Parishes: All Hallows

ALHALLOWS.

EASTWARD from St. Mary's lies the parish of Allhallows, so called from the church of it being dedicated to All Saints, vulgarly called Alhallows.

THE PARISH of Alhallows lies both low and unhealthy, having the marshes both on the north and east sides of it, the boundary of the former being the river Thames, and of the latter the water, called the North Inlet, which separates it from the isle of Grain; the soil of it is the same as St. Mary's, last described, but lying lower is more fertile land. The village, with the church in it, stands about a quarter of a mile from the marshes, at the north-east point of the upland, having no thoroughfare through it, excepting towards the marshes, and is altogether a most unfrequented and dreary situation.

The PARAMOUNT MANOR of Hoo claims over this parish, subordinate to which is the MANOR of WINDHILL, which in the time of king Edward I. was part of the possessions of the abbot and convent of Reading, (fn. 1) with whom it remained till its dissolution, in the reign of king Henry VIII. when it was surrendered into the king's hands; (fn. 2) who, in his 32d year, granted it in exchange, to Sir Thomas Wyatt, of Allington, to hold in capite, by the service of the tenth part of one knight's fee; but he, in the 34th year of that reign, conveyed it back again to the king. (fn. 3)

The manor of Windhill remained in the crown till king James I. in the beginning of his reign, granted it to the city of London, whence it was soon afterwards conveyed by sale, by the trustees of that corporation, to Sir William Garway of London, who died possessed of it in 1625, and left by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Anderson, seventeen children; of whom Henry, the second, succeeded him in this manor, and was afterwards knighted, and lord mayor in 1640; one of his descendants alienated it, in the reign of king Charles II. to Richard Head, of Rochester, from whom it descended down to Sir Francis Head, bart. of the Hermitage, in Higham, who died possessed of it in 1768. Since which it has descended down in like manner as that seat and his other estates in this neighbourhood, to his heirs, viz. one fourth of it to the daughter of Francis Roper Head, esq. another fourth to James Roper Head, esq. and the remaining moiety to Mrs. Elizabeth Campbell Lill, who are now entitled to the see of it. There is a court baron held for this manor.

ALHALLOWS HOUSE, is an estate here, the house of which is situated adjoining to the church yard, and was formerly a seat of good account, being antiently called Alhallows place, and the Place house. It was once the estate of the eminent family of Pimpe, of Pimpe's-court, in East Farleigh; one of whom, Sir Philip de Pimpe, was one of those proprietors of estates, within this hundred, who in the 11th year of king Edward III. were assessed to furnish out twelve men at arms, and six hobelers, for the defence of the seacoast at Yenlade in Hoo; of which number Sir William de Pimpe was to find two men at arms. His descendant, Thomas Pimpe, senior, died in the 14th year of king Edward IV. and was buried in Alhallows church. He left, as now appears by his will, in the register's office in this diocese, two sons, William and John, and three daughters; one of whom, Margery, was prioress of Malling. Soon after which this estate passed by purchase to the family of Copinger, (fn. 4) of whom Sir William, son of Sir Walter Copinger, of Buxall, in Suffolk, was lord mayor in 1512, in which year he died. They bore for their arms, Or, three bendless gules, surmounted of a fess azure, charged with three plates. His descendant, Ralph Copinger, esq. left two daughters his coheirs; of whom the eldest, Elizabeth, married Sir Harbottle Grimston, eldest son of Edward Grimston, of Bradfield, in Essex, who in her right became possessed of this estate, and was afterwards created a baronet. His second, but eldest surviving son, Sir Harbottle Grimston, bart. succeeded him in this estate, and after the death of king Charles I. was strenuous in his endeavours to promote the Restoration; of which, as well as of his merits, king Charles II. at his return, had a just sense. He was a man of much note, having been elected speaker of the house of commons at the time of the Restoration, and was afterwards made privy counsellor, and master of the Rolls. (fn. 5) He died in 1683, and was succeeded in title and estates by Sir Samuel Grimstone, bart. his only surviving son, by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Sir George Cooke, justice of the common pleas, he alienated this estate soon after his coming to the possession of it; which, at length, after some intermediate owners, was sold in 1713, to Mr. Samuel Fasham, of Deal, from whom it descended to his grand children, Samuel and Edward Roby, of Deal, and Mr. Bethel Dawes, their brother in law; Mr. Edward Roby died in 1775, Mr. Dawes in 1776, and Mr. Samuel Roby in 1777. Mr. Dawes devised his interest in this estate to Mr. Charles Ferne Sawkins for life, remainder to Mr. Sam. and Edward Roby aforesaid; the latter of whom dying before the testator, the see of the reversion of Mr. Dawes's third part, after Mr. Sawkins's death, is become vested, one part in the testators heirs at law, and the other in the children of Mr. Samuel Roby, who died in 1777; the other two thirds of this estate now belong to the children of Mr. Samuel and Mr. Edw. Roby, of Deal, brothers, both deceased, aforesaid.

There is mention in the court rolls of Hoo manor, of the manor of Newhall in this parish.

CHARITIES.

THE CHURCH WARDENS of Alhallows pay a see farm to the crown, for a tenement near the Stocks in Hoo.

ALHALLOWS is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese and deanry of Rochester. The church is dedicated to All Saints, commonly called Alhallows.

In the church are the following monuments and inscriptions: In the chancel, a brass for Stephen Cheraton, vicar, obt. 1518. In the north chancel, one for Wm. son of Henry Copinger, obt. 1594, leaving Martha his wife, great with his only child, William Posthumous. His monument was fixed against the north wall, but the chancel becoming ruinous, and the communication to it from the church being stopped up, the monument was destroyed, but the plate, with the inscription, was put up again within the church, as near as could be, in a like position, against the wall; on the monument was a shield, with three bendlets surmounted, of a fess charged with three rundles, within a bordure. On the south wall, a monument, almost defaced, the arms of Copinger, with twelve quarterings, for Tho. Copinger, of Buxall, eldest son of Henry Copinger, esq. and Agnes, daughter of Sir Thomas Germin, put up by William Copinger, esq. his son and heir, by Francis, the only offspring of William Brooke lord Cobham, by Dorothy, daughter of Geo. Neville, lord Abergavenny, in 1587.

This church was antiently esteemed but as a chapel to the church of St. Warburgh of Hoo, as has been before fully recited.

Laurence, bishop of Rochester, in 1252, appropriated the church of St. Warburgh of Hoo, with this chapel of All Saints, to the prior and convent of Rochester, to the use of their almonry, they being the real patrons of it, provided that this church was served by a proper vicar, to be presented to him and his successors, by them and their successors, who should in no wise neglect the cure of souls in it. (fn. 6)

The vicarage of this church had no endowment for many years afterwards; but in 1327, a dispute having arisen between the prior and chapter of Rochester, to whom it was appropriated, and Sir William de Oxford, concerning certain profits and incumbrances belonging to it, they mutually submitted the merits of it to Hamo, bishop of Rochester, their diocesan, who decreed, that all the tithes of sheaves, as well of lands dug with the foot as those cultivated by the plough, as also of wool and hay, whencesoever arising in the parish of this church, should in future belong to the religious, to whom the church was appropriated; and that they should receive the tithes, as above men tioned, for their portion, and that the burthen of procuration to the archdeacon of Rochester, as well as the providing ornaments, vestments, and books, which did not belong to the parishioners to provide, and the amending them, so that it did not exceed the sum of two shillings in any one year, and the building and repairing the chancel of the church, should belong to the religious, who should in future undergo the said burthens; and he decreed, that the tithes of lambs, calves, pigs, geese, pidgeons, mills, fisheries, rushes, herbage, cheese, milk, flax, hemp, and all other small tithes, oblations, and obventions to this church, in any way belonging, or arising, and not above assigned to the religious, and the burthen of repairing and maintaining the buildings and mansion of the vicarage wholly, and of the books, vestments, and ornaments aforesaid, the repairing and maintaining of which books, vestments, and ornaments, so that it did not exceed two shillings in any one year, belonged to the religious to provide; and also the burthen of providing bread and wine, of processional tapers, and other lights belonging to the church, and the rest of the necessaries for divine worship, which did not belong to the parishioners to provide, and were not above specifically noted, should in future belong to the vicar and his successors, and that Sir William, vicar as aforesaid, and his successors in this church, should in future take the said tithes, oblations, and obventions, with which being content, he and they should undergo and acknowledge the before mentioned burthens; but all other burthens, as well ordinary as extraordinary, not specified above, if any should happen, he decreed, should belong to the religious, &c.

In the 31st year of king Edward I. Henry de Grey and Hugh Poinz claimed the presentation to the vicarage of this church, then vacant, against the prior of Rochester, but in consideration of the prior's giving them one hundred shillings, they released all the right and title they had in it, to him and his successors for ever; and on an assize then had, the jurors found, that the advowson was the prior's right, and that he and his convent had possessed it to their own proper use for forty years and upwards. On the dissolution of the priory of Rochester, this church and advowson were, together with the rest of the possessions of it, surrendered in the 32d year of king Henry VIII. into the king's hands, who the next year settled them by his dotation charter on his new erected dean and chapter of Rochester, where they now remain.

The vicarage of this church is a discharged living in the king's books, of the clear yearly certified value of 30l. the yearly tenths being 16s. 9½d.

In the survey of the ecclesiastical livings in this diocese, taken in 1650, it was returned, that here was a parsonage, parcel of the possessions of the late dean and chapter; that the scite of the house, yards, barns, &c. contained eleven acres, and were then let at eight pounds yearly, improved rent. The whole was let by Walter Balcanqual, dean, and the chapter of Rochester, anno 10 Charles I. for twenty-one years, to Francis Butler, at the yearly rent of 10l. 13s. 4d. but was worth, over and above that rent, 67l. 6s. 8d. the lessee being bound to maintain the chancel in good repair. That the tenants of it then were, John and Christopher Whyting, and George Elcock, of Croydon; that the vicarage was worth thirty-eight pounds per annum, the incumbent being Mr. Hugh Whyting. (fn. 7)

CHURCH OF ALHALLOWS.