The Boys family of Fredville-revised 15.4.2013
William Boys left five sons and three daughters. John, his eldest son, was left Fredville, which was considered the “fairer”, and founded the Fredville branch of the family but did not long survive his father, dying in 1508. Why Fredville was judged to be fairer was not made clear, possibly the lands provided a larger income.
Thomas, the second son, was left the ancient family seat of Bonnington and served as Captain of Deal Castle. William Boys had managed to increase his land-holders during the 1480′s both before and after the reign of Richard III, and continued to prosper under the newly crowned Henry VII, the first of the Tudors. He was obviously very astute at seeing which way the wind blew as his apparent lack of opposition to Richard III did not cause any problems with the new administration.
John Boys was one of the two members of Parliament for Sandwich at the time of his death, having entered municipal service in Sandwich in 1528 and qualifying to stand for election to Parliament as a result of being a burgess of the borough. John may have built the first house on the Fredville mansion site. Prior to the construction of this house the Boys’ of Fredville may possibly have lived at Beauchamps, Essesole Farm, or Holt Street Farm, which by this time appears to have been acquired by the family.
John was succeeded by his son, William Boys, born at Fredville, a probable reference to the manor not the house, around 1500. He died there in 1549, and was buried at NoningtonChurch on 22nd December, of that year.
In his will, written in 1548, William Boys had bequeathed “To the marriage of my three daughters, Elen, Mary and Elizabeth £40 each, also 100 ewes each the which their uncle Sir Edward Ringley bequeathed them. My four sons Thomas, William, Vincent and John £20 each at their age of 21. That Edward Boyse (sic) be coadjutor to his mother in the administration of this my Will, but not to meddle as Exor (executor), and he to have £20. Edward, my eldest son….. …..to suffer his mother and Aunt Margaret to have their dwelling whilst they live in the mansion of Fredfields (Fredville) with free coming and going into a chamber commonly called the ‘Nursserye’ with the chambers over the buttery, also allow his mother to take half the profits of the Wind Mill (probably the Barfreston wind mill)“.
The will mentions a Fredville mansion and appears to refer to an early to mid-16th century brick built house, possible similar in appearance to the “new” part of the Bonnington manor house.
Sir Edward Boys of Fredville, born at Fredville in 1528, was a High Sheriff of Kent and as a Commissioner began extensive works on DoverHarbour. He gave 40/- from fifteen acres of land in Nonington and Barfreston to be distributed yearly amongst the poor of Nonington parish (see Nonington Charities). He was buried at St. Mary’s Church, Nonington, on 18th February, 1597 (1598).
Another legacy was made by William Boys of Tilmanstone, the third son of William Boys of Nonington and his wife, Mary, the sister of Sir Edward Ringley, knight, of Knolton, whom he had married at Goodnestone in 1526.
The bequest was made in his will of 1600 was of one and a half acres at Frogham Hill (now Nightingale Lane) which gave two poor house keepers two houses and an acre and a half of land with a sack of wheat each at Christmas. (see Nonington Charities). The cottages were on the site of the present Nightingale Cottages and the one and a half acres now make up the field and a part of the wood (Humphries Wood) to the rear of the cottages. The original houses and land were bought with the consent of the Charity Commissioners by Mr. H. W. Plumptre in 1903 and the proceeds of the sale invested and administered by four Trustees of Nonington as the Nightingale Trust. The almost derelict cottages were replaced by the present ones soon after the sale.
Sir Edward’s son, also Edward, was baptized at Nonington in 1554. From 1597 he served as a magistrate for Kent, and was a friend of the puritan divines Thomas Walkington and Richard Sedgwick and in the 1670s Samuel Clark referred to him as ‘a man eminent for piety’.
Edward’s son, another Edward, was baptized at Nonington in 1579 and later served as member of Parliament for several places, including Sandwich, at various times without distinction. Both he and his father were both knighted by the newly crowned James I in 1603. Edward junior replaced his then elderly father as a magistrate in 1632 and inherited the family estates on his father’s death in 1635.
Sir Edward junior represented Dover in both the Short and Long Parliaments ( 13th April to 5 th May, 1640 and 3rd November, 1640 to 16th March, 1660), although he died at Fredville in 1646, having served until his death as Warden of the Cinque Ports and Lieutenant of Dover Castle. These offices were taken over by his son, John, until 1648.