THE DOVER EXPRESS AND EAST KENT NEWS-FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1901

XXIII.—SWINGFIELD

Swingfield is a large, but not very populous parish, lying between Dover and Folkestone, to the north of Alkham Valley.

Swingfield Minnis.

This parish is noted for the great elevation of the land, and for its large Common, called Swingfield Minnis, which is two miles and a half long, nearly half a mile broad, and containing about 600 acres. This was always deemed to be crown land, and after the execution of Charles I it was ordered to be sold by the Government of the Commonwealth, but Colonel Dexwell, the owner of the barony, and hundred of Folkestone, claimed the lordship of it, alleging that the feeling and the commonage of it was enjoyed by the inhabitants by paying a small acknowledgment, which he and his ancestors had received for many generations, and that plea for the land seems to have acted as a bar to the public sale but the land is now enclosed. This elevated Common, being a commanding position overlooking a part of the Channel, has more than once been a rendezvous of the National forces in times of threatened invasion, and the circular turret attached to the south-east side of the church tower has evidently been specially built to serve as a beacon for military purposes. In the year 1745, when an invasion of the Kentish coast was threatened, 4,000 of the noblemen, gentry, and yeomanry of Kent assembled in Arms on this heath, prepared to advance on any invader and this mobalization, in all probability, averted the danger.

Aspect of the Country.

The scenery in this parish is grand. The woods are very extensive, occupying almost as great an area as the common. The land depressions and elevations are abrupt, forming landscapes romantically beautiful, while along the south side of the common is a very deep depression like the bed of a dried up river, the sides of which are rugged and steep, as its edge on one side of the tall church tower is a conspicuous object, and on the other just as conspicuous is the tower where is being carried on the boring operations of the Kent Coal Fields Extension Company. No more lovely spot can be selected for walks or drives, but those who try it on foot need to be good pedestrians, and those who drive should be behind good horseflesh, for rough, steep, and narrow, are the roads in this neighbourhood.

Swingfield History.

The ancient name of this place seems to have been Swynefield, probably owing to the prevalence of oak woods, in which, in ancient times, swine found their subsistence during a portion of the year. The lands originally constituted a part of the barony of Averenches, which was held by William de Averenches, one of the eight knights who were associated in the defence of Dover Castle, and who, for his military services received 21 knight’s fees which entitled him to the Manors of Folkestone, Alkham, Swingfield, Cheriton, etc. Subsequently, Swingfield was held by a knight of Dover Castle, who took his name from the land. In later years the subordinate Manors of Nonnington and North Court came into the possession of Sir Henry Furness, and through his daughter, Catherine, Countess of Guilford, became part of the Guilford estates. The Coppice wood 185 acres in extent, known as Swingfield Park was at one time the property of Algernon Sydney. Richard de Swingfield, a native of this parish, was Bishop of Hereford, dying in the year 1316. He gave all the offices in his church to men of Kent, two of whom bore the name of Swingfield.

A Link with the Past.

The doings of the Knights Templars and the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem at Swingfield, are amongst the oldest features of its history. The name St. John's, connected with Mr. Prebble’s Farm, still serves to remind us of the connection of the Order of Templars with this village. The Knights Templars, it is hardly necessary to say, were an Order of Christian soldiers, who originated in France in the Eleventh Century, for the purpose of freeing the Holy City of Jerusalem from the hands of the Infidels, and they very quickly developed into powerful religious military orders, fostered by kings until they became so rich and powerful as to be dangerous. In the middle of the Thirteenth Century they were said to hold no less than 9000 manors, and wherever they held manors they usually built a religious house where Priests or Fathers connected with the Fraternity performed religious services. For instance, there was such a house at Temple Ewell, and there was another on the Western Heights, Dover, the foundations of which remain, and at Swingfield there are still, as we have said, the remains of a Preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. The Knights Templars originally held a good deal of property in this district—the Manor of Cockescombe in Lydden was theirs, and many others, but on the suppression of the Knights Templars in England in the year 1312, owing to their being a danger to the State, their property was passed over to the Knight Hospitallers of St. John, and that is why the name St. John’s is attached to the farmhouse which still shows the Early English end of choir of the Church, and three tall lancets below three circular windows in the lofty eastern gable.

A Visit to the Preceptory.

In passing Mr. Prebble’s Farm, which bears the name of St. John’s, we could not resist the desire of seeking permission to look over the interesting remains of a fabric which must have existed six or seven centuries. Miss Prebble very kindly granted permission. The part of the old Preceptory that remains is evidently the Chapel. It is constructed of flints, with Kentish Rag dressing like many of the ancient Churches in Kent. It is about the width of the chancel of Swingfield Church, and about twice as long. It has three long lancet windows in the east wall, with three circular ones above them in the apex. From the outside this can all be seen at a glance, and also the lancet lights on each side of the building; but within the architectural features had to be seen in sections. In the lower portion, which has long been used as a dairy, are to be seen the bases of the moulded columns of the three lancet windows, and in the wall on either side are the well preserved remains of the aumbry and piscina. From the next floor, devoted to domestic purposes, are to be seen the continuation of the windows upwards, and by climbing up a ladder to a garret may be seen the well preserved moulded heads of the lancet windows, and the open oak roof above, just the same as that in the chancel of Swingfield Church. The front door of the house leads into the north porch, which is vaulted, the stout oak, studded door, and quaint timber bar which draws out of the wall to secure it, being very curious. The whole of the ancient chapel seems to be intact, its walls fully a yard thick, and its lofty proportions divided into three floors for domestic use. The history of the ancient Preceptory, of which the parts described are the remains, has never been fully written, or, if so, has been lost. From records still extant it appears that this Preceptory was annexed to the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem to whom it belonged in the later part of the reign of Henry II. The Preceptory was a mansion of large proportions, extending about fifty yards westward and southwards of the existing remains. This mansion was occupied by brethren of the Order of St. John, who consisted of three grades, Knights, Chaplains, and Serving Brothers. This Order of Knights Hospitallers of St. John existed about a century before the Knights Templars, and long after the Templars were suppressed, in fact, the Order of St. John continued its corporate existence in the Island of Malta until the year 1801. It is just a century ago since they were dispersed on the occasion of the murder of their last Grand Master, the Emperor Paul of Russia. The occupation of the Brethren of the Order residing at Swingfield appears to have been two-fold, to manage the business of their Manors in this part of Kent, and to act as spiritual guides to the people within or without their gates. The garb of these brethren consisted of a long black cloak with a pointed hood, and a large red cross on a white ground on the left breast. The superiors wore a golden cross suspended by a black ribbon from the neck. Over the ancient porch of the Swingfleld Preceptory there is still an ancient red cross on a white ground, no doubt a facsimile of that worn by the members of the Order. The chapel attached to the Preceptory was for the use of the brethren occupying the manor, and it is pretty evident that during the time that this establishment was at the zenith of its prosperity, that they built Swingfield Church for the benefit of the surrounding inhabitants. The style of the Church in many respects corresponds with the Preceptory Chapel. During the existence of the Preceptory, from the earliest records down to the time of its dissolution by Henry VIII, the Church was appendant thereto, and the Chaplains therefrom conducted the religious services. At the Reformation Henry VIII granted this mansion, and the advowson of Swingfield thereto attached, to Sir Anthony Aucher, of Otterden, to be held for Knight’s Service, and in the fifth year of the reign of Edward VI he disposed of the property to Sir Harry Palmer, of Wingham, and his descendant Sir Thomas Palmer, dying in the year 1723, bequeathed it to his natural son, Herbert Palmer, at whose death, in 1760, it went to the hands of trustees, but they refusing to act, the estate went into Chancery. Subsequently, the property passed to the Rev. Dr. Thomas Hey, of Wickhambreux, a legatee of the Palmer’s, and in 1792 it passed to the Bridges, of Denton. For several centuries the Preceptory has been used as a farmhouse, but the actual mansion having fallen into decay, has long ago been levelled to the ground, and parts of the materials may be seen worked into the adjoining farm buildings. As we have said, the large chapel is still intact, and is converted into the dwelling house which Mr. Prebble now occupies. The question whether King John surrendered his crown to the Pope’s Legate at this Preceptory of St. John at Swingfield, or at the Templars’ House at Ewell, or at the Templars’ Church at the Western Heights, Dover, has been hotly disputed, but never settled. Learned antiquarians who have visited the spot have averred that it was on the doorstep of this porch that the pusillanimous monarch doffed his crown. However that may have been, this ancient and well preserved fabric forms a most interesting link between Swingfield of to-day and Swingfield of the mediaeval ages.

Swingfield Church.

Like a city set on a hill, Swingfield Church cannot be hidden. Its tall tower is a conspicuous object. The Church is dedicated to St. Peter, and appears to have been substantially built, and judging from its general style it seems to have been built about the same time as the Church in the Preceptory of St. John about a quarter of a mile north of it. The Church consists of a large and lofty Chancel, with a fine open timbered roof. The Nave, also with an open timbered roof, is loftier still, a low north Aisle, a west-end Tower, and south Porch. The eastern wall of the Chancel is pierced by three lancet windows, with a circular one in the apex. On the north side of the communion table is an aumbry, and on the south side a piscina. There are two lancet lights on the south side, and one on the north. The Nave is lighted on the south side by a lancet window near the Chancel, and by two square-headed windows with decorated tracery of later date, lower down. The south door is ancient, but the porch over it is of mean construction of modern date. Good workmanship seems to have been bestowed on the tower. It is well designed and strongly built, but the influence of wind and weather seems to have told upon it in its exposed position, for it seems to have been re-buttressed many years ago on the south-west side by bricks, and on the north-west side more recently the buttress has been restored by masonry. The north aisle is low, lighted by four narrow, but widely splayed, small lancet windows, and two small round-headed windows at top and bottom. The bottom of the tower, which serves as a belfry and a vestry, is, with the exception of a screen, open to the nave, and is lighted with a fair window. The sign of the public house opposite the church is “The Three Bells,” but if this has reference to the church there must have been a change, for the tower now contains but one bell. The fabric, which is now in a good state of repair, was partially restored in 1870, when the Incorporated Church Building Society made a grant of £30 towards the outlay, the sittings being then increased by 77, the total number now being 220. Again, the interior was generally renovated twelve years ago, when the floor was re-laid and the porch restored. The only visible monument in the church is an oval white marble slab high up over the south door, but owing to its position the inscription cannot be read without the aid of a ladder. There are also inscriptions on the grey stone floor down the centre of the church, but they are covered with matting and cannot be seen. We gather from Ireland’s History of Kent, that in the floor of the channel are memorials of the Pilchers, who were tenants of St. John’s, and that in the aisle are the tombs of the Simmons’ of Smersall. Weever mentions an ancient monument of an armed Knight, and another represented in the stained glass of one of the windows, with the date 1478, but of these no traces remain. In the churchyard there are some decipherable tombstones two centuries old. On one at the east side of the church the words are quite legible: “Here lyeth the body of John Colarde, yeoman, of this parish, who departed this life 27th day of July, 1728, aged 61.” An adjoining stone has the following: “Here lyeth the body of Henry Colarde, bricklayer and yeoman, of the parish of Alkham, who died September 28th, 1738, aged 82.” These are the oldest legible inscriptions which we noticed. The stone of John Colaide is headed with some curious sculptury. In the centre is a figure, rather obliterated, like an angel. On the left side is a death’s head, an hour glass, and two scythes, and on the right side is a death’s head, under which is an anchor, two torches, and a spade. There are other stones, apparently older, but not decipherable. The benefice of St. Peter’s, Swingfield, was at an early date appropriated to the community of St. John's Hospital, (and so continued until the dissolution of religious houses in the time of Henry VIII, when that monarch gave it to Sir Anthony Aucher. After that it was sold thrice, the last time to the Brydges, of Denton, and now the patronage has passed with the Denton estate to the Willats Trustees. The Rev. W. Legg, M.A., who had held the living, together with Hawkinge, since 1872, resigned it at the beginning of this year. Since then there has been no regular minister until last Sunday. There is now in the porch an official Diocesan Notice, dated August, 1901, stating that the Rev. Charles Henry Evans had been instituted Vicar of the parish, and the notice further states that the Rev. C. H. Evans was curate of St. Mathias, Poplar, in 1892, curate of St. Stephens, North Bow, in 1894, and rector of Denton in 1895. Swingfield in the olden days had an important religious establishment at St. John's, in addition to the church, but for 28 years it has been held in connection with Hawkinge, and now it is to be appendant to the rectory of Denton. These do not seem to be satisfactory arrangements, but probably the best that could be made for the “living” at Swingfield cannot be called a living except by courtesy, its net yearly income being but £60. When some courageous Ministry passes a Redistribution Act that will do something towards the equalizing the pay of parish priests, probably the overplus from some fat benefice will enable a clergyman to exist on the living at Swingfield. The Rev. H. C. Evans, although a pluralist, will not enjoy a superfluity of riches from his two cures, Denton is of the net annual value of £125, with residence, and Swingfield £60—total £185.

Swingfield, Past, Present and Future.

Swingfield, standing afar off from the world’s great thoroughfares, having neither railway nor highway near, has not grown much in the last century, and it has not retrogressed. In the year 1801 the population was 215, and now it is nearly 400. There are signs that it will grow more rapidly in the good time coming. There is, stored away beneath the rugged surface of this parish, mineral wealth—coal and iron. Within view of the church, just across the ravine, is to be seen the Anglo-French boring installation that is rapidly piercing its way down into the deposits, and much of the land in this parish has been secured as the working area of the coming Colliery. To-day the industries of Swingfield are represented by the smith and wheelwright, the wind-miller, and the farmers. Ten years hence Swingfield may have well equipped shafts discharging coal and iron, furnaces transforming iron ore into iron for armour plates or girders, and a railway branching out into the London and Chatham carrying the output down to the Port of Dover. When that comes to pass, Swingfield will not number its population by hundreds, for its progress in a year will be greater than it has been in a century.