Godmersham

Above map, 1716. The village in its entirety was demolished by the local squire. The map attached is very misleading as the top is NOT North (the top is more or less West). You can see the river flow (from top to bottom) and the Chekur (taking road from left side of map) cross the bridge and it’s the first large building on left. The largest building on the map. (Highlighted red) Interested because Bullyng and Boulding are the same name. This John Bullyng is almost certainly a closely related to my ancestors from Crundale/Godmersham where they farmed from at least 1303. David Boulding.

John Bollyng or Bullyng, vintner of Godmersham, was probably born in Canterbury around 1465 - and is the youngest son of John and Joan (née Davias) Bullyng, a St Augustine's Abbey Treasurer's Clerk who lived in St Martin's Canterbury.

John's mother Joan (née Davyas) was the only daughter of John and Christine Davyas of Godmersham. John Davias died - when exactly we don't know - and his widow Christina Davias who, as a widow, remarried to another John Bullyng (c1400 - 1464) of St Michael's Canterbury, John's great uncle. It is through his mother that John inherited his property in Godmersham - at what date exactly we don't know. His mother, Joan Davyas, was daughter of Christina Davyas (d1464) who was the widow of John Davyas who owned the property in Godmersham which we now know to be The Cheker Inn.

Circa 1519 this property inheritance involved a legal dispute with Rabage Broke (a woman).

We know from the records of the manor of Ford and Yalland that in 1519 "Roberge Broke holdyth a messuage callyd the Checur, adjoynyng to the brigge, sometime of William Crompe and before John Alsye."

We further know that the former incumbents of The Checur; John Alsye died in 1471 and Thomas Crompe in 1501. We must assume that some time prior to John Alsye that John Davias (John Bullyng's grandfather) held the property.

The circa 1519 dispute in question involved a property that had been left by John Davyas of Godmersham (this John's maternal grandfather) - at a date unknown - to his son William Davyas, the eldest of his four Davyas children. On William Davyas's death the property passed from William to John, William's son. But young John Davyas died with no children so when this young John Davyas died the property passed to John and Christina Davyas's second son Richard - Richard was alive and mentioned in his mother Christina's 1464 will - then after Richard's death (date unknown) to John, the third son of John and Christian Davyas, and then, after this John died without heirs, to their youngest child, Joan Davyas who, by this time, had married John Bullyng (14?? - 1481), (father to this John Bullyng).

However, the fly in the ointment was that John, the third Davyas son, had "enfeoffed Symond Lawne where after Rabage Broke' claymeth the premisses". In the Ford and Yalland Manor roll of 1519 Rabage Broke is tenant at The Chekur. Symond Lawne had died in 1503 and thereby hangs the undated Chancery Proceedings dispute sometime between 1518 - 1529!

By 1521 John is noted as a vintner of Godmersham - which suggests that by now he was installed at The Chekur - as he was sued for debt along with "Rawlyns, Robert, of Redyng, Berks, dyer; Chamberlen, Edward alias William, of Ayssheborn in the Peke, Derbs, yeoman; Gay, Edward, of London, stockfishmonger; Bullyng, John, of Godmersham, Kent, vintner; Ade, William, of Rochester, Kent, innholder, merchant of the staple" by William Chamberleyn, of London, draper, merchant of the staple.

From his 1524 will we learn that John Bullyng had probably left no male heirs, just his wife Joan and two daughters, Barbara and Elizabeth, are mentioned in his will and a debt owed to him by Elizabeth his wife's sister. He also mentions his "suster" who was to inherit the Chekur if both his daughters died.

LICENSEE LIST

DAVYAS John

DAVYAS William (eldest son of John Davyas)

DAVYAS John (son of William Davyas)

DAVYAS Richard second son of John Davyas - alive 1464)

ALYSE Jhn to 1471

DAVYAS John (third son of John Davyas)

CRUMPE Thomas (tenant till 1501)

LAWNE Simond (tenant - died 1503)

BROKE Roberge (tenant till 1519)

BULLYNG John owner till death 1524