Parishes: Kenardington

KENARDINGTON.

THE next parish southward from Shadoxhurst, a small part of the parish of Woodchurch only intervening, is Kenardington, frequently called and written for shortness, Kenarton, a name supposed to be taken from one Cyneward, the Saxon owner of it. Most part of it is in the hundred of Blackborne, and the residue, being the south-east part of it, in the hundred of Ham, east division of the county, and within the liberty of the justices of the corporation of Romney Marsh. The manor of Apledore claims over the southern part of this parish.

This is a small parish, lying at the edge of Romney Marsh, the church here dividing the marsh from the upland, or Weald of Kent. The western and northern parts of it are covered with coppice woods. The greatest part of it, together with the village and church, is situated upon high ground; but the southern part of it is low, and within the levels of the Marsh. Below the hill on which the church stands, and adjoining to it south-east, are the remains of some antient sortifications, of earth, with a breast-work thrown up, and a small circular mount; and in the adjoining marsh below it, is another, of a larger size, with a narrow ridge or causeway seemingly leading from one to the other.

These works seem to have been thrown up during the wars between king Alfred and the Danes, perhaps about the year 893, when a division of them failed up the river Liment, or Rother, and entrenched themselves in the adjoining parish of Apledore.

THE MANOR OF HORNE, alias KENARDINGTON was part of those lands assigned for the defence of Dover castle, to John de Fienes, who was constable of that important fortress, and together made up his barony, which from him was called the Constabularie, being held by him in capite by barony, by the service of maintaining a certain number of soldiers for the defence of that castle, and of him and his heirs this manor was held in capite by castle-guard service from time to time. In the reign of king John it was so held by the family of Normanville, or de Normania. His descendant Sir Thomas de Normanville, died in the 11th year of king Edward I. possessed of this manor, with that of Cockride, in Bilsington, which he held in capite by knight's service, together with the advowson of the church, (fn. 1) which, on his death without issue male, came to his only daughter and heir Margaret, who afterwards married Sir William de Basing, and entitled him to this estate, as well as a large inheritance in Rutlandshire. He was a descendant of Solomon de Basing, who was sheriff of London in the last year of king John, and of Adam de Basing, lord-mayor of London anno 36 Henry III. Whose habitation was where Blackwell-hall now stands, and from whom the street, and ward thereto adjoining, had the denomination of Basinghall-street and Basing ward; and several of them were afterwards sheriffs of London. He was one of those Kentish gentlemen who accompanied the abovementioned king in his victorious expedition into Scotland, where he was knighted with many others of his countrymen, and was sheriff in the 7th and 8th years of Edward II. bearing for his arms, Azure, a cross, crusuly voided, a baton, gules. His descendant Sir John Basing afterwards became at length possessed of it, and died s. p. in the 24th year of Henry VI. upon which Alice his sister, married to Thomas Mackworth, esq. of Mackworth, in Derbyshire, became his heir, and entitled her husband to her inheritance both here and in Rutlandshire, on part of which, the manor of Normanton, he and his descendants afterwards resided, bearing for their arms, Party, per pale indented, sable, and ermine, a chevron, gules, or. His great grandson, George Mackworth, about the beginning of king Henry VII.'s reign, alienated his interest in this manor and advowson to Wife, whose descendant Thomas Wife, in the 24th year of Henry VIII. conveyed them to Roger Horne, whose ancestors had resided at a seat of their own name in the adjoining parish of Apledore ever since the reign of king John, their mansion there being called from them Hornes-place. One of them, Ralph de Horne, was one of the recognitores magnæ assisæ, or justices of the great assize, in the reign of king John, persons of no small account before the institution of justices of the peace. His descendant William Horne, of Hornes-place, was one of the conservators of the peace in the 1st year of king Richard II. They bore for their arms, Argent, on a chevron, gules, between three bugle borns, sable, as many mullets, or. At length his descendant Henry Horne, esq. dying in the 7th year of queen Elizabeth, anno 1565, left an only daughter and heir Benet, afterwards married to Richard Guldeford, gent. son of Sir John Guldeford, of Hemsted, by his second wife, who in her right became possessed of them, (fn. 2) but being indicted for not taking the oath of supremacy to the queen, they fled the realm and were attainted of treason, and their lands became forfeited to the crown, their attainder, among others, being confirmed by act of parliament, where they seem to have remained till the death of the latter in 1597; he dying at Roan, in France, in 1586, and she at Brussels in 1597, and were both buried at those places, when the queen granted the see of this manor and advowson that year, to Walter Moyle, gent. of the Middle Temple, London, who died s. p. in 1599, and was succeeded in this estate by his nephew Capt. Robert Moyle, whose grandson John Moyle, esq. of Buckwell, leaving an only daughter and heir Mary, she carried it in marriage to Robert Breton, esq. of the Elmes, near Dover, (fn. 3) whose grandson Moyle Breton, esq. of Kennington, dying possessed of it a few years ago, left two sons his coheirs in gavelkind, the Rev. Moyle Breton, of Kennington, and Mr. Whitfield Breton, and they are now jointly as such entitled to this manor, with the advowson of the church of Kenardington.

There is a fee farm of forty pounds per annum, payable out of this manor. It is one of the lordships of Romney Marsh, which entitles the owner to sit as one of the lords there, for the management of the walls and the sewers within it.

Charities.

MARGARET LOWES, of this parish, in 1557, gave to the poor 40s. per annum. out of twenty-eight acres of land called the Plummer-land, between the feasts of All Saints and Christmasday; and 5s. on the same days, out of the Smith farm, in this parish.

A PERSON UNKNOWN gave by deed half an acre of woodland in this parish, now of the annual produce of 7s.

ANOTHER UNKNOWN PERSON gave three quarters of an acre, called Church-land, in this parish, now of the annual produce of 12s.

The poor constantly relieved are about forty-five, casually fifteen.

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Limne.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is a small mean building, consisting of one isle and one chancel, having a small pointed turret at the west end, in which hangs one bell. There are no inscriptions in it. The font in this church is remarkably mean, being composed of brick and tile only.

This church was formerly much larger, but having been burnt by lighting in 1559, the present one was erected out of the ruins of the former, the foundations of which are still visible, especially those of another isle on the north side of it; Roger Horne, lord of this manor, being a good contributor, if not at the whole charge of the building of it.

This church is a rectory, the patronage of which has always been accounted an appendage to the manor of Kenardington, and it continues so at present, being in the joint patronage of the Rev. Mr. Moyle Breton and Mr. Whitfield Breton, lords of that manor.

It is valued in the king's books at 12l. 1s. 0½d. and the annual tenths at 1l. 4s. 1½d. In 1578 here were communicants eighty-two. In 1640, eighty seven, and it was then valued at sixty pounds per annum.

Among the Lambeth MSS. is a composition between the prior, &c. of St. Martin Dover, and the rector of this parish, on account of tithes within the bounds of this parish and those of Apoldre, in the 2d year after archbishop Becket's death; and another between those parishes, on the like account, in 1228.

Church of Kenardington.