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  • Kent’s St Leonard in Badlesmere

    St Leonard, Badlesmere, Kent

    The article describes the small village of Badlesmere in Kent, England. The village has a long history dating back to the 11th century when it formed part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux. The village was eventually granted to Hamo de Crevequer and formed part of the barony of Crevequer. The manor of Badlesmere was held by the Badlesmere family, who took their surname from the village, and reached the height of their power in the early 14th century before falling out of favor with Edward II.

    The article also discusses the village’s church, St Leonard’s, which is described as a beautiful ancient building. It features medieval bench ends in the chancel, with one showing a carving of the Trinity. The two west windows were designed by Frederick W. Cole and depict St Francis of Assisi and The Sower. Despite being a small and simple church, St Leonard’s is obviously a building that is cared for and loved by the local community.

    The surrounding area was once wealthy due to agriculture and country estates, but is now becoming increasingly covered in concrete. Pockets of history, such as St Leonard’s Church, provide a tangible connection to the past and the lives of our ancestors. There is also a fair held in Badlesmere on St Leonard’s Day, which is now on November 17 due to the change in the calendar.

    The article touches on the history of the Badlesmere family, including Sir Thomas Randolph, an eminent statesman in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, who was born in the village. Bartholomew de Badlesmere was by writ summoned to Parliament in the 3rd year of Edward II’s reign, among the barons of the realm. The barony of Badlesmere was later inherited by John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, before reverting back to the crown after the death of the fourth earl.

    Despite being a small and often overlooked village, Badlesmere has a rich and interesting history. The beautiful St Leonard’s Church serves as a reminder of that history and of the importance of preserving our past for future generations.

    Posted by Jelltex on 2018-06-05 05:08:29

  • Staplehurst, Kent’s All Saints Church

    All Saints, Staplehurst, Kent

    The content describes a visit to the town of Staplehurst in Kent, England. The author had a pleasant morning and afternoon, and after following the sat nav, they noticed a church with a large notice for Ride and Stride. Upon entering, the author noticed a circular hole in the north wall, which they initially thought was an anchorite cell, but it turned out to be an organ chamber. The south doorway is the main attraction for visitors; it dates back to about 1050 and features ironwork with Danish influence depicting the story of the Norse Day of Judgment. The rest of the church consists of nave, chancel, south aisle, and chapel. The glass in the north window is by Owen Jennings, and under the tower are a series of colourful Tudor panels, four of which have shears carved on them, highlighting Staplehurst’s prominence in the wool trade during medieval times.

    Staplehurst is the last parish to be described in this area, situated northwest from Frittenden. It has parts in the boroughs of King’s Franchise, Faircrouch, or Lovehurst, and the bailiwic of the Seven Hundreds, hundred of Cranbrooke, and hundred of Marden. The remainder of the parish is in the lath of Aylesford, including the part of Detling borough containing six or seven houses, which is in the hundred of Maidstone. The parish is within the division of West Kent.

    Except for the village, Staplehurst is an unpleasant location with a gloomy and dreary appearance. The country is low, flat, and miry, with houses dispersed at distances from each other. The soil is mostly a wet clay mixture with marl in different areas, and some sand in the southern part. There is very little woodland in the area, and the high road from Maidstone over Cocksheath leads through it. The village of Staplehurst is built on each side of the great road, with a fine view over the Weald southward. There are about eighty-eight houses and less than a thousand inhabitants. The rents of the parish are around £3000 per annum. There are two meetinghouses for Baptists and Presbyterians near the entrance of the village.

    The manor of Staplehurst was once part of the possessions of the Fremingham family. John, son of Ralph de Fremingham, of Lose, died in the 12th year of King Henry IV, and he devised it to certain feoffees. The manor of Staplehurst stayed in the family from John Pimpe to Reginald Pimpe, esq. Reginald Pimpe conveyed it by deed to John Isley, esq, around the 12th year of Henry VII. His grandson Sir Henry Isley had his lands disgavelled by the act of 2 and 3 Edward VI., and both he and his son William Isley were attainted for the rebellion raised by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 1st year of Queen Mary. Their lands and estates became forfeited to the crown, and Sir Henry was executed at Sevenoke. However, the manor stayed with the crown for only a short time before the Queen granted it to her Attorney General Sir John Baker, whose descendants continued to own it until it was sold to Galfridus Mann, esq in 1752. His son Sir Horace Mann, bart is the present owner.

    Newsted is a manor in Staplehurst that was annexed to the free chapel erected there by Flamon de Crevequer and invested with several privileges. This gift, with all its franchises, was confirmed for the chapel in the 41st year of Edward III. However, the chapel was suppressed, and its revenue was given to the crown by the act passed in the 1st year of Edward VI. The king granted the manor to Sir Edward Wotton, Knt shortly after. It remained in his family’s possession until Thomas, Lord Wotton, died in 1630. However, before his death, he settled the manor on his eldest daughter and coheir married to Henry, Lord Stanhope, son and heir of Philip earl of Chesterfield. She later passed it onto Robert Oliver of Leyborne, whose son carried it to Juliana Covert in marriage. Juliana became the sole owner of the manor after Edward Covert died, and she passed it on to her grandson Edward Blunt.

    Posted by Jelltex on 2018-09-17 16:31:45

  • Kent’s St. Leonard of Badlesmere

    St Leonard, Badlesmere, Kent

    The article describes the small village of Badlesmere in Kent, England, which was once home to a powerful family named after the village. The family’s rise to power occurred in the early 14th century before their fall in the reign of Edward II. The article provides a brief history of the parish and its rural landscape. The Church of St Leonard, located in Badlesmere, is described as a simple building with medieval woodwork, box pews from the time of Jane Austen, and stained glass from the present day. The article highlights the importance of the medieval bench ends located in the chancel and notes the presence of the Royal Arms of George I and a hatchment to the First Earl Sondes. The article concludes by emphasizing the significance of small village churches like St Leonard’s in connecting us to our ancestors as the north Kent corridor continues to be covered with concrete. The article provides additional historical context on the Badlesmere family, their estate, and their relationships with other prominent families in the area. The family’s fall from power is attributed to political intrigue during the reign of Edward II. The article also notes other notable figures from the area, including Sir Thomas Randolph, an eminent statesman in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, who was born in Badlesmere in 1523. The article ends with an overview of the manor of Badlesmere’s ownership and history, including its initial possession by Odo, bishop of Baieux, and its later granting to Hamo de Crevequer, from whom the Badlesmere family took their name.

    Posted by Jelltex on 2018-06-04 06:14:51

  • Kent – St. Leonard in Badlesmere

    St Leonard, Badlesmere, Kent

    Badlesmere is a small parish situated between the North Downs and the north Kent marshes. It was once a hub of thriving community, and the area was wealthy through agriculture and country estates. Badlesmere became known for a family that took its name, known as the Badlesmere family, who rose to power in the early fourteenth century. However, their fall was almost as quick as their rise, as they became embroiled in political intrigues during the reign of Edward II. The family would have known the tiny church of St Leonard, which is an unusual hybrid of medieval woodwork, box pews from the time of Jane Austen, and stained glass from the present day.

    The church of St Leonard in Badlesmere is a medieval building, characterized by recesses in the east wall that show where the original windows had sat. The church has been beautifully cared for and maintained, with a sturdy roof held up by large kingposts. Although the exterior of the church looks modern and is coated in something like concrete, the inside is a delight.

    The chancel of the church is where the most important furnishings can be found. The medieval bench ends are a notable feature, with one bench carving showing the frequently illustrated image of the Trinity, represented by a triangle. There are two west windows, both by Frederick W. Cole. One represents St. Francis of Assisi, while the other depicts The Sower. Other items of interest inside the church of St Leonard include the fine Royal Arms of George I and a hatchment to the First Earl Sondes.

    Badlesmere was once a peaceful parish with hardly any considerable traffic lying on the opposite side of the high road from Faversham to Ashford. It was situated about six miles from Faversham, mostly on high ground, with soil similar to the part of Leveland adjacent to it. However, the eastern side of the parish is hilly and chalky, with a poor soil covered with flints.

    There are several significant sites in Badlesmere, including the court-lodge called Basmerecourt, which is a mean farm-house located at a field’s distance from the main road. The church of St Leonard is located almost adjoining the court-lodge northward. In the next field southeastward of the church, the foundations of the antient seat of the Badlesmeres can easily be traced.

    A fair is held in Badlesmere on St. Leonard’s day, which was previously held yearly on November 17, but the change in the style has shifted the date to another time. Sir Thomas Randolph, an eminent statesman in Queen Elizabeth’s reign and son of Avery Randolph, of Badlesmere, was born in this parish in 1523. He was much favored and distinguished by the queen, being employed in no fewer than eighteen different embassies. Randolph died in 1590 and was buried in St. Peter’s church, Paul’s Wharf, in London, leaving a numerous issue by one of his wives, a sister of Sir Francis Walsingham.

    Bartholomew de Badlesmere, from whom the Badlesmere family took its name, was by writ summoned to Parliament in the 3rd year of King Edward II among the barons of this realm, by the title of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, of Badlesmere, chevalier. The barony, by the death of Giles, lord Badlesmere, his son, s. p. devolved by the marriage of Maud, the eldest of his four sisters and coheirs, to John de Vere, earl of Oxford, and it continued in his descendants down to John de Vere, the fourteenth earl of Oxford, and baron of Badlesmere in King Henry VIII’s reign. After John, the barony of Badlesmere descended to the three sisters of Earl John, namely Ursula, married to George Windsor, and later to Edward Knightly, of Northamptonshire; Dorothy to John Nevil, lord Latimer, and Elizabeth to Sir Anthony Wingfield.

    This dignity, however, being entire and not divisible, they became incapable of it, unless by gift from the crown. The crown seemingly dispensed with this as the four several earls of Oxford successively after this, assumed and used among their titles the baron of Badlesmere. After the death of Henry, earl of Oxford, and Baron of Badlesmere, in 1625, there arose a dispute concerning these titles. In 1626, by solemn adjudication of Parliament, it was determined that the earldom belonged to the heir male of the Vere’s, and that the barony of Badlesmere was wholly vested in the king to dispose of at his pleasure. The office of great chamberlain of England, which had been vested in the Vere’s, earls of Oxford for many descents, was claimed both by Robert de Vere, earl of Oxford, as heir male, and by Robert, Lord Willoughby, of Eresby, as heir-general. By the adjudication of the House of Lords, though the earldom was adjudged to the heir male, the office of chamberlain was adjudged to the lord Willoughby.

    In conclusion, the church of St. Leonard in Badlesmere is a charming building filled with history and tradition. The Badlesmere family, from whom the village took its name, were a powerful family who rose and fell quickly during the reign of Edward II. The church has now become a pocket of history amidst the concrete and urbanization of the surrounding area, bringing us closer to our ancestors.

    Posted by Jelltex on 2018-06-08 10:08:39

  • Saints Peter and Paul Church located in Headcorn, Kent

    Ss. Peter and Paul, Headcorn, Kent

    Headcorn, in Kent, is best known for being a location where steam railtours are re-coaled and watered. However, the town is also home to a medieval Parish Church dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. The present building was constructed during the Perpendicular period and reflects the wealth brought to the area by the cloth trade. Although not much is known about the church’s history, it dates back to the 11th century and features a nave that was probably located where the present chancel is. As the centuries passed, a south aisle and porch were added, a new nave was constructed, and a tower was built along with a small chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas.

    Constructed of Bethersden marble and with plain tiled roofs, the church features a 14th-century west tower comprising three stages with buttresses on the external corners and a taller attached polygonal stair turret on the north-east corner. The nave is probably 14th-century and is flanked on the south side by a late 14th-century aisle with its attached porch of a similar age. The parapets of the aisle and porch are battlemented. The chancel is 13th century with the windows replaced probably in the late 14th century or in the 15th century.

    Inside, the nave and south aisle are separated by an arcade of five pointed arches on octagonal columns with bases and capitals in Bethesden marble. The arch between chancel and nave and between south aisle and south chapel are similar. An arcade of two bays divides the chancel from the south chapel. The collar-rafter roof to the nave is late 14th century or early 15th century with seven moulded trusses. The pitched roof of the chancel is boarded and the roofs of the aisle and chapel are flat and boarded. The church features a 15th-century octagonal font with carved sides as well as piscina located in the south walls at the east end of the aisle and the east end of the chapel and in the chancel. The screen is partly 16th century with linenfold panelling, which features on the late 19th century pulpit.

    One of the most visually impressive features of Headcorn’s Parish Church is its exceptionally fine mid-fourteenth-century roof. The base of the rood screen is early sixteenth century, with some fragments of glass of the same date surviving in the tracery of a north window. The Royal Arms of George III painted by J. Adams in 1808 are also of good quality. A large south porch of the fifteenth century with an upper room, which has a small window into the church, is a sure sign that this was a priest’s parvise, and not just storage space. The external approach to the church is through a lychgate, built to commemorate the year 2000 and donated by the people of Headcorn, with an avenue of trees along the path that were planted for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

    Despite its notable history and features, not much information is available on the church. Nevertheless, it remains a picturesque and historically significant attraction in Headcorn.

    Posted by Jelltex on 2016-10-06 14:10:26