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1347912Less certain is the status of Hartridge. The 34th year of Edward III's reign would have been 1361, and the 31st year of Henry VIII's reign would have been 1540. I found a candidate on the Historic England website:
Hartridge Manor. (See attached pic.) The official details date it to the 17th century - too late to have been the Wilsford residence:
"Farmhouse. C17, clad in C19 and extended in mid and later C19. Timber-framed on wide red brick plinth, tile-hung above. Plain tiled roof, half-hipped with brick ridge stack. 2 storeys. Three windows, regular through the central first floor window is blocked. Tripartite glazing bar sashes. Entrance at rear. L-shaped block with mid C18 2 storey block in angle of L to rear with further wing beyond, (to north-east). Triple-span hipped roofed extension to right (south)."
Any chance this is the location - if not the actual building - where the Wilsfords lived for nearly 80 years?
If not, I wonder also if
Sissinghurst Park (built in 1916) might be on the location of the Wilsfords' Hartridge Manor, because the name was changed in the Listed Buildings entry from "Hartridge House":
- In the entry for: CRANBROOK Cranbrook Common TQ 73 NE (west side) 3/88 Hartridge House - II -> The entry shall be amended to read: TQ 73 NE CRANBROOK Cranbrook Common (west side) 3/88 Cranbrook Court - II
- In the entry for:- CRANBROOK CRANBROOK COMMON TQ 73 NE (west side) 3/88 Cranbrook Court II -> The entry shall be amended to read:- TQ 73 NE CRANBROOK CRANBROOK COMMON (west side) 3/88 Sissinghurst Park II
Thanks for your thoughts, opinions and expertise!
Paul Williford
