Parishes: Midley

MIDLEY,

WRITTEN in the survey of Domesday, Midelea, lies adjoining to Ivechurch, at the south-west extremity of this hundred, about two miles distant from Lid, on the other or western side of the Rhee-wall, in the level of Walland, Marsh, and Jurisdiction of the Justices of the county.

This PARISH is much like that of St. Maries lastdescribed. There are only three or four houses in it. The ruins of the church stand among the marshes, on a small knoll of a hill, having no road leading to them. The lands in it are very fertile. It lies about a mile and an half from Lid church, and about as much from that of Old Romney, to which parish it Joins, but the bounds between these two parishes have not been perambulated for these many years, and are now supposed to be totally lost.

The MANOR of Agne-court, in Old Romney, extends into this parish, and claimes over the greatest part of it; subordinate to which is an estate, which was once reputed a manor, though now it has lost all reputation of having been one, and was called the MANOR of MIDLEY.

It was, at the time of taking of Domesday, in the possession of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the general title of whose possessions in that record it is entered as follows:

Alured holds of the bishop, Midelea. It was taxed at three yokes and twelve acres. The arable land is three carucates. In demesne there is one carucate and an half, and five villeins, with nine borderers having one carucate. There is a church, and ten acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of ten hogs. In the time of king Edward the Consessor it was worth sixty shillings, and afterwards forty shillings, now sixty shillings. Godric held it of king Edward.

On the bishop of Baieux being disgraced, and his possessions consiscated to the crown, this estate was soon afterwards granted to the family of Peysorer, and in the 20th year of king Edward III. Fulk de Peyforer appears to have been in possession of it. After this name was extinct here, it became part of the possessions of the family of Echingham, who were of Principal note in Sussex, where they were, jure nativo, stewards of the rape of Hastings, and owners of an estate in proportion to that rank at Echingham, in that county; one of whom, William de Echingham, was one of the conservators of the peace for Sussex in the 1st year of king Richard II. and died possessed of this estate in the 15th year of that reign. But Margaret, only daughter and heir of his descendant Sir Thomas Echingham, carried it in marriage to Sir William Blount, eldest son of Sir Walter Blount, the first lord Mountjoy, who died before his father, being slain at the battle of Barnet, leaving one son Edward, and two daughters. Which Edward Blount became possessed of this estate on his father's death, and succeeded his grandfather as Lord Mountjoy, but dying s. p. his two sisters became his coheirs, (fn. 1) of whom Elizabeth, the eldest, married to Thomas Andrews Windsor, afterwards lord Windsor, on the division of their inheritance, became entitled to it. He bore for his arms, Gules, a saltier, argent, between twelve cross-croslets, or. His lands were disgavelled by the act of 31 Henry VIII. His son William, lord Windsor, passed it away by sale to Clache, by whose daughter and heir it went in marriage to William Stringer, who lest two daughters his coheirs, of whom Alice marrying in 1601 Sir Edward Scott, K. B. of Scotts-hall, entitled him to it; he alienated it to Peter Godfrey, esq. of Lid, who died possessed of it in 1624. Upon which, Peter Godfrey, of Lid, his eldest son, became entitled to this estate at Midley, which he died possessed of that year, and was succeeded in it by his only son Sir Thomas Godfrey, of Heppington, from which name it afterwards passed by sale to Tindal, in whose descendants it continued down to William Tindal, esq. of Essex; but it is now in the possession of Aven, Kingsnorth, and others.

CALCOT, alias LITTLE CALDECOT, is an estate in this parish and Lid, which was formerly the property of the Lumleys, of Essex, one of whom, Thomas Lumley, esq. of Great Bardfield, in that county, devised it among his other estates by will, to his nephew Sir James Lumley, bart. son of his brother Sir Martin; but on a commission of lunacy being taken out against him in 1722, this estate with others was settled in trustees, (fn. 2) and was afterwards alienated to Lade, and becoming the property of Mr. Michael Lade, of Faversham, he settled it on his daughter Elizabeth, who, with her husband Mr. Benjamin Browne, of Canterbury, joined a few years ago in the sale of it to Mr. James Terrey, of Brookland, from whom it passed to Mr. John Longley, the present owner of it. It is held of the manor of Swanscombe by castle-guard, to the castle of Rochester.

There are no parochial charities.

MIDLEY is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the dioceseof Canterbury, and deanryof Limne.

The church has been for many years in ruins. It appears to have been very small, only the west end and a small part of the south wall are remaining. It was built mostly with an antient yellowish brick, and some few stones intermixed. The arch over the west door is gothic.

This church was formerly appurtenant to the manor of Midley above-mentioned, and continued so in king Edward VI.'s reign, in the 3d year of which, anno 1548, William, lord Windsor, exchanged the advowson and patronage of this church with archbishop Cranmer, for that of Riceborough Monachorum, in Buckinghamshire, for the term of ninety-nine years. Which exchange was with the consent of the dean and chapter of Canterbury. (fn. 3) Notwithstanding which, I find that the archbishop presented to this church, as appears by the books of induction to it, on three succeeding vacancies, from the years 1595 to 1629; but on the next vacancy, which happened in 1669, it was of the patronage of Allen Cliffe, esq. of London, who sold the advowson of it in king Charles II.'s reign to Henry Eve, S. T. P. in whose descendants it continued, in like manner as the patronage of the church of Buckland, near Faversham, till the year 1754, when two thirds of the advowson of this church, being two succeeding turns of the presentation to it, were sold to Mr. John Unwin, of London, who now possesses them. But the remaining third part of it, being the third turn of presentation, remained with Mr. Charles Eve, gent. of Hoxton-square, who lately died possessed of it; since which it has passed to the Rev. Dr. John Jenner, the present proprietor of it.

It is a rectory, valued in the king's books at thirty pounds, and the yearly tenths at three pounds. In 1588 it was valued at one hundred pounds, communicants nine. In 1640 at 120l. the like number of communicants. It is now valued at about 150l. per annum. The rectory of this church was formerly charged with a yearly pension of seven pounds to the rector of Old Romney, but only four pounds has been paid for several years past.

Church of Midley.