Parishes: Hope All Saints

HOPE ALL SAINTS

LIES the next parish westward from St. Maries, Part of it is within this hundred of Langport, and the residue in that of St. Martins Pountney. The whole of it is in the level of Romney Marsh, and within the liberty and jurisdiction of the justices of it.

This PARISH lies wholly in the level of Romney Marsh. The lands in it are much like those of the parishes adjoining to it, last described, being an entire flat of marshes, very sertile, without a tree or hedge to shelter them. There are only two houses in it. The church stands nearly in the middle of it, on the knoll of a small hill. There is a small circuit of land round it, containing about half an acre of an oval form which is inclosed with a ditch. There is no road leading to it or near it.

The MANOR of SNAVEWICK claims over a small part of this parish, but the greatest part of it is within the MANOR of HONICHILD, which is situated at the south-east boundaries of it. This manor was, soon after the conquest, part of the possessions of the family of Montsort, in which it remained till the voluntary exile of Robert de Montsort in king Henry I's reign, when it came, with the rest of his possessions, into the king's hands, whence it was afterwards granted to Robert de Ver, constable of England, whose descendant Henry de Ver in king Henry III.'s reign, passed it away to Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent and chief justice of England, who settled it on the hospital of St. Mary, in Dover, afterwards called the Maison Dieu, then sounded by him, to hold in free and perpetual alms, which gift was confirmed by the king in his 31st year. After which it continued part of the possessions of the hospital till the reign of king Henry VIII. when, on the suppression of it, this manor came into the hands of the crown, where it remained till the 5th year of queen Elizabeth, who granted it to Cuthbert Vaughan, esq. and Elizabeth his wife, in special tail, with remainder to her heirs. On their decease s. p. this manor, with that of Eastbridge adjoining, came to her two children by William Twysden, of Chelmington, her first husband, viz. Roger Twysden, esq. and Margaret his sister, the former of whom, on their deaths, became possessed of it, whose descendant Sir William Twysden, bart. of Roydon-hall, alienated it to Sir William Sidley, bart. of Aylesford, in which name and family it continued down to Sir Charles Sedley, bart. of Nuthall, in Nottingham shire, who some years ago sold this manor to Mr. Jeremiah Curteis and John Waterman, of Rye, attornies at-law, who soon afterwards conveyed it to Sir Edward Dering, bart and his son of the same name, now of Surrenden, bart. is the present possessor of it. A court baron is held for this manor.

The TITHES of this manor and of Eastbridge, excepting of salt, were given by Robert de Ver, constable of England, and Adeliza his wife, daughter of Hugh de Montfort, in king Henry II.'s reign, to the priory of Horton; and on a process between the priory and the rectors of this parish and of Eastbridge, anno 1318, before the archbishop's commissary, John de Wodnesberge, rector of this parish of Hope, acknowledged that the right of taking two parts of the great tithes arising from the demesne lands of the manors of Honychild and Estbrigge, lying in Romney Marsh, within the parishes of Hope and Estbrigge, belonged to the prior; and sentence was accordingly pronounced in his favour, (fn. 1) but the tithes of the demesne lands of the manor of Honichild now belong to the rector of Hope.

The MANOR of CRAUTHORN, in this parish, most probably took its name from the early possessors of it, who bore for their arms, Azure, on a chief, dancette, or, a label of five points, gules. One of them, Robert de Crauthorne, appears by the register of the priory of Christ Church, to have given lands to it; and Thomas Crauthorne, esq. who lived about the time of king Edward I. was a principal benefactor towards the re-edisying of the priory of the Carmelites, or White Friars, in Sandwich, and was buried in St. Peter's church there, but his tomb, with his effigies on it, was defaced in king Henry VIII,'s reign. After this name was extinct here, the family of Cheney became possessed of this manor, and Sir John Cheney, who was sheriff anno 33 Henry VI. died possessed of it in the 7th year of king Edward IV. in whose descendants it continued down to Sir Thomas Cheney, of Shurland, who alienated it anno 1 Edward VI. to Sir Walter Hendley, sergeant-at-law, who left three daughters his coheirs, of whom Elizabeth, the eldest, on the division of their inheritance, became possessed of this manor. She was twice married, first to William Waller, esq. of Groombridge, and secondly to George Fane, esq. of Badsell, but surviving them both, she again became possessed of it in her own right, and levying a fine, she passed it away by sale, about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, to Thomas, lord Burgh, or Borough, as he was usually called, of Sterborough, a person of no small eminence, being K.G. and lord deputy of Ireland; but having expended great sums in the queen's service, he was necessitated to alienate this, with his other estates in this county. He passed away this manor to John Tooke, esq. of Bere, in Westcliffe, whose descendant Charles Tooke, esq. of that place, sold his interest in it to his nephew Mr. Edward Choute, of Bethersden, whose grandson Sir George Choute, bart. of that place, in 1721, gave this manor by his will to Edw. Austen, esq. of Tenterden, afterwards baronet, and of Boxley abbey, who dying s.p. in 1760, devised this manor, among the rest of his estates, to his wife's cousin Mr. John Amherst, in tail general, with divers remainders over; accordingly on lady Austen's death, about the year 1776, he succeeded to it, and a few years afterwards passed away his interest in it to Mr. William Dunning, gent. but dying in 1797, s.p. this estate came to John Amherst, esq. and the two sons of Mr. James Allen, the respective devisees in remainder in the above will, and they are the present possessors of it.

There WAS FORMERLY A MANOR in this parish, called Dudmanswike, alias Newbarne lees, which was in the possession of the Cheneys, for I find Sir John Cheney died possessed of it anno 7 Edward IV. It asterwards came into the hands of the crown, and was afterwards granted to Anthony St. Leger, from which name it passed into that of Warner, and thence again to Honywood.

There are no parochial charities. The poor yearly relieved are not more than three.

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

The church, which is dedicated to All Saints, has been for many years ruinated. By the remains, the whole of it seems to have been of high antiquity. It consisted of one isle and a chancel. Part of it is built with large boulder-stones, and the rest with sand and quarry-stone mixed. In the wall between the isle and chancel, there is a fine circular arch with zig-zag ornaments, which is filled up, and a more modern small gothic arch built underneath it. The eastern window is entire, being a pointed arch, as in the west door. The windows on each side are extremely small, and circular at top, like those in Canterbury castle. On the south side of the isle is a door-way, consisting of a beautiful circular arch, highly ornamented, having a small gothic one placed underneath in later times. The whole of it is well worth the observation of the curious antiquary. A sketch of the ruins of it is given here.

It is a rectory, in the patronage of the crown. It is valued in the king's books at 10l. 1s. 0½d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. os. 1¼d. In 1588 it was valued at sixty pounds, communicants nineteen. In 1640 at eighty pounds, with the like number of communicants.

John Stafford, vicar of this parish, and of New Romney, at the latter end of queen Elizabeth's reign, having certisied the slender value of these benesices, this of Hope amounting to no more than 10l. 12s. per annum, he had the archbishop's mandate in 1589, for the consolidating of these churches during his life, which was confirmed by the crown; at which time the parsonage-house of this rectory was in a ruinated state, and there were only four dwelling-houses in the parish.

In the petition of the clergy, beneficed in Romney Marsh, in 1635, for setting aside the custom of twopence an acre, in lieu of tithe wool and pasturage, a full account of which has been given before, under Burmarsh, an acquittance was proved to have been given in the year 1616, by Mr. Sandford, then rector, mentioning his having received two-pence an acre in satisfaction of those tithes, according to the custom.

There is a modus of one shilling per acre on all grass lands in this parish.

Church of Hope.