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OUR VILLAGES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY AND NOW. (1901) THE DOVER EXPRESS AND EAST KENT NEWS—FRIDAY, 18 APRIL, 19002. "XLVHI.—LITTLEBOURNE. Littlebourne is a pretty village on the :main road from Sandwich to Canterbury, in the eastern part of the parish of the same name on the right bank of th* Lesser Stour. SITUATION AND SURROUNDINGS. Located on rising ground with an extensive prospect to the north nd east, the village occupies nearly three-quarters of a mile of the highway from Lee Priory to the top of Even Hill, and two cross streets, the principal one extending northwards towards the church, and the other southwards in the direction of Bekesbourne, the railway station of which lies a mile and a half in that direction. The total area of the parish is 2466 acres, consisting mostly of a rich loam soil with a sub-soil of gravel, a considerable portion of which is devoted to hop and fruit culture. ANCIENT LITTLEBOURNE. There is an old-world aspect about LittJe-bourne. Its quaint houses, old roadside inns, and ancient church, keenly whet the appetite for a dip into ite past history; and on turning t othe old Kentish books we find the records extending as far back as the border line between the Roman and Ihe Saxon periods. Roman relics have been found in excvations made in the locality, and there are still records of the fact that in the year 1690, Widred, King of Kent, gave five ploughlands in Littiebourie to 8t. Augustine’s Monastery on condition of their remembering him in their prayers and solemn masses; and the land so given is Ecclesiastical property to this day. This -twelve centuries’ tenure is a wonderful illustration of the security of property in this country, notwithstanding all the changes to which the civil Government has been subjected during that long period. In the year 1047 Edward the Confessor gave further lands in the parish to the Monastery, and at the time of the Domesdaj Survey the statement as to this parish stands as follows: “The Abbot himself holds Lite-burne, which is taxed at seven sulins. The arable land is twelve carucates. In demesne there are three' carucates and 35 -villeins, with 14 cottagers having six and a half. There is a church and 38 acres of meadow, wood for the pannage of four hogs. In the time of Edward the Confessor it was worth twenty-five pounds, afterwards twenty pounds, and now thirty-two pounds. •Of this manor the Bishop of Bayeux has in his park as much as is worth sixty shillings.” It appears from the above entry that at the settlement after the Conquest the lands in Littlebourne were divided in two portions, the greater part being in the possession of the Monastery, and another part, probably about a quarter of the whole, being a park belonging to the Bishop of Bayeux. This park of the Bishop of Bayeux was either Trendley Park, now forming a detached part of Wickham, or possibly a continuation of that park in Littleboume parish. This was one of the most ancient parks in the kingdom, but it has ceased to be one as long since as the reign of Henry VI. There wtre other manors in Littlebourne parish, namely, Lower Garwinton on the eastern side oi the river towards the south and adjoining Ickham; Upper Garwinton, adjoining Adis-Tiam; and the manor of Walton on the south side of the main road. The principal manor was that of Littlebourne itself, which was, as it is to-day, the centre of population and of organized government as early as the year 1313. These lands of Littlebourne manor being the possessions of the Monastery, they were used largely to provide for the refectory of that establishment, and there were extensive fish ponds, and a vineyard here for the same purpose. In the tenth year of Edward III, when a monk named Solomon de Ripple was rn-tos of this manor, he made many improvements, re-building nearly +eve*y^"S w* and the estate continued to be attached to the Monastery until ^ dissolution at the Reformation. Henry VIII. took Posses sion of the estates at Littlebourae of the Monastery, and kept them during the remainder of his life ;, but. Edward VI., m the first year of his reign, , -manor the manor house, which 8~.ood then, as now. at the west end of the church, and a water mill to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who kept the profits and royalties in ?r„rwd ig conacv during the Commonwealth, this Manor" was sold to Sir John Roberts and John Cogan, the latter of whom, at his death, in 1657, gave his part to the Mayor-and Aldermen of Canterbury for the use of •six poor ministers’ widows, and also gave his house at Canterbury, ?dterwa:ds known as Cogan’s Hospital, for the same lW0®^> but, at the restoration, all the Church lands and property in this parish were given back to the diocese of Canterbury. MODERN LITTLEBOUKNE. Coming into Littleboume either down.the hill from Canterbury or past Lee Priory from Wingham, the term little hardly seems appropriate to be applied to thisi village, which is large, and thriving. But it appears that the name has ”othi"! £ the with the size of the village, but refers to the river that runs through it—the Lesser Stour •as distinguished from the Greater Stour, -which margins the north-west tide of the parochial boundary. This name wasi applied to the village in Saxon times, when it •was called Liteburn, denvM from Saxon words meant the same as As to the site of the stream that runs through Littleboume, according .to testimony of the old inhabitants, it is not so large as it was in their younger days, and the little “ Drill,"an off shoot of the Lesser Stour, which from the bridge just helow Xittlebourne forms the tme boindary between Ickham and Wickham parishes w quite dry. a circumstance which Mldam occurs The smaller volume of this Little ' bourne ” is mainly due to the absence of the water that used to flow from berga's Well at Elham down the Nailbourne •with augmentation from the spring m the lake at Bourne Park, Bishopsbourne, from bourne it coming from the source of hat srmng, formerlv known as Arrian s Well which supplied Fishponds in this parish. The T esser Stour to-day, though a diminished stream, is of local importance ; ^gvespictur esaueness to the place, rendersthel/md -fruitful, and the meadowB veriant wbile the tall poplars that line its bank Jborrow from it the luxuriance of their foliage. It is the mam water supply of the village, it turns the neighbouring mills, and is otherwise of value to the local industries. Most villages centre round the Church, but here the Church stands off the highway about a quarter of a mile to the northward. The village centre is the village green, overlooked by the two principal houses of call, the Anchor, and King William IV. This point is the village cross, from which four ways diverge—west to Canterbury, south to Bekesbourne, north to Wickham and lck-ham, and east to Wingham and Sandwich. To the east there is very little of the parish, for Ickham runs up to that point where the park-like grounds of Lee Priory margin the river. The south road, in the direction of Bekesbourne, Howlets and the old Manors of Garwington, now called Garrington, has some quaint old houses on the west of it, with the green and a fine row of old trees on the east, after which the way is through fruit plantations and market garden grounds. The main road to the west, towards Canterbury, is closely linea frith houses for nearly half a mile above the Anchor. Near the bottom, on the left, are the extensive malt houses of Messrs. Gardner, most of the malt used at Ash brewery being made here. On the same side of the road are the National Schools, with accommodation for about 200 children. The first 8chool was near the Church, erected in 1842 by Captain Charles Jones. The north road from the Anchor leads to the Church. Here is the Post Office and the Brewery, which is another of the local industries. The buildings of it also are of interest, the outer wall of one of the stores presenting some curious work. On the opposite side is the Congregational Chapel, with accommodation for about 250 persons. In this direction are several good residences, as well as the Court Lodge adjoining the Church, the Parsonage, and the Rectory. The large houses are interspersed with humbler dwellings, some of the latter being very ancient, with curious dormer windows peeping through their thatched roofs, while some of the cottages have a dual covering—-a thatched ridge continued down to the eaves with tiles. Near to the Church is a mill, and in the Churchyard is a stone in memory of John Franklyn, tanner, of this parish, 1777, but no tannery seems to exist here now. Near to the Church, at the Basket Makers’ Arms, the industry of basket making is carried on, and some exceedingly good work is turned out. Littlebourne resembles a town to this extent, that in a small way all sorts of trades and handicrafts are carried on—brewer, baker, watchmaker, bootmaker, saddler, butcher, malster, draper, grocer, smith, carpenter, and miller, but the secret of Littlebourne’s prosperity is not so much in those varied trades as in the large amount of labour employed on the land in this neighbourhood owing to its special cultivation for hops, fruit, and vegetables. Littlebourne is a very pleasant place of residence, being located on the skirt of the elevated and salubrious part of East Kent, clear of the marsh lands. Between the Church and the main road is a fine level field used for football and cricket clubs, both of which exist in the village. When the first railways were made in this county, Littlebourne, which had always held an important position on a main road leading to the coast, was rather left out of the arrangements, but now it is at no great distance from three lines of railway—a mile and a half from Bekesbourne Station on the main London, Chatham, and Dover line, and-within convenient driving distance of Bridge-on the Elham Valley line, and Grove Ferry on the Canterbury and Sandwich line. Of late years Littlebourne has become much frequented by summer visitors, and the rapidly increasing road traffic by cycles and motor cars is bringing back the state of things existing in pre-railway days. But while railways have come within an easy distance of Littlebourne, it has not lost touch of the older means of locomotion—a coach plying between Canterbury and Sandwich passes through the village twice daily. For the purposes of Local and Poor Law Government, Littlebourne is attached to the Bridge Union and Rural District; and it also has its Parish Council, of which Mr. J. K. Pem-brook is the Chairman, and the same gentle man shares with Mr. F. Featherstone the duties of the Churchwardenship, and the vicar is the Rev. R. Patterson. HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. By far the most interesting feature of Littlebourne is the church, which is very ancient, for it was built prior to the Conquest, most probably soon after King Widred gave this manor to the Monastery of St. Augustine. A parish church such as the one at Littlebourne, is interesting as an architectual monument and as an historic feature, quite apart from its associations as the ancient village house of prayer and the peaceful acre of God. In those far-off Saxon days, probably twelve centuries ago, a church was built on this spur above the marshes by those pious monks who in those dark days were the disseminators of the light of Christianity. That first church, according to the custom of the time, may have been built of wood, although no doubt its tower was of stone, parts of which probably remain in the ar.cient pile which stands at the west end of the edifice to-day. There are, however, no distnict traces of Saxon work left, but the old nave is doubtless very early Norman, and shows signs of having, in the beginning, been a simple oblong building with a tower at the one end and an apse at the other. In the Early English period this primitive church was re-modelled and enlarged by the addition of north and south aisles and the handsome chancel, and thus grew the church of Littlebourne as it is to-day. It is a matter of curious historical interest that this church of St. Vincent, although anciently appendant to the manor and under the patronage of the Monastery of St. Augustine, was in the year 1224 transferred to a monastery in Italy. Hasted says that “In 1224, when Robert de Bello was chosen Abbot of St. Augustine’s, he. finding some difficulty in obtaining the Pope’s benediction, in order to facilitate it, gave this church to the Monastery of St. Mary de Mont Mirteto in Italy ,to which in 1241 the Pope appropriated it. . Immediately after the church so appropriated, was demised to the Abbot and Convent of St. AugustSne’s, Canterbury, in perpetual ferme, at the clear yearly sum of thirty marks. The rectorial tithes of this parish appear to have been retained bv the Mui»-astery of St. Augustine, but there was a rectory, or parsonage, as it was called, which was leased, and is still a private residence apart from the vicarage. The vicarage revenues were settled, in the year 1245, by Archbishop Stratford, who decreed that it should be endowed with a mansion, the tithes of hay, three acres of arable, and one acre of meadow, 3* marks in money yearly, as well as the tithes of flax, hemp, ducks, calves, pigeons, bees, milk, milk meats (i.e. butter and cheese), mills, wool, pigs, and all oblations and other small tithes. Ii return for this provision the vicar was to serve the church in Divine rites and to find one chaplain to celebrate weekly in the chapel which was then existing at Garrington. Previously, from the year 1194, the priest of Littlebourne had to do duty three days a week at Garrington, and to find wine, bread, and tapers for celebrating the rites in the parish church. The vicarage remained on that footing until the dissolution of St. Augustine’s Monastery by Henry VIII., when by dotation charter the patronage was given to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury. The endowment of the vicarage remained, after the Reformation, the same as before, and the ancient pension of £3 17s. 4d. from the Abbey of St. Augustine’s, continued to be paid from the Exchequer; but the rectorial tithes still are retained by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Of the vicars of 'Littlebourne there is not much history, but in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Gostlings, father son, held the vicarage for nearly a hundred years. William Gostling, the son, was a well known antiquarian, and in the year 1774 published a book on Canterbury entitled “A Walk in and about that City.” Ho was buried in the Cloisters, Canterbury, in 1777, just 102 years after his father was instituted vicar of Littlebourne. LITTLEBOURNE CHURCH AS IT IS. The church of St Vincent as it stands to-day consists of a nave, chancel, full length south aisle, short north aisle, south porch, and western tower. The nave is spacious and fairly lofty, having two ch.restory windows. The arcade opening into the south aisle consists of four pointed arches resting on massive square piers, flush and plain on the sides, with a little oi namentation at the points, from whence the arches spring. The south wall of the nave is very thick, and has the appearance of having, at one time, been the outer wall of the church in which these arches were inserted when the south aisle was built, as long ago probably as the twefth century. The north aisle is in appearance more modern. The opening from the nave is by two widely spanned shallow arches, between which there is a pillar cased with wood. More than a century ago this north aisle fell down, and Hasted states that it was immeditely rebuilt, probably with insufficient funds, for the work, both wiinm and without, does not at all correspond with the other parts of the building—in fact, the north aisle is a very rough lean-to externally, and the one pier that was raised to support its centre must have been rough too, or it would not have needed the wooden casing. For all practical purposes this ncrth aisle does very well, but when there is any money available for beautification at Littlebourne, it might be spent in rebuilding this section. The fall of the north isle shook the plaster from the wall of the nave westward and disclosed a very curious and interesting mural painting which some sevententh century barbarian had defaced with whitewash. A fair outline of this picture is on the wall still, and is supposed to be St. Vincent preaching to the galley slaves. The picture represents a priest standing outside a building on the water side preaching to slaves in boats on the sea. This, of course, does not refer to the St. Vincent to whom the church is dedicated, but to St. Vincent de Paul, an illustrious French philanthropist born in the year 1576. As a boy he worked on uib parents’ farm in Guienne, but was afterwards trained for the priesthood. At the age of 28 he was licensed to lecture, &ua being sent on a mission to Africa, was in that year captured by Tunisian pirates aim kept in slavery three years. His last master was converted by him, and they both together escaped in a small boat from Tunis to the shores of France. He, some years later, became the tutor of the so«s oi Count de Joigny, General of the galleys in France. He became deeply impressed with the misery and degradation of the galley slaves and undertook the task of improving their moral and temporal condition. His influence over criminals was wonderful, and so was his love for them, which in one instance was manifested by his obtaining the release of one slave by himself taking his place in the galley for eighteen months. After his release from that degrading position he was made Almoner-General of the galleys of France. He devoted the rest of his life to philanthropy, and the greatest monument of his devotion was the founding of the Sisters of Charity, an institution which is now universal in Roman Catholic countries and has given rise to numerous Protestant sisterhoods of a like character. He died in the year 1660, and was canonized in 1739. That the church of St. Vincent, Littlebourne, should retain on its walls a memorial of so good a man is a matter of great interest, and adds to the wealth of its associations. Immediately under this mural painting is a window which has some old fleur-de-lis glass in it, which was re- moved from an older window in the south aisle when it was taken out to insert a memorial of the last vicar s daughter. In the upper part of the south wall of the nave, over the pulpit, is a rood door, an approach from the south aisle which probably was inserted during the fifteenth century, when the rood loft arrangement, from which the minister used to read the Gospel to the congregation, was generally introduced in parish churches. The south aiBle runs down the whole length of the n“ve- This aisle, together with the whole church, was re-seated in 1860, and all the sittings are now uniform; but in earlier tunes, in the upper part of the south aisle, was located the manor pew, and underneath it was a vault in which were interred members of the Denne family, who were the tenants of the manor. At the east end of aiste there is a two-light window in which there are two beautiful cartoons, the m memory of Henry Denne, who died aged 67; and the other in memory of ttie \enerable John Denne, Archdeacon of Rochester, who was born at Littlebourne 1693, and was buried at Rochester 1767. There is also near this window a mural slab in memory of the members of the Denne family who were interred in the vault beneath, and who in the eighteenth century resided at Elbridge House. There are on the south side three windows, two of which are double lancets with a quartre-foil oyer the middle, and the other window is a single lancet, in which is a cartoon of St. Cecilia, in memory of Ellen M. Mac-Gachen, and a brass below has an inscription as follows: “This window is placed bv the family and friends, and the porch below by the parishioners and neighbours in affectionate remembrance of Ellen Mary MacGachen. daughter of the vicar of this parish, and her devoted services to the church. Died Sept. 14, 1895.'' The font near the south door is modern. The chancel is the most handsome part of the church. It appears to have been restored at some comparatively modern period in a most conservative, and, at the same time, a liberal spirit, for the work has been thoroughly done without destroying any of the essentially ancient features of this part of the building The ancient piscena and aumbry still remain. The most striking feature of the chancel is its hekht. The floor is level with that of the nave, while the roof is considerably higher, which gives space for a very fine trinlet. of lancets which form the east window, and also shows to advantage the eight handsome lancet windows contribute the side lights—four on each side. All these windows are memorials, and their beauty adds largely to the adornment of the Church. The east window is for the Kingsford family, and there is another Kingsford memorial window in the north aisle, and the side chancel windows are in memory of the Gardners, the Pem-brooks, ‘tlhe Swains, and some previous Vicars. The Communion table is a fine example of old carving of the Jacobean period, and on the superaltar there is new carved work also skilfully done by Miss Morris and Miss Patterson, the daughter of the present Vicar, proving that wood carving of a high class is not a lost art at Little-bcurne. The only feature in connection with the chancel not up to the average of excellent is the chancel arch. That is supported by engaged pillars, which are cased in wood. These were hideous some time ago, when they were painted in assertive colour, and oak grained. Now, being painted stone colour, they do not invite special observation, but it would be a great improvement to have piers sufficiently presentable to not require to be veiled by wood casing. The tower of the Church, in addition to its clock, retains its ancient sundial and five bells. Of course it is not possible to do as much, in the way. of scientific ringing, with five bells as with a full peal, but last year the ringers of the Kent County Association visited this Church and in the space of 2 hours and 42 minutes rang a peal of minor 5040 changes. The record of this visit, the names of the ringers, the particulars of grandsires and bobs, and the formal vote of thanks of the company for the Vicar’s hospitality on that occasion are written, framed and glazed in the vestry room, which is under the belfry. A few of the more ancient monuments within this Church are mentioned, and we must not pass over those which occupy the humbler place in the Churchyard. Without going into particulars, the names and dates on some of the older stones are as follows: W. Rose, 1723; John Rose, 1750; Pilcher, 1745; Denne, 1716: John Franklyn (tanner of this parish), 1777; Henry Gibbs, 1799; and a curiously sculptured stone with death’s head and hour glass and other mortality emblems for John Denne, 1740. Another stone of later date, 1827. for a man who had lived in Littlebourne till his 62nd year, departed, or his epitaph writer caused him to appear to do so, in a supercilious frame of mind, thus expressed in a verse, which is scarcely original: j ‘ Farewell, vain World, I’ve seen enough of thee, And now care not what thou may’st say of me, What faults you’ve seen in me take care to shun, And look at home, there’s much there to be done.’’ POPULATION AJID LOCATION. The population of Littlebourne has been steadily but slowly growing during the last hundred years. In 1801 the number of the inhabitants was 539, and in 1891 the total was 907 Going rather more that three centuries back, when the people were numbered as communicants, there were 150 in Littlebourne parish in the year 1588, which would mean about that number of adult persons, so that the population at that time would be about 200. Fifty years ago the houses numbered 150. The present number of registered householders, according to the electorial lists now in force, is 141 having occupation qualifications, and 22 having ownership votes. There are also a per- r0uri8ontuSdrsed> making the total EA8TRY rural pi strict council. At a meeting of the Eastry Rural District Council held on Tuesday, April 14th, there were present: Mr. Long (in the chair), Mr. Giles (Vice-chairman), Messrs. W. Fagg, J Gray, Rev. T. J. Holt, S. Birch, L. W. Las-lett, W. H. Bean, J. Byron, Rev. S. G. H. Sargent. A letter was received from the Local Government Board enclosing formal sanction to the loan of £2025 for the cost of New Road, and enclosing copy of a letter addressed by them to the Isle of Thanet Rural District* Council, advising certain amendments in the construction of the Bridge. The Clerk was directed to communicate with thei Public Works Loan Commissioners asking them to advance the above sum. The Clerk produced accounts for balance due to Messrs. Humphreys, and for other work done in connection with the Iron Building on the Sanatorium site, amounting to £103 5s. 2d., and the same was ordered to be paid. It was decided to continue for a further period of one year the contract with Mr. J. Ellender for scavenging the village of Wingham. The Clerk reported that at the Wingham Petty Sessions on the 2nd inst., Mr. Bradshaw was ordered to abate the nuisance arising from his pond at Stourmouth within four weeks. The knackers’ licence granted to Mr. F. Spain at Ashley was renewed for a further period of 12 months. In consequence of a default of the owner of a cottage at Mill Lane, Eastry, to provide a supply of water, the necessary work was ordered to be carried out, and the cost recovered from the owner. Notice was given that at the next meeting it would be proposed that the future meetings of the Council be held on the same day and after the Board of Guardians. This being the last meeting of the Council, a unanimous vote of thanks was given to the Chairman and Vice-Chair-man for their services. It was also resolved that the thanks of the Council be given to the Clerk._ |
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