The Crandall Dynasty

The parish Council have given the name “Crandalls” to a recent development in the village and some of the parish receive benefits from the Crandall Trust and you may ask who were the Crandalls and how did the Crandall Trust come into existence.

In 1766 William Crandall I was tenant of the property which is now Orchard House (then called ‘The Bull’ and formerly Clements).  He died in 1798 but William Crandall II, presumably is son, took over the tenancy and in 1803 when he took a new tenancy of Orchard House from George Children he was described as a shopkeeper.  In 1815 William Crandall II died leaving the property to his wife, Elizabeth.  She died in the following year leaving it to her son William Crandall III who was described as a linen draper of Maidstone.  He left it to his brothers, John and Henry Crandall who carried on the business of Grocers and Drapers until about 1870.  At that date, Orchard House, still owned by William Crandall III, was let to William Crandall IV.

By 1887 the property was owned by Fanny Frances Crandall and she let it to Stephen Button who carried on the business. In 1903 Miss F F Crandall let the shop to Percy Thomas Allchin and this lease was still subsisting when the property passed out of the Crandall family on the death of Miss Fanny Crandall in 1908.  They had owned it for 93 years and their occupation had commenced as early as 1766.

Richard Crandall, who was a descendant living in Sevenoaks, died in 1932 leaving the residue of his estate as to 2/3rds on charitable trusts for Chiddingstone parish and as to 1/3rd on similar trusts for Leigh and it is the income of this Trust which is distributed by a committee consisting of the Vicar, the Churchwardens and the Chairman of the Parish Council.  Presumably some member of the Crandall family had a shop or other interest in Chiddingstone and Richard Crandall, who as far as I am aware, had no personal connection with Leigh, gave his money to the two villages which had built up the Crandall assets during the late 18th and 19th century.

 

Parish Magazine June 1985:  no author