Brenchley is a village in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Brenchley and Matfield, in the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...
,
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, England.
All Saints Church
All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to:
Albania
* All Saints' Church, Himarë
Australia
* All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
* All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane, Queensland
*All ...
is located in the village, and is a Grade I listed building.
History
The name is historically derived from Branca's Leigh. The village is located east of
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sand ...
, and south of
Paddock Wood
Paddock Wood is a town and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England, about southwest of Maidstone. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 8,263, falling marginally to 8,253 at the 2011 Census. Paddock Wood is a centre ...
, and includes the neighbouring village of
Matfield. Brenchley & Matfield
CoE primary school is located in Brenchley.
The village earns some historical fame by being one of the villages that was closely involved in
post medieval
Post-medieval archaeology is a term used in Europe to describe the study of the material past over the last 500 years. The field is also referred to as historical archaeology, a term originating in North America, and common in countries impacted ...
iron making
Ferrous metallurgy is the metallurgy of iron and its alloys. The earliest surviving prehistoric iron artifacts, from the 4th millennium BC in Egypt, were made from meteoritic iron-nickel. It is not known when or where the smelting of iron from ...
. The
site
Site most often refers to:
* Archaeological site
* Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area
* Construction site
* Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere
* Website, a set of related web pages, typical ...
of the furnace lies within the parish of
Horsmonden
Horsmonden ( ) is a village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The village is located in the Weald of Kent. It is situated on a road leading from Maidstone to Lamberhurst, three miles north of the latter place. The nearest railw ...
now.
A Market formerly held in the churchyard at Brenchley was granted in 1230 to Hamo de Crevecoeur, to be held on his own land, and the day moved from Sunday to Wednesday. In 1233 this was readjusted to Saturday. By 1296 it belonged to
Gilbert de Clare, who in 1312 claimed that his ancestors had held it 'from time out of mind'.
Notable people
*George (b. 1600) and John Lewis (b. 1606), early colonists of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
arriving aboard the ''Hercules'' of
Sandwich, England
Sandwich is a town and civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, south-east England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour and has a population of 4,985. Sandwich was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval build ...
in 1634/
http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/hercules.htm]
*
John Browne (King's Gunfounder), John Browne, (d1651), the second holder of the office of King's Gunfounder.
*
Hamo de Crevecoeur
Hamo de Crevequer (died 1263) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Gerinun de Holeburn was in 1263 one of a jury of twelve assembled lawfully to conclude upon an ‘inquisition into how much land ...
(d 1263), Norman nobleman who possessed Brenchley and established a market.
*
Gordon Giltrap
Gordon Giltrap, MBE (born 6 April 1948) is an English guitarist and composer. His music crosses several genres. He has been described as "one of the most revered guitarists of his generation", and has drawn praise from fellow musicians including ...
(b 1948), musician, was born in Brenchley.
*
Edward Martin (1814–69), English cricketer who was born in Brenchley.
*
Richard Philpott (1813–88), English cricketer who resided in Brenchley at the time of his death.
*
Sophie Rhys-Jones
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones; 20 January 1965) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest sibling of King Charles III.
Sophie grew up in Brenchley, ...
(b 1965), wife of
Prince Edward, lived in Brenchley.
*
Thomas Thornycroft
Thomas Thornycroft (19 May 1815 – 30 August 1885) was an English sculptor and engineer.
Biography
Thornycroft was born at Great Tidnock, near Gawsworth, Cheshire, the eldest son of John Thornycroft, a farmer. He was educated at Congleton ...
(1815–85), sculptor, lived in Brenchley at the time of his death.
*
Wat Tyler
Wat Tyler (1341 or – 15 June 1381) was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in Kingdom of England, England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to City of London, London to oppose the collection of a Tax per head, poll tax and to dem ...
(1341–1381), leader of the
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...
, is reputed to have been born in Brenchley.
*
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World ...
.
*
Dr. Samuel Cox Hooker. (1864-1935) was a chemist whose chief hobby was conjuring.
See also
*
Marle Place - local open Garden with a Victorian gazebo, Edwardian rockery, walled Italianate scented garden, modern mosaic terrace, grass tennis court and artist's studio and gallery.
References
Sources
*
External links
Information about Brenchley on VillageNetAn Introduction to Historic Kent
{{authority control
Villages in Kent