Parishes: Halden

HALDEN,

USUALLY called High Halden, to distinguish it from the manor of Halden, in Rolvenden, of eminent account, and in antient records written Hathewolden, lies the next parish north-eastward from Tenterden. So much of it as is in the borough of Omenden, is in the hundred of Barkley, and the residue in this hundred of Blackborne. The court of the bailiwic of the Seven Hundreds claims over part of this parish, and the manor of Lambyn, alias Halden, over other parts of it.

THE PARISH of Halden is situated very obscurely, in as unpleasant a part as any within this county; it is about three miles long and two broad, and has about one hundred houses in it. It is so little frequented as hardly to be known beyond its own neighbourhood. The village is nearly in the centre of the parish, with the church and parsonage close to it on the east side. The soil is a deep stiff clay. The turnpike road from Tenterden to Bethersden and Ashford, leads through it, which, as well as the rest of the roads throughout it, are hardly passable after any rain, being so miry, that the traveller's horse frequently plunges through them up to the girths of the saddle; and the waggons sinking so deep in the ruts, as to slide along on the nave of the wheels and axle of them. The roads are all of great breadth, from fifty to sixty feet and more, with a breadth of green swerd on each side; the hedges being filled with oak trees, whose branches hang over to a considerable extent, and render the surface near them damp, and the prospect always gloomy. In some few of the principal roads, as from Tenterden hither, there is a stone causeway about three feet wide, for the accommodation of horse and foot passengers; but there is none further on till near Betheriden, to the great distress of travellers. When these roads become tolerably dry in summer, they are ploughed up and laid in a half circle to dry, the only amendment they ever have. In extreme dry weather in summer, they become exceedingly hard, and by traffic so smooth as to seem glazed, like a potter's vessel, though a single hour's rain renders them so slippery, as to be very dangerous to travellers. The country here is low, flat and dreary, and very wet and miry, as is this whole hundred and the country northward of it, as far as the quarry hills; the farm-houses and cottages are thinly scattered about, and meanly built of timber and plaister. There is a great deal of oak coppice wood interspersed throughout the parish, having many fine large trees of the same kind in them.

At the west end of the village is a house, called Halden-place, now belonging to Mr. James Blackmore, of Tenterden. Brickhill house, in this parish, was for many years the seat of the Pauls, who bore for their arms, Argent, two bars, azure, a canton, sable, several of whom lie buried in this church-yard; the last of them, Mr. Anthony Paul, died in 1758, without male issue, and his eldest daughter and coheir Judith carried it in marriage to Mr. Henry Bagnall, rector of Frittenden, on whose death in 1761, it became vested in his two daughters and coheirs; one of them married Mr. H. Frend, rector of Frittenden, and the other Mr. Bowles, of Linton, and they are now entitled to it. Cranton-house, in the north west part of it, now belongs to Mr. James Hassenden, gent. of Tenterden, and there were formerly more gentlemen's seats in this parish, all which are fallen to decay, and there is not one now residing in it.

There is a large moat north-westward from the church, which seems very antient; but there has never been any bricks, or any other marks of a building having been here. The land of it was purchased of the late Mr. James Hassenden, by the Rev. Mr. Hodson, of Sandhurst.

Edward Jordan, a learned physician, was born here, and died in 1632. (fn. 1)

THERE ARE several subordinate Manors within this parish, but there are no courts held for any of them. One of them is TIFFENDEN, formerly written Tepindene, situated in the southern part of this parish, and was antiently of such note as to be recorded in Domesday, which very few estates in these parts of the Weald were. It was then part of the possessions of Hugo de Montfort, under the general title of whose lands it is thus entered in it:

In Blacheburne hundred, Hugo de Montfort himself holds half a yoke in Tepindene, which Norman held of king Edward, and it was taxed at half a yoke. There are two villeins, with half a carucate. It was always worth, and is worth one hundred pence.

Hugo de Montford, before-mentioned, was the son of Thurstan de Bastenberg, a Norman, who accompanying the Conqueror, was with him at the satal battle of Hastings, and for his services was rewarded with many lordships in different counties, and among them with this of Tepindene. Robert his grandson, in the 12th year of the reign of William Rufus, favouring the title of Robert Curthose, in opposition to king Henry I. to avoid being called in question, he obtained leave to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, leaving his possessions to the king; by which means this manor came into the hands of the crown. How it passed from thence afterwards, I cannot find; but in much later times it came into the possession of the family of Austen, of Tenterden, in which it remained till Sir Sheffield Austen, bart. about forty years ago, alienated it, together with a farm in Woodchurch, and a considerable quantity of woodland, to Sir Windham Knatchbull, bart. of Mersham, whose uncle and heir Sir Edward Knatchbull, bart. of that place, afterwards, as such, became possessed of it, and his son of the same name is the present owner of it.

The scite where the antient mansion stood, is still visible, with a large moat round it, but there has been no house on it for a great length of time.

THE OLD HOUSE, formerly called HALDENHOUSE, is situated at a small distance northward from the church, which, though it was the habitation of the Scots, of Halden, yet seems to have been the property of the Maneys, one of whom, Sir Anthony Maney, of Linton, appears to have demised to John Scot, of this place, his capital house, with the park and lands belonging to it, in this parish and Bethersden, for a term of years, with a covenant of renewal for a further length of time, at forty marcs per ann. John Scot before-mentioned, died possessed of this seat in the 21st year of king Henry VI. His grandson Henry Scot, of Halden, died here in 1512, and was buried in the church porch, bearing for his arms, Argent, a cross-plate, sitchee, sable. He left two sons, of whom Henry, the eldest, succeeded him at Halden; and Thomas, the second son, marrying the daughter and heir of Conghurst, of Hawkhurst, inherited that seat, where his posterity remained many years. Henry Scot, the eldest son, from whom descended those of Hayes and Beckenham, resided here in the reign of king James I. and in his descendants it continued till Raynold Scot sold this seat, soon after the death of king Charles I. to Sir Edward Hales, knight and bart. whose descendant Sir Edward Hales, bart. sold it to John Jorden, and he alienated it in 1673, to Mr. Thomas Marshall; several of which name lie buried in this church. At length Mr. John Marshall, gent. of Tenterden, having mortgaged it to the Rev. Ralph Drake Brockman, he took possession of it. They died in 1781, within a few days of each other; but letters having passed between them, which were considered in law, as binding upon the heirs of the former and the executors of the latter; the equity of redemption and see of this estate was conveyed, in 1782, by Thomas and William, the sons and coheirs of John Marshall, before-mentioned, to Mr. Brockman's executors, and his son, James Drake Brockman, esq. of Beechborough, is the present owner of it.

HALES-PLACE is an antient well-timbered mansion, situated about a mile eastward from the church, and is eminent for having been the original seat of the family of Hales, in this county. Nicholas Hales was resident here in the reign of Edward III. as were his descendants till about the reign of Henry VI. when they removed to the adjoining parish of Tenterden. After which it seems to have continued in this family till it was at length sold to Waterman, in whose de scendants it remained down to Mr. Richard Waterman, who lately resided in it.

Charities.

A FIELD OF THREE ACRES, called the Poons field, in this parish, of the annual produce of 2l. 6s. has been applied for the use of the poor from time immemorial.

A PIECE OF LAND at APLEDORE, the rent of which was regularly received and applied to the use of the poor till 1725, since which the rent has been neither received nor acknowledged, but is of the annual produce of 2s. 6d.

ONE MR TILDEN founded A CHARITY SCHOOL here. The land with which it is endowed lies in Biddenden, of the value of 20l. per annum, and is vested in ten trustees. There are about fifty scholars, of whom about fifteen are boarders, who are taught reading and writing. The poor children of the parish are taught gratis.

The poor constantly relieved are about fifteen, casually thirty.

HALDEN is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Charing.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, consists of two isles and three chancels. The steeple is at the west end, the bottom of which is in form, five parts of an octagon, which part of it is built of upright timber planks, set close to each other; the upper part is shingled, with a pointed top, it was built in king Henry the VIth.'s reign. There are five bells in it.

It is a rectory, and is part of the antient possessions of the see of Canterbury, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it. It is valued in the king's books at 19l. 4s. 7d. the yearly tenths being 1l. 18s. 5½d.

In 1578 here were communicants two hundred and twenty-six. In 1640 it was valued at eighty pounds per annum. Communicants eighty. It is now in most years of the yearly value of 160l. and in some 200l. There are five acres of glebe land.

Church of Halden.