BOND, James
BOND, James11 June 1744 – 2 June 1820!st Baronet Bond of Coolamber, County Longford 1794 James Bond purchased Hayes Place and its estate in 1785. It had previously been owned by William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham and included in addition to the large mansion, the house and bakery that later became the Walnut Tree, 3 other houses, barns and stables, orchards and over 250 acres of land. According to Hasted James Bond had lately arrived from the East Indies and became a high sheriff of Kent in 1788. When he arrived in 1785 with his wife Anne and his five children the rector of Hayes, Revd John Till, recorded that his household included 6 men and 8 maid servants. Another son, William, was born on 9 September 1787 and baptised in Hayes Church on 17 October. In 1789 he sold Hayes Place and some of its land in 1789 to Lord Lewisham and moved to Ireland, his birthplace, where he became a Member of Parliament for Naas. He was made a baronet in 1794. He retained some of his Hayes property, including Hayes Street Farm, which was managed by his bailiff William Landreath. George Norman purchased the farm in 1798 and other parts of Bond’s estate. When he died in 1820 his son Thomas inherited his baronetcy of Coolamber.
HALL, Robert
Before 1550 – 1618 Citizen and Grocer of London Robert Hall, a wealthy London grocer, had a significant influence on the development of Hayes in the late 16th century. Buying a number of properties and land. Apprenticed to a grocer in 1559, he was admitted to the livery of the Grocers’ Company in 1582 and by 1594 elected to the livery court. In 1596 he became one of its three Wardens and when Queen Elizabeth I demanded loans from the livery companies in 1598 to help finance her war expenditure, Robert Hall’s contribution was one of the largest by an individual member of the Company. In 1604 he was made Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers. He originally lived in a house to the north of the church called Kilhogges, purchased Fowlers near Pickhurst Green in 1590 and then had a new house built opposite the church. This was referred to as a ‘double house’, the latest house style at the time. In 1608 he gave to the parish a small cottage and some land adjoining Baston Hethe bought from Robert Adams to provide a Poor House. The marriages of three of his four daughters and the birth of several grandchildren in his house are recorded in the Church registers between 1598 and 1619. His wife Margery died in 1614 and was buried in the chancel of Hayes Church. He died in 1618, leaving his house Kilhogges to daughter Sarah and the new double house to his daughter Margaret. His daughter Sarah, twice widowed, married the rector of Hayes Christopher Monkton, on 18 September 1641 and when she died in 1654 was buried in Hayes. Descendants of Robert Hall
HAMBRO, Everard Alexander
Everard Alexander Hambro 11 April 1842 – 26 February 1925Banker, Hambros Bank, Director of Bank of England, Philanthropist. KCVO Everard Hambro bought Hayes Place in 1880 and moved there with his wife and two sons Charles Eric and Harold. Three more children, Angus, Ronald and Violet were born in Hayes.He played a very important part in the life and development of the village. He owned much of the village and developed a prize winning herd of Guernsey cows at the farm. Not only did he improve his house and the grounds but built four lodges and a house for his butler in Hayes Bottom (now Bourne Way). He ensured that some of the run down cottages were adapted or replaced with more architecturally appealing ones. Three cottages nearest the George were replaced with four superior ‘Model Cottages’ ( 21-27 Hayes Street), designed by George Devey. Four small dwellings were converted into two cottages (17-19 Hayes Street), Bank Cottages were built (2 and 4 West Common Road), Poplar Row was replaced by St Mary Cottages (12-30 Baston Road), three cottages facing the Common were converted into one house for two of his sisters-in-law, Octavia and Clara Stuart, Grove House was extended and given to his son Harold in 1909, Glebe House was built originally for his son Eric who, however, preferred to live at Pickhurst Mead. Two Victorian beer houses, the Sun Inn and the Alma Arms close to the school were replaced by the New Inn which was built away from the village but close to the railway station which opened in 1882. A small home for crippled children with a matron was set up. Land was given to provide for an extension to the village school that was used for cookery lessons & also to provide allotments on 1½ acres near the railway station. With the setting up of the Hayes Parish Council in 1894 he became Chairman. He supported the Hayes Common Conservators and provided the services of his lawyers without charge in a dispute between the Parish Council and the Bromley Rural District Council regarding the right to take gravel from the Common. It was he and not the Rural Sanitary Authority who arranged and paid for the disposal of all the closets and village rubbish at no expense to the rates until at least the end of the century. He was president of the Hayes Village Industrial Association and vice- president of the village cricket and football clubs. Everard Hambro gave three new bells to the Parish Church and paid for the recasting of the existing bells. Other gifts to the church were the heating apparatus and two lighting installations, first gas and subsequently electricity. After the death of his wife Gertrude Mary in 1905 he paid for a large memorial screen to ‘All those who are lying at rest within this Sacred Ground’ to be erected at the eastern end of the existing churchyard. He also provided land to extend the churchyard. When he died in 1925 he was buried close to the memorial in the churchyard in a grave alongside that of his first wife. The rector at the time, Canon H P Thompson, commented ‘there are not a few, who remember with gratitude, thought-out and long continued acts of personal kindness. To me, there will ever remain, the remembrance of that fine handsome figure, the old world courtesy, the kindly smile, the humility of the man who just liked best to find relief from the pressure of affairs, among the scenes and people of Hayes.’ Further information: The Hambros 1779 to 1979 : Bo Bramsen and Kathleen Wain, London 1979 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography HAMBRO, Charles Eric 30 September 1872 -28 December 1947Banker, Hambros Bank, KBE Charles Eric Hambro was eight when his father, Everard Hambro, bought Hayes Place. He became MP for Wimbledon 1900-1907 but later moved back to Hayes, living at Pickhurst Mead from 1913 – 1925. It was in his grounds that the anti-aircraft gun was installed that was part of the outer defence of London. After the war he was made a KBE in recognition of his services for the Ministry of Information. In Hayes he is mainly remembered for his decision after his father’s death to move away from Hayes and sell Hayes Place and its properties to building developers. This resulted in the demolition of the house and the construction of a large number of properties which enabled many more people to enjoy the village and surrounding countryside. He was buried in Hayes churchyard on 1 January 1948. Further information: Who Was Who HAMBRO, Harold Everard 25 Jan 1876 – 5 August 1952Banker, Army Officer. Harold Hambro was 15 years old and lived at Hayes Place in the !891 Census with his father Everard, mother Gertrude, aunt Clara, three younger siblings and 15 servants. His father later gave him Hayes Grove but he chose not to live in Hayes. It is said that his wife, Katherine, did not want to live there. Consequently he rented out the property. He was a Lt. Colonel in the First World War and is mentioned as returning safely in the list in the front of the Great Church Bible. Hayes Grove remained his property until put up for sale in 1930. The house remained in private hands but eight acres of its land was bought by the builders Tyson & Harris. HAMBRO, Ronald Olaf 1st December 1885 – 25 April 1961Banker Ronald Olaf Hambro was baptised in Hayes Church on 17 January 1886. He joined the Coldstream Guards in 1915, was twice mentioned in despatches and is one of the men recorded as returning safely from the First World War in the front of the Great Bible in Hayes Church..
PITT, William the Younger
William Pitt the Younger ( Kadwell Portfolio, Bromley Historic Collections) 28 May 1759 – 23 Jan 1806Prime Minister 1783-1801, 1804 – 1806 William Pitt was born in ‘the best bedroom’ at Hayes Place, the fourth child of William Pitt (later Earl of Chatham) and Lady Hester Pitt. He was their second son and was baptised in Hayes on 3 July 1759. Plaque to William Pitt, Earl of Chatham and his son William Pitt the Younger in Hayes Parish Church, unveiled on 30 September 1929 by Lady Stanhope (L.Smith) Much of his childhood was spent at Hayes or at Burton Pynsent in Somerset. He was tutored by Revd Edward Wilson, showed early promise and was nearly 14 years old when he went to Cambridge University. His health during his childhood was often a cause for concern so fresh air and riding were recommended. It was said by John Mumford, an old retainer, that William used to stand on one of the mounting blocks and practise his debating skills. From an early age he had decided that he intended to be a William Pitt in the House of Commons. It is recorded that he said to his mother “I am so glad that I am the second son, for I shall be able to speak in the House of Commons like papa.” He was 19 when his father died and his mother moved to Burton Pynsent. His elder brother John inherited his father’s title but was serving in the army and therefore it was William who mainly supported his mother in the selling of Hayes Place which finally happened in 1785. When both his sister Hester and brother James died in 1780 he hurried to Somerset to comfort his mother and persuaded her to move to Hayes for the time being so that she might be more accessible from London. She was there when he successfully entered parliament in January 1781 at the age of 21. He became Chancellor of the Exchequer at the age of 23 and in December 1783 the youngest British Prime Minister. After Hayes Place was sold in 1785 he bought in nearby Keston the Holwood estate on which he lavished much time and attention, Right Hon. William Pitt at age of 23 (Bromley Historic Collections) Further Information The making of a great Prime Minister, William Pitt the younger, Bromleage June 2006 (bblhs.org.uk) The Journey from Blandford to Hayes, Anne Manning, Bromley Local Histories 5 See also Pitt William, 1st Earl of Chatham
PITT, William , 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt the Elder (Kadwell Portfolio, Bromley Historic Collections) 15 Nov 1708 – 11 May 1778Prime Minister William Pitt married Hester Grenville of Wotton Hall, Bucks on 16 November 1754. An active politician, he wanted a home in the countryside but within easy reach of London. He leased and then purchased John Harrison’s house in Hayes [Hayes Place] in which he had stayed during the previous tenancy of Edward & Elizabeth Montagu. He tried to return to Hayes for at least a few nights each week. He had great plans to develop the house and its grounds. In 1756 Mrs Montagu received a report that ‘Mr Pitt is doing great things at Hayes, he has bought the house and the house hard by, and some fields. He has built a wall towards the public road 13 feet high. He intends to pull down the old house, and build another in the middle of the garden’. He commenced by buying and demolishing the cottages and an inn that were nearby and incorporated their grounds into his landscaped garden. He acquired some of the Glebeland. Buildings that spoilt his view were replaced and neighbours were asked, not always successfully, to cut down trees that spoilt his vista. Agreement was given in 1758 to move the road to Beckenham that he felt was too close to his house further to the south and in 1761 he wrote ‘from our Hovel of Hayes … new Hayes rises apace to … something I must ever love’. By this time Hester had given birth to three sons and two daughters. The entries for the two older sons, John (1756) and William (1759), are in the Baptismal Register for Hayes Church. It was also a time when Pitt was very involved in the successful conduct of the wars against France. In September 1759, General James Wolfe dined with him at Hayes the day before his departure to North America and the capture of Quebec. Over the following years many important political figures made their way to Hayes to discuss matters of state. In 1765 Sit William Pynsent died and left him his estate of Burton Pynsent in Somerset. He decided to move there and sold his Hayes estate to Thomas Walpole. He was appointed Prime Minister in 1766 and became Earl of Chatham. After two years, however, he decided to return to Hayes and eventually persuaded Thomas Walpole to sell Hayes Place back to him. It continued to need a large sum of money spent on it and his plans for the grounds expanded with more trees being planted and rivers diverted. A dishonest bailiff, tea smuggling, financial difficulties and ill health were some of the events to plague him in the early 1770s. One happy event was the marriage at Hayes Place, 19 Dec 1774, of his elder daughter Hester to Charles Lord Viscount Mahon. Chatham was always interested in American affairs, often disapproving of some of the government’s actions. He received several visits from Benjamin Franklin who, in 1774, bought him copies of the First Continental Congress’s address to the British people and the petition to the King. In 1778 he rose to speak in the House of Lords on the subject of American Independence but collapsed and was brought back to Hayes where he died on 11 May. Plaque to William Pitt, Earl of Chatham and his son William Pitt the Younger in Hayes Parish Church, unveiled on 30 September 1929 by Lady Stanhope (L.Smith) Blue Plaque unveiled in Hayes Street in 2009 See also: PITT, William the Younger
MONTAGU, Elizabeth née Robinson
Elizabeth Montagu (Kadwell Portfolio, Bromley Historic Collections 2 October 1718 – 25 August 1800‘Queen of the Blue Stockings’ and Society Hostess It was through Elizabeth Montagu’s contact with the poet Gilbert West of neighbouring West Wickham that she visited a house in Hayes (later Hayes Place), which her husband Edward leased for them in 1751 for three years. In September 1751, she wrote to her husband that she was going to Hayes ‘to enjoy quiet and my books till you arrive’. Her guests included Gilbert West and also William Pitt, for whom she arranged in 1753 for the delivery of a feather bed for his comfort. William Pitt decided to take over the lease in 1754 and that event had a great impact on the little village. Elizabeth remained in contact, visiting William Pitt and reporting on what was happening to the house and the family. Further information: ‘Queen of the Blue Stockings’, Ed. Emily J Climenson, Vols 1 & 2, London 1906 Brilliant Women, 18th-Century Bluestockings, Elizabeth Eger and Lucy Peltz, National Portrait Gallery 2008
KNOWLES, Mabel Winifred
Mabel Winifred Knowles (May Wynne) 1925 (Bromley Historic Collections) I Jan 1875 – 29 Nov 1949Author & Church Missionary Mabel Knowles was born in Streatham, the second daughter of Emma Letitia and William Knowles, a London Merchant banker. The family move to Hast Hill, a large Victorian mansion situated on the edge of Hayes Common, in 1895 when she was 20 years old. Her first book was published shortly after their arrival in Hayes and she continued to write popular, moralistic and instructive novel for both children and adults. Under the names of May Wynne, Mark Winchester, Lester Lurgan or Michael Kaye she wrote over 200 books and short stories. She used the proceeds to finance her missionary work in the East End. After her mother’s death in 1924, Hast Hill was sold. She moved to Maplin Road in the parish of St Luke’s, Victoria Docks, to continue her work amongst the poor. She continued to be supported in her efforts by members of the Hayes Parish Church who provided funds, opened up their homes and gardens for visits of groups from the Mission and provided relief parcels, particularly during the Blitz. In 1992 several of the children she had helped in the 1930s recalled their memories of this remarkable lady, a tall austere figure with long serge skirt and battered felt hat with her basket from which she would give out butter, cheese and eggs as required. She died from a heart attack on 29 November 1949 on her way to conduct a Mission Service and was buried in the family grave in Hayes Churchyard. She had made a lasting impact on so many lives and was known as ‘the Angel of Custom House’. Mabel Winifred Knowles ( S Merriman) Further information: Mabel Winifred Knowles 1875 -1949 “The Angel of Custom House”: Jean Wilson, Bromleage August 1993,(bblhs.org.uk) Who Was WhoOxford Dictionary of National Biography