(602) Best of Wynford Eagle, Barons Wynford

Best of Wynford Eagle, Barons Wynford 

The story of this family, and the genealogy below, begins with William Draper Best (1767-1845), who was born at Haselbury Plucknett (Som.) near Crewkerne on the Somerset/Dorset border, as the third son of Thomas Best and his wife Betty Draper. Thomas Best seems to have belonged to the 'parish gentry' strata of society, a small-scale landowner who also held leasehold and copyhold lands. William was intended to make a career in the church, and with this in mind he was sent to Oxford, but in 1784 his cousin, Samuel Best of Burton Bradstock (Dorset), died and left most of his property to William and his brothers. The windfall was sufficient to allow William a greater choice of career, and he decided to abandon the university and study for the bar at the Inner Temple. Given his 'lively and clever' manner, it was probably a good decision, and although his knowledge of the law was questionable, his ability to argue a case quickly brought him a large practice. In 1800 he was made one of the serjeants-at-law, and in 1806 king's serjeant, positions which gave him access to plead in the highest courts at Westminster. From 1802-06 and 1812-19 he was also a member of parliament, initially as a Whig and later as a Tory; his allegiance being dictated less by principle than by personal advantage. His ready wit made him socially successful, and he was soon a member of the Prince of Wales' circle, a connection which bore fruit when the prince became Regent, with his appointment as Solicitor-General and then Attorney-General for the Prince, before in 1818 he became a judge. The latter stages of his career were blighted by an increasing affliction with gout, and it was probably this that eventually forced his retirement from judicial office in 1829. Having been knighted in 1819, he was made a peer as 1st Baron Wynford on his retirement, and he also became deputy speaker of the House of Lords, where in a concession to his infirmity, he was allowed to sit in an armchair. Eventually, even getting to Parliament became impossible, and he spent his last years in complete retirement at his house at Chislehurst (Kent), which he had rented from 1800, and of which he bought the freehold in 1824. He also bought the Wynford Eagle estate in Dorset. I have not been able to discover the precise date of this purchase, but it was in the family's possession by 1823, when his eldest son, William Samuel Best took out a game certificate. This suggests that the property may have been acquired for William Samuel, and it is therefore tempting to associate the acquisition with the latter's marriage in 1821, but it could equally well have been bought a few years earlier, when William Draper Best was MP for nearby Bridport, in 1812-17.

William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, followed in his father's footsteps and became a barrister and, briefly, an MP, but he did not have his father's skills or motivation to build a career in either the law or parliament. Nor is he known to have spent much time on his estates. He sold his father's house at Chislehurst - then called Leesons - in about 1850, and lived chiefly at his house in Hanover Square, where he and his wife raised their family of four sons and one daughter. His four sons all went into the services; three of them into the army and one into the Navy. The eldest, William Draper Mortimer Best (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford, retired from the army in 1856, and was married soon afterwards to a daughter of the rich Scottish landowner and banker, Evan Baillie (1798-1883). He does seem to have been occasionally resident in Dorset, and was probably responsible for building the modest gabled house (originally called Wynford House but now Higher Wynford Farm) further up the valley from the old manor house, the first reference to which appears to date from 1863. The 3rd Baron and his wife had no surviving children, and so on his death the estate passed to his younger brother, Henry Molyneux Best (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford, whose career is something of a mystery. Although he clearly joined the Royal Navy and was a midshipman by 1845, he seems never to have gone on to become an officer. He lived most of his life in quiet, late Georgian Connaught Square, and devoted his time to botany and horticulture. He never married, and so at his death the peerage and Wynford Eagle estate passed to his nearest male relative, who was the eldest son of the 1st baron's fourth son, the Hon. & Rev. Samuel Best (1802-73). This was George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford, who had settled at Charlton House, Donhead St Mary (Wilts), which he rented (although his widow and daughter later purchased the freehold). He only held the title for a year before being succeeded by his eldest son, Philip George Best (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford.

The 6th Baron does seem to have been resident on his estate (at Higher Wynford) after retiring from the army and the Dorset yeomanry, and between the First and Second World Wars he played a prominent role in local administration. He and his wife had three daughters, who all married and moved away, and at his death during the Second World War the estate passed to his younger brother, Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford, most of whose career had been spent running tea plantations in India. By the time he inherited the estate he had retired to a mansion flat in Putney, and although he was eventually buried at Wynford Eagle he can have spent very little time there. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford, who was a career soldier until retiring from the army in 1960. It was he who, in the early 1980s, moved the family seat back from Higher Wynford to the Manor House of Wynford Eagle and restored the property. The estate now belongs to his son, John Philip Robert Best (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford, who is a chartered surveyor, and who has a son and daughter to succeed him.

Pheasant Grove (alias Leesons), Chislehurst, Kent

A modest house, hardly more than a suburban villa, which was probably built in the mid 18th century and seems at first to have been called Pheasant Lodge. It was evidently of seven by two or three bays and may originally have had only two storeys. 

Pheasant Grove: the entrance front in 1824, from sale particulars.

By the time it was first recorded in 1824 the house was of three storeys, with a three-bay pediment set against the attic storey. Although 18th century architects did use this form, it was never common, and the drawing shows the proportions of the top floor were a little more generous than those below, which quite strongly suggests the top floor was a later addition. In 1840, when the house was advertised for sale, it offered six principal bedrooms, three dressing-rooms, a morning room, a bow drawing room 27x24 feet with a handsome marble chimneypiece; a 30x22 ft dining room; a breakfast room; and an entrance hall, and stood in some fifty acres of grounds. The house was not sold on that occasion, but in 1850 the contents of the house were dispersed at a four day sale and it was probably sold soon afterwards.

Pheasant Grove alias Leesons, Chislehurst: site plan from 1st edn 6" map of 1868.

The house was evidently altered in the mid 19th century, for by 1868, when it was recorded on the 1st edition 6" Ordnance map, it had acquired an asymmetrically placed porch, but thereafter the footprint remained much the same. The house stood empty from about 1914, and was destroyed by a fire which started in the roof in May 1918. It was insured, but was replaced by a smaller building on the same site, which reverted to the original name of Pheasant Lodge. This in turn was pulled down in the mid 20th century and replaced by suburban housing.

Descent: leased from 1800 and sold 1824 to Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper Best (1767-1845), 1st Baron Wynford; to son, William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, who sold c.1850... leased or sold 1881 to Sir Neville Lubbock (1839-1914)... sold 1900 to Joseph Brailsford, owner at the time of the fire in 1918.

Wynford Eagle Manor House (now Manor Farm), Dorset

According to the date on the porch, the present house was built in 1630 for William Sydenham (1593-1661), but although the compact plan and symmetrical west front date from that time, his works were actually a remodelling of a smaller, probably late 16th century house, which may have been built for his grandfather, Richard Sydenham (1534-1607). The earlier building was a south-facing single-depth house built of pale grey limestone rubble which remains visible on the south and east elevations. The evidence for the two phases of building is technical and was summarised by Gomme & Maguire in 2008. The most telling evidence is that the south front has two blocked doorways which had clearly already been blocked by the time that the plinth of the new house was built, for it continues across them; the south wall must therefore belong to an earlier building. Evidence in the roof suggests that the earlier house extended north more than half the depth of the present building, but its north wall was not reused in the remodelling of 1630. 

Wynford Eagle Manor House: the west front in 1944. Image: Historic England

The work of 1630 moved the main entrance and the axis of the layout through ninety degrees, and saw the creation of a new entrance front on the west side, faced in fine-jointed Ham Hill ashlar; the new north side of the house was built more cheaply, with alternating bands of limestone and flint. At the centre of the west front is a projecting, three-storey porch with a small gable crowned by a large carved eagle finial, above two-light mullioned windows on the upper floors and a round-arched doorway. The house is unified by string courses above the ground and first-floor windows that extend across the whole frontage and continue onto the other elevations.  The house is given a distinctive character by the gables either side of the porch, which are asymmetrical because the pitch of the roof on the inner side is steeper than that on the outer side. It is possible that this unusual arrangement was a consequence of retaining parts of the roof structure of the 16th century house over the south front; and that the north side was simply built to match. The ground floor of the west front has mullioned and transomed windows, but elsewhere the windows are simple three-light mullioned windows. Matching chimneystacks, with four diagonal-set shafts and built off the the central transverse wall, increase the symmetrical effect. 

Wynford Eagle Manor House: the west front and 16th century south elevation, Image: Brian Kingsland/Historic England

The south front of the house is continued further east by a once-separate block, which seems to belong to the late 16th century phase, but wich was incorporated into the house in 1630 and became the kitchen.

Wynford Eagle Manor House: ground floor plan (after Gomme & Maguire).
Key: H=Hall; CP=Common Parlour; K=Kitchen/Winter Parlour; GP=Great Parlour

This allowed all four rooms on the ground floor of the main block to be used for family and reception purposes. There are two rooms on the north side and two on the south, while between them is a circulating space comprised of a fairly narrow entrance passage, which broadens out into a vestibule and staircase hall. The staircase now rises only to the first floor, but may once have continued to the attic rooms, which are lit only from the west. One room on the first floor is panelled and has a four-centred arched stone fireplace with moulded jambs and a timber overmantel of two bays with attached Ionic columns. The flat panels under the arches between the columns were painted later in the 17th century with fantasy landscapes.

In the late 19th century, the Best family moved to a new house, Wynford House, which they built further up the valley, and the old manor house declined into a farmhouse. However, after many years the 8th Lord Wynford moved back in c.1981. 

Descent: John La Zouche (c.1486-1550), 8th Baron Zouche; sold 1545 to Thomas Sydenham (d. 1577); to son, Richard Sydenham (1534-1607); to grandson, William Sydenham (1593-1661); to son, William Sydenham (1615-61); to son, William Sydenham (1640-1718); ... sold to George Richards (d. 1746); to brother, Rev. John Richards (fl. 1774)... sold by 1823 to Sir William Draper Best (1767-1845), 1st Baron Wynford; to son, William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford; to son, William Draper Mortimer Best (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford; to brother, Henry Molyneux Best (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford; to cousin, George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford; to son, Philip George Best (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford; to brother, Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford; to son, Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford; to son, John Philip Robert Best (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford.

Best family of Wynford Eagle

1st Baron Wynford

Best, Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper (1767-1845), kt., 1st Baron Wynford. Third son of Thomas Best of Haslebury Plucknett (Som.) and his wife Betty Draper, born 13 December 1767. Educated at Crewkerne School, Wadham College, Oxford (matriculated 1782), and the Middle Temple (admitted 1784; called 1789). He was initially intended for the church, but left Oxford without taking a degree when he inherited a substantial legacy from a cousin, and trained instead for the law. He became a barrister on the Home circuit, where he attracted the attention of Lord Kenyon to whose patronage he owed his early professional success. He was made a Serjeant-at-law, 1800; King's Serjeant, 1806; and first achieved judicial office as Recorder of Guildford, 1809. Whig MP for Petersfield, 1802-06, and Tory MP for Bridport, 1812-17 and Guildford, 1818-19; Solicitor-General to the Prince of Wales, 1813-16; Attorney-General to the Prince of Wales, 1816-19; Second Justice of Chester, 1817-18; Chief Justice of Chester, 1818; a Judge of King's Bench, 1818-24; Chief Justice of Common Pleas, 1824-29. He was knighted, 1819, sworn of the Privy Council, 1824, and raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Wynford, 5 June 1829, becoming Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, 1829. He was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University (DCL, 1834). Best was described in an obituary in the Law Magazine as a 'man of pleasure' whose devotion to the opposite sex 'amounted to a controlling passion' and in 1805 he was charged with a sexual assault on a client, but acquitted. The same writer said: 'he seems to have been governed but by one rule of action in politics, to aid that side from which most might be expected', an attitude in which he was far from being alone in his generation. As a barrister, it was said of him that 'though superficial in legal knowledge, his readiness of comprehension and fluency of speech' led to his having a large practice and appearing in important criminal trials. As a judge, 'his hasty and questionable opinions' and 'his summing up so much to one side' led to his being nicknamed 'the judge advocate'.  According to Lady Louisa Stuart, 'he is too lively and too clever to put on gravity and speaks his mind outright on all subjects', and it has been suggested that he was offered a peerage and the deputy speakership of the Lords to induce him to give up judicial office, but his retirement was more probably the result of an increasing affliction with gout. He married, 6 May 1794 at St Dunstan-in-the-West, London, Mary Anne (1768-1840), second daughter of Jerome Knapp, Clerk of the Haberdashers Company, and had issue:

(1) William Chapple Best (b. & d. 1795), born 7 July 1795; died in infancy and was buried at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 9 July 1795;

(2) Hon. Grace Anne Best (1796-1868), born 31 July and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 24 August 1796; married, 23 July 1814 at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), Philip Lake Godsal (1784-1858) of Iscoyd Park (Flints.), son of Philip Godsal, coach-maker, and had issue at least one son and three daughters; buried at Malpas (Ches.), 25 February 1868; will proved 11 March 1868 (effects under £3,000);

(3) William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(4) Vice-Adm. the Hon. Thomas Best (1799-1864), born 12 August and baptised at Croydon (Surrey), 6 September 1799; an officer in the Royal Navy from 1812 (Midshipman, 1814; Lt., 1822; Cdr., 1828; Capt., 1830; Vice-Adm., 1855; retired on half-pay, 1830); married, 25 August 1835, Marianne (1807-66), second daughter of George Kenyon, 2nd Baron Kenyon, and had issue at least two sons; died in Kensington (Middx), 4 September 1864; administration of goods granted to his widow, 18 October 1864 (effects under £40,000);

(5) Mary Anne Best (1801-02), born 3 April and baptised at St Pancras (Middx), 10 May 1801; died in infancy, 5 April 1802;

(6) Rev. the Hon. Samuel Best (1802-73) (q.v.);

(7) Sarah Betty Best (1804-05?), born 18 June and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 6 July 1804; said to have died in infancy, 23 July 1805;

(8) Jerome Best (1806-18), born 18 March and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury, 21 April 1806; educated at Eton (admitted 1817); died at the school and was buried at Eton, 28 October 1818;

(9) Hon. Anne James Best (1808-36), born 7 February and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury, 30 March 1808; married, 25 July 1826 at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), Adm. Sir William Fanshawe Martin (1801-95), 4th bt., KCB (who m2, 21 May 1838, Sophia Elizabeth (d. 1874), daughter of Robert Hurt of Wirksworth and had further issue one son and five daughters), of Lockinge (Berks), and had issue two sons (who died young) and two daughters; died 1 April 1836 and was buried at Hastings (Sussex);

(10) Hon. John Charles Best (1809-40), born 9 December 1809 and baptised at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), 18 January 1810; an officer in the army (Ensign, 1827; Lt., 1829; Capt., 1834); drowned off Norfolk Island (Australia) by the upsetting of a boat, 13 February 1840.

He leased Pheasant Grove, Chislehurst (Kent) from 1800 onwards and bought the freehold in 1824, changing its name to Leesons. He purchased the Wynford Eagle estate before 1823.

He died at Leesons, 3 March 1845; his will was proved in the PCC, 8 April 1845. His wife died 5 March 1840 and was buried at Foots Cray (Kent).

Best, William Samuel (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford. Second, but eldest surviving son of Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper Best, 1st Baron Wynford, and his wife Mary Anne, second daughter of Jerome Knapp, clerk of the Haberdashers Company, born 19 February and baptised at St Pancras (Middx), 22 April 1798. Educated at Eton, Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1814; BA 1818; MA 1821) and the Inner Temple (admitted as a child, 1805; called 1823). Barrister-at-law; MP for St. Michael's, 1831-32, and unsuccessfully contested the Barnstaple constituency in 1837. He succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Wynford, 3 March 1845. He married, 17 July 1821 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Jane (1803-95), daughter of William Thoyts of Sulhampstead (Berks), and had issue:

(1) Hon. Anne Louisa Best (1825-99), born 11 March and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 4 May 1825; married, 7 April 1858 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, Maj-Gen. Patrick Yule (1792-1873), son of James Yule, but had no issue; died 22 April 1899; her will was confirmed in Edinburgh, 28 July 1899 (estate £17,267);

(2) William Draper Mortimer Best (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(3) Hon. Frederic Barnewall Best (1827-76), born 18 August 1827 and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 26 April 1828; an officer in the 2nd Bengal Fusiliers (Lt., 1849; Capt., 1863; retired 1863) and later one of the Gentlemen at Arms (the Queen's Bodyguard), from 1867; married 1st, 9 June 1864 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, Charlotte Elizabeth (1841-65), eldest daughter of Francis Hart Dyke, and had issue one son, who died in infancy; he married 2nd, 24 November 1870 at Melcombe Regis (Dorset), Frances Hinton (1837-1912) (who m3, 19 September 1882 at Melcombe Regis, Sir  Thomas Fraser Grove (1824-97), 1st bt.), only child of Henry Northcote of Okefield, Crediton (Devon), barrister-at-law, and widow of Capt. Herbert Edward George Crosse (1837-65); died at Weymouth (Dorset), 5 January, and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 11 January 1876; will proved 25 January 1876 (effects under £12,000);

(4) Henry Molyneux Best (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(5) Hon. Robert Rainy Best (1834-1903), born 21 August and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 17 September 1834; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1852; Ensign, 1854; Lt., 1854; Capt. 1855?); married 1st, 8 March 1856 at St Mary Abbotts, Kensington (Middx), Maria Addison (1837-81), daughter of Thomas Augustus Swaysland of Crawley (Sussex), but had no issue; and 2nd, 18 April 1882 at Charlton (Kent), Meynella Katherine Hilda (1862-99), daughter of Capt. Frederick Augustus Percy Wood, Royal Marines, and had issue one son (who died in infancy) and one daughter; died at Torquay (Devon), 2 February 1903; will proved 17 March 1903 (estate £21,712).

He lived in Hanover Sq. and later Park Place, St James', Westminster. He inherited Leesons and the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1845, but sold the former in about 1850.

He died 28 February and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 6 March 1869; his will was proved 24 March 1869 (effects under £120,000). His widow died aged 91 on 23 February 1895; administration of her goods (with will annexed) was granted to her son, Henry, 18 April 1895 (effects £13,066).

Best, William Draper Mortimer (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford. Eldest son of William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, and his wife Jane, daughter of William Thoyts of Sulhamstead (Berks), born 2 August and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 19 December 1826. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1844; Lt., 1847; Capt. 1854; retired 1856). He succeeded his father as 3rd Baron Wynford, 28 February 1869. He married, 17 December 1857 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Caroline Eliza Montagu (1829-1913), daughter of Evan Baillie (1798-1883) of Dochfour, and had issue:

(1) Algernon Best (1858-59), born 26 December 1858 and baptised at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), 16 January 1859; died in infancy, 18 January 1859.

He probably built Wynford House (now Higher Wynford Farm) - first mentioned in 1863 - during his father's lifetime, and inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1869.

He died 27 August and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 30 August 1899. His widow died 16 January 1913; administration of her goods was granted 5 March 1913 (estate £188,869).

Best, Henry Molyneux (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford. Third son of William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, and his wife Jane, daughter of William Thoyts of Sulhamstead (Berks), born 7 November and baptised at St George, Hanover Square, Westminister (Middx), 11 December 1829. He evidently had a career in the Royal Navy (Midshipman by 1845), which he still felt it relevant to record ('late R.N.') in the 1881 census, but I have been unable to trace any record of him being commissioned and he seems not to appear in the Navy List. He was a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society from 1867 and the Royal Botanical Society (a member of Council from 1872); and a Member of the Royal Institution from 1869. He succeeded his elder brother as 4th Baron Wynford, 27 August 1899. He was unmarried and had no issue.

He lived at 7 Connaught Sq., Westminster, and inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his brother in 1899.

He died at Paignton (Devon), 28 October and was buried at Brompton Cemetery, 3 November 1903; his will was proved 15 December 1903 (estate £60,484).

Best, Rev. the Hon. Samuel (1802-73). Fourth son of Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper Best, 1st Baron Wynford, and his wife Mary Anne, second daughter of Jerome Knapp, clerk of the Haberdashers Company, born 2 December 1802. Educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1822; BA 1826; MA 1830). Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, 1825-26; ordained deacon, 1825, and priest, 1826; rector of Blandford St Mary (Dorset), 1830-34, and of Abbotts Ann (Hants), 1831-73; chaplain to his father, 1831; Rural Dean of Andover, 1854-73; elected by the clergy of the archdeaconry of Winchester as their proctor in convocation, 1859, 1865; honorary canon of Winchester Cathedral, 1872-73. A well-known Evangelical clergyman, he was the author of many works, principally on parochial matters and  collections of sermons, and founded the Abbotts Ann Provident Society in 1831. He married 1st, 11 April 1826, Charlotte Willis (1805-33), daughter of Sir James Burrough, judge of the Court of Common Pleas; and 2nd, 21 February 1835, Emma (1809-91), daughter of Lt-Col. Charles Duke, and had issue:

(2.1) Hon. Mary Margaret Best (1836-1913), born 10 May and baptised at Chislehurst (Kent), 5 June 1836; granted rank of a baron's daughter, 1904; married, 8 May 1859 at Abbotts Ann, Rev. Sir James Erasmus Philipps (1824-1912), 12th bt., vicar of Warminster (Wilts) and canon of Salisbury Cathedral, and had issue six sons (of whom three obtained peerages as 1st Viscount St Davids, 1st Baron Kylsant, and 1st Baron Milford) and five daughters; died 5 September 1913 and was buried with her husband in the cloister of Salisbury Cathedral, in which they are commemorated by a monument; administration of her goods was granted 14 November 1913 (estate £773);

(2.2) George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(2.3) Grace Emma Best (1840-64), born 17 October and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 2 December 1840; married, 27 February 1862 at Abbotts Ann, Rev. Florence Thomas Wethered (1840-1919), vicar of Hurley (Berks), 1868-1919 (who m2, 4 December 1867 at Hurley, Mary Josephine (1840-1931), daughter of Joseph Bonsor, and had further issue), son of Rev. Florence John Wethered, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 10 October 1864;

(2.4) Hon. John Charles Best (1842-1907), born 13 May and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 18 June 1842; an officer in the Royal Navy from 1855 (Lt., 1862; Cdr., 1869; retired as Capt., 1884); JP for Denbighshire and Merionethshire; High Sheriff of Denbighshire, 1888-89; founder of the North Wales Sheep Dog Society, 1867, whose annual trials received the patronage of Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1871; Conservator of the River Dee Fishery District, 1875; President of the Llangollen Club, 1877-78; granted rank of a baron's younger son, 1904; married, 2 April 1873 at Llangollen (Denbighs.), Mary (d. 1927), daughter of William Wagstaff (d. 1877) of Plas yn Vivod, Llangollen, and had issue one son; died 25 May 1907; administration of goods granted 31 October 1907 (estate £814);

(2.5) Hon. Thomas William Best (1844-1909), born 23 January and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 8 April 1844; an officer in the army (Ensign, 1863; Lt., 1866; Capt., 1876; Maj., 1881; retired 1883); adjutant to Hallamshire Rifles, 1879-83; Chief Constable of Merionethshire, 1883-1907; granted rank of a baron's younger son, 1904; married, 16 September 1879 at Hurworth-on-Tees (Co. Durham), Harriet Royds (1858-1935), third surviving daughter of Henry Anthony Grey of The Hall, Hurworth-on-Tees and Brent House, Meole Brace (Shrops.), and had issue two sons; died at Barmouth (Merioneths.), 3 January, and was buried at Llanaber (Merioneths.), 6 January 1909; will proved 26 February 1909 (estate £784);

(2.6) Hon. Fanny Gertrude Sophia Best (1845-1904), born 3 September and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 1 October 1845; granted rank of a baron's daughter, 1904; died unmarried, 26 November 1904; will proved 17 January 1905 (estate £11,790).

He died 20 January and was buried at Abbotts Ann, 24 January 1873; his will was proved 11 March 1873 (effects under £25,000). His first wife died 23 September 1833. His widow lived latterly at Mentone (France) and died at Aix-les-Bains (France) 7 September 1891; her will proved 27 October 1891 (effects £527).

Best, George (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford. Eldest son of Rev. the Hon. Samuel Best (1802-73) and his second wife Emma, daughter of Lt-Col. Charles Duke, born 14 December 1838 and baptised at Abbotts Ann (Hants), 21 January 1839. Educated at Rugby and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. An officer in the Royal Artillery (Lt., 1858; Capt. 1871; Maj., 1879; retired as Lt-Col., 1883). JP for Wiltshire and Dorset. Chairman of Wiltshire Agriculture Committee. He succeded his cousin as 5th Baron Wynford, 28 October 1903, but only held the title for a year before his death. He married, 7 September 1870 at Weyhill (Hants), Editha Anne (1846-1924), daughter of Matthew Henry Marsh MP of Ramridge, Andover (Hants), and had issue:

(1) Philip George Best (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(2) Hon. Margaret Mary Best (1872-1941), born 6 October and baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Woolwich (Kent), 15 November 1872; worked as a Red Cross nurse during and after the First World War, and later as Honorary Secretary of School Empire Tour Committee, and during the Second World War as a postal censor; Fellow of British Empire Society; appointed OBE, 1929 and CBE, 1938; died unmarried, 30 November 1941; her will was proved 3 April 1942 (estate £15,311);

(3) Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(4) Hon. Gertrude Emma Best (1876-1953), born 10 November and was baptised at Weyhill (Hants), 24 December 1876; trained as a nurse at St Thomas' Hospital, London, 1903-06; Associate of Royal Red Cross; state registered nurse, 1922; Asst. Matron of St Thomas's Hospital, 1913-24 and founder and matron of Tower House Emergency Medical Service Hospital, Salisbury, 1940-45; Chairman of Wiltshire County Nursing Association; awarded MBE, 1941; inherited Charlton House from her mother in 1924 but sold it and lived latterly at Charlton Parva with her younger sister; died unmarried, 19 October 1953; will proved 15 January 1954 (estate £22,371);

(5) Admiral Hon. Sir Matthew Robert Best (1878-1940), born 18 June 1878; an officer in the Royal Navy from 1892 (Midshipman; Lt., 1900; Cdr., 1911; Capt., 1916; Rear-Adm., 1928; Vice-Adm. 1932; Adm. 1936; retired 1939), who served in the First World War and was decorated for his role in the Battle of Jutland; appointed MVO, 1910; DSO, 1916, and bar, 1918; CB, 1928 and KCB, 1935; awarded Russian Order of St Stanislaus and Japanese Order of Rising Sun; a popular and decisive naval commander who was esteemed by his superiors and many of those under his command, though he did not suffer fools gladly; married, 2 January 1908 at Holy Trinity, Sloane St., Chelsea (Middx), Annis Elizabeth (1880-1971), second daughter of Charles Frederick Wood of West Woodhay House (Berks) and later of Twyford House (Hants), and had issue one son and one daughter; lived latterly at Crockway, Frampton (Dorset); died 13 October 1940 and was buried at Toller Fratrum (Dorset); administration of goods (with will annexed) granted to his widow, 31 January 1941 (estate £9,486);

(6) Grace Edith Best (1879-99), born 1 September and baptised at St Michael, Coventry (Warks), 21 October 1879; died unmarried of pneumonia, 20 May 1899;

(7) Hon. Helen Best (1880-1959), born 5 November 1880 and baptised at St Michael, Coventry, 6 January 1881; married, 12 July 1910 at Holy Trinity, Sloane St., Chelsea (Middx), Arthur Gerald Wilson (c.1870-1918), solicitor, son of Rev. Charles Wilson of Bickley (Kent), and had issue one daughter; died 7 January 1959; will proved 11 June 1959 (estate £15,076);

(8) Hon. James William Best (1882-1960), born 3 May and baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Woolwich, 15 June 1882; educated at Wellington Coll and Cooper's Hill; an official of the Indian Forest Service and an officer in the Indian Auxiliary Force (Capt.); retired to England and became a dairy farmer at Beaminster (Dorset) and a Verderer of the New Forest; JP for Dorset; awarded OBE, 1919; married, 11 August 1914 at Lytchett Minster (Dorset), Florence Mary Bernarda (1885-1961), daughter of Sir Elliott Lees, 1st bt. of Lytchet Manor, and had issue four sons and two daughters; died 16 July 1960; cremated and ashes buried at Melplash (Dorset), 20 July 1960; will proved 21 October 1960 (estate £22,669);

(9) Hon. Bertha Beatrice Best (1884-1961), born 26 June 1884; married, 7 January 1920 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster (Middx), Lt-Col. Guy Montague Atkinson DSO (1882-1956) of Penleigh House, Westbury (Wilts), elder son of Lt-Col. Guy Newcomen Atkinson of Cangort (Co. Offaly), but had no issue; died 10 June and was buried at Dilton Marsh, 26 June 1961; will proved 21 November 1961 (estate £31,225);

(10) Hon. Marion Frances Best (1887-1969), born 27 July and was baptised at Donhead St Mary, 17 September 1887; lived at Charlton Parva, Donhead St Mary (Wilts); died unmarried, 6 September 1969; will proved 16 December 1969 (estate £25,273).

He lived at Charlton House, Donhead St Mary (Wilts), which he rented from 1884; his widow and her daughter Gertrude bought the freehold in 1913. He inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his cousin in 1903.

He died 27 October 1904; his will was proved 12 January 1905 (estate £26,067). His widow died 31 May 1924, and was buried at Charlton (Wilts); her will was proved 17 July 1924 (estate £9,740).

6th Baron Wynford

Best, Philip George (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford. Eldest son of George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford, and his wife Edith Anne, daughter of Matthew Henry Marsh MP of Ramridge, Andover (Hants), born 27 August and baptised at Abbotts Ann (Hants), 24 September 1871. Educated at Wellington College and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. An officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1890; Lt., 1893; Capt., 1900; retired 1904) and later in Dorset Yeomanry (Lt., 1906; Capt., 1906; Maj., 1909; Lt-Col., 1916), who served in the First World War (wounded; mentioned in despatches; awarded DSO, 1917); JP (from 1905) and DL (from 1919) for Dorset; County Councillor for Dorset, 1916-35; Chairman of Mental Hospital Committee, 1931-34; Vice-President of the Bath & West Agricultural Society. A staunch churchman, he was a member of the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance, and Chairman of the Dorset Voluntary Schools Association. He succeeded his father as 6th Baron Wynford, 27 October 1904. He married, 16 October 1906 at All Souls, Langham Place, Marylebone (Middx), Hon. Eva Lilian Cecilia (1885-1974), only child of Robert William Napier, 2nd Baron Napier of Magdala, and had issue:

(1) Hon. Grace Janet Mary Best (1907-2002), born 27 August 1907; married, 12 November 1930 at St Paul, Knightsbridge (Middx), Edward Kenneth Macleod Hilleary MVO (1904-73) of Lordington Park (Sussex), second son of Maj. Edward Langdale Hilleary OBE of The Lodge, Edinbane, Isle of Skye, and had issue three daughters; died 4 January 2002; will proved 17 June 2002;

(2) Hon. Eva Constance Edith Best (1909-99), born 11 February 1909; married, 23 April 1932 at Maiden Newton (Dorset) (div. 1961), Philip Valentine Mackinnon (1908-95), only son of Rt. Hon. Sir Frank Douglas Mackinnon, Lord Justice of Appeal, but had no issue; died 1 May 1999; will proved 2 June 1999;

(3) Hon. Mary Jemima Best (1912-2007), born 23 August 1912; married, 2 September 1944, Jack Hendy (1915-93), 'a Communist electrician and trade unionist', and had issue two sons (who both became life peers, in 2019 and 2022 respectively); said to have died in 2007.

He inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1904.

In 1939, he emigrated to South Africa for health reasons, and he died at Stellenbosch, Western Cape, 15 December 1940; his will was proved 8 August 1941 (estate £183,714). His widow died in Salisbury (Rhodesia), 23 March 1974; administration of her goods (with will annexed) was granted in Cape Town (South Africa) and sealed in London, 21 April 1975 (effects in England & Wales £5,522).

Best, Samuel John (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford. Second son of George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford, and his wife Edith Anne, daughter of Matthew Henry Marsh MP of Ramridge, Andover (Hants), born 24 June 1874. Educated at Wellington College, after which he spent some years farming in New Zealand; he then moved to Bengal (now Bangladesh) where became a tea planter with Octavius Steel & Co., and after some years in their Calcutta office returned to England as a partner in the firm. While abroad, he served with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and the Surma Light Horse (Assam), but during the First World War he was an officer in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (Lt.). He succeeded his elder brother as 7th Baron Wynford, 15 December 1940. He married 1st, 26 August 1914 at Darjeeling (India), Evelyn Mary Aylmer (1887-1929), second daughter of Maj-Gen. Sir Edward Sinclair May KCB CMG, and 2nd, 5 June 1930, Margeurite Jane (1890-1966), daughter of Charles Pratt of the Indian Railway Service, and widow of William Kenneth Allies (1881-1922), and had issue:

(1.1) Hon. Edith Joy Marion Best (1915-93), born in Calcutta (India), 14 August 1915; married, 3 April 1937 at Merrow (Surrey), Cdr. Walpole John Eyre RN (1906-87) of Sadborow Myll, Thorncombe (Dorset), son of Rev. George Frederick Eyre of West Hill, Lyme Regis (Dorset), and had issue one son and one daughter, and also adopted one daughter; died 4 February 1993; will proved 26 October 1993 (estate £725,351);

(1.2) Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(1.3) John Philip Best (1919-40), born in Calcutta, 14 March 1919; an officer in the Royal Navy (Midshipman, 1937; Sub-Lt., 1939; mentioned in despatches, 1940), who was lost when HM Submarine Spearfish was sunk by U-boat U34, 2 August 1940; administration of goods (with will annexed) granted 5 May 1941 (estate £2,694);

(1.4) Hon. Patrick George Matthew Best (1923-2009), born in Calcutta, 5 October 1923; educated at Wellington Coll; an officer in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (Midshipman, 1943; Sub-Lt., 1943) in Second World War; employed by Wiggins Teape Ltd. from 1946 (director from 1968; deputy chairman, 1978; chairman and managing director, 1979); director of BAT Industries, 1979-84 and of Rank Hovis Macdougall; Master of Ironmongers Company, 1985-86; a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; appointed an officer of the Belgian Order of the Crown, 1980; married 1st, 29 March 1947 at St Mark, North Audley St., Westminster (Middx), Heather Elizabeth (1924-99), younger daughter of Hamilton Gardner of South Kensington (Middx), and had issue four sons and one daughter; married 2nd, 1 April 2000, Anne Loveday Ayscough (1931-2005), daughter of Kenneth Ayscough England; lived latterly at Monks House, Petersfield (Hants); died 30 October 2009; will proved 6 September 2010.

He lived in a flat in one of the blocks built on the site of Wildcroft Manor in Putney (Surrey). He inhertied the Wynford Eagle estate from his elder brother in 1940.

He died in Putney (Surrey), 29 August, and was buried at Wynford Eagle, 3 September 1943; his will was proved 8 March 1944 (estate £138,855). His first wife died 28 March 1929; her will was proved 12 June 1929 (estate £1,719). His widow died in Cheltenham (Glos), 28 March 1966; her will was proved 20 October 1966 (estate £10,832).

8th Baron Wynford

Best, Robert Samuel (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford. Eldest son of Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford, and his first wife, Evelyn Mary Aylmer, second daughter of Maj-Gen. Sir Edward Sinclair May KCB CMG, born in Calcutta (India), 5 January 1917. Educated at Eton and Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. An officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1937; Lt., 1940; Capt., 1945; Maj., 1950; Lt-Col., 1957; retired 1960), who served in the Second World War (wounded, awarded Croix de Guerre, 1943); appointed MBE, 1952. DL for Dorset (from 1970). He succeeded his father as 8th Baron Wynford, 29 August 1943. He married, 6 May 1941 at Holy Trinity, Brompton (Middx), Anne Daphne Mametz (1918-2002), only daughter of Maj-Gen. John Randle Minshull-Ford CB DSO MC of Windlesham (Surrey), and had issue:

(1) Hon. Caroline Anne Sabina Best (b. 1942), born 28 March 1942; educated at Trinity College, Dublin; married, 24 October 1964, Edward Patrick Gundry (1935-2013), elder son of Edward Fox Gundry (1909-94), and had issue one son and two daughters; living in 2023;

(2) Hon. Jacqueline Dorothy Mametz Best (b. 1946), born 9 November 1946; married, 7 June 1969, Jeremy James Richard Pope OBE DL (b. 1943), solicitor, of Maiden Newton (Dorset), and had issue three sons; living in 2023;

(3) John Philip Robert Best (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford (q.v.).

He inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1943.

He died 21 January 2002; his will was proved 20 September 2002. His widow died 25 October 2002; her will was proved 8 September 2003.

Best, John Philip Robert (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford. Only son of Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford, and his wife Anne Daphne Mametz, only daughter of Maj-Gen. John Randle Minshull-Ford CB DSO MC, born 23 November 1950. Educated at Radley College, Keele University (BA 1974), and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester (MRAC, 1977). Landowner and chartered surveyor (MRICS, 1979). He succeeded his father as 9th Baron Wynford, 21 January 2002. He married, 10 October 1981, Fenella Christian Mary (b. 1952), only daughter of Capt. Arthur Reginald Danks MBE (d. 1996), and had issue:

(1) Hon. Sophie Hannah Elizabeth Best (b. 1985), born 18 November 1985; management and business consultant in Dorchester (Dorset);

(2) Hon. Harry Robert Francis Best (b. 1987), born 9 May 1987; heir apparent to the barony.

He took over the management of the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1981.

Now living. His wife is now living.

Principal sources

Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 2003, pp. 4256-58; J. Hutchins, History of Dorset, 1774, vol. 1, pp. 526-27; A. Gomme & A. Maguire, Design and Plan in the Country House: from Castle Donjons to Palladian Boxes, 2008, pp. 211-12; M. Hill, West Dorset Country Houses, 2014, p. 415; M. Hill, J. Newman & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Dorset, 2nd edn., 2018, p. 714; ODNB entry for 1st Baron Wynford;

https://leesonsfields.co.uk/history-of-leesons-estate-1790-present/;

Location of archives

Best family, Barons Wynford: deeds and estate papers relating to Kent and Lincolnshire property, 1551-1845 [Bexley Local Studies & Archives Centre, PEWYN]. Other records may remain with the family.

Coat of arms

Best of Wynford Eagle, Barons Wynford: Sable a Cinquefoil within an Orle of Cross Crosslets Or on a Canton of the last a Portcullis of the first

Can you help?

• Can anyone provide a more exact date for the family acquisition of the Wynford Eagle estate, or their sale of Leesons? And can anyone provide fuller information about the subsequent ownership of Leesons?
• Does anyone know exactly when Higher Wynford (also known as Wynford House) was built, or who the architect was?
• Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 12 May 2025 and updated 13 May 2025.

(601) Best of Donnington Grove

Best of Elmswell and Donnington Grove 

This family originated in the North Riding of Yorkshire, where the Rev. Christopher Best was a chantry priest at Wath in 1546. Robert Best (whose relation to Christopher is unclear) obtained a lease of Jervaulx Abbey's grange at Middleton Quernhow (in the parish of Wath) in 1555, and by the death of Henry Best in 1630 the family owned both the grange and manor of Middleton Quernhow. That estate was sold in 1661, but the family retained the manor of Elmswell (Yorks ER), which Henry Best had purchased in 1597 and sold the following year to his brother, James Best (d. 1617). James' eldest son, Paul Best, was an officer in the Swedish army and later in Lord Fairfax's Parliamentarian forces, and being out of England he sold Elmswell to his brother, Henry Best (d. 1645), who is remembered today for his 'farming book' of detailed notes on contemporary agricultural practice, which was published by the Surtees Society in 1857.

Elmswell Hall, before it fell into disuse and dereliction

It was Henry who, about 1634, built a new manor house at Elmswell, some remains of which survive today (and have become a conservation cause célèbre). The house at Elmswell was never a country house in the terms of this project, and later generations seem to have gravitated to urban centres and to have let the property to farmers. It descended from Henry Best to his eldest son, John Best (1621-69), who became a Quaker, and thence to Charles Best (1656-1719) of Pocklington (Yorks ER) and his son Francis Best (1699-1779) of Beverley (Yorks ER), who was a collector of customs for the port of Hull. Francis and his wife produced five sons (two of whom died young) and one daughter, but his eldest son, the Rev. Francis Best (1728-71), who was a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge and later vicar of South Dalton (Yorks ER) died during his father's lifetime, and the Elmswell estate thus descended in 1779 to Francis' eldest grandson, the Rev. Francis Best (1775-1844), who also succeeded his father as vicar of South Dalton; it was sold after his death. Francis (d. 1844) had a younger brother, Dr. Charles Best (1779-1817), who became physician to the York Lunatic Asylum, where the treatment of the inmates was repeatedly a matter of controversy. Dr. Best had two daughters, of whom the younger was the artist, Mary Ellen Best (1809-91), whose accomplished watercolours provide an intimate window into 19th century domestic life.

Elmswell Hall: watercolour of the kitchen by Mary Ellen Best, 1834. Image: Victoria & Albert Museum P.11-1983.

This was the background of the family which is the subject of this post. The genealogy below begins with Charles Best (1732-1813), who was the youngest son of Francis Best (1699-1779). He settled in London, but he was neither a clergyman nor a barrister, and there is no evidence that he was apprenticed to a trade, so what took him to the city and how he supported himself is something of a mystery. In 1764 he married the daughter and heiress of a Dorset gentleman farmer, William Light of Baglake Manor, Litton Cheney. The coupled lived at first in Bromley (Kent), but later in Bath, and had three sons and one daughter, although there may have been other children whose baptism records have not been traced. The eldest son died young, but the other two both took holy orders, although the elder, the Rev. Charles Best, may have remained in deacon's orders and never been priested. In 1804, the Rev. Charles married Mary Elizabeth Race Godfrey, the daughter of a local clergyman, and they had one son (who emigrated to the United States of America) and one surviving daughter. She married the author and Catholic convert, John Richard Digby-Beste (1806-85), who between 1833 and 1860 owned Botleigh Grange (Hants), which they largely rebuilt c.1838, although they spent much time travelling in Europe and America.

Botleigh Grange, c.1900, from the Charles Hind Postcard Collection. Some rights reserved.

Charles Best's younger son, the Rev. James Wilkes Best (1777-1852), served various Berkshire curacies in the early 19th century before settling in Bath with his wife, Eliza Head Pottinger (1787-1863), the daughter of the vicar of Compton (Berks). They had one child, Head Pottinger Best (1808-87), who was educated at Oxford and then lived for some years at Farthinghoe Lodge (Northants), which he probably rented because of its location in prime hunting country. After his first marriage in 1839 to Maria Duffield, the daughter of the MP for Abingdon, he moved back to Berkshire, where he first rented and later purchased the Donnington Grove estate, which became the family seat for several generations. He also purchased the manors of Alton Priors (Wilts) and Bagnor (Berks), so he evidently had access to plenty of capital, but there is a mystery about the source of his wealth. Head and Maria had two daughters (one of whom died in infancy) before Maria died in 1845, and the following year Head married again, this time to Jane Stratton, the daughter of an Indian civil servant. She provided her husband with an heir, Marmaduke Head Best (1847-1912), who inherited the Donnington Grove estate at his father's death. Marmaduke was married to Mary Leigh Bennett (1851-1926), the daughter of a Surrey squarson, but they had no children. At his death in 1912, therefore, he bequeathed the estate to his widow absolutely, and it subsequently passed to her nephew, Henry Wolley Leigh-Bennett (1880-1951), who sold it in 1936.

Donnington Grove, Berkshire

An account of this house was given in a previous post.

Best of Donnington Grove

Best, Charles (1732-1813). Fifth and youngest son of Francis Best (1699-1779) of Elmswell Hall (Yorks ER), and his wife Rosamond (1701-87), daughter of Yarburgh Constable of Wassand (Yorks ER), baptised at St Mary & St Nicholas, Beverley (Yorks ER), 1 July 1732. He married, 7 April 1764 at St Paul, Covent Garden, Westminster (Middx), Henrietta Harriet (1743-1816), daughter of William Light of Baglake Manor (Dorset), and had issue:

(1) Francis Best (1765-82), baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 17 June 1765; said to have died unmarried, 1782;

(2) Catherine Best (b. 1766; fl. 1813), born 21 June and baptised at St Katherine Coleman, London, 21 July 1766; living, unmarried, in 1813;

(3) Rev. Charles Best (1773-1819), born 1773; educated at Winchester, Peterhouse and Emmanuel College, Cambridge (matriculated 1793; SCL); ordained deacon, 1802; curate of East Shefford (Berks), 1802; married, 4 February 1804 at St Swithin, Walcot, Bath, Mary Elizabeth Race (1784-1837) (who m2, 29 November 1826 at St John, Clerkenwell (Middx), James Collins), daughter of Rev. Dr. Race Godfrey DD of Bath, and had issue one son and two daughters; died at Constance (Switzerland), 7 June 1819;

(4) Rev. James Wilkes Best (1777-1852) (q.v.).

He inherited Baglake Manor (Dorset) in right of his wife, but they evidently lived in Bromley (Kent) and later at Bath.

He died at Bath (Som.), 13 May and was buried at St Swithin, Walcot, Bath, 2 June 1813; his will was proved in the PCC, 12 June 1813. His widow died 5 May and was buried at St Swithin, Walcot, Bath, 10 May 1816; her will was proved in the PCC, 12 June 1816.

Best, Rev. James Wilkes (1777-1852). Third son of Charles Best (1732-1813) of Baglake Manor (Dorset) and his wife Henrietta Harriet, daughter of William Light of Baglake Manor, born 7 March and baptised at Bromley (Kent), 10 May 1777. Educated at Trinity College, Oxford (matriculated 1795; BA 1798; MA 1801). Ordained deacon, 1800, and priest, 1801. Curate of Chieveley (Berks), 1801, Compton (Berks), 1818 and Peasemore (Berks), 1819. He married, 30 July 1807 at Compton, Eliza Head (1787-1863), daughter and sole heir of Rev. Head Pottinger (d. 1829), vicar of Compton (Berks), and had issue:

(1) Head Pottinger Best (1808-87) (q.v.).

He lived at Chieveley (Berks) and later in Bath (Som.).

He died at Bath (Som.), 21 July 1852; his will was proved in the PCC, 3 September 1852. His widow died 14 November 1863.

Best, Head Pottinger (1808-87). Only son of Rev. James Wilkes Best (1777-1852) and his wife Eliza Head, daughter and sole heir of Rev. Head Pottinger of Compton (Berks), born 18 July and baptised at Compton, 29 September 1808. Educated at University College, Oxford (matriculated 1826; BA 1830). An officer in the Bloxham & Banbury Troop of Yeomanry Cavalry (Cornet, 1830) and later in the Berkshire Yeomanry Cavalry (2nd Lt., 1831). JP (from 1841) and DL (from 1852) for Berkshire; High Sheriff of Berkshire, 1853-54; Chairman of the Hampshire and Berkshire Railway. Master of the Craven Hounds, 1851-56. He married 1st, 11 June 1839 at St Marylebone (Middx), Maria (1817-45), second daughter of Thomas Duffield of Marcham Park (Berks), MP for Abingdon, and 2nd, 22 September 1846 at Ryde (IoW), Jane (1818-85), eldest daughter of George Stratton HEICS of Madras (India), and had issue:

(1.1) Caroline Eliza Best (b. & d. 1840), born prematurely and baptised at Farthinghoe (Northants), 10 January 1840; died in infancy and was buried at Farthinghoe, 23 January 1840;

(1.2) Rosamond Head Best (1844-77), born 12 May 1844; married, 15 April 1869 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Lt-Col. William Lewis Stucley (1836-1911) (who m2, 5 February 1879 at Fulbeck (Lincs), Marion Elizabeth (1851-1934), daughter of Henry Edward Hamlyn-Fane of Clovelly Court (Devon)), eldest son of Sir George Stucley, 1st bt., of Affeton Castle (Devon), but had no issue; died 29 September 1877, leaving her estate to her husband for life and then to her half-brother;

(2.1) Marmaduke Head Best (1847-1912) (q.v.).

He lived at Farthinghoe Lodge (Northants) until about 1840. He then leased the Donnington Grove (Berks) estate, and in 1850 purchased the manor of Alton Priors, Overton (Wilts) and the Donnington Grove (Berks) estate. From 1861 he leased the manor house of Bagnor and in 1871 he bought the freehold of Bagnor Manor. He settled Alton Priors on his daughter and her husband, and at his death left Donnington and Bagnor to his son.

He died 14 December 1887; his will was proved 7 February 1888 (effects £39,667). His first wife died at Torquay (Devon), 5/6 January 1845; administration of her goods (with will annexed) was granted to her husband in the PCC, 20 February 1845. His second wife died 1 October 1885; her will was proved 3 November 1885 (effects £6,726).

Best, Marmaduke Head (1847-1912). Only son of Head Pottinger Best (1808-87) and his second wife, Jane, eldest daughter of George Stratton, born 27 June 1847. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1865). An officer in the Berkshire Yeomanry Cavalry (Lt., by 1872). JP for Berkshire (from 1871; Chairman of Newbury Petty Sessions); County Alderman for Berkshire. President of the South Berkshire Conservative Association. A trustee of Donnington Hospital from 1900. He pursued a legal dispute with the Wawanda Paper Mill at Bagnor near Newbury about the pollution of the section of the River Lambourn passing through his land, which led to the closure of the mill. He married, 1 August 1877 at Thorpe (Surrey), Mary Leigh (1851-1926), daughter of Rev. Henry Leigh Bennett (1795-1880) of Thorpe Place, but had no issue.

He inherited Donnington Grove from his father in 1887 and the Alton Priors estate on the death of his brother-in-law in 1911. At his death they passed to his widow absolutely. She sold Alton Priors to New College, Oxford in 1912, while Donnington Grove passed to her nephew, Henry Wolley Leigh-Bennett (1880-1951).

He died 3 January 1912; his will was proved 20 March and 21 May 1912 (estate £106,362). His widow died 11 April 1926; her will was proved 6 July 1926 (estate £157,508).

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1914, p. 146; J. Foster, Yorkshire pedigrees: vol. 3 - the North and East Ridings, 1874, 4th pedigree (Best of Elmswell & Middleton Quernhow); VCH Wiltshire, xi, pp. 181-203.

Location of archives

Head, Best and Pottinger families of Compton and Donnington Grove: deeds and papers, 1652-1938 [Royal Berkshire Archives, D/EZ198]

Coat of arms

Best of Donnington Grove: Gules, a Saracen's head couped at the neck proper navally crowned or, between eight lions' gambs chevronways in pairs paws inwards of the second.

Can you help?

• Can anyone explain what took Charles Best (1732-1813) to London, or where the money came from that enabled Head Pottinger Best (1808-87) to buy three estates in the mid 19th century?
• Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 3 May 2025.

(600) Best (later Best-Shaw) of Boxley and Chilston Park

Best of Boxley and Chilston 

The Best family were established in Kent as minor gentry from at least the 16th century. John Best, who rented Allington Castle in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, added a semi-timbered gabled storey to the east and west wings of the house as a replacement for parts of the castle which had been damaged by fire. He was evidently a Catholic, as he maintained a chapel in the house and created a priest hole in the gatehouse. It may also have been John Best who acquired a Crown lease of a house known as St Lawrence, on the outskirts of Canterbury, held later by his son Richard Best (1597-1633) and grandson, John Best (d. 1666). This house, which although it was demolished in the early 19th century is known from a drawing on an 18th century estate map, was a low two-storey L-shaped manor house, which was the successor to, and perhaps incorporated parts of, a medieval leper hospital dissolved in 1538. At the time of Richard Best's death in 1633 the house contained a hall, parlour, study, kitchen, buttery, bakehouse, gallery and a chamber over the hall. His son, John Best, sold the estate to William Rooke in the 1650s and evidently spent his latter years in the city of Canterbury itself. The genealogy below begins with Thomas Best (1657-1740), who is said to have been John's fourth son, but who was perhaps the second eldest to survive his father. He became a brewer at Chatham (Kent), and may have inherited brewing interests there, for the probate inventories of Thomas Best (d. 1665) and his wife Dorothy Lott of Chatham show that they owned brewing implements. It was, however, Thomas (1657-1740) who 'converted some small tenements, part of Dame Agrippina Bingley's house [in Chatham High Street] into a brewhouse and set up the business of a brewer in a small way'. His marriage in 1681 to the widowed daughter of a wealthy local merchant, John Mawdistly, provided the funds to enable him to expand the business, and laid the foundations of the family's later fortune. Later in life, probably after he handed over day-to-day control of the brewery to his son, Mawdistly Best (1682-1744), he rented Cooling Castle.

It was Mawdistly Best who took the next step up the social ladder, when he bought the Park House estate at Boxley near Maidstone in 1720. Park House was probably not, at that time, particularly large, but it was a freehold property, and coupled with the family's income from the brewery, was sufficient to see Mawdistly appointed as High Sheriff of Kent in 1730-31. Mawdistly, who continued to buy scattered lands in west Kent, died in 1744, only four years after his father. He left two surviving sons: Thomas Best (1713-95) and James Best (1720-82). Thomas was educated as a gentleman and became MP for Canterbury in 1741. He inherited most of his father's lands at Aylesford, Headcorn and elsewhere, though not the Park House estate, and his marriage to Carolina Scott, an heiress of the gentry family of Scott's Hall (Kent), perhaps provided the means for him to purchase Chilston Park near Lenham (Kent) in 1746. Thomas and Carolina had no children, so at his death in 1795, Chilston passed to his nephew George Best (1759-1818), who was the youngest son of his brother James.

Chatham House and the brewery as shown on the 1864 town plan

Chatham House: the frontage to High Street in 1849.

Mawdistly's younger son, James Best (1720-82), inherited the Chatham brewery, his father's house there, and the Park House, Boxley property. His father had intended to rebuild his house in Chatham but died before doing so. James realised his plans, although work seems to have proceeded slowly, beginning in the 1740s but only being completed in 1758, and the result was the imposing Chatham House, which stood on the High Street at the front of the brewery site. The brewery seems to have been his principal focus of interest, and during the forty years when he was the proprietor, the firm greatly expanded, investing in new technology and improved brewing techiques, and achieved its greatest prosperity. At the end of his life, he was planning to embark on overseas exports of the firm's beer, but although his sons put this plan into action after his death it was not a success and was quickly abandoned.

James married a daughter of Richard Shelley of Michelgrove, and they had ten children, including five sons, one of whom died young. The eldest son, Thomas Best (1753-1815), inherited Park House, Boxley. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge, and became an officer in the West Kent militia, but he was not left a share of the brewery.  That was divided among the three younger sons: James (1755-1828), Richard (1757-1801) and George (1759-1818), despite the fact that James, who had became an officer in the army 'wanted nothing to do with it'. George inherited the Chilston Park estate from his uncle in 1795, and withdrew from the brewery partnership soon afterwards. George continued to live at Chilston until his death in 1818, when it passed to his son, Thomas Fairfax Best (1786-1849). He sold the estate in 1824 and moved to the smaller Wierton Place at Boughton Monchelsea, then a modest Georgian house which was subsequently remodelled by his son-in-law, Maj. William Henry Archer (1815-91).

James and Richard continued to manage the concern until 1801, when the family's solicitors - one of whom was also their brother-in-law - raised concerns about the amount of money the partners were taking out of the business. Not only would it become bankrupt if they continued to do so, but the business needed an immediate injection of capital. To address the problem, the solicitors took over the management of the business as trustees for the Bests until 1809, paying the partners a minimal allowance, and only when it was on a sound footing once more did they return it to James, the sole surviving partner, who ran it until his death in 1828. As he had no children, it then passed to his nephew, James Best (1781-1849), the elder son of his brother Thomas of Park House.

James Best (d. 1849) was educated as a gentleman and had inherited Park House from his father in 1815, before becoming involved in the brewery. He combined his role in the business with being a senior officer in the militia, and was often referred to as Colonel Best. Under his management, the firm seems once more to have been very profitable, and in the 1840s the brewery was said 'to have no competitor in the county', implying that the other Kentish breweries were much smaller concerns.

Rome House, Chatham

The income from the brewery seems to have allowed James to buy a property called Boxley Lodge, which stood next door to Park House, and he also occupied Rome House in Chatham, a substantial urban villa on which the family had held a mortgage since the 18th century. James's intention was probably that his eldest son, James Best (1822-45), should inherit the brewery and his estates, but the younger James died at the age of 22, while an undergraduate at Oxford. By this time, James's other sons, Mawdistly Gaussen Best (1826-1906) and Thomas Charles Hardinge Best (1828-87), had already embarked on careers in the army, and were evidently disinclined to give them up to take over the management of the brewery. In these circumstances, the family and its advisers decided to lease the brewery to Messrs. Winch & Co., who much later, in 1891, bought the business altogether.

Mawdistly Gaussen Best remained in the army until 1860, achieving the rank of Major, but inherited the Boxley estates from his father in 1849. Both Boxley Lodge and Park House seem to have been let while he was serving in the army, but after the tenants of Boxley Lodge left in 1862, he undertook a remodelling of that house and moved in. A decade later, when Park House also became vacant, he pulled it down and undertook a further and more extensive enlargement or rebuilding of Boxley Lodge, to which the name Park House was transferred. While the work at Boxley Lodge was in progress, Major Best himself rented Boxley Abbey, a third large house in the same parish. Some years later, in 1890, it came up for sale, and he bought it, presumably with a view to extending the estate. Since Major Best and his wife had no children, the combined property passed on his death to his sister's daughter, Harriet (1867-1951), and her husband, the Rev. Charles Edmund Waller Dalison (later Best-Dalison) (1858-1955). Their only son, Thomas Maximilian Best-Dalison, predeceased his parents in 1947, and so when Harriet died four years later the estates passed to her sister's son, Sir John James Kenward Shaw (later Best-Shaw) (1895-1984), 9th bt., who moved into Boxley Abbey. When the Rev. Charles Best-Dalison died in 1955, Park House - the unfashionable Victorian Italianate style of which, coupled with wartime damage, made it particularly vulnerable - became vacant and was pulled down soon afterwards. Sir John left Boxley Abbey and the estate to his youngest son, Stephen Bosanquet Shaw (later Best-Shaw) (1935-2000), who was in turn succeeded by his son James Robert Hawley Best-Shaw (b. 1965), who put the property on the market in 2023.

Park House, Boxley, Kent

The house should not be confused with Park House, Maidstone, which lies less than a mile to the south-west. Both estates were carved out of the lands belonging to the medieval Cistercian Boxley Abbey. The Park House at Boxley was called 'ancient' by Hasted in 1798. It was acquired by Thomas Best of Chatham as a country retreat in 1720, and at this time was probably no more than a 'village gentry' house, which fronted onto the village street. In 1838, James Best (d. 1849) bought the adjoining property, known as Boxley Lodge, which seems to have been built in the late 18th or early 19th century, and may have moved there, as Park House was certainly let in the 1840s, when the poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson visited his sister there. After Mawdistly Gaussen Best inherited the estate in 1849, both properties seem to have been let, but the tenants at Boxley Lodge gave up their lease in about 1862, and Best seems to have embarked on a process of refurbishment and improvement before occupying the house himself.

Park House and Boxley Lodge depicted on 6" OS map, 1865

Park House, Boxley, depicted on 6" OS map, 1898

Both houses were standing, side by side, when the Ordnance Survey 6" map was surveyed in 1865, and a newspaper report in the same year mentions 'large alterations and additions having just been completed' at Boxley Lodge. That was not the end of the matter, however, for a decade later Best pulled down the original Park House and transferred its name to Boxley Lodge, which he either rebuilt or further extended on a significantly larger scale in a loosely Italianate style in 1875-76. The architect on this occasion was Robert Wheeler (1828-1901) of Brenchley and Tunbridge Wells (Kent), about whom little is known, although his practice seems to have been mainly involved in church restoration and public buildings. The works were executed by Wallis & Clements of Maidstone, contractors, whose accepted tender for the works was £7,284. Either at the same time or soon afterwards, the road leading south from Boxley village was diverted to the west, allowing the enlargement of the grounds around the new house, which seems to have stood on the site of Boxley Lodge. It is not known how much of the Lodge was incorporated within it, nor how much of the house as it later appeared was due to the works of 1865 or those of 1875-76. The map evidence shows that the house was 'turned around' so that it was entered on the north side whereas the old house had been approached from the south. 20th century photographs show the house had a complex layout, with a thin tower at the junction between the main block and a large service wing, which in turn connected to the stable court. Nothing is known of the plan or the interiors.

Park House, Boxley: entrance front, probably c.1900. Image: Matthew Beckett.

Park House, Boxley: aerial photograph in 1930. Image: Britain from above.

Park House, Boxley: the house from the south-west in the early 20th century.

While the rebuilding work of the 1870s was taking place, Best rented Boxley Abbey, and when Lord Romney put the Boxley Abbey Estate up for sale in 1890, Best decided to add it to his estate, buying the abbey and attached farm for £15,450. Park House seems to have remained the family's principal residence into the mid 20th century, but it is said to have been damaged during the Second World War, causing the elderly owners to move to Boxley Abbey. Their successors at Boxley preferred the abbey, and Park House was demolished in 1955, although the coach house and stable block were converted into houses.

Descent: Paulet St. John sold 1720 to Mawdistly Best (d. 1740); to son, James Best (d. 1782); to son, Thomas Best (1753-1815); to son, James Best (1781-1849); to son, Mawdistly Gaussen Best (1826-1906); to niece, Harriet Emily Hardinge Best Bosanquet (1867-1951), wife of Rev. Charles Edmund Waller Dalison (later Best-Dalison) (1858-1955); to kinsman, Sir John James Kenward Best-Shaw, 9th bt., who demolished it in 1955.

Boxley Abbey, Kent

This house has been described in a previous post.

Chilston Park, Boughton Malherbe, Kent

The house, which was a seat of the Hussey family from the 13th century until 1545, has a long and multi-layered history which is not yet fully understood. The earliest view of the building which is known is Badeslade's engraving of 1719 for Harris' History of Kent, which shows a quadrangular house with a tower over the entrance porch and projecting two-bay wings on the entrance front. 

Badeslade's engraving of Chilston Park in 1719, from Harris' History of Kent

This house probably dated from the early 16th century, as the inner faces of the projecting wings on the north-facing entrance front still have diapered brickwork. Christopher Hussey thought the porch tower might be a little earlier, of the late 15th century, but there seems no compelling reason to suggest a more complex sequence than a straightforward rebuilding in the early 16th century. By the date of the engraving, however, most identifiably pre-classical features of the house apart from the tower had been smoothed away in a fairly comprehensive remodelling, which left the house with plain elevations of two storeys under a hipped roof with dormers. The brick of the east and west elevations shows no diapering and may therefore have been wholly replaced, but the low proportions of the elevations no doubt imply that parts of the 16th century house survive inside. The remodelling was apparently carried out for William Hamilton after he inherited the estate in 1709, as Hasted says 'he made great additions' to the house, but stylistically it could easily be forty years earlier.

Chilston Park: engraving of the house in 1780, from Hasted's History of Kent. 

Chilston Park: the entrance front, as remodelled in 1728, photographed in 1952. Image: Country Life.

Not long after Badeslade's view was drawn, the house was altered again, with a pedimented three-bay breakfront dated 1728 replacing the porch tower, and completing the external modernisation. The entrance hall has a character consistent with this date too, including the slightly over-scaled Palladian chimneypiece It seems likely that this was the work of John Hamilton and had been completed before the house passed to the Best family, in 1746.

Chilston Park: the entrance hall in recent years. Image: Trip Advisor.

Chilston Park: the mid 18th century first-floor saloon, now a bedroom. Image: Trip Advisor

Most of the rest of the interior of the house has been redecorated in later times. Hasted reported in 1782 that the Bests had 'rebuilt the mansion and made other very considerable improvements to the park, waters and adjacent grounds' in the mid 18th century. The screen in the entrance hall seems to belong to this phase, with the columns each made from a single tree trunk. The rooms in the east range were also remodelled. The ground floor was occupied by a parlour and dining room, placed either side of a Chinese Chippendale staircase, while on the first floor is a saloon with a coved and coffered ceiling, perhaps of the 1750s, and a canted bay window. The staircase was removed in the 19th century (Christopher Hussey reported that fragments of the staircase balustrading were still to be found in the outbuildings in 1952), although its sunburst ceiling is still in position on the first floor. 

Chilston Park: the inner hall and Victorian staircase.

Further major changes were made to the house for Aretas Akers-Douglas, 1st Viscount Chilston, in 1882-83, to the designs of George Friend. The front porch was created, reusing the original doorcase, and the central courtyard was roofed over to provide a new top lit inner hall, with a grand imperial staircase rising around the walls. On the east wall of the inner hall is mounted panelling of c.1540, with the symbols of the Passion and kings' heads, set under Renaissance arches. This was almost certainly made for the lost Royton chapel at Lenham, and was moved here in about 1900 from the nearby farmhouse (formerly Royton Manor). 

Chilston Park: the combined drawing room and morning room (now the dining room) in 1952. Image: Country Life.

The creation of a new main staircase allowed the Georgian staircase to be taken out, and the ground floor rooms of the east wing to be thrown into a single long drawing room and morning room (now the dining room), divided by a screen of columns, and leading at the south end into a conservatory. This is the survivor of several spaces in which the existing Georgian decoration was emulated in the new decoration. The panelling and chimneypieces of the long drawing room are evidently original, but the papier mâché ceiling must be Victorian, and fits well enough, although its small-scale repetitive decoration is not something the Georgians would ever have created in such a large space. 

Chilston Park: the former dining room (now demolished) created in 1882-83. Image: Country Life.

On the other side of the house, a new dining room (now lost) was built out, extending the entrance front to the west, with new service accommodation beyond it. The dining room also had Georgian-style decoration, with a Kentian ceiling and decorative plasterwork swags and picture frames on the walls. The final major change was the reconstruction of the south front of the house, with the two bays at either end of the facade raised into gables, and a new two-storey centre which again is in keeping with the Georgian elevations, but which is constructed of a hot red brick toned down by the application of spots of distemper across the surface.

The house was converted into an hotel after 1983, and on the whole the conversion and subsequent alterations have been handled sympathetically, although inevitably there is some loss of the 'visual charm and historic atmosphere' on which Christopher Hussey remarked in 1952. The most grevious change in that time, however, has been the construction of the insistently noisy M20 across the park to the north. The house was from the 16th century at least surrounded by a small park, which Evelyn in 1666 called 'a sweetly watered place'. Badeslade's view shows a formal garden with an elaborate system of rectangular ponds on all sides of the house, but this seems to have been naturalised by the Bests in the mid 18th century, when the informal lake was created at a little distance from the north front. 

Descent: Henry Hussey sold 1545 to John Parkhurst... Sir William Parkhurst, kt.; sold to Richard Northwood... sold 1650 to Edward Hales (d. 1696); to daughters, who sold 1698 to the Hon. Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton (d. 1709), widow of Col. James Hamilton; to son, William Hamilton (d. 1737); to son, John Hamilton, who sold in 1746 to Thomas Best MP (1713-95); to nephew, George Best (1759-1818); to son, Thomas Fairfax Best (1786-1849), who sold c.1824 to George Douglas (d. 1833); to James Douglas Stoddart (later Stoddart Douglas then Douglas) MP (1793-1875); to kinsman, Aretas Akers (later Akers-Douglas) (1851-1926), 1st Viscount Chilston; to son, Aretas Akers-Douglas (1876-1947), 2nd Viscount Chilston; to son, Eric Alexander Akers-Douglas (1910-82), 3rd Viscount Chilston; to cousin, Alastair George Akers-Douglas (b. 1946), 4th Viscount Chilston, who sold 1983 for conversion into an hotel.

Wierton Place, Boughton Monchelsea, Kent

The oldest of several gentlemen's seats in a scattered hamlet on the eastern side of Boughton Monchelsea parish, and anciently known simply as Wierton or Wiarton. 

Wierton Place: the Jacobean house of the St Leger and Powell families, engraved by Badeslade, 1719.

The L-shaped Jacobean house of the St Leger and Powell families recorded by Badeslade in 1719 was replaced by a new, classical house on a different site in about 1760 for John Briscoe of London. No view of this house seems to be known before it was remodelled in the Gothic style in 1857, presumably for Maj. William Henry Archer. It was sold in 1898 to the Kleinwort banking family and remodelled again, although this time the work had little impact on the exterior and was concentrated on creating a new suite of interiors. The house is now gabled, and mainly of two storeys above a basement, with irregular fenestration, mixing sashes with some mullioned windows, some of which have leaded lights.

Wierton Place: the 18th century house as remodelled in 1857 and 1899.

The internal remodelling of 1899 was in a mixture of the Jacobean and 18th century styles. The entrance hall, billiard room and former music room were decorated in the Jacobean style, with panelling, overmantels and plaster cornices, and the hall has a strapwork ceiling with pendants. The main staircase is in early 18th century style, with elaborate cast iron scrollwork balusters and a mahogany handrail. The two drawing rooms have more Adamesque decoration, with plaster ceilings and cornices, 18th century style fireplaces, and painted wooden doors, and there is a sitting room on the first floor in the same taste.

Descent: built c.1760 for John Briscoe; sold c.1790 to John May of Holborough; sold to Thomas Fairfax Best (1786-1849); to daughter, Frances (1823-88), later wife of Maj. William Henry Archer (1815-91); to son, Major Henry Best Fairfax Archer (1858-1927), who sold 1898 to Herman G. Kleinwort (1856-1942); sold after his death to [fu] Hubble; sold 1967 to Francis Stone (c.1944-2005), who operated it as a night club; to brother Aaron Paul Stone (b. 1948).

Best family of Boxley

Best, Thomas (1657-1740). Fourth son of John Best (d. 1666) of St Lawrence, near Canterbury (Kent) and his wife Katherine, daughter of John Allanson of Norwood (Middx), baptised at St Paul, Canterbury, 2 June 1657. Brewer at Chatham. He married 1st, 13 September 1681 at St Botolph, Aldgate, London, Elizabeth (d. 1702), daughter of John Mawdistly of Chatham (Kent) and widow of Matthew Thurston (d. 1680), and 2nd, 30 December 1703 at Stepney (Middx), Elizabeth (d. 1736?), widow of William Nurse, and had issue:

(1.1) Mawdistly Best (1682-1744) (q.v.);

(1.2) Elizabeth Best (1683-1764), baptised at Chatham, 29 November 1683; married, 30 March 1717 at St Swithin, London Stone, London, as his second wife, Thomas Pearse (d. 1743), MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, 1722-26, 1727-41, of Tower Hill, London and Witchampton (Dorset), chief clerk of the Navy office to 1726; a commissioner of the Navy, 1726-43 and a director of the South Sea Company, 1721-24, and had issue two sons; lived latterly at Hatley St George (Cambs); buried at Hatley St George, 8 July 1764; will proved 26 July 1764;

(1.3) Mary Best (1685-1760), baptised at Chatham, 1 October 1685; married, 17 August 1704 at Stepney (Middx), John Tyhurst (c.1678-1753) of Chatham, brewer, and had issue at least two daughters; buried at Chatham, 23 February 1760; will proved at Canterbury, 1760;

(1.4) Dorothy Best (b. 1687; fl. 1737), baptised at Chatham, 26 May 1687; married Capt. John Mihell or Myhell (fl. 1737; d. by 1746) and had issue one son and four daughters; death not traced;

(1.5) Matthew Best (b. & d. 1691), baptised at Chatham, 20 May 1691; died in infancy and was buried at Chatham, 21 July 1691;

(1.6) John Best (b. & d. 1694), baptised at Chatham, 15 August 1694; died in infancy and was buried at Chatham, 20 November 1694;

(1.7) Sarah Best (1699-1756), baptised at Chatham, 31 May 1699; married, 15 July 1729 at St Clement Danes, Westminster (Middx), Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757) of Nacton (Suffk), MP for Penryn, 1722-34, Portsmouth, 1741 and Ipswich, 1741-57, second son of Rt. Hon. James Vernon, secretary of state 1696-1700, and had issue three sons; buried at Nacton, 19 May 1756;

(1.8) Ann Best (1702-84), baptised at Chatham, 2 July 1702; married, 8 December 1725 in London, Charles Taylor (1692-1762), barrister-at-law, a bencher of the Middle Temple and deputy remembrancer of the Court of Exchequer, and had issue several sons and one daughter; died 23 March 1784 and was buried at Diptford (Devon), where she and her husband are commemorated by a monument.

He lived next to the brewery at Chatham and later at Cooling Castle (Kent), where he was presumably a tenant. In 1735 he bought a mortgage on Rome House, Chatham, which he settled on his son-in-law, John Mihell.

He died 22 August and was buried at Chatham, 31 August 1740; his will was proved in the PCC, 25 August 1740. His first wife was buried at Chatham, 3 November 1702. His second wife is said to have died in 1736.

Mawdistly Best (1682-1744) 

Best, Mawdistly (1682-1744). Eldest and only surviving son of Thomas Best (1657-1740) and his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of John Mawdistly of Chatham and widow of Matthew Thurston, baptised at Chatham, 19 October 1682. Proprietor of Best's Brewery in Chatham, 1740-44. High Sheriff of Kent, 1730-31. He married, 15 August 1710 at Frindsbury (Kent), Elizabeth (1690-1753), daughter of Thomas Fearne, and had issue:

(1) Elizabeth Best (1712-28?), baptised at Chatham, 14 December 1712; died young and was probably the woman of this name buried at Boxley, 20 October 1728;

(2) Thomas Best (1713-95) [for whom see below, under Best of Chilston Park];

(3) Dorothy Best (1715-16), baptised at Chatham, 2 September 1715; died in infancy and was buried at Chatham, 25 July 1716;

(4) Mawdistly James Best (b. 1717), baptised at Chatham, 4 November 1717; died young;

(5) James Best (1720-82) (q.v.);

(6) Mawdistly Best (c.1724-37), born about 1724; died young, 16 January, and was buried at Boxley, 20 January 1736/7;

(7) Dorothy Sarah Best (1726-50), baptised at Boxley, 27 October 1726; married, 18 July 1749 at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), as his second wife, Robert Fairfax (1707-93), 7th Baron Fairfax, of Leeds Castle (Kent); died without issue and was buried at Broomfield (Kent), 23 May 1750;

(8) Frances Best; probably died young as she is not mentioned in her father's will.

He lived at Park House, Boxley (Kent), which he purchased from the St. John family in 1720. He planned to build a new house in Chatham but died before work could start.

He was buried at Boxley, 10 January 1743/4; his will was proved in the PCC, 20 January 1743/4. His widow died in 1753, but her burial has not been traced; her will was proved in the PCC, 27 March 1753.

James Best (1720-82)
Image: Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery  

Best, James (1720-82). Second surviving son of Mawdistly Best (1682-1744) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Fearne, baptised at Chatham, 20 March 1719/20. High Sheriff of Kent, 1751; JP for Kent; Receiver-General for Kent, Surrey and Sussex, 1777-82. Succeeded his father as owner of Best's Brewery in Chatham and greatly expanded the business, investing in new technology and improved brewing techniques, on which he sought guidance from the leading London porter brewers. At the time of his death he was just beginning an attempt to develop an overseas trade in his beer, but this proved unsuccessful and was abandoned in 1786 by his sons. The portrait shown here, by an unidentified artist, is very probably of James Best, although the identification is not certain. He married, 13 January 1752 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster (Middx), Frances (1732-1808), daughter and co-heir of Richard Shelley of Michelgrove (Sussex), and had issue:

(1) Elizabeth Best (1752-1812), born 7 October, and baptised at Chatham, 8 November 1752; married, 18 June 1790 at Boxley, Rev. Maurice Lloyd (1763-1810), vicar of Lenham (Kent), son of Maurice Lloyd of Oswestry (Shrops.), and had issue one son and two daughters; buried at Lenham, 31 October 1812;

(2) Thomas Best (1753-1815) (q.v.); 

(3) James Best (1755-1828), born 9 January, and baptised at Boxley, 10 January 1755; an officer in the army, who was also a partner in Best's Brewery in Chatham from 1782 (though he 'wanted nothing to do with it') until his death, with his brothers George (to 1795) and Richard (to 1801); from 1801-09 it was in the hands of the Twopenny brothers, solicitors, as trustees for the family, as James and his brothers had been drawing larger dividends from the business than it could afford and it was at risk of bankruptcy; after 1809 James was the sole proprietor; married 1st, 17 May 1782 at St Luke, Old St., Finsbury (Middx), Hannah Middleton (c.1751-1816) and 2nd, 20 December 1817 at Chatham, Elizabeth Halliday (1753-1832), but had no issue; died 10 December and was buried at Boxley, 19 December 1828; will proved in the PCC, 19 December 1828;

(4) Frances Best (1756-58), baptised at Boxley, 30 January 1756; died young and was buried at Boxley, 12 April 1758;

(5) Richard Best (1757-1801), baptised at Boxley, 27 June 1757; partner in Best's Brewery in Chatham from 1782, in partnership with his brothers George (to 1794) and James; married 1st, 1784 at Christ Church, Southwark (Surrey), Martha Boorman (1763-87), and had issue one son and one daughter; married 2nd, 28 March 1789 at St George-in-the-East, London, Mary Townson; died 4 April 1801; will proved in the PCC, 27 June 1801;

(6) John Best (b. 1758), baptised at Boxley, 26 October 1758; died young but burial not traced;

(7) George Best (1759-1818) [for whom see below, under Best of Chilston Park];

(8) Frances Best (1760-1837), baptised at Boxley, 19 November 1760; married, 4 June 1779 at Chatham, Rev. Henry Hardinge (c.1754-1820), rector of Stanhope (Co. Durham), son of Nicholas Hardinge (1699-1758), and had issue five sons and one daughter (including Rev. Sir Charles Hardinge, bt., of Bonds Park (Kent) and General Sir Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge of Lahore); died at Darlington (Co. Durham), 27 October 1837;

(9) Dorothy Best (1761-1822), baptised at Boxley, 8 February 1761; married, 9 January 1785 at Boxley, William Twopeny (1755-1826) of Woodstock Park, Tunstall, Sittingbourne (Kent), solicitor, but had no issue; died 23 April 1822 and was buried at Tunstall (Kent), where she is commemorated by a monument;

(10) Charlotte Best (1764-91), baptised at Chatham, 1 October 1764; died unmarried and was buried at Boxley, 10 August 1791; will proved in the PCC, 17 August 1791. 

He inherited his father's plans for a new house in Chatham, which he realised as Chatham House on the front of the brewery site in the High St. Although begun in the 1740s, Chatham House was only finally completed in 1758. He inherited Park House, Boxley, from his father in 1744.

He was buried at Boxley, 7 February 1782; his will was proved in the PCC, 7 March 1782. His widow died 30 October, and was buried at Boxley, 7 November 1808; her will was proved in the PCC, 28 January 1809.

Thomas Best (1753-1815) 
Image: Victoria & Albert Museum

Best, Thomas (1753-1815). Eldest son of James Best (1720-82) and his wife Frances, daughter of Richard Shelley of Michelgrove (Sussex), born 14 November and baptised at Boxley, 22 November 1753. Educated at Eton and St John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1772). An officer in the West Kent Militia; JP for Kent. The portrait shown here is a low-relief wax portrait of him by Samuel Percy, 1807, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum. He married, 12 November 1778 at St Maurice, Winchester (Hants), Elizabeth (1753-1832), daughter of Dr Irwin MD, and had issue:

(1) Frances Julia Best (1780-1842), baptised at Bishops Stortford (Herts), 1 March 1780; lived with her sisters at Maidstone (Kent); died unmarried, 5 December, and was buried at Boxley, 16 December 1842; her will was proved in the PCC, 29 December 1842;

(2) James Best (1781-1849) (q.v.);

(3) Thomas Best (1784-1813), born 10 January and baptised at Thurnham (Kent), 13 January 1784; an officer in the army (Ensign, 1801; Lt., 1801; Capt., 1804), who in 1803 accidentally shot a civilian; married, 1806 (licence), Anne (d. 1834) (who m2, 4 June 1818 at St Mary's R.C. Pro-Cathedral, Dublin, Coll Deane (c.1777-1837) of Dublin, solicitor), eldest daughter of William Kearney of Tuam (Co. Galway), and had issue two sons (one of whom married his cousin, Caroline Georgina (d. 1900), daughter of Thomas Fairfax Best (1786-1849) [for whom see below under Best of Chilston Park]; died of a fever in the lifetime of his father at Gibraltar, 8 October 1813, and was buried in the Trafalgar Cemetery there, where he is commemorated by a monument;

(4) Elizabeth Charlotte Best (1786-1861), baptised privately 1 September and again at Boxley. 5 October 1786; lived with her sisters at Maidstone (Kent); died unmarried, 6 January, and was buried at Boxley, 14 January 1861; will proved 12 February 1861 (effects under £4,000);

(5) Dorothy Best (1792-1871), baptised at Boxley, 15 February 1792; lived with her sisters at Maidstone (Kent); died unmarried, 20 April, and was buried at Boxley, 25 April 1871; her will was proved 27 May 1871 (effects under £5,000).

He inherited Park House, Boxley from his father in 1782, but did not have a share in the brewery business, which was left to his brothers.

He died 27 May 1815; his will was proved in the PCC, 12 July 1815. His widow died 22 April 1832.

Best, James (1781-1849). Elder son of Thomas Best (1753-1815) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Dr Irwin MD, baptised at St Maurice, Winchester, 26 December 1781. Educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (matriculated 1799; BA 1803). JP for Kent. An officer in the West Kent Militia (Lt-Col.). Manager of Best's Brewery in Chatham, 1828-49, in which role he succeeded his uncle James; in 1851, after his death, the business was leased to Messrs. Winch, who bought it outright in 1891. He married, 23 September 1817 at Boxley, Harriet Susannah (1795-1875), daughter of Samuel R. Gaussen of Brookman's Park (Herts), and had issue:

(1) James Best (1822-45), born 27 October and baptised at Boxley, 4 December 1822; educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (matriculated 1842); died at Boxley in the lifetime of his father, 10 June, and was buried there, 18 June 1845;

(2) Thomas Henry Best (b. & d. 1825), baptised at Boxley, 15 July 1825; died in infancy and was buried at Boxley, 21 September 1825;

(3) Mawdistly Gaussen Best (1826-1906) (q.v.);

(4) Thomas Charles Hardinge Best (1828-87), born 22 May and baptised at Boxley, 3 July 1828; an officer in 72nd Foot (Ensign, 1847; Lt., 1850; Capt., 1854; Maj., 1862; retired 1863), who saw service against the Indian Mutiny; lived in retirement in London; died unmarried at Tunbridge Wells, 21 September and was buried at Boxley, 26 September 1887;

(5) Emily Dorothy Best (1829-99) (q.v.);

(6) John Aylmer Best (1831-32), baptised at Boxley, 20 May 1831; died in infancy and was buried at Boxley, 6 February 1832;

(7) Elizabeth Caroline Ann Best (1836-85), born 18 May and baptised at Boxley, 28 June 1836; died unmarried, 17 August, and was buried at Boxley, 24 August 1885.

He inherited Park House, Boxley from his father in 1815 and purchased Boxley Lodge in 1838. From 1820 he also lived at Rome House, Chatham.

He died 20 June and was buried at Boxley, 28 June 1849; his will was proved in the PCC, 21 August 1849. His widow died 21 January 1875; her will was proved 2 March 1875 (effects under £60,000).

Mawdistly Gaussen Best (1826-1906) 

Best, Mawdistly Gaussen (1826-1906). Third son of James Best (1781-1849) and his wife Harriet Susannah, daughter of Samuel R. Gaussen of Brookman's Park (Herts), born 23 August and baptised at Boxley, 22 September 1826. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1843; Lt., 1846; Capt., 1851; Maj., 1859; retired 1860), who served in the Crimean War and in the Indian Mutiny. JP for Kent; High Sheriff of Kent, 1881-82. Master of the Boxley Harriers. He married, 14 April 1864 at Newington-next-Hythe (Kent), Katherine Annabella (1843-96), eldest surviving daughter of Rev. Tatton Brockman of Beachborough (Kent), but had no issue.

He inherited Park House, Boxley and Boxley Lodge from his father in 1849, and remodelled the latter to from a new house in 1876, pulling down the original Park House at the same time. The new house was thereafter called Park House. In 1890 he bought Boxley Abbey, which he let.

He died 14 July 1906 and was buried at Boxley; his will was proved 6 September 1906 (estate £177,044). His wife died 18 June 1896 and was also buried at Boxley; her will was proved 27 August 1896 (effects £40,216).

Emily Dorothy Best (1829-99) 

Best, Emily Dorothy (1829-99). Elder daughter of James Best (1781-1849) and his wife Harriet Susannah, daughter of Samuel R. Gaussen of Brookman's Park (Herts), born 15 December 1829 and baptised at Chatham (Kent), 29 January 1830. She married, 25 April 1864 at Boxley, as his third wife, James Whatman Bosanquet (1804-77), banker and writer on biblical chronology, son of Samuel Bosanquet, banker, of Forest House (Essex) and Dingestow Court (Herefs), and had issue:

(1) Harriet Emily Hardinge Best Bosanquet (1867-1951) (q.v.);

(2) Elizabeth Louisa Whatman Best Bosanquet (1868-1961) (q.v.);

(3) Aylmer Adela Mawdistly Best Bosanquet (1870-1921), born 13 May and baptised at Enfield (Middx), 18 June 1870; emigrated to Kenaston, Saskatchewan (Canada), 1915 and worked as a teacher and missionary; died unmarried in Pasadena (California), 8 February 1921, and was buried there; will proved 2 August 1921 (effects in England, £25,949).

She and her husband lived at Claysmore, Enfield (Middx). As a widow, she lived latterly at Pennenden, Maidstone (Kent).

She died 23 December 1899; her will was proved 26 January 1900 (estate £75,538). Her husband died 22 December 1877; his will was proved 21 January 1878 (effects under £30,000).

Bosanquet, Harriet Emily Hardinge Best (1867-1951). Elder daughter of James Whatman Bosanquet (1804-77) and his third wife, Emily Dorothy, elder daughter of James Best (1781-1849) of Park House, Boxley (Kent), born 23 April and baptised at Enfield, 30 May 1867. Awarded Order of Mercy and the Belgian Medaille de la Reine Elisabeth, presumably for nursing services in the First World War. She married, 12 April 1899 at Boxley, Rev. Charles Edmund Waller Dalison (later Best-Dalison) (1858-1955), rector of Bletsoe (Beds), 1897-99, and curate of Boxley, 1899-1909, son of Maximilian Hammond Dalison, and had issue:

(1) Thomas Maximilian Best-Dalison (1905-47), born 18 February 1905; educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford; honorary attaché at British legation in Vienna, 1925-28; JP for Kent, 1934-47; served in Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, 1940-46; member of Kent County Council, 1946-47; Governor of West Kent General Hospital; died unmarried in the lifetime of his mother, 10 July 1947.

She inherited Park House, Boxley and Boxley Abbey from her uncle in 1906. Park House was damaged in the Second World War and as a result she moved to Boxley Abbey. After her husband's death, Park House was sold and demolished.

She died 12 April 1951; her will was proved 30 July 1951 (estate £99,301). Her husband died aged 96 on 20 January 1955; his will was proved 12 May 1955 (estate £57,580).

Bosanquet, Elizabeth Louisa Whatman Best (1868-1961). Younger daughter of James Whatman Bosanquet (1804-77) and his third wife, Emily Dorothy, elder daughter of James Best (1781-1849) of Park House, Boxley (Kent), born 27 June and baptised at Enfield (Middx), 25 July 1868. She married, 1 June 1893 at Boxley, Rev. Sir Charles John Monson Shaw (1860-1922), 8th bt., of Eltham (Kent), curate of Bexley (Kent), 1884-90, vicar of Swanley (Kent), 1890-1902, Margate (Kent), 1902-13 and Wrotham (Kent), 1913-21, son of Rev. Charles John Kenward Shaw, and had issue:

(1) Sir John James Kenward Shaw (later Best-Shaw) (1895-1984), 9th bt. (q.v.)

She died aged 92 on 29 May 1961; her will was proved 25 September 1961 (estate £2,913). Her husband died 11 September 1922; his will was proved 21 November 1922 (estate £8,704).

Sir John J.K. Best-Shaw (1895-1984), 9th bt.  

Shaw (later Best-Shaw), Sir John James Kenward (1895-1984), 9th bt. Only child of the Rev. Sir Charles John Monson Shaw (1860-1922), 8th bt., and his wife Elizabeth Louisa Whatman Best, younger daughter of James Whatman Bosanquet, born 11 June 1895. Educated at Royal Naval Colleges, Osborne and Dartmouth. An officer in the Royal Navy (Sub-Lt., 1915; Lt., 1918; Lt-Cdr., 1925; retired as Cdr., 1937). He took the additional surname Best by royal licence, 20 July 1956, after inheriting the Boxley Abbey estate from his aunt. High Sheriff of Kent, 1961-62. He was a Guardian of the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, 1931-84, President of the Society for the Maintenance of the Faith, 1949-67 and President of the Church Union, 1969-71. Appointed OStJ, 1940. He married, 28 March 1921, Elizabeth Mary Theodora (1896-1986), daughter of Sir Robert Heywood Hughes (1865-1951), 12th bt., and had issue:

(1) Mary Elizabeth Helen Shaw (later Best-Shaw) (1922-2017), born 22 April 1922; married 1st, June 1943 at Swanley (Kent), Capt. Patrick Henry Coates (1919-49), son of Cdr. Henry Venner Coates RN and had issue two sons; married 2nd, Oct-Dec 1968, as his second wife, John Melliar Adams-Beck (1909-79), son of James Francis Adams-Beck of Colchester (Essex); died 12 September 2017; will proved 12 December 2017;
(2) Julia Aylmer Shaw (later Best-Shaw)  (1923-2011), born 22 July 1923; served in Second World War with Women's Royal Naval Service; died unmarried, 15 February 2011; will proved, 11 July 2011;
(3) Sir John Michael Robert Shaw (later Best-Shaw) , 10th bt. (1924-2014), born 28 September 1924; educated at Lancing College and Hertford College, Oxford (BA 1950); an officer in the army (Capt.), who served in the Second World War, 1943-45, and later in the Malaysian Police Force, 1950-58; primarily engaged in church work, 1959-71, and teaching, 1972-82; succeeded his father as 10th baronet, 26 February 1984; married, 13 February 1960, Jane Gordon (b. 1927), daughter of Alexander Gordon Guthrie of Hampton Court House, Farningham (Kent), and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 22 April 2014;
(4) Hermione Theodora (k/a Sally) Shaw (later Best-Shaw)  (1926-2019), born 10 May 1926; lived at Boxley Abbey; died unmarried, 12 January 2019; will proved 30 July 2019;
(5) Charles John Hughes Shaw (later Best-Shaw)  (1928-2015), born 23 January 1928; educated at Lancing College; lived at Charing (Kent); married, Oct-Dec 1971, Carol Mary (b. 1949), second daughter of Joseph Martin Drew of Beckenham (Kent), and had issue one daughter; died 6 January 2015; will proved 24 August 2015;
(6) Martha Mary Shaw (later Best-Shaw) (1934-2010), born 6 April 1934; lived at Boxley Abbey; died unmarried, 29 July 2010; will proved 3 March 2011;
(7) Stephen Bosanquet Shaw (later Best-Shaw)  (1935-2000) (q.v.).

He inherited Boxley Abbey from his aunt in 1955; at his death it passed to his youngest son.

He died 26 February 1984; his will was proved 6 June 1984 (estate £95,245). His widow died 5 July 1986; her will was proved 12 December 1986 (estate £283,838).

Shaw (later Best-Shaw), Stephen Bosanquet (1935-2000). Third and youngest son of Sir John James Kenward Shaw (later Best-Shaw), 9th bt., and his wife Elizabeth Mary Theodora, daughter of Sir Robert Heywood Hughes, 12th bt., born 9 August 1935. Educated at Lancing College. Employed by Combined Insurance Co. of America. He married, 11 April 1964, Elizabeth Annette Freda (b. 1940), daughter of Gerald Baldwin Hayward MBE (1904-58) of Athens (Greece), and had issue:

(1) James Robert Hawley Best-Shaw (b. 1965), born 12 March 1965; educated at Lancing College and Reading University (BA); estate agent with Cluttons; inherited lordship of the manor of Chatham (Kent) and Boxley Abbey estate from his father in 2000, but put the latter up for sale in 2023; married, 1992, Charlotte Louise, second daughter of Nigel Ashley of Mijas (Spain), and had issue one son and one daughter; now living;

(2) Louisa Margaret Aylmer Best-Shaw (b. 1967), born 27 January 1967; educated at West Heath School and Brighton University (BSc); married, 15 October 1988 (div. 1998), Andrew Charles Robert Beale, son of Robert Beale, and had issue one son and two daughters; now living;

(3) Hugh Edward Gerald Best-Shaw (b. 1975), born 12 February 1975; educated at Bradfield College and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; director of building and renovation companies in London since 2003; married, 2007, Alexandra Mary (b. 1979), daughter of Ian R. Firth of Kirkby Overblow (Yorks NR), and had issue two daughters; now living.

He inherited Boxley Abbey from his father in 1984. At his death it passed to his elder son.

He died 6 February 2000; his will was proved 16 August 2000. His widow is now living.

Best family of Chilston Park

Best, Thomas (1713-95). Eldest son of Mawdistly Best (1682-1744) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Fearne, baptised at St Mary, Chatham, 6 November 1713. Educated at University College, Oxford (matriculated 1732) and Inner Temple (admitted 1732). Tory MP for Canterbury, 1741-54, 1761-68; Lieutenant-Governor of Dover Castle and Deputy Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1762-95. He married, 3 January 1742/3 at Pluckley (Kent), Carolina (1718-82), daughter of George Scott of Scott's Hall, East Sutton (Kent), but had no issue.

He inherited lands at Aylesford, Headcorn and elsewhere from his father in 1744, and purchased Chilston Park in 1746. At his death his estate passed to his nephew, George Best (1757-1818).

He died 26 March and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 2 April 1795; his will was proved in the PCC, 28 March 1795. His wife died 29 April and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 7 May 1782.

Best, George (1759-1818). Fifth son of James Best (1720-82) and his wife Frances, daughter of Richard Shelley of Michelgrove (Sussex), born 10 November and baptised at Boxley, 20 November 1759. Educated at Eton, 1771-75, and University College, Oxford (matriculated 1779). A partner in the family brewery at Chatham, 1782-95, after which he withdrew from the partnership, having inherited the Chilston estate. An officer in the Kent Yeomanry (Cornet, 1794; Lt., 1795; Capt., 1797; retired 1803); JP and DL for Kent; MP for Rochester, 1790-96. He married, 7 December 1784 at Boughton Malherbe (Kent), Caroline (1751-1809), daughter of Edward Scott of Scott's Hall, East Sutton (Kent), and had issue:

(1) twin, Thomas George Best (1785-86), baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 19 December 1785; died in infancy and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 4 February 1786;

(2) twin, Caroline Frances Best (1785-86), baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 19 December 1785; died in infancy and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 4 February 1786;

(3) Thomas Fairfax Best (1786-1849) (q.v.);

(4) George Best (1787-1814), baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 13 November 1787; an officer in the 10th Foot (Ensign, 1805; Lt., 1807); died unmarried, probably of tuberculosis, at Lancaster (Lancs), 3 April and was buried at Lancaster Priory, 9 April 1814, where he is commemorated by a monument;

(5) Caroline Best (1789-1860), baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 7 April 1789; died unmarried, 15 March and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, 23 March 1860; will proved 19 April 1860 (effects under £5,000);

(6) Dorothy Best (1790-1837), baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 1790 (exact date not given); married, 4 November 1813 at Boughton Malherbe (Kent), Rev. Joseph George Brett (1790-1852), vicar of Lenham (Kent), son of Joseph George Brett of Old Brompton (Middx), and had issue six sons and two daughters; buried at St Luke, Chelsea (Middx), 14 April 1837;

(7) Louisa Best (1791-1847), baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 9 May 1791; married, 15 May 1819 at Marylebone (Middx), Lt. George Matcham Tarlton (c.1791-1880) of 6th Foot, son of John Weldon Tarlton of Killeigh (Co. Offaly), and had issue four sons and two daughters; buried at Braddan (Isle of Man), 9 January 1847;

(8) William Balliol Best (1793-1822), baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 10 May 1793; educated at Magdalen College, Oxford (matriculated 1810); died unmarried in London, 8 February 1822; will proved in the PCC, 15 June 1822.

He inherited Chilston Park from his uncle in 1795.

He died 8 September and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 17 September 1818; his will was proved in the PCC, 3 October 1818. His wife died 24 October and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 1 November 1809.

Best, Thomas Fairfax (1786-1849). Second, but eldest surviving son of George Best (1757-1818) and his wife Caroline, daughter of Edward Scott of Scott's Hall (Kent), born 15 October and baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 13 November 1786. Educated at University College, Oxford (matriculated 1805). An officer in the Grenadier Guards (Ensign, 1805), who fought at the Battle of Corunna, 1809 but retired soon afterwards; and later in the West Kent Militia (Cornet, 1831; Lt., 1832; Capt., 1832). JP and DL (from 1825) for Kent. A Conservative in politics, he played a prominent role in several general election campaigns in the 1830s and 1840s, chairing the committee which promoted the election of Conservative candidates for West Kent. He was also first Chairman of the West Kent Labourer's Friend Society, 1836. He married, 11 June 1817 at Kensington (Middx), Margaret Anna (d. 1882), daughter of Joseph George Brett of Grove House, Old Brompton (Middx), and had issue:

(1) Caroline Georgiana Best (1818-1900), baptised at Boughton Malherbe (Kent), 1 July 1818; married, 7 December 1858 at St James, Westbourne Terrace, Paddington (Middx), her cousin, William Mawdesley Best (c.1810-69), barrister-at-law, but had no issue; died 6 March 1900; will proved 19 October 1901 (estate £2,557);

(2) Isabella Dorothy Best (1820-98), born 19 April and baptised at Boughton Malherbe, 18 May 1820; married, 18 July 1859 at St James, Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, Edward Disbrowe Kortwright (1819-87), second son of Maj. Lawrence Kortright of Hylands (Essex), and had issue one daughter; died 20 September 1898; will proved 31 December 1898 (estate £588);

(3) Margaret Anna Best (1821-1923), born 18 May and baptised at Elstree (Herts), 31 July 1821; died unmarried, aged 102, on 5 December 1923;

(4) Frances Best (1823-88), born May and baptised at St Mary Abbotts, Kensington (Middx), 25 June 1823; married, 18 April 1857 at St James, Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, Maj. William Henry Archer (1815-91), younger son of Col. Clement Archer (1765-1817), and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 14 December  and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 21 December 1888.

He inherited Chilston Park from his father in 1818, but sold it in about 1824. He lived later at Wierton Place, Boughton Monchelsea (Kent).

He died at his house in Westbourne Terrace, London, 30 June, and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, 7 July 1849; his will was proved in the PCC. 21 July 1849.  His widow died 24 November 1882; her will was proved 16 January 1883 (estate £1,282).

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1850, vol. 1, p.88; Burke's Landed Gentry, 1894, pp. 140-41; Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952, pp. 597-98; R.A. Keen, 'Best brewers of Chatham', Archaeologia Cantiana, 1958, pp. 172-81; J. Newman, The buildings of England: Kent - West and the Weald, 2nd edn., 2012, pp. 131-32; 

https://medwaytownsheritage.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/best-brewery-chatham/;

https://anatomyofanenglishman.com/histories/Best%20Brewers%20of%20Boxley%20%2B%20Chatham.pdf;

https://sussexparishchurches.org/architectsandartistswxyz/.

Location of archives

Best of Park House, Boxley: deeds, estate and brewery company records, 1561-20th cent. [Medway Archives, U480, U2295, TR1374]; Frindsbury deeds and papers, 1668-1839 [Kent History and Library Centre, U36].

Coat of arms

Best of Park House and Chilston: Sable, two cross crosslets in chief, and a cinquefoil pierced in base, or.

Can you help?

• Can anyone provide further photographs of Park House? I would be particularly interested to see any interior views.
• Can anyone provide portraits or photographs of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further or more precise information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 27 April 2025.