We are still building these pages and are on the look out for maps that we can use of the Chelsfield area. 1798 “eye sketch” At the moment, the earliest map we have of the general area is the 1798 survey map. This map is a brief sketch of the whole Chelsfield Parish divided into 15 sections. The “terrier” or survey which goes with the map lists the owner, the tenant (if there was one), the land use, and the assessed charge or tithe - in pounds shillings and pence. It identifies the main farms in the Parish at the time by name, and the fields, though few of these names are now in common use. It has been transcribed by Geoffrey Copus and can be found by clicking here. The numbers on the terrier correspond to the 15 sections marked on the map. Tithe Map of c1840 Tithe maps were produced following tithe commutation in 1836. A sketch reproduction of a small section of Chelsfield Parish Tithe Map showing just Chelsfield Village can be found here. It does not capture all the detail of the original but gives a sense of what is covered. The tithe maps are a part of a complete detailed record of land ownership and use. Over 400 maps of Kent have been digitised at high resolution and are held at Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone (www.kent.gov.uk/archives and www.kent.gov.uk/kenthistorycentre) where they can be viewed or purchased. The numbers on the map correspond to the numbers in the accompanying schedule setting out land ownership and use. The schedule that goes with the Chelsfield Parish Map has been transcribed by Geoffrey Copus and Patricia Richardson and and can be found on the KAS site by clicking here. The numbering system on the map allows most of the field names, the owner/tenant at the time, and the land use, to be identified from the schedule. To see the 1840 map overlaid against Chelsfield today, click here. The map shows field names, cultivation, areas in acres, roods and perches, and the names of the owner and occupier. For background, by the early 19th century, Church tithes had become complex and controversial, and were eventually commuted to rent payments through the work of a Commission set up by the 1836 Act. For those wanting to know more about tithe commutation in Kent, and the related land surveys, there is a detailed article by Roger J P Kain on the Kent Archaeological Society (KAS) research pages. Early Ordnance Survey Maps The National Library of Scotland make many Ordnance Survey maps viewable free on line. They have the c1848 tithe map (25 inches to the mile) showing Chelsfield discussed above, and the 1862-68 OS map (6 inches to the mile), as well as many later updates.

Chelsfield A Community Archive

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