About us

The firm was started around 1890 by Doctor Frederick William Hardman who was born in Davyhulme, Manchester in 1861 and moved to Walmer in 1888, after studying law and becoming a Doctor of Law.

By the age of twenty he was an articled law clerk having Matriculated from Owens College, Manchester, in 1880, becoming first a Bachelor of law gaining his LL.B in 1885 then in 1887 his Doctorate in law, LL.D. 

He moved to Walmer in June 1888 taking up a position with Mr. Taylor of Park Street after Mr R S Mason, his former partner, had retired.  By this time Dr Hardman had been practising Law for six years, latterly as the Solicitor to the Treasury and Public Prosecutor in London. By November 1888 Mr Frank Taylor appears to have left England leaving Dr. Hardman to run the practice in his own name, F W Hardman.

In 1890 Dr. Hardman married Constance Walton in the  Wesleyan Chapel, Quex Road, Kilburn. On returning to Walmer they set up home in a house named Beechlands on Dover Road, later moving to 16 Clarence Road, now Archery Square. Here they had two sons who both later qualified as Solicitors and joining their father in the practice, which then became known as Hardman and Sons

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Dr. Hardman had retired and the practice was carried on in the Deal office by his son Gerald Hardman. Another son, Philip, had opened a branch in Broadstairs.

It was agreed by the Solicitors in Deal that if any of them were to suffer bomb damage during the war, they would help each other out. As such  when Mr Leonard Watson of High Street, also suffered damage and as the sole solicitor of the firm, he asked Gerald Hardman to join him. 

In 1950, Mr Watson retired and John Daniell became a Partner.

Mr Hardman retired around 1960, when Denis Atherden became a Partner. Both the sons of John Daniell and Denis Atherden subsequently joined the firm. Jonathan Daniell was articled to his father after he graduated from Cambridge University, around 1963. When he qualified, he worked at the firm first as an assistant Solicitor, later as Partner, and ultimately as Senior Partner before his untimely death in 2004.

Eleanore Plews and Catherine Hobson were Partners of Jonathan who continue the firm in the name of Hardmans to this day.