Parishes: Linsted

LINSTED.

THE next parish southward from Tenham is Linsted, which lies adjoining the high London road, at the 43d mile-stone at Green-street, the south side of which is within the bounds of it, hence the ground rises towards the south to the village, which, with the church, is situated near the centre of it. It is a situation more pleasant than it is healthy, especially in the lower part of it. The lands below the village are very fertile, much like those of Tenham described before, having several hop-grounds of a kindly growth, interspersed throughout them; but southward of the village, the land lying still higher, approaches the chalk and becomes stony and much less fertile, till it joins Doddington, its southern boundary, not far from which is Linsted-lodge, a fine old mansion of the time of king James I. situated not very pleasantly, in a low part of the park, which however has been for some years disparked, and most of it let out in farms. On the west side of it is a feat called Dadmans, formerly Dodmannys, so called from a family of that name. It was, in the reign of Henry VII. in the possession of William Apulderfield, of Faversham. The fee of it has for many years belonged to the Ropers, lords Teynham; it is occupied by the hon. Philip Roper, uncle to the present lord Teynham. A little below Dadmans is an estate, called Bumpit, belonging likewife to lord Teynham. On the opposite or north west part of the parish, close to the south side of the high London road, near Radfield, is an estate called Claxfield, which was the residence of the family of Greenstreet, who were possessed of many good estates in this part of the county, for several generations. After which it became the property of Mr. George Smith, whose daughter Jane sold it to John Sawbridge, esq. of Ollantigh, and his son Samuel-Elias Sawbridge, esq. is the present owner of it.

About half a mile from the London road, beyond Green-street, at the north-east corner of the parish, is a house called Nowdes, which was part of the possessions of the family of Greenstreet likewise, in which it continued till Peter Greenstreet, in 1703, alienated it to Mr. John Smith, gent. whose daughter having married Mr. T. Barling, gent. he resided here, and died in 1770, leaving two sons, John Smith, (to whom his grandfather, Mr. John Smith, bequeathed this seat) and Philip, of London, surgeon, and one daughter Dorothy, married to Mr. Edward Dering, of Doddington. John Smith Barling, gent. of Faversham, the son, on his father's death, took possession of this seat, in which he at times resided. He died in 1795, leaving one son and two daughters, (one of whom lately married Mr. Lushington Taylor, of Rodmersham,) and they are now jointly intitled to it.

At Greenstreet, on May 12, there is a fair annually for horses and cattle.

Bartholomew Fowle, alias Linsted, a native of this place, was the last prior of St. Mary Overie, London, being elected to that office anno 1513. He was a learned man, and wrote a book, De Ponte Londini.

About thirty years ago a large chesnut tree was felled in Lodge park, which was sawed off close to the ground: in the centre of it, where the saw crossed, was a cavity, of about two inches diameter, in which was a live toad, which filled the space entirely. The wood of the tree was, to all appearance, perfectly found all round it, without any the smallest aperture whatever. The tree itself was six feet in circumserence.

THE MANOR of the hundred of Tenham claims over this parish, subordinate to which is THE MANOR OF BADMANGORE, with THE MANORS OF LODGE and NEWNHAM united, the former of which, though it IS but little known at present, either as to its name or situation, yet in early times was eminent, by having for its proprietors successively, the Cheneys and Apulderfields, families of no small repute in this county.

Sir Alexander de Cheney, of Patrixborne, the seat of this family, where they had been settled for some generations, was one of those Kentish gentlemen, who attended king Edward I. in his victorious expedition into Scotland, in the 28th year of his reign, and being present at the siege of Carlaverock, in that Kingdom, was knighted by him there, with many other of the gentry of this county. His son William de Cheney died possessed of the manor of Badmangore, in the 8th year of Edward III. having married Margaret, daughter and heir of Sir Robert de Shurland, in whose right he became entitled to the seat of Shurland, with many other estates in this county. His son Sir Robert Cheney, sold it before the 27th year of that reign, to William de Apulderfield, who made it his chief residence, and kept his shrievalty here in the year above-mentioned, and in several years afterwards. He was descended from Henry de Apulderfeld, of Apulderfeld, in Cowdham, (fn. 1) who, with his son Henry, were, with other Kentish gentlemen, with Richard I. at the siege of Acon, in Palestine, where, on account of their bravery, they had granted to them an augmentation to their arms, which they and their descendants continued afterwards to bear, viz. Sable, a cross, or, voided of the field, their original arms being, Ermine, a fess vaire, or, and gules. His great-grandson Sir William de Apulderfield was a man of much note in the reigns of Henry VI. and Edward IV. He left an only daughter Elizabeth, who became his heir to this manor, among the rest of his estates, which she carried in marriage to Sir John Fineux, chief justice of the king's bench in the reigns of king Henry VII. and VIII. He died in the 17th year of the latter reign, anno 1525, (fn. 2) leaving two daughters his coheirs, Jane, married to John Roper, esq. of Eltham, and Mildred, to James Diggs, esq. of Barham.

The origin of the family of Roper has been very fully treated of in the first volume of this history, p. 472, under the description of Eltham, where the eldest branch of it remained till within memory, and the descent of it is there brought down to the abovementioned John Roper, esq.

On the division of their inheritance, this manor, among others, was allotted to John Roper, in right of his wife. He was prothonotary of the king's bench, and attorney-general to Henry VIII. and died in 1524, at his manor of Welhall, in Eltham, to which he had removed from St. Dunstan's, the antient seat of the family. He left two sons, William Roper, esq. clerk of the king's bench, who succeeded him at Eltham, and Christopher, ancestor of the lords Teynham, and six daughters.

Christopher Roper, esq. the second son, succeeded his father in the manor of Badmangore, and its appendages, at the manor-house of which he resided; it stood on the east side of the park, but on the family's removing their residence from it, it was suffered to decay and run to ruin. By Elizabeth his wife, daughter and coheir of Christopher Blore, esq. of Rainham, he had several children, of whom John Roper, esq. the eldest son, succeeded him in this manor. He was Knighted in 1616, anno 14 James I. and on the same day created lord Teynham, baron of Teynham in this county, as a reward for his forward attachment to the king's interest, having been the first man of note who proclaimed the king in this county. He built the present seat of Linsted lodge, and inclosed a park round it, and afterwards made it his residence. He died in 1618, and was buried in the vault which he had made in the south chancel of this church.

His descendants, lords Teynham, continued to reside at Linsted lodge, all of whom lie buried in this church, down to Christopher, lord Teynham, the fifth in succession, who in 1687 was constituted lord-lieutenant and custos rotulorum of this county. He died at Brussels next year, having married Elizabeth, daughter of Francis Brown, viscount Montague, by whom he had several sons and daughters, of the former, John, Christopher and Henry, became all three successively lords Teynham, the latter succeeding to the title and estate on the deaths of his two elder brothers unmarried, and became the eighth lord Teynham. He died in 1716, leaving by his first wife two sons, Philip and Henry, successively lords Teynham, and by his third wife the lady Anne, second daughter and coheir of Thomas Lennard, earl of Suffex, and widow of Richard Barret Lennard, lord Dacre, remarried thirdly to the hon. Robert Moore, he likewise left issue, whose descendant became afterwards, in her right, intitled to the fee barony of Dacre. He was succeeded by his eldest son Philip, lord Teynham, who died unmarried in 1727, upon which the title and estate devolved to his next and only whole brother Henry, lord Teynham, who left by his first wife Catherine, daughter and coheir of Edward Powell, esq. of Sandford, in Oxfordshire, five sons and two daughters, of whom Henry the eldest son, on his death in 1781, succeeded him as lord Teynham, and married first Mary-Wilhelmina, eldest daughter of Sir Francis Head, bart. (whose second daughter and coheir married John his next brother) who died s.p. and secondly Betsy, widow of John Mills, esq. of the island of St. Christopher, and daughter of Mr. Webber, of Somersetshire, by whom he had two sons Henry and John, and two daughters. He died in 1786, and was succeeded by his eldest son Henry, being the present right hon. lord Teynham, and the twelfth lord, in succession from the first grant of the title. He has never resided at the Lodge, which has been for some years occupied by different tenants, and the greatest part of the park converted into farms of arable land. He is at present unmarried, and still continues the proprietor of these estates, with Colyers and Newnham farm, and others in this parish. He bears for his arms, Party per fess, azure, and or, a pale and three roebucks heads erased, counterchanged; for his crest, On a wreath, a lion rampant, sable, holding a ducal coronet between his paws, or; and for his supporters, on the dexter side, a buck, or; on the finister, a tiger reguardant, argent. And he has likewise a right to quarter with those of Roper, the several coats of Apledore, St. Laurence, Tattersal, Apulderfield, the same for service, Twite, Parke, and Hugdon, as appeared by a pedigree in the possession of Edward Roper, esq. of Welhall, in Eltham, attested and collected by John Philipott, Somerset herald in 1629.

SEWARDS, is a manor which had an antient seat in this parish, and in very early times was the residence of a family of that name, in which it continued till about the reign of Henry V. when Richard Seward leaving an only daughter and heir Elizabeth, she carried it in marriage to John Finch, esq. second son of Vincent Herbert, alias Finch, of Netherfield, in Sussex, whose eldest son William Herbert, alias Finch, was ancestor of the Finch's, earls of Winchelsea and Nottingham, and others of that name at different times enabled, all of whom bore the same coat of arms.

John Finch, esq. died possessed of Sewards in 1442, anno 21 Henry VI. and was buried at Sevington. His grandson John Finch, esq. was of Sewards, and left two sons, Herbert, who was of Linsted, from whom descended the Finch's, of Linsted, Norton, Faversham, and Wye, and other younger branches of that name; and Thomas Finch, the second son, who was of Kingsdown, from whom descended those of that parish and of Stalisfield. (fn. 3)

Herbert Finch. the eldest son, became possessed of Sewards on his father's death, and from him it descended to William Finch, esq. who dying without issue male in the reign of queen Elizabeth, his only daughter and heir Catherine carried it in marriage to Sir Drue Drury, gentleman usher of the privy chamber, the fifth son of Sir Robert Drury, of Edgerly, in Buckinghamshire, who bore for his arms, Argent, on a chief vert, a Roman T between two mullets, or, and was descended lineally from John Drury, esq. of that place, son and heir of Drury, one of the Norman nobles, who came in with king William the Conqueror. (fn. 4) He built a large and handsome seat in this parish, opposite to the church, and resided in it. His son Sir Drue Drury, in the beginning of the reign of king Charles I. resided at the seat built by his father as before-mentioned, which he alienated to Mr. James Hugessen, merchant adventurer of Dover, who kept his shrievalty at it in the 17th year of Charles I. He was the son of James Hugessen, of Dover, merchant adventurer, who bore for his arms, Argent, on a mount vert, an oak proper, between two boars erect, sable, armed, or, as did his descendants afterwards. He died in 1646, and was buried in the chapel on the north side of the chancel of this church, which has continued the burial-place of his descendants to this time. He left six sons and one daughter, of whom William the eldest, succeeded him in this seat, and John the second son was a merchant adventurer of Dover, where a branch of this family remained many years afterwards in that line. After the restoration of king Charles II. William Hugessen, the eldest son, having removed his residence to Provender, in the adjoining parish of Norton, where he kept his shrievalty in 1671, in which year he was knighted, this house was pulled down, but the scite of it remained the property of his descendants, down to William Western Hugessen, esq. of Provender, whose two surviving daughters and coheirs, Mary, married to Edward Knatchbull, esq. who has since his father's death succeeded to the title of baronet, and Sarah, to Sir Joseph Banks, bart. since K. B. and privy counsellor, have entitled their respective husbands to the possession of it. There are still the garden walls, and some other such remains of this mansion left.

BUT THE MANOR AND MANSION OF SEWARDS, which is a large building, was alienated by Sir Drue Drury's heirs, about the year 1670, to William Finch, esq. though whether he was a descendant of the former owners of this name I have not found, and he died possessed of it, as appears by the court-rolls of Tenham manor, in 1672, whose heir, in 1677, alienated it to Mr. John George, in which name it continued till by a female heir, Jane George, it went in marriage to Vincent Underdowne, gent. of Dover, who was a distributor of Stamps; but he becoming greatly in arrears on that account, an extent was issued from the exchequer, and this estate continued till about the year 1773, in the hands of government, when all debts being satisfied, which were due to it, it was ordered by a decree of that court to be sold, to satisfy the costs and expences, which had accrued by the proceedings on it, which it was accordingly soon afterwards to Mr. John Smith Barling, gent. of Faversham, who died in 1795, leaving one son and two daughters, who are now entitled to it.

Henry Eve, D.D. vicar of this parish and of Tenham, died in 1685, possessed of a capital house, called Edwards, in Linsted, where he resided; the heirs of whose grandson of the same name, some years afterwards sold it to John Sympson, esq. of Canterbury, whose widow Mrs. Mary Sympson afterwards possessed it, on whose death it came to Mr. Baptist Sympson, whose heir is the present owner of it, but it is now in the state of a mean cottage.

Charities.

JOHN WESTON, of this parish, by his will in 1482, ordered, that his seoffees should make an estate to twelve of the most sufficient men of the parish, in a tenement called Goddys-house, with a garden and land adjoining, in this parish; the profits to be applied by them to find an obit yearly for ever, on the day of his anniversary, and the residue to the repair of the church for ever. And he ordered, that his seoffees should yearly permit the parishioners to occupy one piece of land, in a field called Chirchefielde, to the making a place called a pleying-place, on holy-days, and other six days, for ever, on condition that the parishioners should keep the sence of it, and the profits of the pasture of the piece of land to remain to his house, called Weston tenement, yearly for ever.— This is still called the Playstool; being a meadow of between three and four acres, and is part of the estate of Mr. Baptist Sympson. It is situated opposite the vicarage-house. There is a house belonging to Mr. Tappenden, of London, situated at the end of the vicarage meadow, called the School house. The report of the parish is, that there was once a free school there, which by some means or other the parish has been deprived of.

TEN SHILLINGS, in lieu of corn, is yearly paid to the poor of this parish by the lessee of the parsonage, by covenant in his lease.

THERE were 20s. per annum paid to the poor of this parish, out of a farm called Theobalds, near Erriot-wood. It was paid in 1695, by Mr. Tong, of Sittingborne, as it has been several times since, though it does not appear by whom. This payment has been withheld for some years pall.

LINSTED is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Ospringe.

The church, which stands on the south side of the village, is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. It is a handsome building, and consists of three isles and three chancels. The steeple, which is a spired shaft, covered with shingles, stands at the north west corner of it: in it is a ring of five bells. William Apulderfield, of Faversham, was a benefactor to it by his will anno 1487, in which he directed his wife to repair the buttresses of the wall of the church-yard, on the east side of it, and to new shingle the chapel of our Lady in the church. In the Hugessen chancel are several brass plates and monuments likewise for that family, one of them an elegant one for William-Western Hugessen, esq. obt. 1764, æt. 29, and for his widow, obt. 1774, æt. 39; against the south pillar a tablet and inscription for Rodulph Wecherlin, esq. of Championcourt, obt. 1667; in the vault underneath lies his widow, remarried to Gideon Delaune, esq. obt. 1719; a monument on the north side of the chancel for Catherine, wife of Sir Drue Drury, obt. 1601. In the Teynham chancel are monuments for John Rooper, first lord Teynham, obt. 1618, and for Christopher, lord Teynham, obt. 1622, and no others, or even gravestones for this family. In the high chancel a brass for John Aiscough, esq. justice of peace, temp. Elizabeth, obt. 1601; another for John Worley, gent. of Skuddington, in Tong, obt. 1621, and his wife; in the east window, in a pane of glass of a lozenge form, is the figure of a venerable old man bearded, clad in purple, sitting in a gilt chair, holding a book open on his right hand, from which he looks forward as speaking or exhorting.

The church of Linsted was antiently esteemed as a chapel to the church of Tenham, as appears by the black book of the archdeacon of Canterbury, and was given and appropriated, with that church and its appendages, in 1227, by archbishop Stephen Langton, to that archdeaconry. It has long been independent of the church of Tenham, and still continues appropriated to the archdeacon, who is likewise patron of it.

It is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at 8l. 3s. 11½d. and is of the yearly certified value of 70l. 12s. 4d. the yearly tenths being 16s. 4¼d. In 1640 it was valued at one hundred pounds. Communicants two hundred and thirty-five.

Dr. Samuel Parker, archdeacon of Canterbury, at the instance of archbishop Sancroft, by lease, anno 27 Charles II. reserved the additional pension of ten pounds per annum to the vicar of Linsted and his successors. It pays no procurations to the archdeacon.

Church of Linsted.