The Field of Teaghe
The description of the land referred to in the Canterbury Cathedral Archive's catalogue entry for grant CCA-DCc-ChAnt/I/113 as east of Stokedane and west of Simon Bole’s land and “between the Demesne of Cnoldane and the king’s highway which goes from Burnes to Adisham” positions Simon’s land fairly accurately.
Another grant from the mid-1200’s refers to Simon Bole’s land as in Well in the holding of Ickham. The district of Well stretched from the Manor of Well (Well Court) towards Dane Park which includes the area for Simon’s farm as I have identified it.
Simon Bole’s land is described as next to or in the ‘Field of Teaghe’. The term teaghe is from the Middle English téaga and the Old English tēgh both meaning a tie, tether or enclosure so Simon’s land was next to or in an area probably known as ‘The enclosed field’. This may be consistent with the belief that the Bole name is an occupational reference to 'le Bole' (the bull). If this field is specifically identified as the 'enclosed' field, it must have been notable as having been enclosed. An agricultural field would not have to be enclosed but a livestock field would be.
There are lots of fields in Kent named 'teaghe' but one is of particular interest. In the Canterbury Cathedral Archives there are four references from that period to an enclosure, this one near Chartham, called Boleteghe, which specifically means the ‘Bole Enclosure’ or the ‘Bull Enclosure’: (note: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996 defines the word Bull as from the Old English ‘bulla’ and the Middle English ‘bole’. The Middle English period was from about 1100 to 1500.) This area near Chartham is at Shalmsford just where the Boles family appears again after their departure from Ickham. We also know that the Boles were involved in the skinner, tanner and shoemaker trades, all directly related to the production of leather and leather goods.
An undated grant from the early 1200’s recorded in Chartham Court for land beside ‘Boleteya’ and associated with ‘Clivesmed’ (Clive’s meadow) specifies payments to be made as specified by Nigel of Shalmsford, Osbert the miller and Adam de Werecupe (note: Osbert the miller is one of the two best candidates for Simon Bole's father) ref.
An undated grant from the mid 1200’s involving 45 acres of land in ‘Boleteie field’ described as the moiety of the land which Osbert the miller bought from Julian of Shalmsford and William his brother. ref.
A quitclaim dated July 1262 from Henry son of Julian of Shalmsford to the Priory and Convent of Canterbury Cathedral Priory for a property beside Shalmsford meadow and also for an annual payment of 8d which John of Shalmsford used to pay Henry for land in 'Buleteghe' which Henry sold to him. ref.A grant from between 1274 and 1285 in which the Prior grants land in ‘malrasesland’ in ‘Boleteghe’ field lying with the land of Godwin de la berigate to east, the land of Henry atte brome to west, the land of Thomas ysimbard to south, and the lands of John the smith and of the donor to east to Thomas Heghman of Chartham ref.
A grant dated 1276 involving 1 acre called ‘malrasesland’ in ‘Boleteghe’ field lying with the land of Godwin de la berigate to east, the priory's new ditch to west, the priory's land to south, and the land of the heirs of Margery de Werecope to north. ref.
Both Godwin de la Berigate’s and Thomas Heghman’s land were near the ‘Clyvesmed’ meadow in the holding of Chartham located on low ground on the south side of the River Stour. Other tenants in Boleteghe as identified from these references were the heirs of Margery de Werecope (widow of Adam de Werecupe), John the smith, Henry atta Brome, Thomas Vsimbard and John son of Nigel of Shalmsford. This would place Boleteghe very close to Shalmsford.
Several years later in 1349 , a land grant referred to a watermill called 'Bolengieresmelle' on the River Stour lying just north of the prior’s meadow in Hackington parish in the holding of Westgate (Canterbury). ref. From the first four letters of the mills name it could be a Bole or Bull reference but it could also translate as Baker’s Mill from the French ‘boulanger’ meaning baker. I have not found any other references to a Boulanger family in the area although there would have been plenty of bakers and the grant was probably written in French or in Latin but using French place names.