Darell of Calehill Manuscripts

Manorial records, deeds and family papers of the Darell family of Calehill House, Little Chart, Kent.

The collection has three special features (1) the important series of records for Chart and district with many links with the Dering estate and dating from c. 1150; (2) the very miscellaneous and often fragmentary collection of official, parliamentary and Catholic papers some of which are of considerable interest; (3) the entirely independent series of business and other papers for the Moore family, wine - merchants at Alicante during the Napoleonic period. Of quite exceptional interest and artistic value is the pedigree 20 ft. in length showing all six branches of the Darell family from the reign of John till 1637, and the subsequent descent of Darell of Calehill.

Purchased from the Executors of Miss Darell-Blunt, October, 1953.

U386 addnl.

Additional Darell correspondence, 18th - 19th centuries U386/F13; U386/C8-U386/C13

Deposited by Revd. M. Clifton, 30 Park Road, Colliers Wood, London, SW19 2HS, 5 May 1983 [the estate of late Revd. Whatmore]

Accession 1822

U386/A14

Received from Rev. L.E. Whatmore of Hailsham, 4 March 1974

One branch of the Darell family settled at Calehill during the reign of Henry IV and built up a compact estate in Little Chart and neighbouring parishes. Many members of the family were knighted and held positions of responsibility in the County until the 17th century. Cavaliers during the civil war they suffered for delinquency and after the Restoration embraced the Roman Catholic Faith and remained Jacobite in outlook.