Wickhambreaux ( ) is a village and
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 ...
in the
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
district, in the county of
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. The village is just off the
A257 Sandwich Road, four miles east of the city of
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
. Since Roman times the village has had connections to the
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
and the Crown, including being owned by
Joan of Kent
Joan, Countess of Kent suo jure ( – August 1385),Barber, R. (2004, 23 September). Joan, suo jure countess of Kent, and princess of Wales and of Aquitaine alled the Fair Maid of Kent(c. 1328–1385). ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biog ...
in the 14th century. The 13th-century
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
of St Andrew stands around a medieval village green along with other historic buildings.
The village is in the south of its parish, which extends northwards to the River
Great Stour
Great may refer to:
Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
* Artel Great (bo ...
. Other settlements in the parish are
Stodmarsh
Stodmarsh is a small village in the civil parish of Wickhambreaux, in the Canterbury district, in east Kent, England. It is 5 miles to the east of Canterbury, overlooking the valley of the River Stour.
The name Stodmarsh is derived from the S ...
and the hamlet of Grove, on the road to Grove Ferry. A bridge at Grove Ferry, on the parish boundary, crosses the Great Stour, and provides access to
Upstreet
Upstreet is a village in the civil parish of Chislet in Kent, England. It is in the local government district of Canterbury, and the electoral ward of Marshside. It is about 62 miles away from London.
Upstreet is a ribbon development along the ...
in
Chislet
Chislet is an English village and civil parish in northeast Kent between Canterbury and the Isle of Thanet. The parish is the second largest in the district. A former spelling, 'Chistlet', is seen in 1418. The population of the civil parish inc ...
civil parish. The bridge replaced the ferry in 1962 or 1963.
Grove Ferry and Upstreet railway station was on the north bank of the river, and thus outside the parish, until it closed in 1966.
History
Wickhambreaux has a recorded history with connections to the Church and Crown dating back to Roman times.
It is first mentioned in 948 when
King Eadred
Eadred (also Edred, – 23 November 955) was King of the English from 26 May 946 until his death in 955. He was the younger son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent, Eadgifu, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. His elder b ...
granted land to a religious woman, however, Wickhambreaux settlement predates this to at least Roman times as it is on the northwest side of the Roman Road.
Wickhambreaux village still retains its medieval pattern with the Church, manor house, rectory, inn and mill encircling the green.
Wickhambreaux manor was part of the extensive estates owned by
Joan Countess of Kent, wife of
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II of England, Richard II, succession to the Br ...
(buried in nearby Canterbury Cathedral) and mother of King
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...
.
Joan was very much a power behind the throne and was seemingly well-loved for her influence over the young king. It is said that when she returned to London from a pilgrimage to Canterbury in 1381, and found her way barred by Wat Tyler and his rebels on Blackheath, the mob not only let her through unharmed, but saluted her with kisses and provided an escort for her for the rest of her journey.
In the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 the village is referred to as Wicheham. The derivation appears to be Anglo Saxon and is formed from Wich (
Wich town), meaning coastal trading settlement and Ham, meaning homestead or settlement. Although this is surprising today, in
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the territory that became the Roman province of ''Britannia'' after the Roman conquest of Britain, consisting of a large part of the island of Great Britain. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410.
Julius Caes ...
and
Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England or early medieval England covers the period from the end of Roman Empire, Roman imperial rule in Roman Britain, Britain in the 5th century until the Norman Conquest in 1066. Compared to modern England, the territory of the ...
the village was near the mouth of the
Little Stour
The Little Stour is one of the tributary, tributaries of the River Stour, Kent, River Stour in the England, English county of Kent. The upper reaches of the river is known as the Nailbourne, whilst the lower reaches were once known as the Seaton ...
or Lesser Stour, where it entered the
Wantsum Channel
The Wantsum Channel was a strait separating the Isle of Thanet from the north-eastern extremity of the English county of Kent and connecting the English Channel and the Thames Estuary. It was a major shipping route when Britain was part of the R ...
. This explains the fisheries and salt pans mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the river was at that time easily navigable for ships of the time. Wickhambreaux is the location of the site where one of the first
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads in Britannia were initially designed for military use, created by the Roman army during the nearly four centuries (AD 43–410) that Britannia was a province of the Roman Empire.
It is estimated that about of paved trunk roa ...
crossed the
Little Stour
The Little Stour is one of the tributary, tributaries of the River Stour, Kent, River Stour in the England, English county of Kent. The upper reaches of the river is known as the Nailbourne, whilst the lower reaches were once known as the Seaton ...
en route from, where the Romans first landed in Britain,
Richborough Castle
Richborough Castle is a Roman Saxon Shore fort better known as Richborough Roman Fort. It is situated in Richborough near Sandwich, Kent. Substantial remains of the massive fort walls still stand to a height of several metres.
It is ...
to
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
.
An alternative spelling may be ''Wykham Brewes'' as seen in 1418, the home of a weaver called John Bourneman. Other places mentioned in the record are Goodneston by Wyngham, Mungeham and Elmestone.
Religion
To the northwest of the mill on a small rise sits the flint and stone church of St Andrew (Grade I) and its graveyard. This simple perpendicular church was constructed during the 13th century, with early 16th-century additions. Its plan comprises a chancel with an organ chamber to the north, and a three-bay nave with tie-beam roof. The church was restored in 1868. Wickhambreaux was one of the early minsters founded in Kent before 700. The Art Nouveau stained glass east window of the Annunciation dates from 1896. The donor was “Count” James Francis Gallatin and this was the first commission in Europe given to American glassworkers.
The window is dedicated to Gallatin's mother Mrs Harriette Duer de Gallatin, who had been married to Albert Gallatin Jr. It was designed by
Arild Rosenkrantz
Arild Rosenkrantz (; 9 April 1870 – 28 September 1964) was a Danish nobleman painter, sculptor, stained glass artist and illustrator.Charles Holme; Guy Eglinton; Peyton Boswell. (1907). The International studio'. Offices of the International St ...
and manufactured in
John La Farge
John La Farge (March 31, 1835 – November 14, 1910) was an American artist whose career spanned illustration, murals, interior design, painting, and popular books on his Asian travels and other art-related topics. La Farge made stained glass ...
's New York Studio. James Francis Gallatin was the great grandson of
Albert Gallatin
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan-American politician, diplomat, ethnologist, and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...
, the longest serving
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
and member of
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
's cabinet. James Francis Gallatin edited the purported diary of his grandfather
James Gallatin, who had acted as private secretary to
Albert Gallatin
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan-American politician, diplomat, ethnologist, and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...
at the conclusion of the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. It was published in 1914 as 'A Great Peace Maker: The Diary of James Gallatin'. This has subsequently been assessed to be a fabrication committed by James Francis Gallatin. In an article in
The American Historical Review
''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association, for which it is an official publication. It targets readers interested in all period ...
(LXII July 1957 pp 878–885) Raymond Walters Jr. stated, “. . . I reached the conclusion that the diary is a complete fraud.”
James Francis styled himself Count Gallatin, though his right to the title was disputed, but he was known to his own family as 'bad Jimmy'. Walters notes that no manuscript for the diary has survived or was ever known to have been seen by anybody other than Jimmy.
The gay writer
J. R. Ackerley
Joe Randolph Ackerley (4 November 1896 – 4 June 1967) was a British writer and editor. Starting with the BBC the year after its founding in 1927, he was promoted to literary editor of '' The Listener,'' its weekly magazine, where he served for ...
, in his posthumously published autobiography, speculated that his father had a homosexual relationship with ‘Count’ James Francis de Gallatin. James Francis Gallatin was declared bankrupt 14 times in-between 1879 and 1889, and died in 1915 with £128 to his name.
Culture
Historically the village was a farming community but, as with so many rural villages, many of the residents work in local towns. Although only small in population, around 500, it is a busy village with its church activities, Produce Association, competitive cricket club and many other similar interests. Village shops closed over the years but despite the small population the primary school still occupies its original historic building dating back to 1869.
The surrounding countryside is good farm land producing some of Kent's finest fruit as well as cereal and vegetable crops.
Landmarks
The historic village of Wickhambreaux contains a harmonious collection of substantial distinctive properties clustered around the village green, including the former watermill on the banks of the Little Stour. The most picturesque corner is to the south-east with the Old Stone House and Wickham Mill adjoining the river.
Wickham Mill (Grade II listed) previously a corn mill dominates the entrance into Wickhambreaux from Littlebourne and its four-storey, with attics, white weather boarded structure is a local landmark. Of particular note is the retention of the overshot waterwheel. Opposite the mill is the Old Stone House/former Post Office (Grade II*). Beyond the mill, where the road crosses the Little Stour via a small bridge with white painted wooden railings, the village green is reached. The green is very much the centre of the village, with the church, large houses and the Rose Inn public house fronting it.
Wickhambreaux Court (Grade II) sits on a small slope above the green and its Regency buff brick 1700s façade with green shutters is the dominant built feature from the green. This re-facing masks an older building which could well be medieval in origins and was likely undertaken on the instruction of the then owner of the Manor
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham (5 July 1682 – 8 November 1723) was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons between 1708 and 1723.
Early life
Palmer was the eldest son of He ...
.
The house featured in the 1944 film A Canterbury Tale. Behind Wickhambreaux Court is the Wickham Court Oast, which is all that remains of a farm.
Across the green from Wickhambreaux Court sits Old Willow Farmhouse (Grade II) a two-storey 18th century house of red brick which was restored and rendered in the first half of the 19th century. The building sits prettily in its grounds next to the Little Stour. The river at this point flows between the Oast Houses and Old Willow Farmhouse and has landscaped banks with willow trees, shrubs and flowers crossed by attractive foot bridges.
The Old Rectory (formerly Wickham House) is Grade II* listed with unmistakable Baroque tendencies. It was built in 1714 by Reverend Alexander Young The Old rectory is two storeys high with attics and a basement. Its construction of red-brown brick with red brick dressings has one of the finest examples of tuck-pointing mortar in the district.
To the south of the Old Rectory is the Rose Inn (Grade II). Its two-storey rendered frontage is late 17th early 18th century in appearance. In earlier times travellers used it as a stopping point on their way to Grove where The Stour could be crossed. It remains the busy hub of this community being one of the few businesses left in the village. Adjacent to the Rose Inn is a small terrace of locally listed cottages which, along with the Old Bell House, form the corner and entrance to The Street a narrow road of smaller terraced style houses.
The Old Bell House (Grade II) is a 15th-century timber-framed building, probably a hall-house of two bays. The first floor is close studded with brown roughcast infilling, the ground floor is rebuilt in painted brick. It turns the corner into The Street where it is abutted by Bell Cottage.
Wickhambreaux retains the medieval pattern of development of grander homes around the green and smaller workers' cottages and small businesses in their own separate area. The Street is narrow and lined with closely packed buildings predominantly built up to the road edge. This character area contains 17 listed buildings and 23 locally listed properties. The form, layout and character of this street hark back to a much earlier era. Until 1966 the road still had the central drainage gutter from the Middle Ages and is still locally known as Gutter Street.
The Street would have been the commercial core of the village and many of the building forms and names still reflect this, however, the village shops have closed over the years.
Wickhambreaux in the Domesday Book
"The Bishop of Bayeux held Wicheham in demesne and it was assessed at 4
sulungs. There was land for 11 ploughs, while the demesne had land for 2 ploughs; 36 villans and 32 cottars had 9 ploughs. There was a church and a priest who gave 40 shillings a year. There was a park; 2 mills rendering 50 shillings; 2 salt-pans rendering 32 pence; 3 fisheries rendering 4 shillings; 32 acres of meadow; pasture for 300 sheep and 31 cattle; woodland for 80 pigs.
In the time of King Edward it was worth £25; when it was received by the bishop it was worth £20; by 1086 it was worth £30.
Also belonging to this manor were 3 messages in Canterbury rendering 6 shillings 8 pence.
In addition there belonged to this manor half a sulung of free land which Sigeræd held of Alfred Bigga and then Geoffrey fitzMalleterre held of the Bishop of Bayeux; it was always worth 60 shillings".
By the eleventh century the church and adjacent court farm formed the manorial focus of the medieval settlements.
Owners of The Manor of Wickhambreaux
In the Domesday Book
Odo, Earl of Kent
Odo of Bayeux (died 1097) was a Norman nobleman who was a bishop of Bayeux in Normandy and was made Earl of Kent in England following the Norman Conquest. He was the maternal half-brother of duke, and later king, William the Conqueror, and w ...
, half brother of
William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
was owner of the Manor. Bishop Odo was imprisoned and subsequently banished to Normandy and the Manor passed to Roger de Condet (Cundi/Cundy) c.1083. On his death in 1141, it was inherited by his son Roger de Cundet, who died in 1201, bequeathing it to his daughter, Agnes de Cundy. Agnes married
Walter II de Clifford
Walter de Clifford ( 1160 – 17 January 1221) was a Welsh marcher lord, feudal baron of Clifford of Clifford Castle in Herefordshire and High Sheriff in England.
He was born in Clifford Castle, Herefordshire, the son of Walter de Clifford (11 ...
and thus it passed into the ownership of the de Clifford's. Agnes de Clifford made a bequest before 1222 towards the making of an aisle at St Andrew's Church. It was subsequently owned by
Walter III de Clifford
Walter de Clifford (died 1263) feudal baron of Clifford in Herefordshire, was a Welsh Marcher Lord during the reign of King John (1199–1216).
Family
Walter de Clifford was born before 1190, the son of Walter de Clifford (died 1221) and Agne ...
. He left one daughter Maud as heiress, a granddaughter of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, who married firstly
William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (In or before 11677 March 1226) ("Long Sword", Latinised to ''de Longa Spatha'') was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, primarily remembered for his command of the English forces at the Battle of Damme and for ...
and secondly John Giffard of Brimsfield.
William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (In or before 11677 March 1226) ("Long Sword", Latinised to ''de Longa Spatha'') was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, primarily remembered for his command of the English forces at the Battle of Damme and for ...
's son
Nicholas Longespee is the first recorded rector of Wickhambreaux. It passed from Walter III de Clifford to John de Brewes, via Walter II de Clifford being his step father (having married Margaret/Maud in 1234)
John de Brewes was the younger son of
John de Braose
John de Braose (1197 or 1198 – 18 July 1232), known as ''Tadody'' to the Welsh, was the Lord of Bramber and Gower.
Re-establishment of the de Braose dynasty
John re-established the senior branch of the de Braose dynasty.
His father was ...
. He died in 1275 and the Manor passed to
William de Braose, 1st Baron Braose
William de Braose, (''alias'' Breuse, Brewes, Brehuse, Briouze, Brewose etc.; –1291) was the first Baron Braose, as well as Lordship of Gower, Lord of Gower and Bramber, Lord of Bramber.Cokayne ''Complete Peerage'' Volume II p. 302
Fam ...
and to his son
William de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose
William de Braose (–1326) was the second Baron Braose, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber. He was held as a hostage after being captured in 1264 during the Second Barons' War and records of some of his childhood expenses survive ...
, who died in 1326 and his heirs were his daughter Aline and his grandson John de Bohun. Aline, the elder daughter, married John de Mowbray and Richard de Peschale. On William de Braose's death there was contention about who owned the Manor with
Hugh le Despencer, 1st Earl of Winchester
Hugh le Despenser (1 March 126127 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being c ...
taking control of it for a period and William's daughter Aline seeking its return. It was clear that William had intended to sell the Manor, but unclear to whom.
In 1326
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent (5 August 130119 March 1330), whose seat was Arundel Castle in Sussex, was the sixth and youngest son of King Edward I of England, and the second son of his second wife Margaret of France, Queen of England ...
was in possession of the Manor and in 1330 it passed to his son
Edmund, 2nd Earl of Kent
Edmund, 2nd Earl of Kent (c. 1326 – 5 October 1331Waugh, Scott L"Edmund [Edmund of Woodstock/nowiki>, first earl of Kent"">/nowiki>Edmund of Woodstock">"Edmund [Edmund of Woodstock/nowiki>, first earl of Kent" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biog ...
and to his brother, John, 3rd Earl of Kent on his death on 27 December 1352, without issue, the estates fell to Joan of Kent, Joan, 4th Countess of Kent suo jure popularly known as "''The Fair Maid of Kent"''. On her death in 1385 it passed to her son, from her first marriage,
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent (135025 April 1397) was an English nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England.
Family and early life
Thomas Holland was born in Upholland, Lancashire, in 1350. He was the eldest ...
. It remained under the control of the de Holland family till 1408, being owned by
Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey
Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Kent, KG, Earl Marshal (8 September 1372 – 7 January 1400) was an English nobleman and courtier.
Early life and family
Born on 8 September 1372, Thomas Holland was the eldest son and heir of ...
then his son
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, 5th Baron Holand, KG (6 January 1383 15 September 1408) was the Earl of Kent from 1400 to 1408. He was the 106th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1403.
Edmund was born in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, the secon ...
. On his death, with no issue, it passed to Joan, daughter of Eleanor de Holland, husband of
Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
Edward Charlton (also Cherleton or Charleton), 5th Baron Charlton (1370–1421), 5th and last Lord Charlton of Powys, was the younger son of John Charlton, the third baron, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Lord Stafford.
During the lifetime of ...
, who married
John Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville
John Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville ''jure uxoris'' 6th Lord of Powys (after 1384 – 22 March 1421), KG, was an English peer who served with distinction in the Hundred Years' War between England and France under King Henry V.
Origins
John Gre ...
and held the manor till 1421. It then passes to
John Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft
John Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft (died 27 January 1443) was a Knight of the Shire for Huntingdonshire and Somerset, Speaker of the House of Commons, Treasurer of the Household, Chief Butler of England, Treasurer of the Exchequer and Seneschal of ...
from his second marriage to Joyce (c. 1404–1446), younger daughter and co-heiress of
Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
Edward Charlton (also Cherleton or Charleton), 5th Baron Charlton (1370–1421), 5th and last Lord Charlton of Powys, was the younger son of John Charlton, the third baron, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Lord Stafford.
During the lifetime of ...
by his spouse
Eleanor Holand
James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet (c. 1398 – 23 September 1459) of Heighley Castle, Heleigh Castle was an English peer.
James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley, son of Elizabeth Stafford and her husband John Tuchet, 4th Baron Audley, wa ...
. It was the inherited by his son
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester KG (8 May 1427 – 18 October 1470), was an English nobleman and scholar who served as Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Constable of England and Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was known as "the Butcher of Englan ...
in 1443.
In 1470 it passed to
Anthony Browne, via his wife Lucy Neville, daughter of
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu (c. 1431 – 14 April 1471) was a major magnate of fifteenth-century England. He was a younger son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and the younger brother of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick ...
and grand daughter of
John Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft
John Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft (died 27 January 1443) was a Knight of the Shire for Huntingdonshire and Somerset, Speaker of the House of Commons, Treasurer of the Household, Chief Butler of England, Treasurer of the Exchequer and Seneschal of ...
. In 1506 it was inherited by
Anthony Browne (died 1548)
Sir Anthony Browne, KG (c. 1500Bindoff. ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509–1558,'' ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982'BROWNE, Sir Anthony (c.1500–48), of Battle Abbey and Cowdray Park, Suss.'/ref> – 6 May 1548) of Battle Abbey an ...
and thereafter passed to
Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu
Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, Order of the Bath, KB, Privy Council of England, PC (29 November 1528 – 19 October 1592) was an English peerage of England, peer during the Tudor period. He was a staunch Roman Catholic, but unswervingly l ...
from 1548 to 1592, when it was inherited by his son Sir George Browne of Wickhambreaux and on his death in 1615 to his son of the same name. By 1656 the grandson second son of
Anthony Browne (1552–1592)
Anthony Browne (22 July 1552 – 29 June 1592) was High Sheriff of Surrey, Sheriff of Surrey and of Kent in 1580. The heir to a great estate in Sussex, he predeceased his father by four months. Aside from his own progeny, his sister Mary marrie ...
Stanislaus Browne is recorded as holding the Manor.
The Manor was sold at the end of Charles II reign by Sir George Browne's daughters
to Sir Henry Palmer, 3rd Baronet (died 1706). On his death it passed to
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham (5 July 1682 – 8 November 1723) was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons between 1708 and 1723.
Early life
Palmer was the eldest son of He ...
,
who was described as 'A man of pleasure and very extravagant in all things' and parodied by
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
thus: "To Palmer's bed no actress comes amiss; He weds the whole Personae Dramatis". Following his death the Manor is under the control of Sir Thomas Palmer's wife Dame Elizabeth Palmer, which resulted in litigation with some Sir Thomas' children. Dame Elizabeth married Thomas Hey, formerly a merchant in Venice.
On her death the Manor passed to
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham (5 July 1682 – 8 November 1723) was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons between 1708 and 1723.
Early life
Palmer was the eldest son of He ...
's illegitimate son Herbert's widow Bethia, daughter of Sir Thomas D'Aeth, 1st Baronet (1670–1745). She remarried Colonel John Cosnan, who had served with
45th Regiment of Foot in
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
and following his death in 1773, she remained owner of the Manor till 1789, when it was inherited by the Rev. Thomas Hey, rector of Wickhambreaux, and his heirs, being the eldest son of the last Dame Elizabeth Palmer by her last husband. Thomas Hey married first Ethelreda, eldest daughter and coheir of dean Lynch, by whom he has no surviving children; and secondly, Mrs. Pugett, widow of Mr. Puget, of London. Thomas Hey died in 1807
The Manor then came into the hands of the D'Aeth's, through Herbert Palmer's (illegitimate son of
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham
Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham (5 July 1682 – 8 November 1723) was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons between 1708 and 1723.
Early life
Palmer was the eldest son of He ...
) marriage to Bethia daughter of Sir Thomas D'Aeth, 1st Baronet (1670–1745).
It remained in the ownership of the D'Aeth's until 1902, when it was sold to
Marquess Conyngham
Marquess Conyngham, of the County of Donegal, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland.
The title was created in 1816 for Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham. He was the great-nephew of another Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham, a member of a fa ...
who held the Manor till 1929.
Village life
The village green is bordered by a tall white clapboard mill with working water wheel, the parish church, several houses and a public house, The Rose Inn. There was once another public house, 'The Hooden Horse', in The Street adjoining the village green, known until the 1950s as 'The Swan', this closed in 1979.
The Kentish practice of
hoodening
Hoodening (), also spelled ''hodening'' and ''oodening'', is a tradition, folk custom found in Kent, a county in South East England. The tradition entails the use of a wooden hobby horse known as a hooden horse that is mounted on a pole and car ...
in the village was carried out by labourers who went from door to door, collecting funds, sometimes aggressively, for their Christmas festivities. The hoodening tradition has since ended, but today is immortalised in some of the routines performed by
Morris dance
Morris dancing is a form of English folklore, English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers in costume, usually wearing bell pads on their shins, their shoes or both. A ban ...
rs.
Wickhambreaux has a small Church of England primary school.
The Parish Church is that of
St Andrew
Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus.
The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...
, which is renowned locally for its wall painting and Art Nouveau stained glass. The Parish Priest is Chris Wilkinson.
The house in the trees on the village green, Wickhambreaux Court, was used as the 'Glueman's' house in
Powell and Pressburger
The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...
's wartime classic film ''
A Canterbury Tale
''A Canterbury Tale'' is a 1944 British film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price and Sgt. John Sweet; Esmond Knight provided narration and played two small roles. For the post-war Americ ...
''. The film also included shots of Wickham Mill, and featured the boys battle on the river.
Notable residents
*
Christine McVie
Christine Anne McVie (; Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of the rock band Fleetwood Mac.
McVie was a member of several bands, notably Chic ...
(1943-2022), member of
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
*
Nicholas Bateman, a contestant in the first series of the UK TV reality show ''
Big Brother''
* Squadron Leader
David Maltby
Squadron Leader David John Hatfeild Maltby, (10 May 1920 – 15 September 1943) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force, best known for his part as the pilot of Lancaster AJ-J (“Johnny”) in the Operation Chastise, Dambusters raid. He had ...
DSO DFC, of
617 Dambusters Squadron is buried in the churchyard
References
External links
Wickhambreaux Hall
{{authority control
Villages in Kent
Civil parishes in Kent
City of Canterbury