Not to be Sneezed at - a peppercorn paid from Savills sponsored cricket club

Sponsored by Savills, the Sevenoaks Vine Cricket Club recently made its annual payment of one peppercorn to the Sevenoaks Town Council. The rent for the cricket ground remarkably consists of just a single peppercorn.

This centuries old tradition began in 1773 when John Sackville, the 3rd Duke of Dorset presented the cricket ground to the town, for quite literally a peppercorn rent. When the cricket pavilion was built in the 19th century the rent doubled to two peppercorns. Many years ago the pavilion rent was switched to a pecuniary payment, which the cricket club pays to the Town Council. The Cricket Club must also pay the Lord Sackville, if asked, one cricket ball on 21 July each year.

This type of payment originated from the formerly common practice of stipulating the payment of a peppercorn as a nominal rent. 

Richard Smith of Savills Sevenoaks commented, “The Vine is one of the oldest Cricket Grounds in England and probably one of the only ones with such an unusual method of payment.  We have sponsored the Club for a number of years and we are proud to have witnessed some fantastic players starting their career at the Club before moving to a county and indeed national level.” 

Pic Caption: L-R: Gavan Burden, Chair of Sevenoaks Vine Cricket Club Management Committee; Cllr Richard Parry, Sevenoaks Town Mayor; Richard Smith, Head of Residential Sales, Savills Sevenoaks