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OR
Memorials of the Royal Ville AND Parish of Eastry,
IN THE COUNTY OF KENT.
BY
William Francis Shaw, M.A.,
Gonville and Cains College, Cambridge, Vicar of Eajlry.
" Walk about Sion and go round about her : tell the Towers thereof. Mark ye well her Bulwarks., confider her Palaces : that ye may tell it to the generatio7t following " — Psa. xlviii. 12, 13.
LONDON: JOHN RUSSELL SMITH, 2>^, SOHO SQUARE.
MDCCCLXX.
D
£
TO
HIS GRACE
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND MOST REVEREND
ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL,
LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,
PATRON OF THE VICARAGE OF EASTRY,
Cfti's; Wolnmt
IS
(BY HIS GRACE'S KIND PERMISSION)
MOST RESPECTFULLY
DEDICATED.
189
preface.
THE following pages, commenced for my own information, fliortly after coming to Eaftry, and continued as the occupation of leifure hours, were not originally intended for publication. But the indulgent approval of my friends, and the flrongly exprelTed wifh of fome of them, that the information thus coUedted fhould be made more readily acceffible, and rendered more permanent than it was poffible for it to be in MS., have induced me to place it in the hands of the printer.
I may briefly fay then that, in the enfuing chapters, I have endeavoured to gather together fuch particulars relating to the Parifh of Eaftry, as are of general intereft, or as may be ufeful for reference in time to come. And, in fo doing, I have largely availed myfelf of the MS. collections of William Boteler, Efqre., the contemporary of Hafted, the Kentifh hif- torian, who derived a large portion of his information about Eaftry, from the fame fource. Thefe collections, contained in three volumes diftin- guiftied by the letters A, B, C, have been moft kindly placed at my difpofal by the Miftes Boteler, of Brook Street ; to whom my beft thanks are due both for this ad: of kindnefs and alfo for much other valuable affiftance, rendered to me in the progrefs of the work. Mr. Boteler's information has been brought down to our own times, and has been fupplemented in not a few particulars, as for example, in the defcriptions of the Frelcoes, and of the Dominical Circle, which are taken from two papers on thefe fubjeCls by Wefton Styleman Walford, Efqre., F.S.A. ; to whom I am
ii PRE FA CE,
much indebted for his kind and ready permiflion to infert them. To Wil- liam White, Efqre., F.S.A., I offer my warm thanks for having read through the chapter on " The Churchy' and given me feveral valuable fuggeftions ; as alfo to Lieut.-Col. Rae, of Walton Houfe, for information concerning the Bells and Bellfounders.
Chapter VI. on " The ReBors^ Vicars, ChaplainSy and Ctirates" gives the refult of a diligent fearch amongft the Regifters in the Archiepifcopal Library at Lambeth Palace ; where I have experienced great kindnefs and courtefy from all the officials, efpecially from S. W. Kerfhaw, Efqre., M.A., the Librarian, to whom I return my moft lincere acknowledgments. To the ildlful pencil of Mifs Grimaldi, of Hernden Houfe, I am indebted for the very accurate delineation of the Roman and Saxon remains ; to Arthur Baker, Efqre., for his drawing of the interior of the Church ; to my friend and namefake, the Rev. William Stokes Shaw, M.A., for the Chronological Table of Events, &c. ; and to other friends, for information and affiftance, hints and fuggeftions, without which these " Memorials " would have been more incomplete than they are. In an undertaking of this kind, carried on from time to time, amidft many interruptions and the neceffary preffure of parochial engagements, it would be hardly poffible that fome miftakes fhould not have crept in, or fome omiffions have been overlooked. For thefe I crave a kindly indulgence.
Such, however, as it is, I now fend forth this volume in the words of
Geoffry Whitney : —
" Per life with heede, then frendlie itidge and blaming raJJie refraine So maijl thou reade vnto thy good and JJialt requite my paine."
W. F. S.
Eajliy Vicarage, i^ Aug., 1870.
Wi)t Contents.
i. Preface . . . .
ii. The Contents . iii. Lift of Illuftrations iv. Lift of Subfcribers
I. The Early History of Eastry
II. The Bounds; or, a Perambulation of the Parish
III. The Church ; Dominical Circle, Frescoes, &c.
IV. The Monuments in the Church and Churchyard
V. The Tower and Bells ....
VI. The Rectors, Vicars, Chaplains, and Curates
VII. The Clerks and Sextons
VIII. The Registers .
IX. The Schools .
X. The Parochial Charities Appendix
Chronological table of Events Index
PACK
i iii
iv
V
I
27 70 90
145 157 174 179
186 190 204 241 242
Hist of Eliistrattons.
1. The Church from the South-eaft .... Frontifpiece.
2. The centre medallion Frefco — a lily — the emblem of the B. V.
Mary, Patron Saint of the Church 3 & 4. Antiquities found at Eaftry
5. The Interior of the Church
6. The Dominical Circle
7. The Frefcoes over the Chancel Arch
8. The Ground Plan of the Church
9. The Tower from the Weft
10. The Vicarage
11. The Clerk's Houfe . I 2. The Schools
1 3. The Houfes of Goddard's Charity .
14. Mr. Greville's Almftioufes ■ .
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Hist of ^ubsanlirrs.
Alford, The Very Reverend Henry, D.D. ; The Deanery, Canterbury. Bateman, The Reverend Canon, M.A.,R.D. ; The Vicarage, Margate, Bellamy, The Reverend J. W., B.D. ; Sellindge Vicarage, Hythe. Blifs, The Reverend J. W., B.A. ; BetteJIianger Reftory^ Sandwich. Boteler, Captain J. H., R.N. ; Cra?iford, Houn/low. Boteler, Mifs C. G. ; Eajlry. Boteler, Mifs Catherine ; Eajlry. Boteler, The MifTes ; Dover.
Bradnack, S. W. , Efq. ; Sutherland Hoti/e, Stirbito7i. Brooke, Mifs ; W aimer. Brooke, F. C, Efq. ; Ufford, Suffolk.
Campbell-Colquhoun, A. C, Efq., J.P. ; Chartwell, Weft er ham. Camden, William, Efq. ; Anderida^ Midhurjl. i Copies. Calberd-Boteler, W. J., Efq.; TaploWy Co. Bticks. Caftle, Robert, Efq. ; Eajlry.
Chichefter, The Rev. A. Manners, B.A. ; St. Marys Vicarage, Sand- wich. Coleman, George, Efq. ; Eaftry. Croafdill, Mrs. ; Weft gate Houje, Canterbury. Deane, J. Parker, Efq., D.C.L. ; Weflbourne Terrace, Lo7idon. Devifon, Mr. R. ; Eaftry.
Drew, The Rev. ProfefTor, M.A. ; King's College, London. Fitzwalter, Lord ; Goodnejlone Park. Furley, Robert, Efq., AJhford. Gardner, George, Efq. ; Eajlry Court. i Copies. Gloffop, Mifs; IJleworth. Grimaldi, Mrs. ; Hernden HouJe, Eaftry. Harnett, John, Gent. ; Ea/lry. Harvey, John James, Efq., J.P. ; Eaftry. Harvey, R. Springett, Efq. ; 25, Nottingham Place^ London, Hatfeild, Charles, Efq. ; Hartjdown, near Margate.
vl LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.
Hilton, S. Mufgrave, Efq., late High Sheriff; Bramling Wmgham.
Hoile, Mr. Valentine ; St. Bartholomew' Sy Sandwich.
Holmes, The Rev. J. R., M.A. ; Bio Norton Rellory, Co. Norfolk.
Hughes, William, Efq. ; Margate.
Iggulden, J., Efq. ; Deal.
James, Sir Walter C, Bart ; Bettejlia^iger.
Jenkyns, The Rev. Charles, B.A. ; TMckingmill, Cornwall.
Jenkyns, Francis, Efq. ; Sidmouthy Devon.
Kemplay, Mifs ; Leeds, Co. York.
King, Mifs; Gower Street, London.
Knocker, Edward, Efq. ; Dover.
Lake, Benj. G., Efq. ; Tay welly Goudhur/l.
Latham, Mrs, A. P. ; Richmo7id, Co. Surrey.
Leggatt, R. S., Efq., M.R.C.S. ; Eajlry.
Mann, Mifs ; Eajlry,
Maugham, The Rev, H. M., M.A. ; Wefi Farleigh.
Morley, James H., Efq, ; Blackheath.
Mufgrave, The Venerable Archdeacon, D.D. ; Halifax y Co, York.
Parkes, Mrs. ; Sydney Cottage, near Southampton.
Pearce, Mifs ; Eaftry.
Rae, Lieut. -Col. James A, ; Eafiry. 3 Copies,
Reid, James, Efq. ; Bridge Street, Canterbury.
Rice, Edward, Efq., J.P, ; Da7ie Court, Sandwich.
Sayer, Commander G., R.N., J.P. ; Eafiry.
Shaw, William Flamank, Efq. ; Bod7ni7iy Cor7iwall. 2 Copies.
Shaw, The Rev. William S., M.A. ; Beechen Cliff Villa, Bath.
Shaw, The Rev. John, M.A, ; St. Margaret's, Westminjier.
Smallfield, Mr. J. S. ; Little Quee7i Street, Holbo7'7i.
Smith, The Rev Sydney, M.A. ; Worth Vicarage.
Solly, Edward, Efq. ; Sa7idecotes, Co. Do7fet.
Spong, Mifs ; Rochefler.
Taylor, Mrs. Jackfon ; The Grovey Garli7ige, 7iear Margate.
Toker, Mifs ; Eafiry. 1 Copies,
Turner, Mrs. Charles, Eafl7y. 1 Copies.
Vickers, The Rev. V, S. ; Debtli7ig.
Weft, V. G., Efq. ; Horham Hall, Thaxtcd, Effex.
Winn, Charles, Efq. ; No/lel Priory, Wakefield.
Cljc Carlg i&istorg of €astrg.
CHAP. I.
" If man be cut off from the knowledge of the pafl, he becomes indifferent to the future, and thenceforward finks into the rudencfs and ferocity of the fcnfual life. — Isaac Taylor.
EASTRY is the name of a parifh in the hundred of Eaftry, and Lathe of S. Augufline, in the county of Kent.
Speaking eccleliaftically it is in the rural deanery of Sandwich, and in the archdeaconry and diocefe of Canterbury.
The name Eajlry — which has been varioufly fpelled Eftre, Eftree, Eftrei, Eftrey, Eilry, Eftrye, Eaftrie, Eaftire, Eafterigej Eaftereye, Eafterye, Eaftrye — was originally given, fo Lambarde tells us, to our town and parifh, in order to diftinguifh them from Wejlrye, commonly called RyCj near Winchelfea, in SufTex. But others derive the word from the Saxon, and interpret it as meaning below the side water.
The village, which is iituated on rifing ground, two and a half miles from the ancient town and port of Sandwich, five from Deal, nine from Dover, and twelve from Canterbury — was, in olden time, a place of confiderable importance and repute.
Long before the coming of the Saxons, the Danes, or the Normans,
B
2 MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY.
into Britain; when Thanet was ftill an illand, and fliips and galleys coming from France failed paft Sandwich and Reculver into the Thames and thence to London ; when the country was moftly covered with denfe forefts, which afforded fhelter to bears, wolves, wild cats, and foxes, and amid whofe leafy glades the red deer and the wild ox roamed at will ; when the beacon light ftill burnt in the Roman pharos at Dover (Dubris) ; already was there at Eaftry a "clearing" amidft the foreft, where had fprung up a little fettlement of huts, through which ran, ftraight as an arrow, that Roman road, which rnay even now be traced, almoft unin- terruptedly from Woodnefborough well nigh to the caffle at Dover.
Whether the early inhabitants of this place were attradied hither by the medicinal properties and healing virtues of that mineral fpring, in after days dedicated to S. Ivo, which cannot now be traced, and of which the tradition has alone come down to us in books, it is impoffible to fay. At all events, whatever value the Britons and the Romano-Britifh inha- bitants may have fet upon this S. Ivo's well, the Romans muft have been well acquainted with the woody eminences and pure invigorating air of Eaftry. And we may well fuppofe that the officers of the legions ftationed at the camp at Richborough (Rutupi^) often came hither to fpend a day away from the noife and buflle of the camp, or flopped here to refrefh themfelves as they travelled down along the paved military road to Dover.
But, be this as it may, the fad: of there having been a Roman fettle- ment here is proved by the Roman graves, containing human bones, weapons, and ornaments, which have been difcovered, from time to time, in that triangle of ground, in the parilli, which is formed by the Lynch, " the Five Bells," and Buttfole Pond. The firft recorded difcovery of thcfc remains took pkice a.d. 1792, and the account of it will be beft
MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY. 3
given in Mr. Boteler's own words: "In March laft (1792), in digging a cellar in the garden of a cottage belonging to me, eaftward of the highway leading from Eaftry Crofs to Butfole, I difcovered the ancient burying ground of this neighbourhood. I caufed feveral graves to be opened, and found, with the fkeletons, fibula, beads, knives, umbones of fhields, &c., in one an elegant glafs velTel. From other fkeletons that have been dug up in the gardens nearer the Crofs, I am of opinion that they extended on this fide the road up to the Crofs, now covered pretty much with houfes. I mean at a future time to purfue the difcovery. The tumuli that formerly covered them have long fince been levelled by the plough. The graves were very thick, in rows parallel to each other, in a dired:ion from eaft to weft " [Botel. MSS., vol. C.p, 164).
Since Mr. Boteler's day other fimilar remains have been brought to light at different times ; and, about the year i860 or 1861, in the making of some alterations in and around Soutkdank, fkeletons were difcovered lying in clay in the bed of chalk.
Several of the objects difcovered by Mr. Boteler, in a.d. 1792, as well as other fimilar remains — Roman and Saxon — found on the fame property, and near the fame fpot, are reprefented in the accompanying plates. They may be defcribed as follows :
Nos. I and 2. Coarfe brown earthen pots with more or lefs of narrow moulding about them.
Nos. 3, 4 and 5. Portions o£ feveral Saxon vefTels made of thin glafs of greenifh colour : each vefTel or vafe having apparently had feveral handles, which are twifted. Vafes fimilar to the above are figured in the Archcsologia Cantiana, vol. vi.
No. 6. A bronze fibula or brooch — full fize.
No. 7. A fmaller bronze fibula — full fize.
4 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
No. 8. A fibula of filver gilt, with inlays of red and blue enamel — full
lize.
No. 9. A firing of beads of various kinds.
No. 10. A firing of amber beads — much worn.
No. 1 1. A firing of pearls and bugles.
No. 12. A large glafs bead of conical fhape, with internal pattern of twifled glafs.
" Almofl all the beads, particularly the larger ones of amber, &c., and the fmall ones, bugles, &c., round the neck, found in a grave, the bones full large for a woman, though probably one."'''
There were alfo knives, umbones of fhields, circular pieces of brafs, and fome other fragments difcovered — fome of which I have been unable to identify, whilfl others, though capable of being identified, are never- thelefs in fuch a decayed and crumbling condition as to be beyond the reach of the limner's art.
In Anglo-Saxon times Eaflry would appear to have been a place of fome fize and much importance. Indeed, the fadl that the kings of Kent had a palace, and held their court here, would naturally caufe a confiderable population to affemble in the neighbourhood of the court, and increafe the profperity of the town.
During the reign of Ethelbert the 5th King of Kent, Chriflianity, which had been driven into the remote wilds and faflneffes of Wales and Cornwall, was revived by the mifTion of S. Augufline, the monk.
In A.D. 664 Egbert, the fon of Erconbyrht, feventh king of Kent, fuc- ceeded to his father's kingdom, and took up his refidence at the royal palace at Eaftry. This palace was probably fituated on much the fame fpot as that now occupied by Eajlry Court.
* A memorandum in Mr. Boteler's handwriting.
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ANTIQUITIES FOUND AT EASTRY.
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ANTIQUITIES FOUND AT EA5TRY.
hxilf iJte size of the Oriquixxls.
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MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 5
At this place, and at this time, there Uved two young noblemen, named Ethelbert and Etheldred, couiins of the king, who lived in the palace, ate at his table, and were brought up with him. Thefe noble youths were adorned with many virtues, and became noted for their learning, their feats of adlivity and ftrength, and their court-like manners, " fo that they gave to all well-difpofed perfons and louers of vertue, great expediation that they would become at the length worthie of much eftimation and honour : and, on the other fide, they drew vpon them the feare, mifliking and bitter hatred of the naughtie, wicked and malicious fort."* Now, there was among the royal houfehold " a certain man of lin and fon of perdition, a limb of Satan and of the houfe of the devil,""!* who moved by that envy which the wicked ever feel towards the good, fought occafion againft them, and ceafed not to accufe them untruly to the king, as alfo of other matters, fo efpecially of ambitious deligns upon his throne and kingdom. One day Thunner, for fuch was his name, fuggefted to the king that he fhould either banifh the young princes from his dominions, or be content to wink at the matter, fhould any of his friends make away with them. The king, though in words he repudiated the idea, feems, neverthelefs, by his manner, to have been not wholly averfe to the fuggeftion. At all events, Thunner [or Thunur, as Simeon of Durham has it, and which he explains to mean " Thunder ] watched his opportunity, flew the young men, " and buried their bodies in the king's hal vnder the cloth of his eftate." J But " murder will out," and this was not long concealed, " for in the dead of night there appeared
* 'LdLVcibzrde's Perambulation of Kejit, ed. 1596: Eajlrie.
•f- Simeon of Durham : in Stevenfon's CJmrcJi Hijlorians of England, vol. iii. part 2.
% Lambarde.
6 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
a glittering pillar of light fhining over the hall of the
king's palace."'"' The ftrange illumination firft aroufed the houfehold, and then affrighted them. The flirieks of the fervants awakened the king, who, as foon as he faw the myfterious light, " was touched with the confcience of the murther, whereunto hee had a little before in hart confented."-f' Calling in hafte for Thunner, he ftraightly examined him as to what had become of the royal youths Ethelbert and Etheldred, and on learning the fad truth, he became moft forrowful, charging himfelf with the whole crime of their death. Forthwith he fent for Deodatus, the good archbifhop, that he might learn from him how he might expiate his guilt. The archbifliop advifed him to incoffin the bodies and fend them to be buried in Chrift Church, Canterbury ; but, when they attempted to go thither, no force availed to move the hearfe. They next bethought them of S. Auguftine's, but ftill the hearfe could not be moved. But when, at laft they agreed to lead it to the monaflry of Watrine, then it moved as lightly as if nothing at all had been within it.
Philipott, in his Villai^e Cantiamim^ p. 148, fays, " there was an ancient tradition that that altar- tomb, which was placed at the eaft end of the little chappel, which belonged to Eajiry Courts was the fepulchre wherein the reliques of the two princes (mentioned before, to have been mur- dered) were enfhrined : nay, it went farther, and did affirm that there was a light hovered conftantly about that tomb, as if the clearneffe of the innocence of thofe who flumbered under that repofitory could not have been manifefted better then \Jlc\ by the beams of fuch a perpetuated irradiation."
To thofe who wifh for a detailed account of the murder of Ethelbert and Etheldred I would recommend the chronicle of Simeon of Durhamy * Simeon of Durham : in Stevenfon. -j- Lambarde.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 7
and Lauidarde, who profelTesto quote William of Malms bury and Matiheiv of Wcflminfler. After much fearch I have, however, been unable to verify his references, and think that he may allude to Simeon of Durham,
My apology for having dwelt at fuch length upon this event is, that in many writers, e.g., Lambarde, the whole hiflory of our parifh is fummed up in the narration of this lingular occurrence. It fhows, at leaft, what a ftrong hold the ftory had upon the popular mind.
The proiperity, and confequent importance of Eaftry, would feem to have reached their zenith in the early Anglo-Saxon times, when the kings of Kent relided here. For after the confolidation of the feveral indepen- dent kingdoms into one monarchy under Egbert, in a.d. 827, Eaftry gra- dually ceafed to be the relidence of royalty until, in a.d. 979, the reigning fbvereign beftowed his palace at Eafiiry, and the manor pertaining to it, upon the monks of Chrift Church, And fo it came to pafs, that the court being no longer held here, and the town being lefs reforted to than formerly, its population diminifhed, and its profperity and renown decreafed.
The Archbifhops of Canterbury would appear to have become pof- fefled of Eaftry in very early times, for, in a.d. 811, we find Arch- bifhop Wilfrid exchanging the ville of Eaftria for Burne or Bourne, fince called BiHiopfbourne, from this circumftance.'"
Again, in a.d. 844, in the time of Archbifhop Ceolnoth, Duke Ofwolf gave fome lands in Eaftrie to the prior and convent of Chrifl Church, Canterbury ;t but thefe lands may have been in the hundred of Eaftry, and not in the ville or parifh.
In A.D. 979 King Ethelred increafed the church's eftates here by giving
* Dugdale, Monafl. Ajigl., vol. i., p. 96. f Dugdale, Monajl. Angl., vol. i., p. 89.
8 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Sandwich for the clothing of the monks (** ad veftitum monachorum ") and Eftrey *' ad cibum monachorum ;" that Is fay, for the maintenance of the kitchen. The following Is the charter by which the king confirmed his gift :
" Anno dominlce Incarnationis dcccclxxlx Ego iEgelredus rex gratia del totius britannle monarcha pro falute anime mee concedo ecclelie chrifti In dorobernia terras juris mei s. sandwich et eftree ad opus monachorum in eadem ecclefia deo fervientium, liberas ab omnI feculari fervitio et fifcall tributo, exceptis expeditione, pontium et caflirorum conftrudtlone. Quisquls hanc meam largifluam munificentlam violare prefumpferit cum ' reprobis in die judicll a finiftrls chrifti collocatus acclpiat fententiam dampnationis cum diabolo et angells ejus."''^
Tranflation of the foregoing :
" In the year of our Lord's incarnation 979, I, Ethelred, King, Monarch of all Britain, for the fafety of my foul, give to Chrlft's Church, Canterbury, the Lands of my Right, to wit, in Sandwich and Eftree to the ufe of the monks ferving God In the fame church free from all fecular fervlce and fifcal tribute ; [military] expeditions, and the conftrudtlon of bridges and camps, only excepted. Whoever fhall prefume to violate this my bountiful munificence let him be placed with the wicked at the Day of Judgment at the left hand of Chrifl, and receive the fentence of dam- nation with the Devil and his angels."
Concerning the original of the foregoing charter of King Ethelred,
[Hotel. MSS., vol. A., p. 44) remarks : " This very curious deed Is preferved
in the archives of the library of the College of S. John the Baptift, at the
beginning of a collection of very ancient manufcrlpts in Latin ({helf2. No.
* The above, although given in Dugdalc, Monajl. Angl, vol. i. p. in, is, neverthe- Icfs here extraaed from Mr. Boteler's MSS., as being apparently more accurate.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 9
40): it is written in two columns, the Latin on one fide and a Saxon verfion on the other, with the figure of King ^Egelred prefixed.
A faclimile engraving was made of it, 1754, at the expenfe of Richard Rawlinfon, LL.D., F.R.S., and A.S."
We now come to Norman times.
Philipott, in his Villare Cantiaiium (p. 148) fays: " In the time of Edward the ConfeiTor this mannor was held by the monks of Chrijl- Clmrch under the Notion of Seven Plough-Lands, nor was it reprefented under a lelTe Bulke in the reign of William the Conquerour, and was rated in the Whole in Doom/day Book, at Thirty-Eight pounds Ten fliillings and Threepence."
Neverthelefs, Doomfday Book exprellly ftates that the archbifhop himfelf held Eftrei : but this would appear to refer to the Rectory, and not to the Manor,
But before proceeding to give the extradl, which relates to our own parifh, it may not be wholly uninterefting to fome of my readers to have a fhort account of that very ancient, remarkable, and valuable record — the Doomfday Book. It contains the refults of a furvey made by order of King William, the Norman, about the year a.d. 1086. For the execution of this furvey, the king's jufticiaries were to go into every county and " enquire into the name of the place, who held it in the time of King Edward, who was the prefent pofTeflbr, how many hides in the manor, how many carrucates in demefne, how many homagers, how many villans, how many cotarii, how many fervi, what free men, how many tenants in focage, what quantity of wood, how much meadow and pafture, what mills and fifhponds, how much added or taken away, what the grofs value in King Edward's time, what the prefent value, and how much each free man or foch man had or has. All this was to be triply
c
lo MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
eftimated : iirft as the eftate was held in the time of the Confeflbr ; then
as it was beftowed by King Wilham ; and thirdly, as its valuation flood
at the formation of the furvey."
The following defcription of Eaftry occurs in Doomfday Book under
the general heading " Terra Monachin Archiepi," i.e., " The Land of
the Monks of the Archbifliop."
(i) In Latin : with the original contra(flions.
" In Left de Eftreia. In Eflrei Hvnd. Ipfe archieps. ten. Eftrei. P. vii.
folins fe defd. Tra. e In driio funt. iii. car. et Ixxii uitti
cu .xxii. bord. hiit. xxiiii. car. Ibi .i. mohii et dimid de xxx folid, et .iii.
falins de .iiii. folid. et xviii. ac pti Silua .x. porc."^'
fu'J Tranjlation of the above.
" In the Lathe of Eaftry. In Eaftry Hundred. The archbiihop himfelf
holds Eaftry. It was taxed at 7 fulings.f The [arable] land is . . .
. In the demefne there are 3 carucates % and 72 villeins with 22
borderers§ having 24 carucates. There is one mill and a half of 30 fhil-
hngs, and 3 fait pits of 4 fhillings and 18 acres of meadow. Wood for
[the pannage of] 10 hogs."
* See Domefday Book of Kent — photozincographic facfimile, p. ix. : alfo Hafted, vol. iv.
•f- Concerning the word fuling or fivollyng, Du Cange ftates that it was a Kentifh term for carruca, a carucatc or plough land.
+ Dr. Deering, in his Hijiovical Account of Nottingham (Introd. p. 8, note h), thus explains the term carucate : " Carucat with the Normans is the fame as family manfe or hide of the Saxons, it is at a medium computed 100 acres, fix fcore to the 100, of arable land, together with pafture and meadow, with barns, ftablcs, and dwel- lings, for fuch a number of men and beafts as were neceffary to manage fo much land. But as fome foil is lighter and fome ftiffer, fo the quantity may be more or lefs, and therefore by it is generally underftood, as much land as, with one plough and beafts fufficicnt, could be tilled in one year." .
§ Borderers or borders, our modern " boarders," were bondfmen, whofe food was provided for them by their lord : hence the term.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, ii
From the above ftatement we may make a rough guefs at the popula- tion of Eaftry in the thofe days. For taking the number of villeins and borders ; and multiplying by 3 (inftead of 5, in order to allow of fome being unmarried) to arrive at the grofs population, i.e., men, women, and children, we have the following refult, viz. :
Villani or villeins = 72
Bordarii or borders = 22
Male population = 94
And 94 X 3 = 282 ; ov, in round mmiderSf 300, which we fhall not be far wrong in accepting as the number of our population in or about the year a.d. 1086. For further and more recent particulars relpe(fling the population of our parilh, fee under " The Bounds"
A hundred years later, viz., in the time of TJiomas a Becket (a.d. 1 162-1 174) Eaftry again comes into notice; for the Court Lodge be- longing to the prior and convent of Chriil: Church was a very favourite refort of that bold and unflinching Archbifliop of the Church, and martyr in her caufe. Hither he came in his flight from Northampton, in a.d. 1 1 64, and here he remained concealed for eight days, until, on the i oth November, he embarked in a fifhing boat at Sandwich, and landed the fame evening at Gravelines.* In this houfe, now called Eaftry Court, tra- dition aflirms that there was a fmall fecret chamber, communicating with the parifh church, in fuch a way that the archbifhop was able to attend the celebration of the Holy Euchariil, and to give the final benediction at
■'*■ " At Lincoln he took the difguife of a monk, dropped down the Witham to a hermitage in the fens belonging to the Ciftercians of Sempringham ; thence by crofs roads and chiefly by night, he found his way to Eftrey about five miles from Deal, a Manor belonging to Chrift Church in Canterbury. He remained there a week. On All Souls' Day he went on board a boat jufl before morning, and by the evening he reached the coafl of Flanders." {Milman's Lat. Chriftianit)>, vol. v., p. 64).
12
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
the conclufion of the liturgy, unknown to the congregation, or at leaft unrecognifed by them.
On his return to England, in a.d. i 170, he landed at Sandwich, where the common people of the neighbourhood, including doubtlefs many of the inhabitants of our own pariih, received him with great joy.
About the year a.d. i i 80 the parfonage of Eaftry was given to the monks of Chrift Church, for the ufe and maintenance of the Almonry, by Archbifliop Richard (a.d. 1174-1185) ; but was taken away from them by his fucceiTor Baldwin (a.d. i i 85-1 193) in a very few years after. For 165 years the parfonage, thus unjuftly wreftedfrom the prior and convent, continued in the pofTeffion of the archbifhops until a.d. 1365, when Arch- bifhop Simon Iflip (a.d. i 349-1 366) reftored it to the monks on receiving from them theadvowfons of three churches, viz., S. Dunftans, S. Pancras, and All Saints, in Bread Street, London ; but he dying the very next year the arrangement of the whole was finally fettled by Archbifliop Simon Langham (a.d. i 366-1 368), in a.d. 1367. For this Infhitution and Endowment of the Vicarage, see Appendix.
In A.D. 1275 Ofwald de Eajiria, whom we may fuppofe from his name to have been a native of our parifli, was appointed abbot of the monaf- tery of Faverfham by the Archbifliop of Canterbury (Kilwardby, a.d. 1273-1279).*
In A.D. 1285 Henry de Eajlria, a native of this our parifli, was elecfled to the high office of prior of the convent of Chrift Church, Canterbitry, and proved himfelf in every way fitted for that arduous and refponfible pofition.
He was a man of fingular prudence, well learned in Holy Scripture, and moft diligent in the management of the affairs of the Church, to which
* Taken from the Regifters or other MSS. at Lambeth, though there is no refer- ence to the exa6l paffage in my note book.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 13
he was a confiderable benefadlor. He difcharged the convent of a debt of 3000 marks = ^2000 : a fum much larger in thofe days than in our own. He alfo caufed all, or nearly all, the domeftic chapels on the manors belonging to the prior and convent to be rebuilt, as alfo the butteries. The remains of the domeftic chapel at Eajlry Court may ftill be feen. But its ufe has long fince been changed from things fpiritual to things temporal, for it is now a part of the kitchen !
At Canterbury, Henry de Eaftria Ipent nearly ^900 in repairing the choir and chapter houle [Dugdale, Monaft. Anglican. j\o\. i., p. 112). He alfo built or repaired many parts of the priory. He caufed an exad: account to be taken of the lands, income, treafures, veftments, plate and ornaments of the church, and was himfelf a very great benefadlor to it in plate, jewels, veftments, and books. To thofe who are curious in fuch matters, and wifh for further information refpedling our prior, I may men- tion two MSS., one in the Britifh Mufeum (Cottonian Library, Galba E. 4), and the other in the library at Lambeth Palace (MS. No. 582, art. 157), which relate to Henry of Eaftry, but are fomewhat beyond the limit of thefe pages. This good man at length fell aileep in Chrift, at the time of the celebration of the Holy Eucharift, being of the advanced age of 92 years.
Some time before a.d. 1290, another native of this parifh, viz.. Sir Robert de EJire was red:or of the parifh of Henley-upon -Thames. And it was during his incumbency that " Edmund Earl of Cornwall gave to God, the bleffed Mary, and to the church of Henley, and to Sir Robt. de Eftre, the red:or, two acres of land at Henley Park, and two acres near the. v'lVQv'' [Burn's Hiji. of Henley, pp. 132, 134). He feems to have refigned the redory of Henley in a.d. 1290, but I have not been able to difcover anything reiped:ing his fubfequent hiftory.
In A.D. 1289 a furvey was made by a bailiff and 12 lawful men ap-
14 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
pointed by the commiflioners of fewers of all the lands in the Hundreds of Eaftry and Cornilo lying in peril of the fea, in order that an affefTment might be raifed to repair the banks, &c., of thofe lands. The following were the lands particularifed in the Hundred of Eaftry : —
acres.
The prior and convent of Chrift Church, Canterbury ccccili
The tenants of Halklyng ~ Ix
The tenants of Worth xc
Likewife towards Henelyng iii
The field called Herynglond x
The field adjoining to Herynglond on the north xv
In one marfh called Garefloft xxv
In the marfh called Stapynberghe cviii
In the marfh called Preftmed^^" xv In the marfh from Hamme Bridge to the curtilage of J"°- Fey king 1
Sir Bertram Frauncrey and his tenants Iviii
John Fitz Bernard , xl
Nicholas de Sandwyche Ixxxix
The heirs of Simon de Ercheflo 1
Thos. Edwards and his partners at Sanddowne cxxxiv
The heirs of Henry de Schenebroke vi
Total number of acres • mclvi
Total of the afTeffment xxiv'. j\ viij'^.j-
In A.D. 1 317 the prior of Chrijl Church obtained a grant of "free warren " in all his demefne lands in the manor of Eaftry.
In the xviii year of King Edward, the Third after the Conquefl, (a.d. 1343-4), a deedj granting 10^. to the Almonry of C//r^/? C//;i;r^/2 from lands in Eaflry, executed by Joanna Jofcp is witnelTedby "Thorn, Taylor — ... Prykke— Nich. Sompe— Ed. Holkebon — Will. Godwyn — Hen. Guodwyne — Job. atte Wood — Job. Baily — Tho. Peke— Sam. Holkebon — and others," who would feem to have been inhabitants of this parifh.
♦ Prcftmcd apparently = Pricfl's Mead. f Botcl. MSS. A. p. 57.
X From the Chartcs Mifcdlan. at Lambeth ; vol. v. No. 28.
MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY, 15
Some of the above names flourifhed in this neighbourhood for many cen- turies, and fome of them are borne even to this day.
In A.D. 1356, a dilpute having arifen between William de Cu/yntouy redlor of this pariih, and Richard de Monyngham, vicar of 6". Mary's^ Sandwichy the bounds and Hmits of our parifh were carefully fought out and afcertained by Richard Cook, Thomas Wade, Adam Prikke, William Godewyn, William Goft, John Clerk, and Thomas Rulbone. A tranfla- tion of the document, which fets forth the bounds of the parifh of Eajlry is given hereafter under " The Bounds!'
In a valuation of the Ipiritualities and "temporalities of the priory of Chrijl Churchy Canterbury made about a.d. 1384, we find the church of Eajlry — i.e., the rediorial portion of it — appropriated to the alms of the faid priory and valued at ^53 ts. ^d;^
On the xxi December, a.d. 1392, (in the time of Archbifhop Court- ney) a general ordination was celebrated in the parifh church of Croydon when we find,t amongft the lift of fubdeacons, the name of a native of this pariih, viz. : —
Thomas Gerard de pochia de Eaftry Cantuarien dioc ad titulum prioris et conventu de lewesj ledes ordinis fanfti Auguftini Cant. dioc.
Again, on the xxvi of March, a.d. 1393, Thomas Gerard was ordained deacon in the parifh church of Croydon, on the title of the Prior and Convent of Ledes Priory. And on the xxxi May, a.d. i 393, in the parifh church of " Maydefton," the fame Thomas Gerard was advanced to the holy order of priefthood.
In a.d. 1400, amongft other temporalities of the prior and convent of
* Dugdale, Moiiajl. Angl., vol. i., p. 89. f ^eg. Courtney, f. 181.
\ This word leives is underlined with a dotted Hne, in the original, by a later hand.
i6
MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY.
Chrijl Church, we find a valuation of " The Manor of Eftrey with the appurtenances^*" ^65. 03s. cod."
The following rental of the manor of Eaftry, extraded from records in Chrift Church, Canterbury, is taken from the Boteler MSS., vol. A. p. 159; and Is interefting as giving us the names of fome of the Inhabitants of Eaftry, and the neighbourhood, In and about the year a.d. 1445.
Rentale dominii de Eaftry anno dom. 1445. Rentale de Eaftry, Imprimis de Witto Stevedey v6t. pz [videlicet pretio ?] Ixj' lij'^q.
de Witto Byllyngton modo Joh. Boteler ij' x^
de hered Rofeti hey Ij' viij'^
de Thoma Tomlyn Bocher xiij'^ q.
de hered Johls Bartelot pro j acra terre v'^
de Rol3to Bartelot
de Jolle Odle sen"" Thoma att Welle Johanna Barfeld Henrico Bakar Smyth Rico att Worde Johe Swayne hered Laurencii Cundy Thoma Benet Jotie Bokelonde Willo Dykes Rico Pyfyng Johe Wolwych XV' x*^ ob. q. Johe fFrenne xxix' ix'^ ob. q. Rogo'^ ffrenne Thoma Palmer De Willo fFurner hered Carpintarii Colyn frenftiman Thoma Lorchon
xij-
vj* j gallin.
j^oh
iiij' v*^ ob. q.
vlij'^
y^
iiijs v^ j gallin. viij' vij*^
v' ob. xvj^ j gallin.
• • ■ ■ 1
"y q-
xix' vij'^ ob. q.
xvj^ ob.
xx"^ ob. q.
* Dugd., Moiiajl. Angl., vol. i. p. ^S.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 17
|
Thoma Godyn viij'* Matylda Thachar Jacobo Holkebon Johe Dene he"". Whytpefe Stepho Dene Thoma Chyrche |
'<«t q- nil. lllj* X** iiij* vj** iij gallin. j^ob. ■f ix** |
|
Jolie Boteler de Sandwico pro terris Garwynton Willo. Dene |
XVIJ' IJ'^ |
|
Rico Byrcholte Walto. Langle pro terris juxta Northcourte |
ij' vij 111) |
|
xij^ eodem Walto. |
|
|
Johe Whytfton Robto Dene |
VJd |
|
Tho. Tomly |
xiij'* q. |
|
Summa — ix lib. vj^ x*^ ob. q. |
|
|
Summ. gallin. vj, prec. — xviij'* |
|
|
Feldyrland. |
De Edwardo Setvans pro terris fuis xxxiij^
De Ric. Coke de Sandewyco pro terris nuper Thome Kempe ij^ vj^
eodem pro terris propriis vj^ xj*^
Willo Symnet de Sandewico vj' vij**
Johe Dunmowe de Sandewico xxiij'* Thoma Boye de Sandewico vij'' ob. ix** q. di. q^
Willo Bryan pro terris fuis apud Statyngbergh (i^i^-)
Willo Fenell draper de Sandewico vj' iij**
Rico Symnet Folfthawe de Sandewico viij*^ ob.
Simone Ruddock de Sandewico iiij'
Thoma Leueryk de Sandewico xxj**
Thoma Weftclyve de Sandewico iij' ij
Robto Whyte de Sandewico ij^ vj"^
Thoma Langle de Sandewico Taylor iiij' ix** ob.
Valentina Hepys de Sandewico ij* V*
Witto Edwards de Sandewico brewer vj'^
d
d
s ::d
;d
1 8 MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY.
Henrico Broke bocher de Sandewico ix"^
Henrico Baker de Sandewico vj'^
Johe Terry de Sandewico bocher v^
Witto Grygory de Sandewico grocer ij' vj
Witto Chylton de Cantuar xv
Johe Cartar de Sandewico brewer x'
Ceciha Sanders de Sa. m°. Synnet vj'^ ob.
Hofpitale Sci Barthi juxta Sandewic xvj'
Thoma Broke de Sandew. draper ij* ix*^ ob. q.
under p°. vj acr. & j virgat. terre ij' vij*^ q.
p°. hered. Nichi Dene de Sandewico xv
Johe Grene de Sandewico marchant xxxix^ ij Robto Dyer de Sandewico (nil)
Johe Gerard de Sandewico bocher xxj'^ ob.
J oh. GyfFard de Sa. fpicer j
Joh. Plmar de Sa. draper vij' iiij"^ ob. q.
Thoma Bolle de Sa. brewer iij^ iiij'^ Robto Dreylond pro terris fuis juxta
Sand. m°. Ric Cok viij^
Rogo Clytherowe armigero xxij^
Summa viij'''' — xvij' — iiij"^ q. di. q.
Ultra x' refolut. Clytherowe ad cur. s. de Poldre pro Monketon keye Sandewic.
Gore.
De Will Baxe x'' De Rob. Dane vj*^ q.
Thoma Roger pro terra Elwyn xiiij"^ ob. q.
Henr. Walter pro terris Joh, Bafele v'^ *'
Worth — de Cantaria Thoma Elys Ixvij^ iij"^ Summa vj''*'- xix' ob. di. q. Opdowne Summa viij^ ij'^ ob. gallin ij prec. vj ovor. xxv. j ob.
■5»- * * * * #
Henry the VI, in the 28th year of his reign (a.d. 1450) confirmed to the prior the right of " free warren " in the lands of his manor at Eaftry,
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 19
and alfo granted a market to be held at Eaftry weekly on a Tuefday, and likewife an annual fair to be held on the Feaft of S. Matthew the Apoftle and Evangelift. The weekly market has fallen into difufe, for how long time I cannot fay; but the fair is ftill held on old S. Matthew's day (Oct. 2nd), in the field oppofite SoiUhbank^ and called the Fair Field, from ancient date. This is now-a-days chiefly a cattle fair, and is very far from being fuch an advantage as it was when the right was originally granted.
In A.D. 1488 {^Reg. Morton, f 49 b) we find under the heading of the " Tenths of the Prior and Chapter of Chrijl Church, Canter bury r the following returns relating to our parifh : —
*' Ecctia de Eaftry in decanam de Sandwich tax xliij". vj^ viij''."
And a little further on in the fame regifler (f 56 b) a return for the
Deanery of Sandwich, which feems to relate to a fubfidy granted to the
king, and which I extrad: in fo far as it relates to Eafliry : —
'* Vicar de Eaftry x"
Decima xP."
From Stevens' Monajlicon (vol. i. p. 345) we find that, in the year a.d. 1 494, another native of our parifli named Robert EJirie was appointed Cufiios or guardian of Canterbury College, Oxford.
In the records of a Vijitatioji of the clergy and people of the deanery of Sandwich, held in the great chancel of S. Peter's, Sandwich, on the 17th September, a.d. 151 i, by the mofl Reverend Father in Chrift his Grace William, by Divine permifiion Archbifhop of Canterbury, we find the following particulars relating to our parifh, under the two headings of (i) " The Chapel of Worth," and (ii) " The Church of Eafter"— i.e., Eaftry.
" Capella de Worth. Comptu [i.e., compertum] eft, That Richard
20 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY,
Broke w'holdeth from the churche xls for a chaleis that was bequethed by oon John Burton.
" Itm that oon Thomas Aleyn of feint Barthilmewes w'drawith A cowe that was bequethed to the Churche by oon H. Patryke the piffhe preeft.
" Itm that oon patryke fforft and Thomas Aldon wMrawith from the fame churche A cowe that was geven to A lampe afore the Roode ppetu- ally." {Reg. Warkamy f xlvlii.)
(ii.) " Ecclefia de Eafter [i.e., Eaftry]. Compertum eft, That the Roodeloft lakketh great repacon.
" Itm the churche nedith greate reparacions.
" Itm that they lak books and fpially of the new fefts, as the Tranffigu- racion of o"" lord, as of the name of Ihu.
" Itm that oon William Gilham, otherwife callid William Breten, kepith evill and very fulped: Rule with diufe women and fpially w' oon Marian Johnfon.
"Itm that Robert ffrende and oon July an his wife are openly talked o^ that they ar' not lawfully conioyned togid in matrymony for a certeyn goftly caufe." (Reg. Warhaniy fol. xlviii., b.)
Again, on the 12th Jany., 15 12, in the Cathedral Church, at Canter- bury, before Mafter Robert Woodward, Lord CommifTary, "appeared Rich'\ Broke, of Sandwich, and denied the fubtradlion of any legacy of John
Burton And fo the Lord CommifTary difmiffed the
aforefaid Richard Broke. Alfo at the aforefaid day and place appeared Thomas Aleyn, brother of the Hofpital of Saint Bartholomew near Sandwich, and faith that he hath not withheld a cow bequeathed to the faid Chapel. And forthwith the Churchwardens \Iconomi\ of the faid Chapel took upon themfelvcs to prove it; and the Lord CommifTary
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 21
appointed the viii day of the month of May next [for the hearing of the caufe.] And coming on the viii day of May, the aforefaid Church- wardens, in the prefence of the aforefaid Thomas Aleyn produced Henry Adam in witneis, and Alice Callwell, who having been fworn and examined, and their depofitions having been examined, the Lord Commif- fary adjudges and pronounces that Thomas Aleyn do deliver to the Churchwardens of the aforefaid Chapel one cow or the value thereof before the Feaft of the Nativity of S. John Baptift next enfuing under penalty of excommunication. Alfo the aforefaid Churchwardens lay that patrick frofte and Thomas Adam have compounded with them." [Reg. War- ham^ fol. Ixvi.)
" On the xvii day of the month of January the aforefaid year (viz., 1 5 12) appeared the Churchwardens of Eftry, and they were ordered by the Lord CommilTary to repair the Roodelofte there before the Feaft of the Nativity of our Lord next enfuing under penalty of excommunication. It is alfo notified to the faid Churchwardens that they fufficiently repair the Nave of the faid Church before the Feaft of the AiTumption of the B. Virgin Mary next (Auguft 1 5th), under penalty of excommunication.
" It is alfo notified to the aforefaid Churchwardens that they provide books for the new Feftivals before the feaft of the Nativity of Saint John Baptift next under penalty of excommunication.
"Alfo the faid Churchwardens fay that William Gylhm als Breten hath departed beyond fea, and doth not intend to return.
" Alfo at the faid place and day appeared Robert frenne [notice the corruption of the word Friend] and confefi"es that he and Juliana his wife are within the degrees of confanguinity. And the Lord Commifiary divorced them." (y?^^. Warek.,L Ixvij.)
In a lift of the Procurations of the monafteries and other religious
22 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
places, and of the Deaneries within the diocefe of Canterbury, made about
this time (15 12) occur the following, under the heading Decanatus
Sandwici, which I infert as relating to our fubjedl :
Ecctia de Eftry xxi^ viij"*
Vicaria eiufdem "v^
From a return made in the 26th year of Hen. VIII (a.d. 1535) of the
value of all Manors, Lands, Revenues, Peniions, and other Emoluments of
Chrijl C/mrck, Canterbury, we gather that the Re(5lory and Manor of
Eaftry were refpedtively valued as under :
Eftry e Re6loria £<^<^. ^. lol
Eftrye Manerium 69. 16. 1 1 " di. q.
{Dugdale Monaji. AngL, vol. i., p. 119).
In a valuation of benefices in the Deanery of Sandwich, made the fame year (1535), is the following entry refpediing our parifh:
Ecctia de Eailry cum capella de Worthe eidem ecctie annex' appro- priat' priori ecclie Xpi Cantuar.'
EsTRY.
Richard Champney vycar there receyveth yerely of I .^ ....^ ^
the pryour of Cryftchurche in Caunterbury i J J i
In tythes p'^dyall and parfonall oblacons and other 1 ... . i ^^^ ^X ^^^
fpruall pfetts yerely \ J J 1
In p x^* — ^ xxxix' ij ob.
Thereof to be allowed of the forfeid pencyon and ) paied to the clerke yerely I
( Valor Ecclefiaflicus.)
_£ xP —'
On the diflblution of Chriil Church, Canterbury, in 31st Hen. VIII,
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 23
the Manor of Eaftry came into the pofleffion of the king, who, however, did not long retain it; but in the 33rd year of his reign gave it to his newly-created Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, in whofe pofleiTion it ftill remains. (See Patejit Rolls, Hen. viii., No. xxxiii., fkin 20, at Record Office.)
The advowfon of the Vicarage, though granted to the Dean and Chapter at the fame time as the Red:ory and Manor, appears to have palTed fhortly after to the Archbiihops of Canterbury, the prefent patrons of the benefice.
In the year 1650 a furvey was made by order of Parliament of all the property belonging to the Recftory of Eaftry. The feveral par- ticulars of this inquiry I give below from the Parliamentary Surveys, vol. xix., p. 30, at Lambeth.
Rectoria de Eastry.
S'' Tho. Smith At the Parfonage or Redlory of Eaftrey in the county of Kent, S'' Jo : Scott confiftinge of a ffaire parfonage houfe conteyneinge a Hall twoe
S" Rich : Smith parlours a Kitchen a Buttery a Milkhowfe a Lawther [Larder] knight a Brewhoufe A maulthoufe with Eight Chambers ouer them
Three Barnes two Stables with a Granary over them three Sellers one pidgeon loft three pudder [fodder ? | howfes with other howfes One Garden, One Orchard, One
little bowlinge Greene, one Courte yarde and one greate yard x'^ : = : =
Together with the Tythes of Corne and other profitts to the faid Parfonage belonginge wee Eftimate to be worth Omnibus Annis : cccc'* : = : ==
Memorandum the late Deane and Chapter of the Cathedrall and Metropoliticall Church of Chrift Canterbury by their Indenture dated the Twentyeth day of January 16 15 have Demifed unto S^ Thomas Smith S"" John Scott and S"" Richard Smith, All that the Redlory or Parfonage of Eaftry in the County of Kent with all howfes Barnes Stables, and buildinges Gleabe lands Tythes Oblacons, Obven- cons. Emoluments, Profitts and Cofnodityes whatfoeuer with all and fingular their Appurtennces to the faid Re6tory belonginge fcituate lyeinge and beeinge in Eaftry and Tilmanftone aforefaid together with Authoritye to keepe Courts there, and to
24 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
receiue the profitts of the faid Courts, Except and referued all Tymber, Woods and vnderwoods growinge vpon the pmilTes. To haue & to hold from the makeinge of the faid Indenture for and dureinge the Tearme of the Naturall Hues of S"" Richard Sonds of Leeds Courte in the Countye of Kent Knight, George Sonds Efq""^ oldeft Sonne of S*" Richard Sonds, and Anthony Sonds his third Redd : Ixxxix^ : v^ Sonne, and for and duringe the life of the longeft liuer of and euery feauenth them, paying therefor yearly to the faid Deane and Chapter yeare — 200'^^ fFor Ixxxix''^ : and v^ att Chriilmas and Midfomer by even porcons entertainment 4''^ or within viii days next after the faid ifeafts and alfoe payinge y'' the laft 7'^ yeere euery Seauenth yeare ouer and aboue the faid rent the fume I fuppofe this yeare of 200''^ in the Treafury howfe of the Said Church att the 1650 to be a 7th faid ffeafts by euen and equall porcons. But are worth vpon yeare. Improuement ouer and aboue the faid Rent referued per
ann. ccclix'*^ : xiiij^ : iiij^
The Leffees in all thinges to repayre maynetaine and vpholde the Howfes and buildinges demifed togeather with the Chauncells of the parrifhe Church of Eaftry and word and all the ffences and Inclofares belonginge to the Gleabe landes and in the end of the Tearme foe to leaue the fame.
There is only S" George Sands aliue and in beeinge.
The prefent Rent of Ixxxix'*^ : v^ : Is thus apporconed viz :
To bee Sould with the Lands 09'"^ : 15' : oo'^
To remayne vpon the Tythes * 79 : 10 : 00
In toto 89 \ Q^ : 00
I conceiue this beinge a 7th yeare the fhare of the Lands in the ioo''^ now due will bee about xxv". And there beinge One life in beeinge in the faid Leafe I judge the Commonwealths Intereft in the Lands proporcon may be vatt in grofie
att r.
Groffe Vail : And then there will remayne to be payde q^ : whether laft
L''^ : / this yeare for the Tythes proporcon of 200^'^ were paid
the faid 200'^^: lys''^: and foe every euery 7 yeares agoe 7th year 175''^ duringe the life in beeinge.
Novemb^ i6th 1650 Will: Webb. And now to recapitulate fomewhat. From even a very curfory glance
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 25
at the foregoing extrafts, we cannot fail to be ftruck with the number of men whom our parifli gave to the fervice of the Church at the clofe of the xiii century, fome of whom rofe even to conliderable eminence ; thus, in A.D. 1 275 there is Ofwald de Eaftria, Abbot of the Monaftery of Faverfham, in 1284 Anfelm de Eaftria, Redlor of our own parifh, in 1285 Henry de Eaftria, Prior of Chrift Church, Canterbury, and in 1290 Robert de Eaftria, Redlor of Henley-upon-Thames. The value of the Manor would appear to have increafed as follows : in A.D. 1086 it was worth ;!f 38. 10. 3 per annum; in a.d. 1400 it had rifen in value to ^65. 03. 00; and in 1535 it was eftimated at ^^69. 16. II, The Re^ory, in a.d. 1384, was worth /5 3. 6. 8 per annum; in a.d. 1535 it had rifen to ;^89. i. loj; whilft in a.d. 1650, little more than 100 years after, it had increafed fo much as to be efti- mated at ;^4io a-year.
The VicaragCy in a.d. 1535, was valued at ;^ 19. 1 1. 9 in the King's Book. Camden, in a.d. 1586, gives ^17. 11. 9 as its value; but pro- bably this would be a flip of the pen for ^19. 11. 9, i.e., the eftimated worth of the benefice, in the year 1535, as taken from the King's Book. For Hafted fays that, in a.d. 1588, it was worth £60, and in a.d. 1640 ;^ioo, a-year ; alfo that at both periods there were 335 communicants in the parifh.
The BotelerMSS. contain an extrad: from '' S"- George Sondes, his plain narrative to the World of all pajfages upon the Death of his two Sonnes. Londo7i : Printed in the year 1655. This is given below, and may ferve as an example of the hard dealing of the Cromwellian Parliament : —
Fol. 27. "The laft year 1654 upon fuit of the Truftees in the Exchequer for arrears of Rent due to the Church, I was there denied the Benefit of the general Pardon, which as I confeived took off thefe
26 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
arrears. And it was likewife decreed that I fhould pay for them 105^^ as Rent for the Parfonage of Eaftry, for that year 1643, when the Parliament farmed it out for \\Q£sy and received all the money for it: I had not one Penny Benefit by it, they had it all, and yet I muft pay that rent."
Hailed mentions a Sir Michael Sondes, then of Eaflry, Kent, who afterwards refided at Throwley, and died a.d. 16 17.
" The old order changeth, yielding place to new. And God fttlfils Himfelf in many ways. Left one good aftomftiotdd corrupt the worlds
MoRTE D'Arthur.
W^t Boutttis; or, a Pcramfiulatjon
of tl)t Par)Si).
CHAP. II.
** Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers havefetP — Prov. xxii. 28.
THE prefent divilion of our country into parKhes had its origin in the time of Archbifhop Theodore (a.d. 668 — 690), when wealthy perfbns were encouraged to build churches on their eftates, by the promife of the patronage of their own foundations, and other advantages. Thus originally /^r^2^^ were ^VQQ^^n\\^ co-exte7ifive with the ejlates of the founders of their reipedlive churches. And this may account for the fadl that many parifhes have feparate and detached portions, lying far away from the main body, in the midft of other parifhes. In this way Ticknejfe (properly Tickenhurfi) is detached from Northbourne, and numerous other examples will readily fuggeft themfelves to my readers.
It feems fomewhat uncertain, however, whether, in the cafe of our own parifh, the foundation of the church and the boundaries of the parifli were thus clofely conned:ed the one with the other.
The earlieft notice of the Bounds of the parifh of Eajlry which I have yet met with, is taken from a MS. amongft the Court Rolls of the
28 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Almery or Priory Manor of Eaftry, formerly in the pofTeflion of Mrs. Rammell. The account there given is as follows :
" This bowndes and Lymites of the pifhe of Eailrye that be here reherfed weare fought out by Ry chard Cok Adam Pricke Thomas Ward William Goft William Goodwyne John Clarke Thomas Rulbone growen before Mr. John Generli Dene of my Lord Symon liplyp audyens at the tyme beinge Archbiilioppe of Canterburye the x'^ Daye of Jullye the yeare of our Lord m ccc Ivj for a plee Revyfed by one Richard vicar of S'. Marye Chourche in Sandwiche for tythes of a place in the faid pifhe of Eftrye in the w plee the vicar was caft/ in witnes thereof the fayd Archbifhopp hath put thereto Sealle of Oifyce as it appeareth one the
fame plee This Boundes begyn in a place called
the Standward the % is in pte of the Northeweft of the piilie of Eafterye and fro the place forefayde extende the boundes and Lymites of the fayd pifhe of Eafterye by a broode wey called weines wey extendinge toward the Sowthe to a place called weines Devidinge the pyfhe of Eafte- rye one the eaft part froo the weye of woodinfboroughte toward the wefle. And froo the weye forefayde called wenis extende the boundes and Lymmites of the piflie of Eafterye by a wey called lyfle toward the eafle goinge forthe to a place called the Bellet devidinge the pyfhe of Eafterye one the northe fyde froo the pyfhe of woodnefborought toward the Sought, and froo the fayd place called the Belet extende the boundes and lymmites by the fame weye toward the fouthweft. So goinge forthe to a place called Bocklond devidinge the parifhe of Eaflery one the fouth efle fro the pyfhe of Woodnefboroughte on the northe wefte pte fro the fiyd place called Bockelond'' extende the boundes and limmites by the
* Now Buckland.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 29
Kingfwey toward the wefte foe goinge forthe to a place called grene- hedgger'' devidlnge the pyflie of Eafterye one the fouthe fyde froo the pyfhe of woodnefborought toward the north and froo the fyde way called grenehedgger extende the Boundes and LImmites by a ftreet or way -f- toward the fouth, fo goinge forthe to a crofTe called mathewes crofTel devidinge the pyfhe of Eafterye toward the eaft froo the pyflie of Wood- nefboroughte toward the wefl and froo the fayd mathewes crolTe extende the boundes and Limmites of the fayd pyfhe of Eafterye by a way or a ftreet called Broodeftreete§ toward the wefte fo goinge forthe to the hedd of a hegge northe called Deneheggell devidinge the pyfhe of Eafterye one the fouth fyde froo the pyfhe of Woodnefboroughte one the northe fyde and froo the forefayde northe hedd of the fayd denhedgge extende the bounds & limmites of the pyfhe of Eafterye by the fame hegge againfle the fouthe- wefte foe the hegge makeing ane end by a grene waye devided or a landfchare unto a place called Redis^ devidinge the pyfhe of Eaflerye one the foutheaft from the pyfhe of woodnefborought and knowlton toward the northweft and foorthe to a place called Redis extende the bounds & .limmites of the pyfhe of Eaftery by a way called Pilholt toward the Eaft fo goenge fourth to a place called hoddyngef-
* Part of this green hedge has been grubbed up, but a confiderable portion ftill remains.
-f- This is the road to Woodnesborough Church from Poifon Crofs, and the boun- dary hne is in the middle of the road.
\ Now Poifon Crofs.
§ Part of the Canterbury road.
II Moft of this hedge has now difappeared — it runs from the Canterbury road towards Harnden Hill.
^ Redis = Ridges, a term not uncommonly ufed. The Redis or Ridges here men- tioned muft be near the Cottages on Harnden Hill.
^,o MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
J
downe-" devydinge the pifhe of Eftry one the north part from the pifhe of Nonington toward the Sowth ptie, And fro the feid place called hod- dingefdowne extend the bownds and lymytts of the pifhe of Eflry to another green e wave towards the eaft, fo goenge fourth to a hill called Gavlitefdowne fo devydinge the pifhe of Eftry on the Northfyde from the pifhe of Nonington and Tylmanftone towards the Sowthfyde, and fro the feid Gaveletifdowne extend the bownds and lymytts of the pifhe of Eftry by a greene footewaye agaynft the North, fo goenge fourth to a corner one the Northfyde of a feilde called danefeildt devydinge the pifhe of Eftry one the wefl- fyde from the pifhe of Tylmanfton one the eaft fyde. And from the feid Sowth corner of the feid Daneffeild extend the bowndes and lymyttes by a devyded greene waye toward the head eaft devydinge the pifhe of Eftry toward the Northfyd from the pifhe of Tylmanftone toward the Sowth, And the fame waye making an ende the bowndes and Lymytts by an other greene waye from the hedd eaft, toward the Northeaft So goenge fourth to a myll called Bettesfhanger Myll,J And the feid greene waye endinge by a highwaye§ be half the hamlett or the villadge called updowne unto the highway that leadeth fro Eftry unto Northborne devydinge the pifhe of Eftry one the Northweft part, fro the pifhe of Bettefhanger toward the Sowtheaft, And fro the feid waye that leadeth fro Eftry toward Northborne extend the bownds and Lymytts
* The down oppofite Shinglcton Down.
i* A field not far from Dane Court.
I Bettefhanger Mill was ftill in exiflence in the lafl century : but has now for many years difappeared. It ftood in much the fame place as the prefent Lodge at l^cttefliangcr.
§ This " highwaye " is the road which leads from near Buttfole to Northbourne, and paffes the lodge gates of Updown Houfe.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 31
by a green e* way towards the north, So goenge fourth to a place called the Parfonyffeild-f- of hame devydinge the pifhe of Eftry one the weft parte fro the pifhe of Bettiflianger and hamme towards the eaft. And from the feid Paribniffeild of hamme extend the bownds and Lymytts by a broad wayej towards the North, So goenge fourth to a place called hamebridge§ devydinge the pifhe of Eftry toward the weft from the pifhe of hamme towards the Eafl, And fro the feid hamme bridge! extend the bowndes and lymytts by a great water towardes the eaft. So goenge fourth to a place called hawkelinge devydinge the parryfhe of Eftry towards the North from the parryfhe of hame towards the Sowth, And from the place called hawklinge extend the bowndes and lymytts of Eftry lynially towards the Eafl, unto a place called Spruckelham, And fro the feid place called Spruckelham fo rightfourth to a place callyd langhauke, And fro the feid place called langhauke unto the coaft of the Sea devydinge the piflie of Eftry towards the north fro the pifhes of hamme and Northborne toward the Sowthlyde, And from the feid coaft of the Sea, extend the bownds and lymytts of the pifhe of Eftry by the fame coaft of the Sea toward the northweft, So goenge fourth and fhettinge in the parryfhe of Eftry toward the Sowth weft unto a place called the nafe, And from the feid place called the Nafe extend the bownds and lymytts towards the Sowtheaft, fo goenge fourth by
* This "green way " is flill in exiftence, though it is in great danger of being obhterated owing to the conftant encroachments of the plough.
•f- There is a field here which ftill belongs to the Re6lor of Ham.
\ This is the road that runs from the corner of Fred. George Terry's garden paft the back of Ham Houfe and Ham Church.
§ The further bridge next Word Mill.
II From this point the bounds, as here defcribed, are thofe of Word, and not the bounds of Mho: prefent pariJJi of Eaftry.
32 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
a ftreame callyd Geftlinge unto a place callyd the Sclufe fhettlnge in the pifhe of Eftry toward the north eaft fro the pifhe of S'. Cle- ments in Sandwich toward the Sowthweft parte. And fro the feid Sclufe extend the bowndes and Lymyttes towards the Sowth So goenge fourth by a Dyke called Erchiflodick devydinge the pifhe of Eftry toward the Eafl from the feid pifhe of S\ Clements one the weft fyde unto a place called hovelinge, And fro the feid place called hovelinge extend the bownds and lymytts toward the northwefl. So goenge fourth by a dyke called the delfe devydinge the pifhe of Eaflry toward the Sowthwefl from the pifhe of S. Clements toward the northwefl unto the Sowth corner of the Hofpitall of S'. Bartholomewe, And from the feid Sowth corner of the feid hofpitall extend the bownds and lymytts of the pifhe of Eflry toward the North, So goenge fourth by a runninge water called the delph unto a place callyd the Stonebridge devydinge the pifhe of Eftry toward the weft from the pifhe of S'. Clements towards the eafl parte. And fro the feid Stonebridge extend the bowndes and lymytts toward the Sowth weft. So goenge fourth by the kinges highwaie to the Sowth hedd of a lyttle dyke or a vorowe lyenge of length % the lands of John Terrey toward the eafl parte of the feid lands devydinge and fhettinge in the pifhe of Eftry toward the Sowtheaft fro the pifhe of S'. Maries in Sandwich one the north wefl parte. And fro the feid Sowth hedd of the feid Dyke or vorowe extend the bowndes and lymytts by the fame dyke or vorowe toward the north. So goenge fourth to a corner of a feild called Polder land* towards the northeaft fliettinge in the pifhe of Eftry toward the Eaft, And from the feid corner that ys north- eaft of the feid Polder lande extend the bownds and lymytts toward the weft parte. So goenge right fourth by a lyttle dyke or a vorowe lyenge of
* Now " Feldcrland," but commonly pronounced " Fendcrland."
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. y^
length 'J the north of the feid feild called Polderfield unto the *highwaye that leadeth from Sandwich toward Canterbury and by the weft hed of the feid dyke or vorowe extend the bowndes and lymytts by the feid highway toward the Sowth, So goenge fourth a clofeinge in the piflie of Eftry one the eaft fyde from the pifhe of woodnefborowe toward the weft to a place callyd the Standard.
23°Julii 1585."
l^Botel. MS. A.J pp. 104, 105, 106.]
Thus much as to the bounds of our parifh in a.d. 1356. Since that time, however, the parifh of Worth or Word has been cut off from the mother parifh of Eaftry, fo that Eaftry is now fmaller in extent than in the time of Archbifhop Iflip. In his time, at the time when the vicar- age of Eaftry was endowed, and for many generations afterwards, the church at Word (dedicated to 3. Peter and S. Paul) was merely a cha- pelry attached to the mother Church at Eaftry, in the fame manner as Shrinkling, or Shingleton ; but with this difference, that whereas, the vicar of Eaftry was to " find one Chaplain in the Chapel of Worth de- pending upon the faid Church of Eaftry to celebrate divine Service every day, at leaft as far as it may be done with convenience," and there to " officiate in divine Things according to ufual Cuftom ;" the prior and convent of Chrift Church, Canterbury, were held and bound to the 1* maintenance of one Chaplain in the Chapel of Shrynglynges depending upon the faid Church, provided the Re(5lors were held in times paft to the fame" (fee Endowment of the Vicarage).
In courfe of time the Church of Word acquired certain parochial
* «
The Sandwich Road," as Eaftry folk call it.
34 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
rights; but whether it ever adlually became 2l feparafe parijli until it was legally feparated from Eaflry in a.d. 1854, feems very doubtful. From certain memoranda that I have come acrofs in one of the pariih books, the queftion feems to have been raifed fometime between a.d. 1686, and A.D. 1688, as to whether at that time Word was or was not a feparate parifh : fome perfbns — apparently the inhabitants of Word — afferting that it was fuch, and " Charles Bargrave, Churchwarden, and Sollomon Har- vey and Thomas Adams, Overfeers of the Poor," of our parifh, main- taining as ftrenuoufly that it was not^ and giving as their reafon " that the Infiirument of Inftitution and Induction gives \_sic\ to the Minifter or Clerk of Eaftry runns only to Eaflry Cum Capella de Woorth and he is Indufted only into Eaftry." The parifh of Worth was conftituted a Vicarage by an Order in Council which appeared in the London Gazette of December 6th, 1867.
But to return to the perambulation of the parifh. The ancient and proper time for the perambulation of parifhes — or " beating of the bounds," as it is often called, from the cuftom in former days of beating boys at certain points, in order to imprefs the boundaries, marks, and limits of the parifli the better on their memories — is fome day in Rogation week, i.e., the week in which Afcenfion Day or Holy Thurfday falls. For when, at the Reformation, all other religious procefHons were abolifhed, the peram- bulation of parifhes in this week was flill retained.
The following extracts from the oldeft* account book of the church- wardens, which is now extant, furnifh us with a complete lift, as far as it goes, of the dates at which our parifli has been perambulated : —
* Mr. Botclcr fpcaks of the tradition that there had once been two other and more ancient books. Thefe however, had difappeared even in his time.
((
cc cc cc
cc cc
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 35
£ s. d.
" 1689 P*^ upon the perambulacon o. 5. o'
" 1690 Spent at the perambulacon o. 7. 1 1'
1692 Spent when wee went the Boundes of the parifh o. 1 1. 4' 1 696 p'^ to goody Samfon mony fpent for going y*" bounds of y*"
parifli I. o. o'
1 703 May 5th p*^ att Goodman Sampfons when we went y^ bounds o. 9. o'
1 719 Spent att the five Bells when went the Bounds of the parifh i. 2. 6' 1 7 1 9 p"^ John Cock more w'' which was fpent when we went the
Bounds of the Parifh o. 15. o'
1722 Spent when we went the Bounds of the Parifh o. 13. o'
1743 May 12 Spent going the Bounds of the Parifh o. 16. 10'
1747 May 29 Spent going the Bounds of the Parifh o. 16. 6'
1762 May 20 Spent at theFive Bells going theBounds of the Parifh I. 19. o'
1782 May 15 Paid at the Bull going the Bounds of the Parifh 2. 16. o' 1 801 Expences at the Five Bells (28'^ May) going the Boundary
of the Parifh 3. 2. io|" " 1 8 14 June II paid Eafles Bill for Dinners, &c., for going bounds
of parifh* 9. 14. i\" 1833 May 14. This day & year the bounds were walked by the Vicar, Churchwardens & others.
1856 Mar. 31. This day & year the Vicar, Curate, Churchwardens, Parifh Clerk and others walked the bounds of the Parish beginning at Hay Hill.
1868, Sept. 24. At nine o'clock in the morning of this day and year, there met, at the boundary stone on Hay Hill, near the Crofs Roads, a number of the parifhioners, including the Vicar, Lieut.-Col. Rae, Mr. G. Turner (The Lynch and New Coll., Oxon), Mr. Churchwarden Terry, Mr. William Wilfon (Guardian, Shingleton Farm), Mr. James Cobus (Overfeer), and MefTrs. Jofeph Bowman (Parifh Clerk), R. Moat, Junr., J. Bufhell (Kent C^ Confl^'), G. Foord (of " Five Bells "), J. May-
* In this year Mrs. Pettman gave £2 2s. towards the expenfes of the Perambu- lation.
6 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
nard (Kent C>' Conft>), E. Dunn, and W. Devefon, Jos. Manfer, E. Pay, G. Dungey, Chas. Dungey, E. Culver, E. Moat, W. Thompfon, J. Fitz- o-erald, J. Foord, S. Hopper, A. Soames, G. Lawrence, John Manfer, and J. Spickett. At 9.15 they flarted, Bowman — who had "beaten the bounds " on two previous occafions (viz., in 1833 and 1856), and who had been round ftill more recently with the Ordnance Survey— taking the lead, and the reft following ; Lieut.- Col. Rae, MefTrs. Terry and Wilfon, and the Vicar, being mounted, the others being on foot. On the borders of the parifh of Bettefhanger the Eaftry party were met by Walter James, Efqr., and the Redor of Betteflianger (Rev. J. W. Blifs), who accompanied them as far their own bounds extended. Arrived at Shingleton Down the Old Hundredth Pfalm was fung, according to a cuftom obferved on previous occafions. Thence proceeding onwards they were met by the- reprefentatives of Nonnington, the only other parifh beiides Bettefhanger, which fent its officers to the boundaries in time to meet the Eaftry party. On Harnden Hill a halt was made, jufl outfide the cottages of Cox and Friend, for luncheon — which, confifting of bread and cheefe and bitter beer, was partaken of by all prefent, and thoroughly appreciated. After a reft of half an hour the party again ftarted, and in due time came into the Canterbury Road. Going on from thence Poifoti Crofs (anciently Matthews' Crojjfe) was reached, and the party proceeded halfway up the hill which leads to Woodnelborough Church. Then turning to the right acrofs the fields, under a high-banked hedge, and following the various turns and windings of the boundary line, after fome time the Sandwich road was crofed. Next the brooks, feparating Eaftry from Ham, were reached and jumped by fome, though more jumped in ! the foothold being very- bad for leaping on either bank. Henceforward the bounds kept to the
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 37
road, and fo going on the markflone on Hay Hill was reached about 3 o'clock, after a very pleafant, but fomewhat tiring, walk of more than 14 miles.
The parifli of Eaftry, confifting of the borough of Eaftry, the borough of Heron den and part of the borough of Felderland, is about two and a half miles from north to south, and not more than one and a half mile from eafi: to weft.
It contains, according to the Tythe Commutation Deed, 2664 ftatute acres, by far the greater portion of which is arable land, the extent of meadow or pafture being but fmall, and of hop gardens very much lels.
The greater portion of the land in the parifh is claimed over by the Manors of Eaftry, Adiftiam, the Almonry, Dane Court, North Court, and South Court. Of thefe the principal are the Manors of Eaftry and Adiftiam, which are divided, the one from the other, by the high road leading from Woodneft)orough by Gore to Elham.
The population of Eaftry has, of courfe, varied in different ages ; but there is good reafon for fuppofing that during the time of the Roman occupation, in the Romano-Britifti period, and afterwards in Anglo-Saxon times, prior to the year a.d. 900, the ville of Eaftry had more inhabitants than at the time of the Norman invafion.
From the information given in Doomfday Book (fee p. 1 1 ) we may gather
that the population of Eaftry, in or about the year a.d. 1086 was 300
In A.D. 1774 the population was 656
1 80 1 „ „ (including workhoufe) was . 852
1811 „ „ . . . . 909
,, „ 1821 „ „ .... 1062
« « 1831 „ „ .... 1245
»> »
» »>
J
8 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
In A.D. 1 841 the population of Eaftry (with the Union) was 1629
» j> ^^5^ »» " " »» " »> »> ^^97
„ „ 1 00 1 „ „ „ 9, „ „ „ \^o^
[In this year the population of the parifh proper was 1 175, and of the Union Workhoufe 330].
In A.D. 1 87 1
Since the beginning of this century about 90 new houfes have been built in Eaftry.
T\\t foil of Eaftry, northward of the ftreet, is very good, fouthward it is poorer land, being in places very near the chalk. Upon the whole it may average about 305-. an acre ; which fhows a conliderable improve- ment in the land lince Mr. Boteler's time (1774), when on the average it was worth only 15^. an acre.
The rents as afTefted to the poor amount to ^7994. 6s. 6d.
And now, having perambulated the parifh, alcertained its boundaries and markftones, meafured its broad acres, examined its foil, numbered its people, and fummed up its rental, let us enter it by the road from Sand- wich, and view its different localities fomewhat more in detail.
The firft objedt that meets our view, as we begin to approach Eaftry by the Sandwich Road, is an ancient Yew-tree ftanding at the' corner of the road, that leads off on the left to Felderland. It has probably feen the travellers of many centuries. Bifhops and abbots and plain parifli priefts, barons and knights and fquires, merchants and burghers and artizans, country maidens and ladies of high degree, all in their day and genera- tion have pafTed by the old Palm tree, for fo is the Yew-tree called in this neighbourhood.
Paffing onwards through the turnpike, we come on the right to a large and handfome houfe, called Statenboroughy the refidence
MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY. 39
of Commander George Sayer, R.N., J. P., to whom the ancient eftate of Stapenberghe, now Statenborough, belongs. This is at prefent the prin- cipal eftate in the parifh, including Gore, the lands of which are laid to it: the whole confifting of about 141 acres. The land is in general good. " From the title deeds it appears, in 1391, a fmall piece of land was conveyed to Wm. Cook of Stapynberghe, and part of the premifes at this day is called Cookfborough. In 141 9 a part belonged to the family of Atte Halle. In 1437 John Frynne & Thos. Terrey of Eaftry convey 16 acres feparate, at or near Stapenbergh, which they had of Ingram Atte Halle fon & heir of J"°. Atte Halle of Dovorre, to W". Bryan of Can- terbury who, from divers other conveyances, feems at this time to have been in pofteftion of a confiderable part of the eftate. To whom or at what time Mr. Bryan's property was alienated, does not appear: but, in 1484, the whole belonged to J"^ Kennett of Canterbury, Gent. In 1534 Tho\ Ken- nett of Canterbury Priest (capellanus) fon of the above J"°. conveyed his whole property here — the quantity not fpeciiied — to Chrift". Hales Efq', the King's Attorney-General, afterwards Sir Chriftian, Knight ; whofe daughter Margaret, the wife of Ralph Dodmore of Lincoln's Inn, Gent., jointly with her Huft)and in 1557 conveyed the Eftate, fpeciiied in the Deed as containing 120 acres, under the general name of Statynborough to Saftrey Paramor of Eaftry Yeoman. In this Family it continued in lineal fucceftion from Father to Son, and was the place of refidence of each, till J oftiua -Paramor jointly with his mother Mary fold it in 171 3, fadly encumbered with mortgages to his Couiin Cap^ J"°. Paramor of Sandwich, who rebuilt the Houfe and reiided here. Cap'. Paramor died 1737 and bequeathed it to his only fon Jn°. Paramor Efq'. who dying 1 75 1 without iftue, bequeathed this, amongft other eftates, to Mary eldeft daughter of his fifter Mary deceafed, the wife of Tho\ Fuller of Sand-
40 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
wich Efq'. ; but fhe dying fingle and under age, the whole fell after the death of Mr. Paramor's widow in 1759 to his 3 nieces Jane, then Jane Hawker widow, afterwards the wife of John Dilnot Esq'., the daughter of his fifter Jane Hayward deceafed ; and Jane & Sarah Fuller two other daughters of his fifter Mary before mentioned. On a divilion of the feveral eftates in 1761 this was allotted to Jane and Sarah Fuller, & on a further divilion betwixt the two lifters in 1774, this with Gore formed a part of the Ihare that fell to Jane then the wife of W. Boys of Sand- wich Efq'%"* — author of ** Colle5lions for a Hijlory of Sandwich''
Mrs. Boys eventually fold the eftate of Statenborough to Mr. George, who in his turn difpofed of it to Mr. Moulding, after whole deceale it was fold by his widow to Mr. Greville, from whom it defcended to his grandfon Col. Fulke Greville (now Lord Greville). In 1846 Com- mander George Sayer, R.N., purchafed the eftate of Col. Greville.
Captain Sayer is in the commiffion of the peace, and bears for his arms : —
Proceeding onwards we come to Little Statenborough^ or Statenborough Cottage, likewife the property of Capt. Sayer, who, about the year 1 847, purchafed the houfe and a few acres of land adjoining it of Col. Greville, whofe grandfather, Mr. Greville, had acquired it of Mr. Upton. G. Coleman, Efq., is the prefent occupier. Statenborough is claimed over by the Manors of Dane Court, North Court, and South Court, Tilmanftone.
Great Walton, lituated on the Sandwich Road between Statenborough and Eaftry Street, next meets us. It is a nice old-fafhioned houfe, with trimly-kept greenfward, pond, gardens, and outhoufes adjoining, and about 70 acres of land — 30 being in Eaftry, and 40 in Woodnefborough ; the
* Botel MSS.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 41
land and houfe in Eaftry are aflefTed at ^84 in all. This farm was formerly much larger than it is at prefent, and was for fome generations in the family of Geering/^ by one of whom it was divided towards the latter part of the feventeenth century. After the divifion Great Walton became the property of Mr. Wm. Sharp who, in 1 694, conveyed it to Jofeph Neame of Word, yeoman, from whofe defcendant, Mrs. Elizth. Neame, the eftate was conveyed, in 1773, to Mr. John Nelfon and wife of Sandwich. Mr. Nelfon died in 1789, and by his laft will bequeathed it to the children of Mr. Wm. Caftle of Sandwich (the fon of his wife by a former hufband), whofe fon, Mr. Thos. Caftle, fold fome of the lands belonging to it. His fon, Robert Caftle, Efqre., is the prefent owner of the eftate, the lands belonging to which he lets, but occupies the houfe. He bears for his arms :
Little Walton, lying betwixt Great Walton and Eaftry Street, is a farm conftfting of about 1 00 acres, 49 of which lie in Eaftry, the reft in Wood- neft)orough. The lands, which are very ftraggling, were for many generations the property of a family of the name of Nutt. John Nutt, of Putney, Gent., was the owner in iji6 (Botel. MSS.). In 1733 Wm. Nutt was in pofteflion of the eftate, and in 1 740 James Amey, but whether in right of himfelf or his wife, feems doubtful. The eftate was afterwards in litigation. In 1749 two females claimed pofteftion by law of the name of Wollaftone : and on a divifion between them, this amongft other eftates became the property of the one who was married to Taylor White, of Hertfordftiire, Efqre. In 1824 James White, Efqre., fold the property to Bargrave Wyborn, Efqre., in whofe family it ftill remains.
Walton Houfe, fituated between Great Walton and Eaftry Street, and
* The whole farm was in the poffeflion of the Geerings in A.D. 1623.
42 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
oppofite Little Walton, Is a large houfe, with about eight acres of land attached to it, originally built by Mr. George about the year 1805. In 1 807 the property was purchafed by Mr. White, who, in 1821, fold it to Henry Warrell, Efqre. In Nov., 1830, Mr. Warrell granted a leafe of the houfe and land to James Rae, Efqre., who eventually purchafed the fame in Sept., 1834, and in whofe family it ftill remains, being the refi- dence of James A. Rae, Efqre., Lieut.-Col. of the Cinque Ports' Volunteer Artillery. They bear for their arms : Vert — three Jiags in pale coiiranty argent. For a crefl: : a Jiag at gaze proper.
A little further on there are two good houfes on oppoiite fides of the Sandwich Road. The one on the right hand, a modern houfe, running back to the Woodnefborough Lane, being the property of R. S. Leggatt, Efqre., M.R.C.S. ; the other, called Laiirejlon Hoze/e, being the property of Mr. Matfon, but the refidence of Mils Toker, who has much improved the houfe, and laid out the grounds with tafte and effedt. Attached to this houfe, and in front of it, is a pleafant meadow containing 4a. ir. 32p. Both Laurefton and Walton Houfes have garden entrances into the foot-path which runs from the Schools to Statenborough. Part of this path is fometimes called the Lover's Walk from its being fo quiet and fecluded ; and the upper portion of it, nearer the Schools, is occalionally ufed as a rope walk.
After pafTmg Laurefton Houfe we come to Eaftry Street., or as it is now entitled the Lligh Street. This is the principal part of the village, and from hence branch off Church Street, Brook Street, what was formerly called Reaper's Row (which is properly a continuation of High Street, and leads paft the Fairfield to Buttfole), Mill Lane, Gore Lane, and the Roads to Sandwich and Woodnefborough.
In High Street one or two places are worthy of mention.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 43
On the left fide of the flreet there is a place called the Square, fome cottages being built in that form; and a little further on is a foot-path leading dired:ly to the Schools and Church, called Church Lane or Collarinakers Alley. On thefouth of this lane is a meffuage, now the property of Mr. Wanftall, of Nonington, from which arifes the yearly rent charge of 1 2S. payable to the vicar and churchwardens for the benefit of the poor of Eaflry, under the lafl will and teftament of Richard Thorn pfon, of Minfter, in Thanet, who died 1673. For further particulars relpedling this houfe fee under " The Parochial CharitiesT This houfe is now in the occupation of Edward Godden, grocer, and is ufed as a baker-and-grocer's fhop. South- ward of this is a houfe formerly called " the Nunneries," but for what reafon I know not ; there are no ruins of any kind near the place, nor was there ever any fuch religious eftabliiliment in Eaftry. It formerly confifted of two cottages in three dwellings, defcribed in a deed of 1567, as being at a place called " le Nunnerye." In 1609 ^^^7 were purchafed by Paramor, of Statenborough, then called " the Nunnerys," and by this name they were bequeathed by John Paramor, of Statenboro', gent., his defcendant, in 1735, to his fon John Paramor, Efq., who fold it to John Matthews, of Eaftry, collarmaker [Botel. MSS., vol. A., p. 65). It was rebuilt in great part by the above-named John Matthews, and is a neat houfe in two dwellings, occupied relpedtively by Jofeph Bowman, parifh clerk, and Thomas Cullen. The property now belongs to John Court, of Eaftry, milk- man. Southward of this houfe is a meadow called The Playing Clofc^ which has certainly been ufed as a place of recreation for upwards of the laft two hundred years, fince, in a rental of the year 1633, it is called " the play clofe^ Still there is not the flighteft foundation for the idea, once prevalent, that this " playing clofe " formerly belonged to Goddard's Cha- rity. So early as a.d. 1567 it was private property, and belonged then to
44 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Roger Churche: in 1606 it was the property of John Robins, Junr., veoman ; in 1 640 it belonged to Edward Parboe, gent., and then formed part, as it did until recently, of the Street Farm over the way, once the property of the Petmans, but now divided up and fold. In 1868 this clofe was purchafed by John Iggulden, of Deal, Efqre., and now forms part of his Eaflry Houfe eftate.
Adjoining the " playing clofe " fouthward is the old Schoolhoufey left by Mrs. Chriftian Goddard, 1574, for the ufe of the parifh clerk of Eaftry for ever, on condition of his infl:ru(fling one boy (see " The Schools'). This is now in the occupation of Thomas Young.
Next to the old Schoolhoufe is the Bull Inn. This has probably been the name and lite of the village inn for fome centuries. As early as A.D. 1573 it is mentioned; and, in 1633, it is fpoken of as "adjoining Goddard's Houfe for the Clerk, in Eaftry Street :" whilft the church- wardens' accounts often make mention of money " fpent at the Bull."
In A.D. 1573 Richard Huffam paid quit rent to the manor of Eaftry for the Bull. John Whitfeild, and after him Edmonde Baker, had been the previous owners. And again, in a.d. 1633, Thomas Huffam paid for the Bull. It is now the property of MeiTrs. Liney and Evenden brewers.
It may not be uninterefting if we give the names of the fucceffive
Hosts of the Bull.
1693, William Hall.
1702, Thomas Adams.
1725, Ingram Durban.
1763, William Culler — then his widow.
1 77 1, John Solley.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 45
1 79 1, Richard RufTell.
1 806, John Eaftes.
1 8 16, John Ferrier.
1855, Charles Lepine.
i860, Edward Manfer. This hft is complete as far as it goes back.
On the right hand fide of the ftreet oppofite to Collarmakers' Alley is a houfe and forge the property of the Drayfon family, and now in the occupation of Wm. Twyman, blackfmith. The houfe is comparatively new, having been built in 1861 ; but, on or about this fpot, there has been a forge for many centuries, where fucceffive generations of Drayfons have worked as fmiths. Will Drayfon ligns the " Sefs made the 14th day of October, Anno Domene 1685," and there are frequent entries in the churchwardens' accounts of that period of payments made to the Dray- fons " for iron work " or " fmith's work." By the fide of the forge there is a field path, which leads either to the Mills or to Gore.
A little higher up the ftreet, and oppofite the playing clofe, is Eajlry Houfe, the property of J. Iggulden, of Deal, Efqre., in right of his wife, the daughter of J. Hatfeild, Efqre., who, in or about the year 1832, bought it of the Petman family, in whofe pofTefHon it had been for fome generations, being part of that old farm originally called Szuayne's, which is now entirely divided up. This houfe is now in the occupation of Mr. John Netherfole.
Proceeding onwards pafl the poft-office (foon to be made alfo a tele- graph-otiice), a few more fteps bring us to The Crofs. This is the name given to that flightly open fpace where Brook Street and Mill Lane, High Street, Reaper's Row, and Church Street, meet together, and where, doubtlefs, in days gone by, there flood the Village Crofs. In the
46 MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY.
old churchwardens' accounts frequent mention is made of thatching and other repairs done to " the Crois Houfe " at the expenfe of the pariih. Hitherto I have been unable to identify this, and am rather inclined to think that it has difappeared, unlels the Vicarage Cottage formerly bore that name. " The Crols houfe " is not to be confounded with the houfe of " the Crofs Farm," formerly the property of the Kite, and now of the Boteler, family: nor yet with "the Gierke's houfe" above-mentioned in the High Street, nor with " the Sexton's houfe," which formerly was the end houfe of the Goddard's Charity, neareft and oppofite to the vicarage. At the end of the High Street neareft to " the Crols " there is a pond which fupplies the neighbouring farmers and others with water for their cattle, and which rarely runs quite dry. Whilft on or about the fpot now occupied by Mils Bayly's draper's fhop, formerly flood the parifh ftocks — the terror of evil doers. Thefe were afterwards removed to a polition nearly oppofite the church gates, beneath two elms growing in the clofe adjoining the boys' fchool. Latterly they were little ufed, and about A.D. 1828 they difappeared.
Proceeding from " the Crofs " towards the church, we pafs on the right a cottage formerly ufed as the barber's fhop, and once belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, but which was made over to the Vicarage in or about the year 1853.
Two fleps more bring us to the Vicarage, a large and comfortable
houfe, which dates from the year 1 821, when the old Vicarage was pulled
down and rebuilt by the Rev. G. Randolph, then vicar. But the
fo7indatio7is of the houfe are ancient, and they may perhaps have formed
part of the original building afTigned for the ufe of the vicar in a.d.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 47
1367, and confirmed to him in a.d. 1368, when an agreement was come to between the Prior and Convent of Chrift Church, Canterbury, on the one fide, and " Sir " Thomas, Vicar of Eaftry, on the other, " that the faid Sir Thomas, the Vicar, fhall have to his own proper ufe the hall, chambers, and kitchen, of his Vicarage aforefaid, which belonged and pertained to the Almoner and his office of old, and alfo the other build- ings eredled upon his fite, together with a garden and
thence arifing (the dovecote and certain wafte places, fituate below the dole of the faid vicarage, being referved to the Almoner and his Re<5lor in perpetuity)." It was then agreed that " the fame Almoner fhould, moreover, make and keep in fufficient repair a certain wall between him- felf and the Vicar aforeiaid, beginning from the king's highway on the fouth lide of the faid Vicarage, and extending to a certain ftable of the
faid Almonry of the Rector over againft the north part "
The wall here referred has been pulled down, in order that a piece of ground, which formed part of the farm yard of the Almonry, or Parfonage as it is now called, might be added to the Vicarage. The piece of ground here ipoken of is now ufed as a kitchen garden. But with regard to the wall which has difappeared ; it commenced clofe to the gate which leads to the kitchen door, palTed the back door of the Vicarage, and ex- tended to the ftables of the Parfonage. Thefe ftables ftill exift, having pro- bably been renewed from time to time on the old fite. The Vicarage is furrounded on all fides by a narrow ftrip of garden, that portion which lies eaft of the houfe being the largefi:, and having a confiderable fall. The view from the dining-room window towards the Lynch bank is very pretty. The garden contains two magnificent, and fome fmaller, yew-trees, a handfome ilex, and a very ancient claranut-tree, long pafi: its prime
48 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
— which has probably ftood here for fome centuries — befides numerous walnuts.
The Vicarage is bounded on the weft by Church Street, on the fouth by Brook Street, on the eaft by the garden of the Parfonage, and on the north by the yard and ftables of the fame.
Immediately oppofite the Vicarage gates are the five dwellings of God- dard's Charity (see " The Parochial Charities"). Originally left to the churchwardens for the ufe of the poor, in a.d. 1574, they would feem to have undergone comparatively little alteration, although they were formerly thatched and plaiftered, &c., from time to time, at the expenfe of the parifh. Unfortunately there is now no fund available for keeping them in repair. The end houfe neareft the road was for many years appro- priated to the ufe of the fexton.
Adjoining the Vicarage is the houfe now called the Parso7tage, but formerly the Almonry or Aumbry. This houfe ftands on, and forms part of the Reftorial property which once belonged to the Priory of Chrift Church, being appropriated to the ufe of the Almonry. After the Reformation it formed part of the endowments of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, but it is now in the hands of the Ecclefiaftical Commiftioners.
The great tythes of the pariihes of Eaftry and V^orth, which belong to the Reftory of Eaftry, were formerly let, as well as the lands, to cer- tain lelTees. Now, however, the Ecclefiaftical Commifiioners keep thefe in their own hands, but let the lands. The lands belonging to the Redtory, or as it is com.monly called " Parfonage," confift of 52a, 2r. 33p. of glebe in Eaftry ; 1 5a. 3r. op. In Tilmanftone ; oa. 2r. 24p. in Worth ; in all 69a. or. lyp. To this Parfonage belongs a fmall manor called the Manor
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 49
of the Priory or Almonry, which receives quitrents from the houfes and land in the ftreet, contained within Eaftry Street and Church Street, reaching down almofl to Little Walton. It receives alfo from the houfes built on the wafte in Reaper's Row or (as that part of the ftreet is now more commonly called on each fide of the way), the Fair Field, and from a trifling quan- tity of land at or near Brook Street. The receipts of the whole are very inconfiderable, as will be feen from the following rentals of 1573 and 1633, which I here extrad: from the Botel. MSS., on account of the information they give refpedling the inhabitants of Eaftry in thofe days.
" A Rentall conteyningas well the Rents of dyvers Teniits, Lands, be- longing to the Awmery or Parfonageof Eftrie, knowledged by the Teniits there in fundry Corts tempore nuper Regis H. viii" and laftlie in cur : tent: ultimo die Septembris anno xxx""" ejufdem nuper Regis As alfo a Terror [Terrier] of all the Glebe lands belonging or aperteyning to the faid pfonage with the Rents as well in money as in Corne toguether with the Renouacions of their names ever as the fame is now anfwered and paid to me Willus Partheriche ffermor there hoc anno regni Elizabeth -j^yino g^ anno 1573, viz. :
" Rents of the teniits belonging to the faid Awmerie." The abbre- viated fubftance of which is as follows : —
£ ^. d. The poor houfe Chryftian Goddarde widow holds a Tenement &
Garden, late her father Thomas Parkers, lying in the Street over ag^' the Vicarage at the pay- ment yearly of 12
Same Chryftian holds likewife a piece of land in Walton containing one rood two perches late y^ faid Thos. Parkers at i ^ 2
Same Chryftian holds likewife a garden contain- ing 16 perches at ii
H
50
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
nowe Rich. Auften Heires of James Parker hold a Meffuage, Gar- Rich. Lawrance den & Dove houfe late J"°. Parkers lying over farmer againft the Parfonage Gate Henry Vincent
farmer at nowe Rich HufFam Edmonde Baker — a tenement w*'' a garden con- tain^ 21 perches late J"°. Whitfields in the high Street Will"" Friende— a Kitchen w'^ half a ftable cont^ 8 perches being parcell of the Lords tenement at the corner houfe leading from the Crofs to the Churchwardes nowe John Robins Roger Church's widow — a crofte cont^ 5 roods ;
to a clofe belonging to the Awmery Eaft, to the Highway weft Said widow likewife for two acres in Walton
Pyfmg — holds two tenements \^
w'*" their gardens cont^ 35 Perches in right of
nowe John Whitfeild ,
his wife Thos. Whitfeilds widow
Said
Pyfing likewife for \ an
Now W"" Parromor
acre in Walton i
Said .... Pyfing likewife for 3 Roods in Walton 5
Said .... Pyfing likewife for a gar- den containing i Rood & 14 Perches called Howtings 17
William Parromor — a tenem^ & garden plotte late Silvefter Goulds in the Street leading to the Church
John Harrys in right of his wife the widow of Jn°. Paramor, pays for a tenem' w''' a garden cont^ \ an acre 14 perches wherein the faid John dwelt alfo one acre in Walton, alfo an \ acre late Silvefter Gold's, alfo a garden there containing 10 perches
Saufferaie Parromor pays for a tenement and gar- den contain*^ 22 perches late W"". Stones &
211
I 2
3 4 2
2 9
I 61
4 94
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
51
John Arrowes lying in the high Sreet adjoin- ing to a tenem' in the occupation of Tho% Friend being Rob'. Paramors Now Thol Frynd Roger Frende holds a Tenem' and a garden con-
tain^ 23 perches which is now a Stable & lies over againft his houfe in the High Street, & w*^^ he lately bought of Rob*. Frende formerly one Fydyans
Almery Manerm in Eaftry
Thos. Horffield
Rich"*. Stacy
Jn°. Kite Abraham Stuppel Morris
Total of the Rents
Stephen Thomfon Tenem' & garden in Eaftry
Heirs of Andrew Whitfeild, Tenem* & garden
at the lower end of Eaftry Street Thomas Freind Tenem' & garden at y^ fame place
2I
I 7
" A Rentell made y^ 20'^* day of Auguft 1633 of all the
Quittrents of money due to the faid Mannor yeerly."
s. d. Imprimis Mich\ Auften Houfe & garden in
Eaftry Street 2 2
Heirs of W"". Friend late Gilbert Wright for a
houfe & garden on the Eaftfide of Eaftry
Street i 2
Heirs of M". Hammon for the butchers fhop in
Eaftry 6
Thos. Huffam for the Bull in Eaftry i 2
Heirs of Arnold modo Mr. Nicolls for a Houfe
& certain Lands in Brook Street in Eaftry 3 4
Heirs of Roger Church modo Mr. Parbo for an
acre of land in Eaftry called the Play clofe Jofua Parromer Tenem' & garden oppoftte the
Smiths forge Jofua Parromer nuper Thom^ Berry jure uxoris
ejus for another Tenem' & garden at the same
place
4 3
3
7i
Sum
14 5i
52 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
After much inquiry I can learn little or nothing about the payment of thefe quit rents in modern times, and they would feem to have lapfed, owing probably to their very fmall amount.
The prefent Parfonage, which is a clean and comfortable looking, red brick houfe was built in a.d. 1825, on much the fame iite as the old houfe, defcribed by Mr. Boteler in the following terms : " The Parfonage Houfe is large and ancient. In it, as well as in Eaftry Court, is a Ipacious Hall. In the old Parlour window, now a lumber-room, is a fliield of arms in painted glals, containing Parthericke impaling Quarterly ift and 4th Gu. within a border fa. fpotted with Bezants a demy Lion argent, for the family of Line according to Harris — 2nd and 3rd Ar. 3 Mullets fable, for Hamerton." In a.d. 1573 Wm. Parthericke farmed the Aumbry lands and lived In the houfe. He defcribes himfelf, as we have feen, as Willus Parthericke ffermor there. From the parlfh regiilers It appears that he buried his wife Alice In a.d. i 570 ; but he must have married in no long time after, as a fon Edward was born to him In a.d. 1573. The feveral tenants of the parfonage, after Parthericke, would feem to have belonged to the families here named In fucceffion. Argent — Denne — Fuller — Rammell — George — Singleton. The prefent tenant is Mr. George Terry.
Proceding onwards a few fteps we reach the Church, which will be more particularly defcribed hereafter. And now, leaving the Church on oar right hand, and the Schools at fome little diftance on our left, we enter the gates of Eastry Court, once the ancient feat of the Kings of Kent, the fcene of the murder of the young princes Ethelbert and Etheldred, the favourite refort of Archbidiop Becket, and his hiding place for fome days after his flight from Northampton, and now a large farm belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, who, on the refettlement of
ME MORI A LS OF EASTRY. 53
their eftates by the Ecclefiastlcal CommifTioners in a.d. 1868, chofe to keep this in their own hands. The lands formerly attached to the Court conlifted of 587a. or. 29p., which were all in Eaftry, excepting fome 27J acres in Worth. At prefent, however, there are only 416a. ir. igp. attached to the Court, the reft having been fold. About 21 acres of this are paflure and brook, the reft arable.
The houfe, which is large, and probably at one time covered the three fides of a fquare, flill gives evidence of great antiquity, although from time to time it has undoubtedly undergone much repair and great alterations. Mr. Boteler fays that in his time could be feen ** in the fouth wall the letters T.A.N, in flint in large capitals — the initials of Thomas and Ann Nevinfon.'* Mr. Ifaac Bargrave new fronted the houfe, and his fon, alio named Isaac (who was born in 1721, bredto theprofeffion of the law and pracftifed for fome years in London with conflderable fuccefs), put the whole in complete repair about the year a.d. 1786. In doing this he pulled down a confiderable part of the ancient building, confifting of ftone walls of confiderable ftrength and thicknefs, and brought to light fome ancient Gothic doorways of ftone.
The chapel, mentioned by Philipott, and which had been reftored by Henry de Eajiria when Prior, is at the eafl end of the houfe, and for many years paft has been ufed as a kitchen. The eaft window confifting of three compartments, may flill be traced, although the fpaces between the mullions are bricked up, and the whole is overgrown with creepers. At the north-weft angle of the houfe, juft under the roof, there is a fmall chamber wholly dark, there being no window in it, although there is an ample fireplace. The approach to it is fomewhat intricate, and were the entrance once clofed, as might eafily be done, the exiflence of the chamber
54 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY,
would not even be fulped:ed. It is not unlikely that this fecret chamber may have been ufed as a hiding place in former times, perhaps during the Civil Wars ; iince it does not appear to be fufficiently old to have formed Becket's place of concealment. In the cellar there is a fubterranean paffage, fuppofed (and with every probability) to lead to the Church. This, however, has been bricked up for fome years, as it was confidered danger- ous. George Gardner, Efqre., the prefent tenant, has thoroughly repaired and confiderably improved the houfe, buildings, and garden, which laft he has laid out with much tafle and fkill. From the garden a doorway leads into the churchyard, whence the inhabitants of the Court formerly gained access to the Church by the north door, now clofed up. The fucceffive leiTees of Eaflry Court, from the 34th year of Henry viii., when CJunflopher Nevi7ifony LL.D.,* was leflee, have belonged to the families of: —
Nevinfon till a.d. 16 17 — Palmer in a.d. 1641 — Bargrave from a.d. 1647 ^^ ^•^* ^^°5 — Bridger till A.D. 1859. —
The Nevinfons, originally of Bridgend;\ in Wetherell, co. Cztmberland, refided for many years at Eajiry Court, and many of them lie buried in the Church. They bore for their arms. Argent, a chevroft between 3 eagles dif played azure. . ; ,
The Bargraves who, for more than 150 years, lived at EaJlry Court, were originally of Bridge, and afterwards of Patrixbourne. Their ancef- ■tor, Dr. If aac Bargrave, Dean oi Canterbury (a.d. 1625 — ^'^' ^643), was the younger brother of John Bargrave who built Bifrons. Their arms were — Or, on a pale gules a /word, the blade argent pomelled or, on a
* Sec Hajled, vol. iv., p. 217, note k.
■\ Hajled, vol. iv., p. 217, note k, where he gives much information refpe6ling the families of Nevinfo7i and Bargrave. For Arms and Pedigree of the Bargraves see also ArcJi. Cant., vol. iv., p. 252,
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 55
chief vert 3 bezants. A Court Leet and Court Baron are fuppofed to be held every year for the Manor of Eajlry Court, which claims over the greater portion of the Parifh of Eaftry, part of the Parifhes of Word, Ripple, and Ewell, a great quantity of land in the Borough of Ged- dinge in the Parifh of Wotton ; the Borough of Barnfole in the Pariih of Staple ; the Borough of Craythorne in the Parifh of Til- manflone ; the Denne of Toppenden in the Parifh of Witterfham ; the Denne of Bromeland in the Parifh of Stone ; the Dennes of Sarrenden and of Great Walkherfl, in the Parifh of Benenden ; and the Dennes of Little Hen- fell, of Pipifden, of Foxhole, and of Congeherft, all in the Parifh of Havv^k- herfl. The value of the quit rents, or rents of afTize, paid to the lords of the Manor in a.d. 1693, amounted to ^56 i8s. (^\d. At the end of a rental made in that year by John Coppin, gent., fteward of the manor, and fworn by the homage then and there prefent, viz., William Drayfon, Benj. Kite, William ffalkner, John Blowne, Michael Auften, Richard Woodw^arr, Thomas Elgar, Thomas Pettit, and Thomas Stace,'"' occurs the following ; " Memorand that uppon the death of every Tenant there is due by the cuftome of this Mannor to the Lords for a Releife the moytie of their quittrents. And uppon every alienacon of lands holden of this Mannor whereby an eftate of freehold palTeth there is due to the Lords the moytie of the quittrent of the lands foe aliened in the name of a releife. John Coppin, Steward."t
The Manor Pound is fituated at the end of the Eaftry Court barns and flables, just oppofite the Schools, and on the right hand of Church Lane, as you go down towards the ftreet.
But let us now retrace our fleps as far as the Crofs, and turn down Brook Street, which is the fheepeft hill in Eaftry, and prelents a very
* Botel. MSS., vol. A., p. 200. f Boiet. MSS., vol., A, p. 214.
58 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY,
paiTed to Morgan Lodge, Gent., who, in a.d. 1695, demifed it to Richard Knight. In a.d. 171 6 Knight fold the property to Thomas Ftdler, gent., who built the prefent houfe and relided there himfelf. On his death it came into the poffeffion of his daughter Mary, a iingle lady, who, dying in A.D. 1783, bequeathed it by will to her nephews Thomas and Edward Rammell. But Edward Rammell, dying in a.d. 1785, his brother Thomas became the fole poffefTor. He enlarged the houfe, and refided there for fome years. Upon his death the property came to his fifter Elizabeth Rammell, the founder of the Charity of that name ftill exifling in the parifh. She was an intelligent, but fomewhat eccentric person. On one occafion, during her occupancy of the Lynch, the houle was broken into by burglars, who would feem to have carefully laid their plans before hand. Towards the morning of a dark and windy night, they rode into Eajlry, and difmounting near the top of the Lynch Bank, faftened their horfes to the trees. Thence they proceeded on foot to the houfe, where they found Mrs. Rammell, who always fat up late, in the ad of clofing the fhutters of the lower room before retiring to reft. The fervants, it mufl; be men- tioned, were fleeping in a detached portion of the houfe, beyond the reach of any alarm. Anticipating Mrs. Rammell's intention of putting down the bar, they ran a pike through the window and fo prevented it, at the fame time flightly wounding her on the arm. She raifed no alarm, and the thieves at once effedted an entrance. Setting a guard over her, they ranfacked the houfe, and difcovered a considerable fum of money, which they carried off, together with a quantity of valuable plate. Some of the plate the robbers brought back before they ftarted with their plunder, and other articles were found on the Lynch Bank. A large black cheft contain- ing crowbars, maiks, &c., was feen next morning floating in Btitfole pond, and this the robbers mufl: have been obliged to leave behind them, probably on account of its being too great a weight for their horfes. They were
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 59
tracked acrofs the country to Maidftone, the purfuers being aided in dif- tinguifhing the tracks by finding that one of the robbers' horfes had on a flioe of pecuHar fhape. The robbers were eventually fecured, and one of them named Webb was even hung for the part he had taken in robbing the Lynch. The Lynch is now the property of the Boteler family, and is in the occupation of Mrs. Chas. Turner.
Faffing the feveral cottages at Pttddle-dock and Farthmg-gatcy and afcend- ing the hill, we come to Little Hay^ a fmall farm of about 20 acres, formerly the property of a family named Auften. John and Robert Auften fold the eftate to Lewis, Lord Rockingham, from whom it defcended to the Earl of Guilford, who, by his will dated 1779, directed it to be fold. In 1802 R, Tournay Bargrave, Efqre., purchaled the property, but fold it again in 1809 to Mr. Richard Halford, Junr. — thence it pafTed to Mr. Solomon Wood in 18 17 — then to Mrs. Anna Hills, who, in 1851, fold the property to W. Boteler, Efqre.
Proceeding onwards from Little Hay, we ibon reach the ftone which marks the boundary of our parifh in this dire(flion, whence a green way runs to Updown, where theboundary of the pariihpalTes through the porch of Updown Houfe, the refidence of W. H. James, Efqre., J. P.
And now turning to the left, along the road leading to Ham and Word, 2l few fteps bring us to Great Hay, a farm containing about 80 acres, once the property of Robert Marjh, and then, in a.d. 1693, of Richard May, Gent. In a.d. 1722 the heirs of Richard May alienated it to Mrs.
Ann Payne, who brought it in marriage to Dowdefwell, of
Londofi, and furviving him, left it by will to her nt^h^vf Edward Stratton, Q>i London, Efqre., whofe widow afterwards married J ohn Brickendeii, M.D., Efqre., one of the phyficians to the Wejlminjler Infirmary. Mrs. Sarah Brickenden, after the death of her hufband, fold the eftate, which fhortly afterwards came into the pofifeffion of the Boteler family.
6o MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Once more let us retrace our fteps to the Crofs. Here, on the left hand of the road leading to Butfole, has ftood for many generations an inn called " The Five Bells^ The following is a lift of " mine hofts " from the year 1693 : —
1693, Michael Sampfon.
1707, John Cock.
1733, William Vidgeon.
1769, Daniel Vidgeon.
1 77 1, William Pittock, Junr.
1 806, Widow Pittock.
1822, John Wilfon.
Widow Wilfon.
1 848, Edward Fagg.
1853, Jof^ph Silver.
1856, Elias Culver.
1866, George Foord. Further down the ftreet, on the oppolite fide of the way, there was formerly a fmall farm, once the property of the Idley family. At the beginning of this century it formed part of the polTeffions of Mrs. EHzabeth Rammell, of the Lynch, and is now the property of Mrs. Benjamin Moat, widow. The houfe, which is old and fubftantial-looking, is now in three cottages — of the land fome has been fold, and fome is cultivated as gardens.
Adjoining this property on the fame fide of the way is the Fairfield, where, fince a.d. 1450, there has been held annually on S. Matthew's Day (fince the change of ftyle it has been held on Old S. Matthew's Day) a ftatute fair. The chief bufinefs done at this fair is now in cattle and articles of pedlery. Oppofite the Fairfield is the meeting-houfe called
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 6i
"Zion Chapel," eredied in 1824; ^^^ ^ little lower down we come to Southbank, a neat cottage refidence, ftanding in a pretty little garden and fhrubbery, and commanding a very plealing view towards Betteihanger and Updown. It forms part of the Bolder property, and is now in the occupation of Mrs. Voules. At the bottom of the hill, pad the turn- pike, we come to Butfole Pond, a large pond formerly on the left hand of the road, but altered to its prefent polition during the con- ftrudlion of the Dover, WalderJJiare, and Sandwich turnpike road. It derives its name of BiUfole, firft from the circumftance that in the days of archery, when every Englifh man and boy was expedted to be expert in the ufe of the bow, the archery btUts were eredted near this fpot, on a portion of land now belonging to the Boteler property and ftill called the Butts ; and, fecondly, from an old Eaftry family named Sole (mentioned by Hajled, vol. iv., p. 224, note s^. Or may it have been Bulls hole, the hole or pit near the butts ? I leave this for the folution of my readers.
Turning to the right along the valley we come to Wendejtone, Wenjlone, or Wen/on, a hamlet of two houfes, one of which is a fmall farm of about 50 acres, formerly belonging to one Nicholas Freejhy, afterwards to the Rammell family, then to the Petmans — now Henniker.
Afcending the hill, and croffing the down, we come to Shrinkling, commonly called Shinglelon, a farm conlifting of about 237 acres in Eajlry, and 200 in Nomiiiigton ; great part of it being very light and chalky land. It is in the Borough of Harnden, and from the moll remote times it has always accompanied the Knowllon eftate. In Shinglelon wood, near the fouth eaft corner, were formerly to be traced the foundations of the chapel referred to in the Endowment of the Vicarage of Eaftry (fee " Appendix'). Mr. Boteler thus writes of it in April,
62 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
A.D. 1784: — "Upon a diligent fearch I have difcovered the foundation of
the Chapel of Shryngelyn gg juft within the wood It ftands
eaft and weft, is in length withinlide 38 feet— in breadth 19 feet, walls uniformly 2 feet in thicknefs." " Upon clearing away the earth the plaf- tering withinfide is ftill to be feen. The building was of the fame fize throughout without any diftindlion of Nave or Chancel." Thefe foun- dations of the chapel are now grown over with grafs, and no trace of them is to be feen ; but numerous wells — indicating the exiftence of a conliderable hamlet here in days gone by — have, from time to time, been difcovered in the wood. The Chapel of Shrinkling had fallen into decay previous to the diifolution of the Priory of C/irifi Church {temp. Hen. viii.) Probably on the lands becoming attached to the Knowlton eftate, the Chapel was difufed by the Lords of the Manor of Knowlton^ as having their own parifh church clofe at hand. Shingleton farm, on which is the Wood called Pilholty is now the property of Admiral D'Aeth, of Knowlton Court, and is in the occupation of Mr. William Wil/on, farmer.
About a mile northward from Shingleton is the diftridt now commonly called Harndeitf or Hernden, but anciently written Hardenden, or Heronden. Concerning the name^ Mr. Boteler fays, — " I cannot find any authority for Philipotts naming this place Heronden. That this hamlet, as in other places, gave a furname to the principal family reliding there, and that the Boteler family became pofTeifed of it by marriage with the female heir of that name, is exceedingly probable : but I have never, in writings of any antiquity, met with it written Heronden, but constantly Harden- den, Hardindenne, &c." {MS. C. pp. 157, 158.) Neverthelefs, would not the arms of this family. Argent a herojt with one talon ereSl, g^^p^i^S f^ breath fable, feem to have fome reference to the name Heronden ? Hajled fays that one of this family lies buried in the Church, near the Chancel,
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. ^z
and that In the time of Robert Glover^ Somerfet Herald, his portrait and coat of arms in brafs remained fixed to his tombftone. This monument, it is believed, ftill remains near the chancel, viz., towards the fouth end of the crofs aifle, and nearly in the Chapel of S. John Baptiji. The brafs, however, has long fince difappeared. The diftridl of Heronden, containing fome 330 acres, is in the upper half hundred of Eajlry, and pays quitrent to the Manor of AdiJJiam. It now confifts of three farms, the Upper, Middle, and Lower.
This property anciently belonged to the family of the fame name ; and fo far back as a.d. 1228, we find one i?<?(5^r/2^^ de Hardindene owning land here. From the Hardindens the eftate pafi"ed, probably by marriage, to the Botelers ; who, however, did not acquire it all at one time, but would appear to have added to the original eftate by feveral fmall purchafes, until at length the whole diflrid: of Heronden belonged to their family. For an account of the Botelers fee Brook Houfe, where I have fpoken of them more at length. It continued with the Botelersiox many generations, until j^onathan Boteler, the eldefi: fon of Richard Boteler, dying unmarried in A.D. 1626, the whole property came to his only furviving brother Thomas Boteler, of Rowling, who upon this removed to Heronden, and in no long time after fold that part of the eftate now called the Middle Far77t to Henry Pa^mell, from whom it came into the pofi^efiion of the family of Reynolds, who, about the middle of the laft century, fold it to John Dekewer, of Hackney, Efqre., whence to Frampton — now Mr. Stephe7i Clark, yeo- man. It confifts of about 1 1 6 acres, and is now in the occupation of the prefent proprietor.
Another part of the ancient Heronden eftate, now called the Lower Farm, after being heavily mortgaged, was fold by Thomas Boteler to . . . . Capell, from whom it pafi^ed into the family of John/on^ In
64 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
A.D. 1693, It was in the polTeffion of TJwmas yoknfon, Gent. Daniel Kelley (eldefl: fon of John Kelley, who bought the Upper Farm, of whom hereafter) purchafed this farm of Edward John/on^ and by will, dated 1 1 Sept., 1724, bequeathed it to his fecond fon Richard^ who, dying in 1768, the property came to his two fons Richard and William. William died at Harnden, and was buried in Eaftry Church ; Richard died at Can- terbury, and was buried at S. Stephen's, near Canterbury. He left this property, together with his other eftates, to his widow, on whofe death it came to their only child, Elizabeth ClarilTa Kelley (now Croafdill).
The Kelley s appear to have been a relpedlable old family originally de- fcended from the IriJJi family of O' Kelley. They have monuments in the Churches of Eaftry :, S. Mary's Sandwich, and S. Lawrence ; and in Southwell and York Minfters there were formerly memorials of this family in the windows. They bore for their arms : Argent two lions ram- pant combatant gules :, holding in their paws a caftle in chief vert.
The remaining portion of the Heronden eftate, — now in the occupa- tion of Mrs. Grimaldi, and commonly called Harnden, or Hernden Honfe, — confifting of about 106 acres, remained in the poiTeffion of Thomas Boteler above-mentioned until the time of his death in 1650. But being, by his will, directed to be fold for the purpofe of making a provi- fion for his wife Johan (Joan), and five furviving children, it was accord- ingly conveyed, in 1657, to John Kelley, of Afti. In 1669 John Kelley bequeathed the eftate to his fon Daniel, after charging it with ^40 per annum to his eldeft fon John, and ^20 per annum to his fecond fon Jeremy. Daniel Kelley died pofTefted of it in 1733, and by his laft will bequeathed it to his eldeft fon Daniel, who, dying in 1751, left the property to his fon William, who, in 1766, pulled down the ancient manfion and eredtedthe pre fen t handfome houfe, after the defign of Weftgate Houfe, Canter-
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 65
bury, on much the fame fite, and a few years after, viz., in 1784, alienated it to Jolm Harvey^ Efq., Captain in the Navy, v^^ho occafionally refided. at it, and vv^ho, dying June 30th, of the wounds he received in an engage- ment with the French fleet, on ift June, was buried in this church, July 5th, A.D. 1794.
Captain Harvey was of that ancient family which, as early as Edward IV.'s reign, were pofl^efTed of the Manor of Barfield^ now Great and Little Barville in the parifh of Tilmanjione, and which has given fo many of its fons to the fervice of our country. The family were afterwards of Eytkorne, then of Dane Court, in Tibnanjione, and afterwards of Barfrejlon. " Capt. John Harvey ^^ fays Hafted, " was born at Elmingtony in the neighbouring Parifli of Ey thorite in 1741 ; his iingular courage and attention to his duty marked his condudl throughout life, and never fhone more conlpicuous than in the memorable engagement of June i, above- mentioned, in which, being commander of the Brun/wick, of 74 guns, he fuftained the fire of three French line-of-battle fhips, and defl:rud:ion feemed to menace him on every fide ; but in this terrible conflict, by his intrepid bravery his fliip fingly funk one fuperior in force, and left two others abfolute wrecks upon the water ; which individual condu(5l may truly be admitted to have contributed very materially to that vid:ory, upon which the fate of his country in a great meafure depended, and will ever render his memory dear to it." By Capt. Harvey's will the Harnden eflate was devifed to his wife Judith for her life, with remainder to his eldeft fon Henry Wife Harvey, from whom a portion of it has defcended regularly to his great grandfon John James Harvey, Efqre., J. P.
The Harveys bear for their arms, Argent, on a chevron gules, three ere/cents or, betweeii three lion's gambs era/ed fable, armed of thefecond.
Referring again to the eftate of Harnden, Mr. Boteler fays : — '' In
K
66 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
1289 I find a part of Harnden lands were called Woghope. Richard de Woghope was then the principal pofieffor — perhaps this family by extend- ing its pofTefiions, might aflume the general name of Harden den. Woghope, I think, I have fince feen written Woodhope. Lands in the fouth part of Harnden Bottom are called Woodhope now." In the lafl: century there was found in thefe grounds, ftuck on the tooth of a harrow, a gold fignet ring, which weighs 1 9 pennyweights, and has the Boteler arms, and the motto do not for to reperit engraven upon it. This is ftill in the pofieffion of the family, who have been kind enough to fhow it me.
And now proceeding about a mile northwards acrois the fields we come to Selvejloney Seljlone, or as it is now called Selfon. This diftridt contains Upper Selfon, Lower Selfon, Wells, and Gore, all in the Manor of Adifham. Upper Selfon, confifting of about no acres, all in Eaftry parifh, formerly belonged to the family of Harflete, from whom it was purchafed by Mr. Richard Harvey, of Wefl Studdall, who refided here and died pofi^efTed of it a.d. 1675. His fon Thomas refided here like- wife, and dying pofi"efi"ed of it, a.d. 1696, bequeathed it to his fon Robert Harvey, who, in a.d. 1733, fold it to Sir Robert Furnefe, Bart., from whom it has defcended with the other eftates, and is now the property of the Earl of Gtiilford, and in the occupation of Mr. Belfey, farmer.
Lower Selfon confifts of two farms, one of which, containing about 70 acres, was formerly in the pofi^fiion of the Whitfields, a family of yeomen of property in this neighbourhood, from whom it came into the Manwood family, then to that of Hardres. Thence it pafi^ed to . . . Laflett, who in turn fold it to W. F. Woollaflon, Efqre, the prefent pro- prietor.
The other farm, containing about 60 acres, was for many generations
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 67
in the pofTeflion of the family of Philpot. It is now the property of Mr. Beal, yeoman, who refides there.
Wells, a farm of about 70 acres, was formerly the property of the Friends and Whitfields, from whom it pafTed to the Terrys — then Gibbs. This alfo is now the property of W. F. Woolla/lon, Efqre.
Gore, 2. fmall farm conlifting of a meffuage and 21 acres, belonged, in 1 576, to the family of Ower. In a.d. 1594 Richard Ower fettled it on his fon Boys Ower, whoby will, in 1623, bequeathed it to his three fons, Edward, Matthew, 2Xid. Thomas. Edward 2Xid Matthew, \}[ietyNQ)iMrv\VQ)X^,m. 1641, conveyed the premifes to Richard Harvey, of Selfon, gent., whofe grandfon Robert, with others of the family, conveyed it in 1735, to John Par amor, Junr., of Sandwich, and afterwards of Statenborough, gent., from whom it pafTed to Wm. Boys, Efqre. It now forms part of the Statenborough eftate.
The large farm at Gore, now called Gore Farm, formerly belonged to Thos, Friend. The houfe was built in the lafl century. This is now the property of Mr. George Terry, of the Parfonage.
And now, retracing our fteps to the High Street, we come into Woodnejborough Lane, where, in the garden of John Foord, bricklayer, there is the entrance to a moft ingenioully conflruded Cavern or grotto, dug out of the chalk by the father of the prefent Foord, and containing numerous pafTages, cells, and other ramifications, which extend for a con- fiderable diftance under the adjoining lands. It is fometimes lighted up with candles on the Fairday, or fome other like occafion, when it prefents a very fairy-like appearance. It is really well worth a vifit.
The Union Workhoufe, of which I have as yet made no mention, ftands in Mill Lane. It was originally erected in a.d. 1794, for the united Parifhes oi Eaftry, Northbour7ie,Shepherdfwelh Tilmanjlone, Coldrcd,
68 MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY.
Lyddetty Walder^tarCy Knowlto7iy BetteJImnger, Swingfieldy Denton^ Wootton^ and Chillenden {Ha/ted.^ vol. iv. p. 224). The prefent Union was built in I 835-6, on the fyftem known as Sir Francis Head's, and was iiril occupied in 1836. The following 31 parifhes arethofe now included in the Union, viz. : — AJ/i, Barfrejlone, BetteJJiangery Chillenden, Deal, Eajlry, Elmjlone, Eythorne, Goodnejlone, Ha7n, Know lion. Great Mongeham, Little Monge- ham, Nonington, Northbourne, Prejlon, Ripple, S. Bartholomew S, Cle- ment S. Mary and S. Peter, Sandwich, Sholden, Staple, Stourmonth, Sutton, Tilmanjione, Walderjliare, Walmer, Wingham, Woodnejborough, and Worth. The following are the names of thofe who have filled the office of Mafter of the Workhoufe up to the prefent date, viz. : — MefTrs. Watts, Lafflet, King, Walker, Fijlier, Rigden, and Hetherington, The ufual number of inmates is from about 250 to 300 ; but there are now more than 400.
On the oppofite fide of the road flands the Wefleyan Methodifl Chapel, ere(fled in 1821, and clofe adjoining are the fix cottages of the Greville's Charity, of which a more particular account, as well of the pafi: and prefent occupants, as of the original foundation, will be found under " The Parochial Charities ^
At the corner of Mill Lane, jufi: where you come once more to the Crofs, flands the houfe and buildings of the Crofs Farm. This belonged for many generations to the Botelersoi Hardenden. In a.d. 1630 Thomas Boteler, Gent., fold the premifes, confifting of a mefiiiage and about 50 acres, to James Franklyjt, of Maid/lone, Gent., and ArtJmr Franklyn, of Badlefmere, Gent., who, in 1638, conveyed it to Richard Maj^JIt, of Maidjlone, Gent., who, in 1654, conveyed it to Thomas Kite, of Dover, mariner, in whole family it remained for many generations, until it was at length repurchafed by the Boteler family.
There is alfo added to this another fmall farm, the houfe of which is now
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 69
pulled down, which was acquired by the faid Thomas Kite, of Eaftry aforefaid, in the year 1680, pafTed with the reft of the property to his defcendants, and at length came into the pofTeffion of the Botelers in the year 1837. The Crofs Farm now contains about 74 acres, and is in the occupation of Baker , farmer.
And now let us retrace our fteps as far as the turnpike on the Sandwich Road, and turn down the lane which leads to Felderland (commonly called Fenderland) and Worth.
A little diftance along this road, on the left fide of the way, we come to a comfortable-looking old-fafhioned houfe, with high- walled garden, and a few acres of land attached to it. This was formerly the property of the Philpot family — then it came to the Dares. On the death of Mrs. Dare, Felderland was purchafed by Mr. Henry Mat/on, of Sand- wich, banker, who added about 8 acres of land to it ; and, on his death in 1 8 1 5, it was fold to Mr. John Hoik, of Sandwich, brewer, who even- tually conveyed the property to Mr. John Harnett, the prefent owner and occupier, in the year 1850. There are now about 1 1 acres of land be- longing to Felderland.
So in and out, and round about.
Through mead and cop/e, by park and pale,
P aft grange and hall, andftede and mote.
By bank and dykcy o'er hill and dale,
On foot, on horfe, they take their courfe.
Until the day begins to fail.—Y^ Pilgrimage.
€^c Cj^urc]^, Bommical Circle,
CHAP. III.
" T/tis is none other but the Houfe of God, and this is the Gate of Heaven!^
Gen. xxviii. 17.
THE CHURCH, which is fituated in a fomewhat commanding pofition on rifing ground, is dedicated to S. Mary the B. Virgin.
It confifts of a fine Chancel, a Nave with north and fouth aifles, a fbuth Porch, and weft Tower, with the aifles prolonged on either fide of it.
The Tower and weft doorway would appear to be the moft ancient por- tions of the prefent church : for that there have been a fucceflion of churches on the fame fite admits of little doubt. The earlieft of thefe was probably built by one of the Saxon kings of Kent, whilft as yet their palace was at Eaftry Court. Thus we may fairly claim for our Church a royal foundation.
From the narrow zigzag moulding round the femicircular arch of the weft door, and certain diaper patterns cut in the ftones of the tympanum of the fame doorway, as well as from the folid piers which fupport the tower ar^li^ we may judge the lower part of the tower to date from the end of the Xlth or beginning of the Xllth century.
''?'W!w»ii;^ai;5'''?5??
Interior of Eastry Clnn'ch
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 71
The ground outlide the weft door has been flightly raifed in recent times, and you now defcend into the tower by five ftone fteps. The extenfion of the fouth aifle, which is now curtained off and ufed as a veftry, is only acceffible from the tower : the former entrance into it from the fouth aifle being blocked up by a huge buttrefs, which the fettlement of the fouth piers of the tower rendered neceffary for the fafety of this portion of the church. Mr. White fuggefts that " this fettlement may have been caufed, and the buttrefs required, by the breaking through of the arch for this extenfion ;" but Mr. W. S. Walford thinks that the extenfion was added to hide the buttrefs. The correfponding extenfion of the north aifle is of later date, and formerly had a floor dividing it into two ftories, the upper one being ufed as a Parvife or Prieft's Cham- ber. Mr. White thinks the fouth extenfion may have been added as a Bap- tiftery, and the north as a Galilee with a Parvife over it. The organ now ftands in this north extenfion ; as alfo a fhort flight of wooden fteps giving accefs to the tower ftaircafe at the northeaft exterior angle of that ftru(5lure. This door of the tower ftaircafe was evidently at one time outfide the church. At the northeaft interior angle of the tower this ftaircafe projedls into the church, and above the arches it is carried acrofs the angle upon a deeply receffed arch and corbel table, with very intereft- ing detail.
South of the organ ftands the font, new in 1869. It confifts of a bowl of Caen ftone carved, fupported by four pillars of red granite placed at the corners, with a central fhaft of light grey Purbeck.
The Nave, with its clereftory, is of the early Englifh period, and is divided from the aifles by " an arcade of fix." The four pillars on either fide are circular with moulded capitals, one only excepted, viz., the fecond pillar from the weft on the fouth fide, which is odagonal, probably
72 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
dating from the early part of the XlVth century. On the fouthweft face of this pillar, immediately below the moulding of the capital, is the dominical circle defcribed hereafter.
Above the arcades are five clereftory windows, with rounded trefoil heads, placed over the fpandrils of the arches : thofe on the fouth fide being filled with modern " quarry " glafs. The lower and fide windows of the nave, which are in three lights, with pointed trefoil heads, each window being under a femicircular arch, are all of the late Decorated period, with the exception of the two moft wefterly ones in the north aifle, which are Perpendicular. Many of thefe windows are filled with modern fiiained glafs, and the difi^erent dates at which they have been put in will be found in the Appe?idix. The eafi: end of the fouth aifle was formerly a chapel with its own feparate altar dedicated to S. John the Baptifi: ; and its pifcina fiill remains, although the ftone fhelf within it, which ferved for a credence, has difappeared. At prefent the pulpit and prayer-defl<: form a " two-decker " on the fouth fide of the chancel arch, but it is hoped that in time thefe may be renewed and reftored to their proper pofition, viz., the pulpit on the fouth fide of the arch, and the prayer- deflc as one of the flails, of which there were formerly eighteen in the Chancel of this Church. Thefe were probably arranged in the fame way as thofe in S. Clement's, Sandwich, that is to fay, feven on either fide of the Chancel, and two " return " fi:alls at the ends towards the weft.
The Rood-loft and fcreen, which at the Archbifhop's vifitation in a.d. I 512, ** lacked great reparation," have long fince difappeared, but indica- tions of them ftill remain, and their pofition may be traced. In this loft hung the rood or large crucifix with a light conftantly burning before it, and from hence the Gofpel and Epiftle were fometimes read, and the fermon occafionally preached. The fcreen was probably in a
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 73
line with the centre of the chancel arch, which is pointed with a chamfered foffit. The arcades extend llightly beyond the line of the eaft wall of the nave, which is finiihed with a fquare quoin intercepting the curve of this arch. The eaft end of the north aille was formerly the chapel of the B. Trinity, and contains a credence and pifcina, 2. ftone corbel appa- rently for fupporting an image, and an Eajler fepulchre.
In the wall, on either fide above the chancel arch, are two fomewhat unufual openings cut right through from the nave to the chancel, and apparently intended to take away from the bare appearance of the large blank wall above the arch. On the fide towards the nave thefe openings are quartrefoil in shape, on the chancel fide they are fquare with rounded trefoil heads.
Immediately above the arch are two rows of feven medallion Frescoes, which will be defcribed hereafter.
The Chancel — which inclines confiderably towards the north, and is, therefore, not in a line with the nave — is raifed one ftep above it, and is moftly paved with graveftones. It is a good fpecimen of limple Early Englifh ; all the windows, with one exception, belonging to that ftyle. On the north fide there are five lancet windows, and on the fouth four lancets, and one two-light Decorated window, which was probably altered from a lancet in order to allow of the window-fill being ufed for the fedilia. The lancets on the fouth fide are filled with fingle figures in flained glafs reprefenting refpedively S. Peter, S. John the Apoflle and EvangeM, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the B. V. Mary (reading from wefl to eafl). The Sandluary is raifed two fleps above the refl of the chancel, and is feparated from it by a mafTive oaken bar refting on iron flandards. In this High Chancel there are, fingularly enough, no traces of a pifcina, though both the chapels in the nave have them. The
L
74 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
niche in the fouth wall which, meafuring 3ft. lin. by 2ft lin., was at one time fuppofed to have been a credence and pijcina^ has recently been exa- mined, and is now believed to have contained 2. paxbread,'''' or a lift of bene- factors to the church, or perhaps a crucifix. Similar niches may ftill be feen in the Churches of S. ClemenVs, Sandwich, 6^. Mary Magdalene, Holloway, Bath, and elfewhere. It is, I think, too fhallow to have contained an image. On the fouth fide of the chancel there is a low and narrow priefi:'s door. The prefent altar has been twice enlarged, and now meafures feven feet in length, two feet and-a-half in width, and three feet and-a-quarter in
height.
Under the High Altar — the Altar of Jesus, as it was called— there for- merly exifi:ed a crypt, which was ufed as the Chapel of S. Mary the Virgin, or " the Ladye Chapel." This is referred to in ancient wills and other documents, fometimes as being in the church, and fometimes in the cJmrchyard : but the double defcription may eafily be accounted for, by the fadt of its being in the church, and yet, perhaps, approached from the churchyard, and not from the interior of the church like the other chapels. The window (?) of this Chapel of S. Mary in the crypt, may fi:ill be traced on the fouth fide of the exterior portion of the chancel wall. It is almofl; unnecefiary to fi:ate that the crypt has longfince been filled in.
The eafi; wall of the chancel is pierced with a triplet of lancet windows (with (hafts and trifoliated excoinfon arches) which have been filled with ftained glafs by the parifhioners and others within the lafi; few years (fee Appendix), The fubjeds of thefe three windows are as follows : —
* Ufcd for conveying the " kifs of peace," and frequently made of filver or fome other precious material. Sec Arch. Cant. vol. iv., pp. 226, 230, for mention of a filver paxbread bequeathed, A.D. 1417, by John Wotton, Mafter of the Collegiate Church of All Saints, Maidftone, to the Altar of S. Thomas the Martyr.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 75
NORTH. MIDDLE. SOUTH,
(i) The Baptifm of our B- (i) The Refurre6lion. (i) The raifing of the
Lord. son of the widow of Nain.
(ii) The Crucifixion. ^jj) q^^ ^ Lord's agony
(n) Our Saviour talking j^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^j^^ ^.^^._
with the woman of Samaria . ..i^^ n • a a 1
at the well (iii) The Adoration of the P^^^ ^^cP^"g- ^^ ^"gel
Magi. from heaven appearing to
ftrengthen Him.
On the north fide of the altar, clofe to the eaft wall, there Is an aumbry y or locker, for the fafe keeping of the holy velTels, &c.
A little further to the weft, outlide the Sandtuary, there hangs, on an Iron crook driven into the north wall, an old helmet, which Is furmounted by the Nevinlbn creft, viz., a wolf pajffant ar.^pelletteey collar edy Imed, and ringed or. Tradition ftates that the helmet was formerly accompanied by a lance and pennon belonging to the fame ancient family many of whom lie buried here (fee " The Monuments'). Mr. Boteler gives the following traditional verles concerning one of this family, as being current in Eaftry In his day : —
O brave Sir Roger Nevinfon That with his /word did cut in fun- Der thejiioulder of Sir Harry Becaufe he wouldn't hisfifler 7narry. And alks. Are thefe lines mere waggery, or can they have relation to any tranfacfllon previous to the marriage of his fifter Anne to Sir Henry Crifpe .?
The following defcription of the Dominical Circle, which is on the fouth-weft face of the ocflagonal pillar, is taken from the Archaeological Journal, and is by Wefton Styleman Walford, Efqre., a gentleman who has often examined and carefully ftudied the various features of our church.
76 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
" Mr. W. S. Walford exhibited a rubbing from a carving on a pillar in Eaftry Church. It is a little more than five feet from the floor, and at a convenient height confequently for inlpediion, on the fouth- weil face of an odlagonal pillar (being the fecond pillar from the weft) between the nave and the fouth aifle. It conlifhs (fee Iketch) of three concentric circles an inch apart, the outer one being eleven inches in diameter. The inner and middle circles are divided by radii into 28 equal parts, and in each of the compartments fo formed between thefe two circles is one of the firft feven letters of the alphabet, and above every fourth is another of thefe letters in a compartment formed between the middle and outer circles by the radii being there carried through to the outer circle. In this manner the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, are arranged fo that each of them occurs five times: but the order of them is the reverfe of alphabetical, the letters between the outer and middle circles being to be read immediately before thofe over which they refpediively ftand. Such is the order in which the Dominical letters fucceed each other, the two letters one above the other correfponding with thofe of the biflextile or leap years.
"As after every 28 years, which is the period of the folar cycle, the Dominical letters occur again in the fame manner, that cycle has been aptly reprefented by a circle divided into 28 parts. The refult was a table whereby, if the two Dominical letters for any leap year were given, the Dominical letter for any other year before or after it might be readily found, according to the then ftate and underftanding of the Calendar.
" The pillars of the church having been fcraped a few years ago, this carving, which had been covered over, was brought to light again. The lines and letters appear now but flightly incifed, the confequence probably
-1^3^
DOMIN
ICAL CIRCLE IN EASTRY CHURCH
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 77
of the fcraping : but they may all be made out. Mr. Walford could not learn that it had been explained before lince its difcovery, and, as far as he has been able to afcertain, it is an unique example of fuch a table. The church is a very good fpecimen of plain early Englifh architecture, but the pillar on which this carving exifts has the appearance of being fomewhat more recent in ftyle than the others, as if, from fome caufe it had been renewed, though it is hardly later than the early part of the fourteenth century ; and, fince the letters are what are generally termed Lombardic capitals, there is great reafon to think the carving, if not contemporaneous was executed but a few years after the pillar itfelf." — Archcsological J ournal, vol. ix., p. 389.
The leven Medallion Frescoes, immediately over the chancel arch, are defcribed by Mr. Walford in the following terms : —
" About 5 years ago I had occalion to call attention very briefly to the Church at Eaftry, Kent, when I brought to the notice of the Inftitute a table for finding the Sunday letter, which is incifed on one of the piers, and of which a woodcut was given in the ix vol. of the Journal. On a recent vifit I found fome remains of early mural painting had been dif- covered there in July laft. Only a fmall part was made out and that alone continues any longer vifible ; yet, as it is of an unufual kind, I think fome account of it may not be unacceptable.
" I would firft mention that, unlefs the tower be an exception, the church is fubftantially Early Englifh throughout, though feveral windows have been fince inferted, fome of them very recently, being refi:orations effeded with more than ordinary care. Befides the tower it confifiis of a nave with aifles and a chancel. At the eafi: end of the latter is a triplet of lancet windows with fhafts and trifolated excoinfon (or hood) arches, and at the fides are fingle lancets, with the exception of the moft eafi:erly
78 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
on the fouth fide, which is now a modern window of 2 lights, and the original was probably of the fame kind. The chancel arch is pointed with a chamfered foffit. The lower and fide windows of the nave were of 3 lights with pointed trefoil heads, each window being under a femieircidar excoinfon arch. Thofe of the clereflory are fingle lights with rounded trefoil heads. The piers between the nave and aifles are round, with moulded capitals and bafes, except one, which is o6lagonaL If the tower be as fome have fuppofed * tranfitional,' it is the oldefl portion of the building. It is remarkable for having a * lean to * on each of the 2 fides — i.e., on the fouth and north, forming a peculiar weft 'facade,* which fhould feem to have been no part of the original defign ; but to have been occafioned by an early * fettlement ' of the Tower, for the fouth * lean to ' conceals a large unfightly buttrefs, and the other was in all probability built to match it. More might be faid of the details of this interefting church, if the prefent were a proper occafion ; but to proceed to the recently-difcovered remains of painting.
" The chancel arch is, as has been flated, pointed, and on the wefl fide of the wall above there was for many years fome rough wood- work, that had once fupported canvafs, on which the 10 Commandments were painted. In July lafl workmen were employed in taking this down and preparing the whole weft fide of the wall for the reception of a coat of plaifter and whitewafh; when, after clearing away the wood- work, they came to fome plaifter on which were ftars on a blue ground ; and, on removing this they difcovered confiderable traces of earlier painting, for the mofl part too much obliterated to be made out ; but immediately above the arch were 1 4 circular ' medallions,' nearly 1 8 in. in diameter, arranged in two horizontal lines of 7 each, with fubjed:s in them : the 4th medallion in each row being exad:ly over the point of the arch ; the lower one
MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY. 79
indeed, was not a complete medallion in confequence of the point of the each interrupting it. The medallions are contiguous both horizontally and perpendicularly, and in the intervening fpaces are fmaller fexfoils or flowers of 6 petals. The whole had been enclofed in a re(5tangular paral- lelogram now obliterated, which like a frame feparated them from the reft of the paintings. The face of the wall above the arch now appears flufh, but the lower part was for fome little diftance thicker than the upper; it then fell back into a gentle flope, above which it prefented another perpendicular face. [In the recent reftoration of the nave roof this feature has been once more brought out. W. F. S., 1869.] This break in the furface of the wall muft have made it unfuitable for any large fubjedt. There were, however, traces of painting on both portions; but the rows of medallions are on the lower portion of the wall only.
" The fubjefts in the upper row taken in order are as follows : —
" I . A Lion, paffant, to the fmifter.
" 2. A Griffin (a figure with the forequarters derived from an Eagle, and the hinder from a Lion), alfo paffant, but to the dexter ; fo that No. i and 2 face each other.
" 3. Two birds, back to back, their wings clofed, their heads turned backwards, fo that their beaks almofl: meet. Between them are fome traces of an objed: which was too much obliterated to be confidently made out, but probably a bunch of grapes on an ered ftem.*
" 4. A conventional Flower or Floral device not refembling any real flower ; but fuch as is fometimes found on tiles and glafs of the 1 3th century, confifting of an upright fl:em with a trefoil head, from which flem ifliie two pairs of oppofite Ihoots, terminating in irregular petals ; the upper (being
* See Arch. Caitt, vol. iv., p. 67,, for a notice of tiles with a fomewhat fimilar pattern, found in the undercroft of S. Auguftine's, Canterbury.
8o MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
alfo the larger) flant upwards and then turn from the ftem downwards, while the lower pair flant upwards and then turn towards the ftem.
" 5. Two Birds, as No. 3, the intervening obje(5l alfo obliterated.
" 6. A Lion as No. i.
" 7. A Griffin as No. 2.
" The fubjecSs of the lower row are lefs clear, yet they appear to be the fame as thofe in the upper row, but rather differently arranged thus : — [Thefe were afterwards covered again with whitewash.]
" I. Obfcure, but probably a Griffin paffant, to the finifter.
" 2. A Lion paffant, to the dexter.
" 3. Two Birds as in the upper row, the intervening objed: wanting.
" 4. This fubjedl is almofl: gone, but what remains is not inconfiftent with the fuppofition of its having been a conventional flower, and in all pro- bability it refembled No. 4 in the upper row.
" 5. Two Birds, as in the upper row, the intervening objed: alfo wanting.
" 6. Very obfcure, but probably a Griffin paffant to the fmifter.
" 7. Alfo obfcure, but probably a Lion paffant to the dexter.
** The colours are chiefly black or very dark brown, red, yellow, and a yellowifh red ; the ground is buff. The medallions are formed of a thin dark circular outline, and two concentric circles of border lines, reipedlively dark and either red or yellow, leaving a ipace in each of about 1 3 inches in diameter clear for the feveral fubjeds, the outlines of which appear to have been drawn very boldly, with a full brufh and a free hand, like what are often feen in painted glals of the 1 3th century. The colours feem funk into the ground, as if like frefcoes, they were laid on wet plaifl:er : but it is poffible that the rubbing they have fuffered, from time to time, may have given them this appearance. The yellows are very much faded.
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MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 8i
and the reds have loft much of their original colour, and are a good deal blackened. It is remarkable that the obje(fl between the two birds fhould in every inftance have almoft difappeared : in one it fhould feem to have been erafed, but this may be the effedl of an accident or careleiTnefs in removing the plaifter that overlaid it.
" Two Birds with a vafe, cup, grapes, or a vine between them, are found in the 12th and 13th centuries aftbciated with Chriftian fymbols in fuch a manner as to leave no reafonable doubt of their having had a fymbolic meaning of a facred charadier. On the old Font in Winchefter Cathe- dral they are to be leen at the top in two of the corners, with a vafe between them, out of which they appear to be drinking, and a Crofs is iffuing from it. They occur alfo on one fide no leis than three times, in as many circular medallions : in the middle one they have grapes between them which they are pecking. In each of the other two medallions they are back to back with their heads reverfed, and what may have been intended for grapes, between or rather above them, which they difregard. All thefe are Doves.
" A fepulchral flab at Bifhopfton, Sufl^ex, has on it within three circular medallions, formed of a cable moulding, a Crofs, an Agnus Dei, and two Birds (very fimilar in form and attitude to thofe at Eaftry) with a vafe between them, into which their beaks are inferted. Such Birds are not unfrequently to be feen on tiles of the 13th century, and alfo occa- fionally on feals with a vafe or plant between them ; in moft cafes probably a mere ornament, though derived from examples that were fignificant. The device is Italian and may be traced back to the early Mofaics, as in the Church of St. Appolonus Novus, at Ravenna, which is confidered to be of the 6th century, and even to the Chriftian memorials in the cata- combs at Rome, where two birds occur, as ftiewn by Aringhi and others, not
M
82 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
only with a vafe or vine, but alfo fometimes with a Crofs, and fometimes with a Christian monogram between them, leaving no doubt of their having had a religious meaning. On a tomb, faid to be that of the Emperor Honorius, is a vafe between 2 Birds, apparently about to drink out of it; and at one preferved at Ravenna, faid to have been ered:ed by Theodoric King of the Viiigoths, is a crois between 2 Birds with other Chriftian fculp- ture ; and alfo on a Sarcophagus at St. Stephen's, Bologna. Like fome other Chriftian fymbols in the Catacombs, this was, in all probability, derived from a Pagan device ; but with fome modification, to give it a Chriftian fignification. On one tomb there, no doubt a Pagan memorial, are 2 Birds looking at an altar between them, on which was a fmall fire. To enter fully into this curious fubjed: would far exceed the limits of a paper appropriate to the prefent occafion. Afiliming, as I think we fafely may, that the Birds in Eaftry Church formed part of a Chriftian fymbol, it is highly probable from what remains that the objed: between them was a bunch of grapes on an upright ftem, a form, however unna- tural, yet fometimes met with. I am aware that a wheat ear is fpoken of as fymbolifing the Body of the Saviour, and that a bafket with appa- rently fruit or little cakes between 2 Birds, is to be found amongft the devices in the Catacombs ; ftill grapes appear to me beft to agree with the firft traces of the object in this inftance. In the earlieft examples the Birds were moft likely intended for Doves : though in later times no particular kind of bird was uniformly reprefented. The more prevalent opinion I believe is that they fymbolized the Faithful, and the vine, cup, or grapes, the Blood of the Saviour. Some have fuppofed them to fignify the Jewifh and Chriftian churches looking to, or fharing in, the benefits purchafed by the Saviour's Pafiion and Death. This feems a little too imaginative. I have, however, heard of or feen an example
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 83
that I cannot now find, in which one of the Birds fronts the cup or bunch of grapes, and the other is back to it, but with the head reverfed fo as to reach it with the beak. The fymbol, if at all, would more eafily admit of fuch an explanation. Dr. Milner fuppofed the Doves on the Winchefler Font, with the vafe between them, were emblematic of the Holy Spirit breathing into phials containing the two kinds of facred chrifm ufed in Baptifm. But the early examples fhew the improbability of this : add to which that the Holy Spirit was not likely to be reprefented by hvo Doves. Now, if the Birds in queflion at Eaftry were a Chrftian fymbol, it is highly probable that the fubjedls of the other medallions were fo too.
** The Floral device^ which will be oblerved, is in the middle of each row, and thus had fome degree of importance given to it, may be an emblem of the B. Virgin, who was often fymbolifed by a lily, and not unfrequently by fome conventional form of flower, having little or no refemblance to a lily, as is exemplified on many feals of the 12th and 13th centuries.
" The Lion may have referred to the Saviour who, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is fometimes fo reprefented. It is thus that the Lion has been underftood on the old Font at Winchefter before mentioned ; on one fide of which are 3 circular medallions, and in the middle one is a Lion, and in each of the others a Dove.
"To the Griffin it is more difficult to affign a fignification. It is rarely found amongft Chriftian fymbols. It has been not unfrequently, and even by fome medieval writers, confounded with the Dragon, which had, not the hind quarters of a Lion, but the tail of a Serpent, and generally meant the Evil one, or at an earlier period Paganifm. I have men- tioned that both the Lion and the Griffin are pafi^ant— a peaceful
g4 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
attitude — and the former has no preference of place. (The Lion is fometimes found fighting with a Dragon.) A Griffin and a Lion both alfo pafTant confronting each other, and without any indication of hofhihty, occur on the old Font in Lincoln Cathedral, which is about contempo- rary with that at Winchefler, judging from an engraving of the former in Simp/on s Ancient Fofits. The other fculptures on it are not given fb as to enable me to judge of their import. A writer in the Vetujla Monunienta fpeaks of there being three Griffins upon it. A Lion and a Griffin both palTant and each in a circle, were two of the three animal fubjefts often repeated in the pavement of Tiles in the Chapter Houfe at Salifbury. The other was the two Birds, but with a flower or plant between them. That pavement may be referred to the latter part of the 13th century. The Griffin is found too on early feals as a peribnal device, where it is hardly to be fuppofed to have had any difcreditable lignification, and it afterwards, we all know, became heraldic. Being compofed of part of an Eagle and part of a Lion, it is likely to have been emblematic of the moft honourable and admirable qualities attributed to each, and affociated as it is on this occaflon, we may reafonably prefume it had fome religious or facred meaning, though what that was has not been difcovered. What has been faid of the Church, and the ftyle of the painting, has indicated the date that I am dilpofed to affign to thefe pidiorial remains. They muft belong to the latter half of the 13th century, and can hardly be later than the beginning of the reign of Edward ift. Thofe on the upper portion of the wall would feem to have been of a fubfequent period if, as I underftood was the fad:, there were fome fragments of black letter infcriptions on them. They may have been of the fame date as the ftars on a dark ground upon the plaifler that overlaid the medallions that I have defcribed. Should it appear to any one that thefe medallions
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 85
may have reprefented part of a pavement, I w^ould obferve that they appear too large for any fubjed fuitable for the fpace, and befide that there w^ere only two rows, and they were inclofed in a rectangular parallelogram, and there was not the llighteft attempt at anything like perfpedlive in the drawing.
" I may add that thefe remains have been left free from whitewafh and I have reafon to hope they will be preferved. W. S. W." ( ArchcBological yoitrnal^ vol. xv., p. 79).
Much intereft attaches to the Ornaments of the Church, lince they often ferve to give us an inlight into the manners, cuftoms, rites, forms, ceremonies, and religious obfervances of our forefathers. It can never, therefore, ceafe to be a matter for deep regret that the Inventories of Church Goods and Ornaments — ordered to be made by Edward VI. in the firft and fixth years of his reign, and many of which are now pre- ferved in the Public Record Office, Fetter Lane — leem to been loft, and are now wanting, as far as our own Parifh is concerned, and, indeed, for many other Parifhes in Eaft Kent. Had thefe Inventories been in exift- ence — as I fondly believed they were, until affifted by the officials, I had twice fearched through the bundle of Inventories relating to Parifhes in Kent, and fo convinced myfelf of their abfence — we Ihould have been able to folve not a few minor queftions relating to the Church, as for inftance, how many Bells there were here in Ante- Reformation times, what became of the plate, &c., at the Reformation, what images there were in the Roodloft, &c., &c.
By the word Ornament we are to underftand Veftments, Books, Crofles, Cloths, Chalices, Patens, Relics, and even Organs and Bells. The following is lift of fome of the principal Ornaments, &c., now belonging
S6 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
to our church, with the names of the pious donors and date of pre- fentation.
Paten^ Chalice^ and Flag07i, of filver prefented to the Church by Vicar CrefTener in a.d. 171 8. There is no device, engraving nor infcription either on the Paten, or the Chalice; but the Flagon, which is very handfome and maffive, bears the words Deo Servatori deeply graved on the fide within a floriated border, and at the bottom "Eaftry, 17 18."
Two Alms Bajinsy the bowls of wood, covered with crimfon velvet on the infide, the feet or pedeftals of lilver. These were prefented to the Church by Vicar Randolph, and bear the following infcription : — Deo et EccLEsi^ Christi a.d. mdcccxxxv.
Two Altar Chairs of wrought oak, plain and fubftantial, given to the Church for the ufe of the Clergy by the late Mrs. Charles Wood (for- merly Jofephine W. M. Moore) in 1849.
An Organ prefented to the Church by R. Springett Harvey, Efq., in 1 85 1.
An Eight-day Clock given to the Parifh by the fame generous bene- fador in 1853.
An Alms' dijli of beaten brafs, 18 in. in diameter, burnifhed and lac- quered, with jewelled centre, prefented to the Church by the MilTes Boteler, of Brook Houfe, in 1868.
A double LeBern of oak, handfomely carved, prefented to the Church by the Rev. V. S. Vickers, in Advent, 1868.
Two Alms' bags of crimfon velvet embroidered, prefented by Mifs Hatfeild, Eafter, 1869.
Two Altar Candle/licks of wrought brafs, enamelled and engraved, 25 in. in height, given to the Church by the MiiTes Boteler, of Brook
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 87
Houfe, in 1869, and firft ufed at Evenfong on Eafter day of that year.
A fet of 2 ^li^''^ S^™ce Books — viz., a folio containing all the offices entire, faid at the Altar, and two quartos containing refpedtively the Gofpels and Epiftles only. Thefe are bound in dark blue morocco with fimple gilt clafps ; and have been illuminated by Mrs. Knapp and Mifs Voules, of Southbank, in this parifh.
DIMENSIONS OF THE CHURCH.
Height of the Tower from the ground at weft door to the top of
the coping Length of each fide of Tower, at top within the walls Length of interior Tower area below Width „
Depth of Tower area below ftep of weft door Thicknefs of piers feparating Tower from Nave Length of Nave Width „ „
Height of Nave from floor line to top of wall plate Height of Nave from top of wall plate to point of rafters Total height of Nave from floor line to point of rafters Height of Chancel arch from floor to point of arch Thicknefs of arch between Nave and Chancel Length of Chancel Width of Chancel Height of Chancel from floor line to top of wall plate
,, „ from top of wall plate to under part of ceiling
at centre Total „ from floor line to ceiling
Size of Prieft's door : — Height
Width „ West door : — Height
Width North door : — Height
Feet. Inches.
jj
|
66 |
0 |
|
24 |
0 |
|
18 |
6 |
|
18 |
9 |
|
2 |
5 |
|
4 |
0 |
|
77 |
10 |
|
40 |
0 |
|
30 |
0 |
|
16 |
0 |
|
46 |
0 |
|
18 |
6 |
|
2 |
2 |
|
46 |
0 |
|
19 |
■i |
|
18 |
0 |
|
9 |
6 |
|
27 |
6 |
|
5 |
6 |
|
I |
III |
|
7 |
4 |
|
3 |
Hi |
|
5 |
4i |
|
Feet. |
Inches. |
|
2 |
"i |
|
6 |
0 |
|
3 |
6 |
|
148 |
6 |
|
162 |
0 |
|
44 |
0 |
88 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Size of North door : — Width „ South door : — Height
Width Total length of Church internally Extreme length on the outfide, including both the Tower, and
Chancel, ButtrefTes Extreme width externally
References to the Ground Plan of the Church.
A The Weft Door.
BB ButtrefTes forming the fides of the weft porch, traces of which mav be feen,
but which is not yet reftored. C Extenfion of the north aifle containing a flight of wooden ftairs, giving accefs
to the Tower ftaircafe at c. D Extenfion of the fouth aifle, now the Veftry. E North door, now clofed up.
F South Porch, from which there is a defcent into the Church by fteps. G Chapel of the Holy Trinity. H Chapel of S. John the Baptift. / Prieft's door. a The Organ. b The Font.
c Entrance to newel ftaircafe. d Holy water ftoup infide fouth door. e Pifcina in Chapel of S. John Baptift. / Pulpit.
g Pifcina and credence in Chapel of the Holy Trinity. h Eafter Sepulchre in Chapel of the Holy Trinity.
i Niche in wall, fuppofed to have contained a lift of benefactors or crucifix. k Sill of window formerly ufed for fedilia. / Aumbry. m Traces of a door or window, formerly communicating with the Ladye Chapel,
and now blocked up. 11 Ledlern.
4
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 89
0 Graveftone belonging to Heronden family. p Holy-water ftoup outfide the weft door.
1 The Bargrave and Bridger vault.
2 The Bargrave vault.
3 The Hatfeild vault.
4 The Greville or Statenborough vault.
5 The Boteler vault.
6 The Dare vault.
7 Capt. John Harvey's vault.
8 The Springett and Harvey vault.
hi maljive Jircngtli it proudly Jlood, Some three miles off the Ea/ier?i flood : Reared unto God in days of old. By fires new gathered to the Fold Of CJiriJl His Church : a goodly pile, With Porch and Nave, and Tower and Aisle ; A noble Chancel too, and flails For eighteen monks againfl the walls. Its Altar High, of JESUS yclept, Stood over Mary's in the crypt, Enriched with gems and hangings rare, Rood,fconces, tapers, chalice fair, A nd all things that required be To celebrate God's Mystery.— Y^ PILGRIMAGE.
N
nxdi Ci)iafl)gartr.
CHAP IV.
" Afid they raifed over him a great heap of Jiones tmto this day." — JoSHUA vii. 26.
INSCRIPTIONS ON THE TABLETS AND GRAVESTONES
IN THE CHURCH:
Stipplied from the Boteler MSS.y where they are now illegible.
IN THE CHANCEL,
Sacred to the Memory of
John Broadley, Gent.
Many years Surgeon at Dover,
Who died July the 4"" 1784, Aged 79.
A Man of the higheft Honour and liberality of Sentiment ;
of the Strideft Integrity,
And moft approved ability in his Profeflion,
of General Knowledge,
And particularly diftinguifhed for his Tafte in the polite Arts.
Frances his Wife, Daughter of Ifaac and Chriftian Bargrave,
in Teftimony of her Affection
And in grateful Remembrance of his Merit,
has caufed this Monument
to be erefted.
i(
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 91
In the Family Vault near this Tablet Are depofited the Mortal remains of
William Bridger of Eaftry Court in this Parifh Efquire Who expired the 19th January 1855 Aged 81 years ; Leaving an affl idled Widow And Four Daughters To lament their Irreparable loss. His Piety was fincere and unobtrufive : His Amiable and upright Charadber Endeared him to a large circle of Friends. Alfo of Chriftian Tournay his Widow Daughter of Robert Tournay Bargrave, of Eaftry Court, Efquire, Who departed this Hfe 9th September 1858 Aged 7 5 years. Them which fleep in Jefus will God bring with him."
1 ^' ThefT 4:14
Near this place Lie the remains of Charles Bargrave, Efq',
Who died Nov"" 17 13 Aged 62 ;
Elizabeth his Wife who died Dec"" 1732.
Dame Frances Leigh, Relid
of Sir Francis Leigh of Hawley in this County,
Who died Feb. 1726 Aged 60;
Ifaac Bargrave Efq"", Eldeft Son
of the faid Charles and Elizabeth,
Who died March 1727 Aged
Chriftian Relidl of the faid Ifaac Bargrave,
And Daughter of the aforefaid
Sir Francis Leigh and Frances his Wife,
92 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Who died Off 1772, Aged 74;
Ifaac Bargrave Efq', Only Son of the aforefaid
Ifaac and Chriftian,
Who died 2^"^ of May 1800, Aged 77.
Sarah his Wife, Daughter of George Lynch, M.D.
Who died the 16"^ of April 1787 Aged 63.
Chriftian Wife of
Robert Tournay Bargrave Efq"",
And Daughter of the Rev"^. Claudius Clare
And Chriftian his Wife
Who died. the 23'''^ of September 1806 Aged 55.
Robert Tournay Bargrave, Efq""
Who died the 19'^ May 1825 Aged 68 Years.
Bargrave the only Son of
William and Chriftian Bridger,
Who died the \n^^ Aug*. 1822, Aged 9 Years,
(vf Coat of Anns.)
Near the remains of her Huft^and
is interred
Frances Broadley.
A found underftanding
And
a retentive Memory
were Faculties
«
for which ftie was diftinguifhed.
And
from Chriftian principles and motives,
fhe was
Religious and Charitable,
This Teftimony
of Efteem and Affedion
is recorded by
Her Brother Ifaac Bargrave.
MEMORIALS OF E AS TRY.
[A Coat of Arms.)
Here Is interred all that was Mortal of
Mrs. Chriftian Kirk.
A Woman from a religious principle and hope,
Patient and refigned during a long lUnefs
Which removed her out of this World
28"' Feby 1796, in the 78 Year of her Age.
She was the elder and laft furviving daughter
of Ifaac and Chriftian Bargrave.
The Rev'^. Claudius Clare
was her firft Hufband.
Her fecond Robert Kirk, Efq"",
A Captain in the Royal Navy.
Who from his affectionate regard and
Concern for an excellent Wife
Infcribes this Memorial.
Where alfo are depofited the remains of the
Above Captain Robert Kirk who died
the 20"" of May 1802, Aged ']o.
{On a Brafs Plate.)
To the Glory of God. in Memory
of John Fuller Spong, B.A. of Caius
Coll": Cam^ and Curate of this Parifti
Who died 0& if" 1844, Aged 25
The{e four Windows are ereded by his only Surviving Sifter
Edward Boys M.D.
And Elizabeth, his Wife
Placed this Memorial
of their beloved Infant
Edward George Boys
Born 1 5"' January Died \^^ July 1801.
94 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
UNDER THE CHANCEL ARCH.
(A Coat of Arms.)
Sacred to the memory of
The Rev'^. Ralph Drake Backhoufe, M. A.
late fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge,
1 2 Years Vicar of Eaftry with Worth,
And Rural Dean.
He departed this life December 24'^ i853j
Aged 52 Years,
Leaving a Widow and Seven Children
To lament his Irreparable lofs.
This Tablet
m
Is eredled by them, as a record of
Their deep Sorrow for their bereavement
And their warm Attachment
To A beloved Hufband and Father.
My hope hath been in thee, O Lord: I have
/aid thou art my God. Pfalm xxxi. V. 1 6.
ON THE FLOOR OF THE CHANCEL.
On a Jlab of grey Jione, now almofl obliterated. (A Coat of Arms.) Here lyeth interred the Bodie of Jofva Paramovr Gent, he was buried Aprill 2^ 1650 aged 60 Yeares.
An honeft, holie, harmleffe Life he led, and then Death brought him to this Grave his Bed Heere fleepes his Bodie and his Soules at reft Where Joyes & Pleafures crowne him ever bleft.
(A Coat of Arms.) On a Plum Pudding Stone abutting to the above Eaftward were cut a coat of arms, very much defaced in Mr. Boteler's time but now wholly obliterated.
Southward of the above is a fmall oval piece of marble bearing this
infcription : —
E. G. B.
1801.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 95
On ajlone adjoining to the above northward is the following irifcriptioji 07i
a brafs Plate : —
Here lyeth intoombed the body of S"" Roger Nevifon, Knight, who deceafed the 25'^ Day of Ivly in ye Yeere of ovr Saviovrs Incarnation 1625.
On ajlone adjoining the above northward are the effigies of a man in armonr and a woman^ alfo the following infcription on Brafs Plates : —
(Coat of Arms.)
Here lyeth the Bodie of Thomas Nevynfon of Eftrye Efquier who died ye xxvii Day of July 1590 beynge att the tyme of his Death Provoft Marfhall and Scoutmafter of ye Eft Partes of Kent & Captayne of ye lyghte Horfes of the lathe of S'. Auguftines, who had to Wife Anne the Daughter of Richarde Tebolde, Efquier deceafed by whom he had Iffue fix Sonnes and four Daughters.
Under the infcription have been brafs plates for the Sons and Daugh- ters, now torn away.
On a grey Stone by the fide northward of the foregoing, almofl oblite- rated : —
Here lieth buried Anne Theobald, the Wife of Thomas Nevinfon and Edward Fagge, Efquires, the Mother of thirteene Children by them both, Happy both in her Choice and IfTue but in her Death, the End of mortal Happinefs, moft happy. She died the 21^' of November 1594.
Heading the Graveftone of Sir Roger Nevinfon is one of black marble, on which were formerly the Portraitures of a man and woman in Brafs, together with other plates. All now torn away and loft.
This was probably to the memory of Lady Mary Nevinfon, wife of Sir Roger, by whom fhe had ilTue 7 Sons and 6 Daughters.
Againft the north wall, near the eaft end of the chancel, is affixed an
96 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Helmet of iron with the Nevinfon Creft, from which formerly depended a Banner. The helmet remains ; the lance and pennon have been loft.
THE FOLLOWING ARE IN THE NORTH AISLE OF THE CHURCH:
( A Coat of Anns.)
Near this place are interred the remains of
Margaret Wife of the Rev. D"", Pennington
Redlor of Tunftal in this County
And Daughter of the Rev. D'. Carter, late of Deal.
She was Born 06lober i;'*" 1725,
and died February 18'^ 1798.
In grateful remembrance of the beft of Wives
and the beft of Mothers, and impreffed with a deep fenfe
of her many Virtues her Husband and only furviving Children
Thomas and Montague have caufed this Tablet to be erefted.
( This Tablet was removed from the South fide of the Chancel to its prefeitt
pofition in a.d. 1865 J
(A Coat of Arms.)
In memory of
William Dare Efq""
late of Fenderland
in this Parifh
Who died the 7'^ September 1770
Aged '}^t^ Years
Alfo of Eleanor his Wife,
Vvho died January the 6'^ 1806
Aged 73 Years. And of Mary Read Sifter of the above Eleanor who died April the 27"' 181 2, Aged 75 Years.
(This Tablet was removed from the South aifle of the Church in a.d. 1865.^
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 97
(A Coat of Arms,)
In a Vault
In the middle Aifle of this Church
Are depoiited the remains
of
Captain John Harvey
late Commander
Of His Majefty's Ship the Brunfwick,
who,
After glorioufly fupporting the honor
of the Britifh Navy,
On the Memorable firft of June
MDCCXCIV,
Under Earl Howe,
Died at Portfmouth on the 30''' of the fame Month,
in confequence of the wounds he received
in the engagement,
Aged 53 Years.
The Houfe of Commons
To perpetuate his moft gallant conduct.
On that Day of Viftory
Unanimoufly voted A Monument to his Memory
In Weftminfter Abbey.
His untimely Death only
Prevented his being honored in the Flag Promotions
Which took place on that occafion.
In him his afflided Family and numerous Friends
Have fuftained an Irreparable lofs
His public Charadter being only equalled
By his private Virtues.
Alfo of Judith his Wife
Daughter of Henry Wife Efq of Sandwich ;
She departed this life On the 4"" of September 181 7,
in the "] c^ Year of her Age.
This Monumental tribute to departed worth
98 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
Equally displayed in both their Parents,
Is afFedionately raifed and infcribed by their furviving children,
Henry Wife, John, Edward, Mary, Fanny, & Sarah.
(This Moyiimtent was removed from the Southjide of the Chancel in a.d.
1865.)
(A Coat of Arms.)
In memory of Mr. Richard Kelley, late of this Parifh who died the 5'^ of May 1768, aged 89 Years & is interred near this Place. Alfo of Mary his Wife who died the 6''' of Dec' 1775 aged 72 years.
I left this World in good old age
with all its giddy Train By honeft Deeds when on its Stage
A better World to gain.
Near this Place
lie interred the remains of
William Kelley,
Son of Richard Kelley,
late of this Parifh ;
He died 18'^ July 1799
Aged 59 Years.
At the bottom of a Staified Glafs Window is the following : —
In Memory of Thomas Caftle Born 3''^ May 1790 Died 2^'^ April i860.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 99
(A Coat of Anns.)
Juxta Sepultus Eft
Gulielmus Boteler Armiger, S. A. S.
Hujufce Parochiae, quae eadem illi Natalis erat,
Ab Adolefcentia Ad Provediorem ufque ^tatem incola
Vir Uteris humanloribus deditus
Hiftoriae et Topographiae Cantii PeritiiTimus :
In Magiftratu, Caeterifque Muneribus Publicis Fungendls,
Firmus et Sedulus :
In Privata Vita,
Summi in fuos Amoris ;
Integerrimae Erga Omnes Fidei :
Cantuariae Mortuus eft iv Die Septembris,
A.D. MDcccxviii. Aetlxxiii.
Uxores Duxit, Priorem, Saram, Thomae Fuller, Armigeri Filiam : Alteram,
Mariam, Johannis Harvey, Armigeri, et Regi e Navarchis, Filiam ; ex ilia
Filius Unicus, Gulielmus Fuller, ex hac fex Filii, Ricardus, Henricus, Johannis
Harvey, Thomas, Edwardus, Robertus, Quinque Filias, Maria, Eliza, Julia,
Agnes, Bertha ; Sufcepti, aliis Immatura Morte Abreptis, Patri Superfuerunt.
Maria, uxor Altera, Mortua eft xxiv. Die Oftobris A.D. MDccclii. Aet. Ixxxix. Et Juxta Sepulta.
On a Brafs Plate.
In Memory of William Fuller Boteler, QX. who died 2^"^ 06t'^ 1845 Aged 68 Years.
On a Brafs Plate.
In Memory of William Boteler Son of the Above
William Fuller Boteler Born 21'^ 06lober i8io
Died 6'^ July 1867. " Remember me O my God for good."
loo MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
(A Coat of Arms.)
Near this place are interred the remains of Sarah the Wife of William Boteler, of this Parifh, and Daughter of Thomas Fuller Efq, late of Staten- borough.
She Died January 9''' i 777 Aged 29. Leaving IfTue (alas) one Son, William Fuller Boteler. How dire the purchafe, how fevere the coft. The Fruit was faved the Parent tree was loft. This Monumental ihrine, thefe plaintive lays This laft fad debt, A weeping Husband pays : Not that thy praifes. Virtuous fair, require The breathing Marble, or the vocal lyre ; But as a fmall, a juft return for love Tender, unfeigned, and ratify'd above.
(A Coat of Arms.)
To the Memory of Thomas Boteler, Efq Commander, R.N. Fifth Son of the late W. Boteler of Eaftry Efq"" Who having loft the greater part of his Officers and Men In H.M.S. Hecla while on a furvey of the weftern Coaft of Africa,
Fell himfelf a Vidim to that Peftilential climate Amidft difficulties, which even to the laft His high {Qn{^ of duty impelled him to refift ■With unfhaken conftancy, fortitude and Perfeverance. He Died off the Old Calabar River 28"^ Nov^ 1829, Aged 32.
This Tablet is ere6ted to the Memory of
Lieut*^- Colonel Richard Boteler,
of H.M. Corps of Royal engineers,
who after many Years of fervice at home.
And in Africa, South America, Spain, Portugal and Canada,
And laft as commanding engineer at Halifax in Nova Scotia,
Periftied at Sea in H. M. Packet Calypfo
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. loi
On his paflage to England on leave of Abfence,
In the beginning of the Year 1833, at the age of 46 Years.
And Alfo to the Memory of
The Rev-^. Edward Boteler M.A.
Sometime fellow of Sidney Suffex College, Cambridge
And afterwards Vicar of the Parifh of St. Clement, Sandwich,
Who departed this life Auguft 9'^ 1831 Aged 32 Years,
And is Buried In the Vault beneath.
In the Vault beneath
Are depofited the remains of
Charlotte Boteler,
The V^ife of William Fuller Boteler Efq^ Q.C.
She died Nov"" the 18'^ 1839. Aged c^"] years.
Her Husband hath caufed this Tablet to be eredled.
To record her deep Piety towards God,
And her great goodnefs as a Wife,
A Mother, and in all other relations of life.
And to teftify his Grief for the lofs
Of his affedionate, and faithful, Confort and Friend
Through a period of upwards of thirty Years.
This Tablet is alfo Sacred to the Memory of
Anne Boteler
Their Youngeft Daughter
A Child carefully trained by her Mother
In her own fteps of Piety and Virtue,
And of A rare union of Strength and
Simplicity of Charader :
She died in Gower Street in the County of Middlefex,
May the i" 1839. At the Age of 19 Years.
102 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
THE FOLLOWING ARE IN THE SOUTH AISLE OF THE CHURCH
Sacred to the Memory of Capt". James Remington, of the H.E.I. Companys 1 2^^" Reg', of Bengal N. Infantry, Eldeft Son of David R. Remington, Efq'., of the City of London, And Martha his Wife. He died at Cawnpore in the Eaft Indies September 16''' 1842 Aged 34 Years. The Officers of the 1 2'^ Reg'. Deeply Regretting The lofs of an affe6lionate Companion and Friend, Have caufed this Tablet to be eredled, as a record At once of their Sorrow and of the high Eftiniation In which he was held by them for his many Manly and Generous Qualities. \
Thomas Pettman
Born 1733,
Died 1 809 ;
Defervedly Efteemed
For his many Chriftlan Virtues.
This Tablet is eredled
As A Memorial of Affedion
By his Son.
Alfo William Son of the Above Born 1768, Died 1830.
Elizabeth his Wife Born 1766, Died 18 19.
Alfo 3 Sons & I Daughter of the above Will"' & Eliz''' Pettman
By Thomas Born 1790 Died 1853; Edward Born 1796 Died 1851
Wilham Born 1798 Died 181 8 ; Sufan Born 1791 Died 1818.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 103
In A Vault in the Church Yard
At the Weftern entrance to this Church
are depofited the remains of Sarah
The Wife of Mr. Thomas Pettman of this Parifh,
Who died the 30"" of July 1797, Aged 64.
Alfo Thomas, Son of the Above named
Thomas and Sarah Pettman,
Who died the 12"" of March 1783 Aged 21 Years.
Alfo of Sarah Sufannah,
Daughter of the Above named
Thomas and Sarah Pettman,
And Wife of Mr. Edward Cowley,
Who died the 25'^ of July 1792, Aged 27 Years,
With her infant Child.
Alfo of Elizabeth,
Daughter of the Above named
Thomas and Sarah Pettman,
Who died the 2""^ of July 1799, Aged 31 Years.
Alfo of Philip, Son of the Above named
Thomas and Sarah Pettman,
Who died in his Infancy.
(A Coat of Arms.)
In Memory
of Thomas Boteler,
late of this Parifh, Gent", who died
the 24 Sep"" I 768, aged 54 Years.
Alfo of Richard Son of the above faid
Thomas Boteler by Elizabeth his Wife
who died the 29"^of Jan^. 1773,
aged 33 Years.
Alfo of 7 other Children,
5 of Whom lie buried at Eythorn, who all
Died in their Infancy.
I04 ' MEMORIALS OF EASTRY,
Alfo of Elizabeth Wife of the abovefaid
Mr. Thomas Boteler,
and Daughter of Salmon Morrice, Efq\
of great Betfhanger.
She died the 6'^ of Auguft 1775,
aged 65 Years.
This Monument was eredled in the Year
1 774 by their furviving children (viz)
Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, & Catherine.
(A Crest.)
Sacred to the Memory of
The Rev^. Philip Brandon Backhoufe, M.A.
Chaplain on the Hon. E.I.C. Bengal Eftablifhment,
Formerly Vicar of St Mary's Sandwich,
Tenth Son of the late
Rev^. J. B. Backhoufe, M.A. Redor of Deal.
He died at Agra in the Eaft Indies, after A few
Hours' fevere fuffering on the 30''' March 1841,
Aged 33 Years.
His afflided Widow has caufed this Tablet to be
ereded as A tribute of her afFedionate regard
For his Memory, and to teftify her deep forrow
for her bereavement,
" Go ye into all the World and Preach
the Gofpel to every Creature."
Mark 16 Verfe 15.
(A Coat of Ar7ns.)
M. S.
Rev'^'. Drue-Aftly CrefTener A.M.
Hujus Ecclefias, per annos xlviii, Vicarii
Viri fane
Plurimis nominibus Memorandi ;
Nulla Literarum Studia
Non libavit ;
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 105
Theologiae fuae, facrifque Paginis
Penitus Incubuit,
Ecclefias Anglicans, Fideique Catholicas
Propugnator Impavidus
Ccelebs, Parcius Forfan, fed Honefte Parcius
Vitam inftituit :
• Non ut Inutiles Coacervaret Opes,
Sed ut benificentias, ut pietatis officHs
Largiori manu administraret.
Deo Servatori, infuper, Arifque ejus
Tarn in hac, Quam in altera Ilia
Ecclefia de Worth,
Vafa Argentea Dicavit.
Et
Quod Omnium longe Palmarium eft,
Dodrinam Chrifti
Vitas Integerrimas Sancftimonia
Morumque Simplicltate Primitiva
Exornavit.
Ob*. Sept. xxvii. a.d. mdccxlvi Aetat lxxxii.
(A Coat of Arms.)
Here lieth interred the Body of Jane Daughter of John Paramor of this Parifh Gent, and Jane his Wife, and Wife of John Hayward of Sandwich Gent, who departed this life the 18'^ of April a.d. 1720 Aged 24 years. Alfo the Body of the faid Jane, Wife of the faid John Paramor, who departed this life the 3'"'^ Day of May 1732 Aged 57 Years. Here lieth the Body of John Paramor of this Parifh Gent, who departed this life the 25 day of April Anno Domi 1737 Aged 65 Years.
This Monument was removed from the South iide of the Church a.d. 1865.
io6 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
( The following is 07i a Brafs Plate be^ieatk a memorial window)
Sacred to the AfFedlionate Remembrance of A good Sifter, Wife and Mother,
Thomafina Fanny Kenrick,
Wife of John Bridges Kenrick Efq^
Died Feb^ 22"^^ 1859.
The gift of her Sifter C. M. Jofephine Toker.
(A Coat of Arms.)
In the Vault near this Place,
lie the remains of
Anne Maude Harvey
Youngeft Daughter of
The Rev"^. Richard Harvey,
and Catherine his Wife.
She died 10'^ March 1850,
Aged 81 Years.
Alfo thofe of her Sifter,
Frances Ann Elizabeth Harvey
who died 4'^ June 1852.
Aged 88 Years.
To the Memory of
Mrs. Ann Harvey
Daughter of Solomon Harvey Gent,
formerly of this Parifti
who departed this life the 12'^ of April, 1751,
Aged 64 Years.
Mary, the Widow of Mr. Henry Ellis,
and youngeft Daughter of the faid Solomon Harvey,
Died in London the 8"^ of Auguft 1776
Aged 73 Years.
And was Buried in the Church of
Allhallows Staining, She left Iflue
One Son William Ellis A.M. Reftor of that Parifti.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 107
(A Coat of Arms.)
In the Family Vault near this place lieth the Body of John Springett Harvey A Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple and for feveral years one of the Mafters in Ordinary, and Accountant General of the high Court of Chancery.
Who departed this life the i^' Day of Augu'ft 1833, In the 80 Year of his Age ; Leaving iffue by Matilda his Wife (Daughter of Mr. William Burton Rayner, and Widow of the Rev**. John Lightfoot) one Son Richard Springett Harvey. In the fame Vault lieth the Body of the Above named
Matilda Harvey
Who departed this life the 28"" Day of December 1835
In the 76 Year of her Age.
The porch and part of this South aifle were rebuilt and the Church was repewed. At the expence of the Above named Richard Springett Harvey
During the Years 1854-7.
In Acknowledgement of which two Stained glafs Windows were put up in this aifle by fubfcription of the Inhabitants in June, 1857.
(A Coat of Arms.)
In Memory
of Thomas Fuller, Gent, of Eafliry,
who died 24*'' June 1748, Aged 79 Years ;
and Mary his Wife (Daughter of
Richard & Elizabeth Terry) who
died 16 November 1748, aged 78 Years;
They left four Children, John, Thomas,
Mary, and Elizabeth.
Alfo of their two Sons, John Fuller,
Gent, of Eaftry, who died 1 2''' Oftober
1760, aged 64 Years ; & Thomas Fuller Efq"",
io8 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
of Statenborough, who died 1 7 May,
1773 aged (i"] Years : and of Mary Fuller
a Daughter of the laft mentioned
Thomas, who died 28 March 1754
Aged 18 Years.
Alfo of Mary Fuller of Eaftry
Daughter of the firft mentioned
Thomas Fuller, who died 1 1 July
1783 aged 86 years.
(This Momiment was removed from the South Jide of the Chancel in a.d. 1865.)
On the Pillar adjoining to the foregoing in Marble :-
(A Coat of Arms.)
Near this Place in a Vault
lieth the Body of Catherine,
Wife of John Springett,
Citizen & Apothecary,
of London.
She died the 16''' December 1762
Aged 74 Years.
Alfo of her Grandfon,
Richard Maud Harvey, Son of
The Rev'^. Richard Harvey
Vicar of this Parifh,
He died 2G^ Dec". 1758, aged 4 Months.
Alfo of the faid
John Springett.
He died Jan^' 13"' 1770
Aged 73 Years.
( This was ere£led in a.d. i 763.^
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 109
On the adjdnifig Pillar eajlward, and oppofite to the la/l-mentioned, afimilar neat marble monument.
(A Coat of Arms.)
To the Memory of
The Rev*^. Richard Harvey,
Who was
14 Years Vicar of this Parifh.
He died 6''' March 1772,
^tat: 42
Alfo of Catherine his Wife, «
only Daughter of John Springett.
She died 25'*^ May 1809,
in the 85 Year of her Age.
They left IfTue 2 Sons & 4 Daughters
John Springett, Richard, Mary,
Sarah, Frances Ann Elizabeth & Ann Maude.
THE FOLLOWING ARE ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE NAVE.
(A Coat of Arms.)
Sacred to the Memory
of Edward George, of Statenborough Houfe
in this Parifh, Efq'.
Who departed this life April 19'^ 18 10
Aged 69 Years.
His duty to the Almighty was exemplified
by the fortitude, and pious Refignation,
With which he fuftained a long
and fevere lUnefs.
To his Neighbour he ever conduced himfelf
with the ftrifteft honour,
and was on all occafions
The Poor Man's friend.
To record his Virtues and her affedion,
no MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
His Grateful Widow ereds
This Monument.
Alfo of Mary George, relid of the
Above mentioned Edward George,
Who departed this life April 28'^ 1820
Aged 50 Years.
(A Coat of Arms.)
Sacred to the Memory of James Hatfeild Efq", late of this Parifh, who died lo'*" Jan^ 1842, Aged 62 Years. He was the eldeft Son of John Hatfeild, Efquire, late of Norwich, Banker, and has left Surviving A Widow and Daughter, who as a fmall tribute of AfFedion for one of the beft of Hufbands and kindeft of Fathers, have caufed this Tablet to be ereded.
Alfo Sarah, Widow of the above- named James Hatfeild, Efq'', who Departed this life the 13*^ of February 1846 Aged 75 Years.
THE FOLLOWING ARE ON THE SOUTH WALL OF THE NAVE.
(A Coat of Arms.)
Robert Bargrave Efq^ of this Parifh died 17"^ Dec^ 1779, Aged 84. Elizabeth his Wife Daughter of S"" Francis Leigh of Hawley in this County, died 2'''^ July 1737 Aged 32. Robert Bargrave their only Son, Prodor in Do6lors Commons died 14'^ Feby 1774, Aged 39.
Whofe fole Surviving Daughter Rebecca, Wife of James Wyborn of Sholden, hath caufed this Tablet to be Eredted. ^
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 1 1 1
{^A Coat of Ar7?is.)
In the Vault,
With the remains of his Father
Captain John Harvey, R.N.,
and of his Mother Judith,
are depofited thofe of their eldeft Son
Henry Wife Harvey,
of Harnden, Efquire, in this Parifh,
Who died 13*^ May 1852, aged 83 Years ;
Alfo the remains of Margaret his Wife,
Who died 14''' June 1847, Aged 76 Years ;
And thofe of their five Daughters ;
Catherine died 23"^ June 1808, an Infant.
Elizabeth,
The Wife of Captain George Hilton R.N.
Died 25''' February 18 19, Aged 26.
Margaret died 28'^ December 18 19, Aged 16.
Mary died 8"" September 1820, Aged 24.
Fanny died 8'^ April 1824 Aged 23.
In the Vault beneath. Are depofited the remains of Sarah, Relid of the late James Leigh Joynes, Efq*", of Gravefend in this County, And third Daughter of the late Rev'^. Richard Harvey (Vicar of this Parifh), And Catherine his Wife. Obiit 27''' Odober 1843 Aged 84 Years.
1 1 2 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
THE FOLLOWING ARE ON STONES IN THE FLOOR OF THE CHURCH
BEGINNING AT THE WEST.
On a Grave Stone near the wejl door on entermg the Nave : —
Near this place lies the body of Richard Keble, of this Parifh, Yeoman, died 21"^ of Auguft 1740 Aged 61 Years. Alfo Mary reli6t of the above died 28"" Auguft 1765 aged 82 Years. Alfo Mary their Daughter wife of Thomas Pett- man of this Parifh died 25'^ December 1735 aged 27 Years leaving IfTue Thomas and Sufanna. Alfo Thomas Keble of this Parifh Yeoman Son of the above died 23'^'^ April 1763 aged 48 Years: alfo Martha Relid of the above died 2"^^ March 1787 aged 73 Years : Alfo 2 Children, Richard died 12'^ Auguft 1756 aged 5 Years, Edward died the 9*'' March 1 773 aged 19 Years : Thomas and Mary Survive them.
Near this place lies the Body of the Above
Thomas Keble of this Parifh Yeoman
Died .15*^ Odober 1798, Aged 49 years.
Alfo Ann, Relid of the above died 1 1''' March 1802 Aged 54 Years ; Alfo 2 Sons Bunce, died 11'^ December 1792, Aged 4 Years; Tho^ Herman died 12'^ Dec^ 1792 Aged 11 Years. Left Surviving John, Ann, Mary and Richard,
Here lieth the Body of
Richard Keble, late of this Parifh,
Died20*Feby 18 16,
Aged 30 Years.
Alfo on the Right, lieth the Body of
Ann Mary Keble, late of this Parifh ; .
Died 20* Odtober 1821
Aged 40 Years:
Alfo on the Right lieth
The Body of John Keble,
late of this Parifh, Yeoman ;
Died 22"'' December 1832
Aged 53 Years.
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY, 113
The entrance of
The Family Vault
of Captain John Harvey.
On a Grave-Jlone in the middle Aijle : —
Here lyeth the Body of Ralph Rennalls of this Pariih Yeoman Who departed this Life the 28'^ day of Feb^ 1661 Aged 73 Years.
In the fame aiJle Eajiward adjoining to the above : —
Here lyeth the Body of John Kelley Gent, who departed this life the 1 8'^ Day of January in the Year of our Lord 1669 Aged 80 Years ; and alfo of Daniel Kelley, Gent, his Son who departed this Life the firft of June in the Year of our Lord 1733, in the Sy Year of his age.
In the PaJJage from the Body of the Omrch to the Chancel on a Grave- flone of black marble : —
The Body of Anne, the Wife of John Auften & Daughter of William Nayler and Anne Finnit, being aged 68 Yeare, Dyed Feb^ 19*'' 1656, lyeth here waiting for the Refurredlion of the juft.
In the Crofs AiQ,e^ at the Eaft End of the Body of the Church, are three
adjoining Graveflones with Coats of Arms and Infcriptions on Brafs Plates : —
Here lyeth buried the body of William Boteler Efq'.
W^ho dyed the 22"^^ of May A°. 16 14 ^tat. fuse 50
Chriftus mihi Vita : mors mihi lucrum.
1 14 MEMORIALS OF EASTRY.
On a Gravejlone of Black Marble : —
Here lieth the Body of Thomas Boteler late of this Parifh Gent, only Son of Richard and Sufan Boteler, Gent, who departed this life May 12'^ I737 aged 61 leaving Iflue by Elizabeth his Wife, who alfo furvived him,
three Sons and three Daughters. Likewife the Body of Elizabeth Wife of the above Thomas Boteler and Daughter of Ralph & Elizabeth Philpott who died 14'^ June
1 749 Aged 6 1 Years.
Oil an adjoining Gravejlone : —
Herelyeth the Body of Richard Boteler Gent, who departed this life the 22°'^ of May 1682 Aged 52 Years. Here lieth the Body of Sufan Boteler Wife of the above Richard Boteler, Gent, and Daughter of Saphire & Margaret Paramor, of this Parifh, Gent, who departed this Life Sep* the ii**" 1724 Aged 82 Years.
In the Crols aifle above-mentioned there are three other graveftones belonging to the Boteler family befides thofe already mentioned. On thele there were formerly brafs plates with Arms and Inscriptions, now torn away and loft. One of thefe has fince been recovered from another Church, where it had been turned over and ufed for fome other family. It has the following infcriptlon : —
ARMIGERI Oyi MORTEM OBIJT TRICESSIMO RTIJ ANNO DOM X I580. ET RICHARDI BOTELER RI FILIJ EIVS QVI MORTEM OBIJT TRICESSIMO VARIJ ANNO DOM t 1 60O. ET RELIQVIT QVIN = LIOS ET DVAS FILIAS SVPERSTITES.
from which it will be feen that a portion of the plate and of the Infcriptlon are loft. Concerning thefe memorials of his family Mr. Boteler fays: —
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 1 1 5
" Some of them with arms retained their places within memory, and becoming loofe, were afterwards thrown carelellly with fome others in a hole under the ftaircafe of the Tower, where they remained till a knavifh fexton thought proper to fell them to a brazier at Sandwich for old brafs. I have no difficulty in affigning them to the memory of Henry Boteler who died anno 1580. Richard, his fon (the brother of William mentioned above), who died anno 1600, & Thomas, his grandfon, who died 1651. All of whom were in pofTeffion of and lived at Heron den. Henry was the firft of this family who was buried at Eaftry, their more ancient burying-place for many preceeding generations being in S. Peter's Church, Sandwich."
At the fouth end of this aifle there is another graveftone (marked o in the plan), which, from its coffin-like fhape, is doubtlefs of coniiderable antiquity. Mr. Boteler fays concerning it : "I have no doubt but that it is the Hone mentioned by Philpot that had formerly the Arms and Por- traiture of one of the Family of Heronden affixed to it, though from time to time its furface is fo fcaled off as not to leave a trace of it. There is no other in the Church will admit of the conjed:ure ; its lituation near the chancel anfwers his defcription ; belides the Botelers, in whom this family ended, appropriating this aifle to their burying-place, fl:rongly favours the opinion ; from the extinction of this family the ilone cannot be of later date than the time of Richard II. [a.d. i 377-1 399], probably not much earlier."
There are in the Church the following vaults — viz. :
In the Chancel : — The vault numbered i in the plan, being for the Bargrave family, in which alfo many of the Bridgers have been interred. There is alfo a vault on the oppofite fide belonging to the Paramours, which is not fliewn on the plan, as the entrance is unknown, becaufe the
1 1 6 MEMORIALS OF EASTR V.
timber that fupported the ftones of the entrance of this vault giving way, it was bricked up in a.d. 1788.
In the Church : — Mr. Robert Bargrave's vault ^numbered 2 in the plan.
No. 3 being the Hatfeild vault.
No. 4. The Greville or Statenborough vault — very large.
No. 5. The Boteler vault.
No. 6. A very fmall one made in a.d. 1770 for the interment of W. Dare, Efq.
No. 7. Capt. John Harvey's vault.
No. 8. A vault for the families of Springett and Harvey.
INSCRIPTIONS ON GRAVESTONES IN THE
CHURCHYARD.
We now come to the Churchyard.
In the year 1847 a piece of ground was taken from the Hammel Clofe, by the permiffion of the Dean and Chapter, added to the Church- yard, and confecrated by the Archbifliop. This new ground is already nearly filled.
Oppofite the South Porch there is an ancient yew tree which, amongft the old inhabitants of Eaftry, goes by the name of " the Palm tree " — it was so called in Mr. Boteler's time — and has in all probability borne this name fince the day in which it was planted. T/ie origin of the name would appear to be, that in ante- Reformation times branches of yew were ufcd inftcad of palm branches in the services of the Church on the Sunday
MEMORIALS OF EASTRY. 1 1 7
next before Eafter, commonly called Palm Sunday. In the fame way, In other parts of the country, branches of willow, with the catkins on them, are called " palm," and were probably ufed as a fubftitute for the real Eaflern palm tree in former days.
There are in the Churchyard the following vaults : —
1. A vault belonging to the family of Petman near the weftern entrance of the Church, under the gravel-path, on the fouth of the main path to the weft door. This is of confiderable fize, and was enlarged fome 50 years ago.
2. A vault holding fome 8 or 10 coffins, belonging to the Baker family, commonly called Sharpens vaidt, at the extreme north-weft corner of the Churchyard, adjoining Eaftry Court.
3. A vault belong to the family of Rae, of Walton Houfe, made to contain 9 bodies. This was made in a.d. 1843, and is on