Parishes: Ringwold

RINGWOLD,

OR as it is now usually called, Ring jole, lies the next parish to Walmer, southward; being written in antient records, Ridlingweald. It has been, as well as the ville or hamlet of Kingsdown, within the bounds of it, long since esteemed part of the cinque ports, and a member of the port of Dover; to which it was again united and confirmed by king Henry VI. and continues so at this time.

THIS PARISH is situated on high ground, adjoining the northern hills of this part of East Kent, in a country of uninclosed common fields of corn; the soil is mostly chalky, but much of it is fertile land. The high road from Deal to Dover goes through the village, in which the church and parsonage-house is situated. The parish is both healthy and pleasant, with beautiful prospects over the Downs and neighbouring country.—About half a mile eastward from the village of Ringwold, within the bounds of this parish, is the ville and hamlet of Kingsdown, which adjoins to the sea-shore, and appears to have been, in early times, a place of some account, by its being mentioned by name with Ringwold, in the charters of the cinque ports. It is now a small fishing village, where on the side next to Walmer, the poor fishermen by a capstan wind up on shore their boats, commonly called Kingsdown boats. In the valley between the two downs or hill sides near this, there are the remains of an antient camp. Darell says, this place was formerly called Roman Codde, and vulgarly Romny Coddy, which he interprets Romanorum fortitudo, the fortitude of the Romans. There is no fair.

THE MANOR OF RINGWOLD, in the time of the Conqueror, was in the possession of Fulbert de Dover, as part of his barony of Chilham, in whose descendants, (fn. 1) and in the Strabolgies, earls of Athol, this manor continued in like manner as Chilham, till it was forfeited by one of them to the crown, where it staid till king Edward II. in his 5th year, granted it to Bartholomew de Badlesmere, who in the 9th year of it ob. tained the grant for a market weekly, on a Tuesday, at his manor of Ridelingwold, and a fair there, on the eve, day, and morrow after the festival of St. Nicholas, and free-warren likewise within all his demesne lands within it. His son Giles de Badlesmere died s. p. in the 12th year of king Edward III. leaving his four sisters his coheirs, and Elizabeth his wife, daughter of William Montacute, earl of Salisbury, surviving, who became entitled to it for her life; she afterwards married Hugh de Despencer, who in her right became possessed of it; she survived him likewise, and died anno 33 king Edward III. possessed of this manor, held of the king in capite, by the service of finding a man armed to the guard of the sea-coast, whenever the same should be necessary, for all service.

Upon her death, this manor, on the further partition of the inheritance of the sisters of Giles de Badlesmere, was allotted to Maud the eldest, wife of John de Vere, earl of Oxford, who in her right became possessed of it, and died the next year, holding this manor in capiteas of the castle of Dover. His grandson Robert, earl of Oxford, was by king Richard II. created Marquis, and Duke of Ireland; but he was afterwards banished the realm, and all his possessions, excepting his entailed lands, confiscated, which latter only were to remain to his right heirs. (fn. 2) On the confiscation of the duke of Ireland's unentailed estates, this manor afterwards came by grant to Sir Robert Belknap, chief justice of the common pleas, who was likewise attainted and banished into Ireland in the 11th year of that reign.

In the 2d year of king Henry V. on the petition of Sir Hamon Belknap, his son, the parliament enabled him in blood and land to his father, notwithstanding the judgment made against him, and he was reinstated in this manor. His three sons, John, William, and Henry, each successively inherited this manor; the latter left one son Edward, and four daughters; the former resided at Weston, in Warwickshire, and in the beginning of king Henry the VIIIth's reign was knighted. He died in the 12th year of it, anno 1520, s. p. on which his four sisters became his coheirs, and on the partition of their inheritance, Anne, the youngest, entitled her husband, Sir Robert Wotton, to the possession of this manor, (fn. 3) whose descendant Edward, lord Wotton, conveyed it not long after that to Sir Thomas Edolph, of St. Radigund's, who, in the 13th year of that reign, had a confirmation of the grant of freewarren within his demesne lands of this manor. His grandson Thomas Edolph, esq. alienated this manor to Francis Nicholson, esq. and he, in 1702, passed it away to Edward Holnis, gent. of Bramling-court, who by his first wife had three daughters; Mary, married to John Philips, a dissenting minister; Thomasine, first to Enoch Kingsford, and secondly to John Hugessen; and Bridget, to Zachary Kingsford, and they, by his will, became entitled to this manor in equal shares. At length William Kingsford, esq. of Tunford, the grandson of Zachary above-mentioned, becoming possessed of the whole of this manor, sold it in 1762, together with all his lands whatsoever in this parish, to Mr. Tho. Peck, surgeon, of Deal, who died in 1790, leaving two daughters his coheirs, who marrying two brothers, James Methurst Poynter, and Ambrose Lyon Poynter, esqrs. they are now become, in right of their wives, the present possessors of this manor. A court baron is held for it.

RINGWOLD is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sandwich.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Nicholas, is a handsome building, having a tower steeple at the west end, in which hang five bells. In the chancel is a mural monument for Richard Dauling, clerk, patron and rector. He died in 1679; arms, On a fess, three acorns. Another for Richard Monins Eaton, clerk, patron and rector, eldest son of Richard Monins, clerk, by Mary his wife, sister of John Daulinge, esq. late patron, obt. 1770; arms, Gules, three crescents, or. In the north isle, an antient grave-stone, coffin-shaped, on which is a cross patonce, on a griece of three steps. Two gravestones for the Edolphs and Gookens; arms on the former, A lozenge, ermine, on a bend, three cinquefoils, impaling the same arms. On the latter; arms, A chevron. ermine, between three cocks, impaling ermine, on a bend, three cinquefoils. In the nave several memorials for the Jekens's, of Oxney. Brass plates for Elizabeth, wife of Robert Gaunt, obt. 1580; for Willia Avere, alys and anne his Wysis; he died anno 1405; and for John Upton, obt. 1530. The steeple is built of flints, with the corners and arches over the windows of red brick, and a date, in figures of iron, 1628. In the churchyard is a remarkable fine yew tree, which measures upwards of twenty feet round.

The church of Ringwold was antiently appendant to the manor, and as such the advowson of it passed through the same several changes of ownership, down to Edward, lord Wotton, who alienated it to Sir William Sidley, of Aylesford, afterwards created a baronet, in whose descendants it continued till it was at length sold in Charles II.'s reign to the family of Dauling; one of whom, Richard Dauling, gent. of London, presented to it in 1679; at length by Mary, daughter of John Dauling, clerk, it passed in marriage to Richard Monins, clerk, prebendary of Bristol, master of the king's school in Canterbury, and rector of Ringwold, who died possessed of it in 1750, on which it came to his eldest surviving son of the same name, who afterwards took the name of Eaton, and was rector of this parish. He died unmarried in 1770, and his younger brother John Monins, esq. now of Canterbury, succeeded to this advowson, of which he is at this time proprietor.

The rectory of Ringwold is valued in the king's books at 13l 12s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 7s. 3d. In 1578 here were sixty communicants, In 1640, one hundred and seventy communicants, and it was valued at seventy-six pounds. It is now of the reputed clear value of 250l. There are nine acres of glebe land belonging to it.

Church of Ringwold.