Thread: Morants Court, Chevening

I am trying to trace the details of the late 18th century ownership of a manor house known as Morants Court at Chevening, Kent and wonder if anyone can help. I know that the property was owned by John Fry (1774-1817) but cannot be sure how it came into his possession. It seems that the property was owned by Pendock Price of Westerham until 1768 when he died without issue and that it then passed to his brother Thomas Price and subsequently to Thomas's widow Mary Price.

I assume that John Fry's mother (Maria) was probably the daughter of Thomas and Mary Price and that ownership passed through her to John Fry under the terms of a trust or an entail but I have no evidence of this. Any help would be much appreciated

Chris Wheeler

Hi,
Have you Googled it. There is a lot offered and nice photos of the place.
Have you tried britishistoryonline?I find it a very useful site for history of places.
I will take a look around and see what I can find.In 1903 it belonged to the Tongue family and an Anna Penelope Tongue inherited it.
Regards
Lola

Kent Archaelogical Soc seem to have a lot of info on it.
The Chevening Churchyard MI's are on line and there are Tongues from Morants Court on it but I can see no Price or Fry names.
Lola

Thanks Lola,

I have previously Googled Morants Court and britishhistory on line but with no luck on the "gap" years between the Price and Fry ownerships. John Fry's ownership is extensively recorded in an 1847 Act of Parliament (10 & 11 Victoriae, Cap18) - he died with male issue and it took 30 years to sort things out and allow the sale of Morants Court (real Bleak House stuff)- so I know a lot about that side of things but nothing about the "gap" years. I have just looked at the Kent Archeological Soc site as suggested but can see nothing there either but thanks for your help. If you do come up up with something please post it on here.
Regards

Chris

Chris,
I was unsure as to what info you had already gleaned.

Was Mary ...Mary Jones Price? Have you seen the Jamaican St. James'births? Mary Susannah Fry 12 AP 1804 and Rachel Lawrence Fry 1802 and Eliz Lawrence fry 1806ry(parents of all three John Fry and Mary Jones Fry) There is quite a lot of stuff on West Indies on line now. I have come across Fry in my Byam/Freeman etc search. (Antigua/Jamaica etc. Sugar planters and such.)
Lola

Lola

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I do know about the Jamaican connection (the Act of Parliament details all about his marriage and children and also the 4 marriages and the children of his one surviving daughter Susannah Mary Fry (her 4th marriage was to John Stannard Hylton of Jamaica and they went to live in New Jersey, USA - I have an original letter from her in New Jersey in 1858 to her uncle Thomas Fry of Hoxton).

John Fry's wife was Mary Jones Dunbar from Jamaica. It seems that he owned Morants Court at a young age - perhaps 21? - and left England to live in Jamaica in about 1800. My assumption is that he inherited Morants Court as aooposed to acquiring it my purchase.

Chris

Just to update anyone out there who might be interested, I have visited the London Metropolitan Archives this week and looked at a 19th century Abstract of Title which confirms that, as I had suspected, John Fry did indeed inherit Morants Court. The property has belonged to his grandfather, Thomas Price, and should have gone to the family of John Fry's uncle Pendock C Price (the latter being the brother of John's mother Maria Fry formerly Price) but Pendock C Price died without children and as a result Morants Court passed to John Fry.

Chris Wheeler

Originally Posted by pejay

Have you thought of looking at TNA for wills? see if any are available. might be worth a try

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try this. My earlier post was slightly wrong. Pendock Clerke Price only had a life interest in Morants Court - John Fry as the eldest surviving male child of Maria Fry (formerly Price) was entitled to the property as "remainder man" after Pendocks death.