Timeline
This is a draft outline of the people and events relating to Home Farm Cottage. Most are undocumented or not linked properly for the time being with the idea being to update and tidy in due course.
- 1841 Jun 06 (Sun) – 1841 Census. Property not identifiable but perhaps the one where Stephen Belsey Ag Lab is living in Waldershare St next to the mansion. More plotting required.
- 1851 Apr 05 (Sun) – 1851 Census. There are a few unnamed properties after the Mansion House which may well be related to the location – this was built in the early 1700s so if map found should be able to review closer. Unable to find close up map earlier than 1870s.
- 1861 Apr 07 (Sun) – 1861 Census. There is one property from Waldershare included in another census review. Can’t find anyone else in Waldershare being recorded as that though for location. This is Appleton Farm I believe which appears to be the only establishment within the vicinity. Having looked at a map there was a weird bit of Waldershare remote to the rest of the place.
- 1871 Apr 02 (Sun) – 1871 Census. This is the census pages for Waldershare but cannot easily confirm which is the property.
- c1871 – Map of Appleton Farm surveyed 1871/2, published 1877. This clearly shows Home Farm Cottage as part of Home Farm complex.
- 1881 Apr 03 (Sun) – 1881 Census. Under Farm (next to Mansion) is John Goldsack as Farm Servant Indoor and family along with boarders.
- 1891 Apr 05 (Sun) – 1891 Census. Now there isn’t an address given for the place next to the mansion in this census but the Farm Bailiff is John Goldsack and his wife Emma along with their children and boarders. Now this is the couple featured in the old photograph of the place I believe!!
- c1896 – Map revised in 1896/7, published in 1898.
- c1898 – Map revised 1896, revised 1898. This seems to clearly show the property later known as Home Farm Cottage.
- 1901 Mar 31 (Sun) – 1901 Census. Not definite who is in the peroperty as several seem to be Home Farm but not saying cottage. There is Thomas Birch with family in the Servants House if that may be it. He’s Farm Bailiff.
- c1905 – Map revised 1905, published 1907.
- 1911 Apr 02 (Sun)- 1911 Census. Not definite who is in the property as can find several referenced Home Farm but none specific to Home Farm Cottage.
- 1913 Sep 29 – Fire at Mansion.
- 1921 Jun 19 (Sun) – 1921 Census. Mr P Sisby along with wife and daughter seem to be in the property. He is a farm labourer for Earl of Guilford.
- c1937 – Map revised 1937 to 1960, published in 1961. Now this map loses the buildings to the left side of Home Farm Cottage as you look past it in the image posted on Historic England. I don’t remember there being any other buildings in that spot.
- 1939 Sep 29 (Fri) – 1939 Register. John Beer along with wife and two children seem to be in the property. He is an agricultural labourer.
- c1940 – The Mansion at Waldershare became the Royal Victoria Hospital during WWII.
- Booklet called Tilmanstone Parish Chest by Eve Williams. It is genuinely dated 1794 but think two digits may be transposed there.
- 1956 Oct 18 – Ploughing match took place in shocking conditions in the grounds with Lord and Lady Guilford newly returned from honeymoon in their first public hosting appearance.
- Booklet called East Kent Ploughing Match Association – Ploughing Matches from 1840
- 1962 Oct 17 – Ploughing match took place in marked contrast to six years earlier where wellies were discarded and sat on ground for picnic lunches.
- Booklet called East Kent Ploughing Match Association – Ploughing Matches from 1840
- 1973 – Dad driving van in accident with bus. Confirms his address as Home Farm Cottage.
- Newspaper article via FindMyPast
- 1987 Apr 24 – Home Farm Cottage is listed as Grade II.
- https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1263929
- 1987 Oct 15 – Great Storm which knocked over many trees around the park and demolished the thatched barn behind the cottage.
- Family Photo Archive
- 1987 Oct – Country Ways recording (starting 9 minutes in).
- 1995 – Circa this year my grandparents leave the property.
- Personal knowledge