STODMARSH

THE DOVER EXPRESS AND EAST KENT NEWS—FRIDAY, 16 MAT, 1902.
CUR VILLAGES

LII.—STODMARSH.

Stodmarsh is an out-of-the-way parish on the south bank of the Stour, about two miles from Grove Ferry, where there is a Station on the Deal and Sandwich Railway. The area is but 695 acres, and part of that is marsh land, the name of the parish being derived from “ Stode,” a Saxon word signifying mare, and “merse” for marsh, the idea being that it was a place where horses were turned out to feed—a stud farm for which the grass land at Stodmarsh might have been regarded as suitable. The parish is bounded on the east and south by Wickham and Litf.lebourne, and on the west and north by Fordwich and the Stour. EARLY HISTORY OF STODMARSH.

. The e&rly history of Stodmarsh is associated with its manor, the court lodge of which stands on the verge of the marsh, about a quarter of a mile weft of the church, which manor in the early days of Christianity was formed into a parish, both areas being conterminate. This manor oi Stodmarsh, in the seventh century, was the property of Lothaire, King of Kent, who in the year 673 gave it to St. Augustine’s Monastery to hold as freely as his predecessors had ever held it. The Monastery continued in the possession of this manor during the remainder of the Saxon Period, and when the Conqueror distributed some of the best of the manors of Kent amongst his followers, and his half-brother Odo, the newly constituted Earl of Kent seized the more pleasant lands southward, this little manor in the marshes was in 1 £ "“deputed possession of the Abbot of St. Augustine. As the Monastery grew in opulence, during the Norman Period, when the Abbot turned his attention to game preserving on his estates. Henry III. granted free Warren to all their demesne lands in Stodmarsh. Later, in the time of Edward II., the view of frank pledge was granted, as well as wreck of the sea, for at that time the Stour, at this point, was tidal, and not confined to its present narrow bed. As the arm of the sea .receded into a narrower channel, the parish increased in size, and in the reign of Richard II. the measurement was 488 acres and its annual value £15 4s. 9d., which would be equal to about £230 at the present time. The manor remained the property of the Monastery until its dissolution in the days of Henry VIII., when the King granted it to John Master, a knight, who held these lands fcr service, as he also held from the King the lands of East Langdon. John Master continued to reside at East Langdon, but his eldest son, Thomas Master, resided at Stodmarsh Court, and he dying without a male heir, the property went to his sister Elizabeth, who married William Courthope, a gentleman of Sandwich, who took up his residence at Stodmarsh Court, as did his descendants down to the last of that name, William Courthope, who, dying without male issue in 1727, the manor wps carried in marriage, by his daughter Amye, to John Huggessen; and the Huggessens continued in the possession of the manor down to the beginning of the nineteenth century.

MODERN HISTORY OF STODMAR8H.

The condition of Stodmarsh as it .was at the beginning of the nineteenth century, is briefly and not too flattering" v told by Kentish historian Hasted thus: “Stodmarsh is an obscure situation, neither pleasant nor healthy. The village, which is very

neat, stands on a kind of green. It is

situated very low, at the extremity of the upland, below which the parish extends over the marshes, called Stodmarsh Level, as far as the river Stour. Very near the church is a small stream which is the boundary of the parish, on each side of which is a large marsh or swamp, overgrown with alders and willows, almost all of which is in Wickham parish. The court lodge is situated in a bottom, close to the marshes', at no great distance from the village; and above it is an open pasture

down, over which the road leads to Can-

terbury. The upland is very hilly, and far from being fertile. There is but one small piece of coppice wood in it, which belongs * to Stodmarsh Court. There are about 16 houses in the parish. A fair used to be held here on Whit-Tuesday, but it has been for some years discontinued."

STODMARSH OF TO-DAY.

As an appendix to Hasted’s notes on Stodmarsh, there is not much to add, for during the last century there have been no great events here to make history. It has been mentioned that not far beyond the church there is a stream which forms the parochial boundary, the greater part of the parish lying in the opposite direction where it joins to Littlebourne. From thence comes the road from Canterbury, which, leaving the main road at the old Forge, crosses Scotland hills, and after skirting the upper part of Fordwich leads through Trendley Park (the very oldest Park in England), pleasantly leading to the south-western frontier of Stodmarsh parish, just where Elbridge House, on the south, and Higham on the north, as sentries stand at the extreme limit of Littlebourne. From there the road psses along Stodmarsh Down, a wild and romantic country very similar to parts of Wales. Across the valley to the right rises the gravelly ridge which runs between the Greater and the Lesser Stours, in which a few years ago was discovered an ancient cemetery, with several sepulchral vessels in good preservation, which were pronounced by the late Mr. George Dowker to be Saxon. On the left, about a hundred yards from the road, is Stodmarsh Court, still a fine house, with a noble avenue of trees forming a double line from the road down to the front entrance, f.lthough the drive down this avenue is no onger maintained The Manor Court used to be held regularly with all due formality, but is now only revived once in six years. A short distance further brings us to the village street, the Church, and the Green. It is

a pretty little village—very 111 tie, and the

current of life runs rather sluggish There is no school here, the children not being numerous, are accommodated at Wickham. There is no Post Office, a wall letter box being the receiving place, and letters arrive through Canterbury at 8 a.m. There is one shop, grocer and baker, kept by Mr. Holness; one public house, the Red Lion. The householders as represented on the parochial register number two dozen, namely, Alfred Arier, Jame* Brockman, Douglas Collard. Charles Coombs, William Cooper, John Gilles. E. H. Holdstock, F. P. Holdstock. G. C. Holdstock. Hennr Hold-stock, Herbert Holdstock, Peter Holness, John Hopper, Brice Kemp, Charles Mens-dav. John Pankhurst, Andrew Rye, George Smith, Albert Sole. Oeorge Sole. Henry Sutton. Harrv T. Tucker, Henry Walters, and Richard Wood. There are three registered electors who do not reside in the

parish : Benjamin Elgar, Mph Street,

Sandwich; the Rev. G. H Gray, the Precincts, Canterbury; and the Rev. Arthur

Denne Hilton. St. John’s Vicarage, Ux-

bridge Moor, Middlesex.
STODMARSH CHURCH HISTORY.

Stodmarsh Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is small, yet a neat, well-kept and interesting edifice. The date of its origin is not known, but there is reason to believe that a Church existed here in Saxon times. That might have been, in accordance with the custom of the times, built of wood ; but the form of the Church as it now exists is just the sort of fabric that it was customary for the Saxon Christians to build in small country parishes. Stodmarsh, as has been already stated, was a royal gift to St. Augustine’s Monastery in the Seventh Century, and it is not likely that that rich Christian Brotherhood would have failed to exhibit the light of Christianity amongst the people on this out-lying part of their domains. It is not necessary to apsume that any part of the existing fabric was placed in situ by the Saxons, except, it may be, part of the foundations; but the little church that now stands on the roadside north-east of the village Green is most certainly the lineal successor and in many respects the actual fabric which has stood there since the close of the Norman period. There is in the aisle of this Church now an ancient coffin shaped stone, having on it a cross with four pomels, and near it it a stone, which evidently had a brass memorial on it. Hasted, writing in 1799, said the brass was there then, and that it had an inscription for William Barnevyle, obit. 1464. This brass was lost for many

hidden in a crevice of the wall of the Anchor Inn, Littlebourne. The landlord sent it to the minister, and it is now placed under the north window in the nave. It appears, however, that the date on this brass has been misquoted by Hasted, the Roman figures on it appearing to represent 1264. If that were so it would indicate that Stodmarsh was in possession of one of the earliest English memorial brasses, but if it were not so it does not detract from the antiquity of the fabric, for there are records of this Church at Canterbury going back to the year 1243. This Church, Hailed says, was anciently appended to the Manor, and as such was part of the possessions of the Abbot and Convent of St. Augustine, being continued so until the year 1243, when Robert the Abbot, at the suggestion of the Archdeacon Simon de Langton, granted the Church, together with four acres of the manor, to the Hospital of Poor Priests in Canterbury on condition that they should not demand any tithes of the Convents’s Manor lands here, the Proctor or sipme Priest of the Hospital being bound to give as an acknowledgement yearly a pound wax-taper for the Altar of St. Augustine. After that the Church at Stodmarsh became appropriated to the Poor Priests' Hospital in Canterbury, the Minister nominating the Curate, allowing him a yearly stipend of £5 6s. 8d., which probably would be equal to about £85 of our present money. This state of things continued until 36 years after the Manor of Stodmarsh had passed, at the dissolution of St. Augustine’s Monastery, to its new owner, Thomas Master. The Hospital for Poor Priests continued to exist at Canterbury until the year 1575, and apparently, after the Reformation, in this out-of-the-way place there was no great change in the form of religion. For instance, in the reign of Mary, when the Rev. John Bland, Rector of Adisham (afterwards burnt at the stake), refused to restore the service of the Mass on the 20th December, 1553, the Priest from Stodmanm was introduced to officiate at Adisham, and Bland meanwhile was forcibly detained in a side chapel. However, in the 17th year of the reign of Elizabeth, the Poor Priests’ Hospital was dissolved, the property being given to the Mayor and Corporation of Canterbury for the poor, with the exception of the patronage of Stodmarsh, which was afterwards placed in the gift of the Archdeacon of Canterbury. There was, however, some dispute about the right to present, the Mayor and Corporation of Canterbury, in 1627, commenced a lawsuit to maintain their right, but they failed. After the dissolution of the Hospital, the living was valued at £9, and in 1640 at £16. A hundred years ago it was said to be of the clear annual value of £30, but at that time it was augmented by a legacy from Mrs. Taylor and a sum from Queen Anne’s Bounty, which made it worth £60. This extraneous aid should not have been needed, for, after the Reformation, the Minister became again entitled to both great and small tithes, but it was an empty title. The demesne lands of the Manor claimed to pay a composition of £8 a year in lieu of tithes, and there were 400 acres of marsh land that claimed to be exempt when under grass. Between these two exemptions the living was poor, and the augmentation from the before memtioned sources very welcome. This living continued as a donative in the gift of the Archdeacon of Canterbury, and the present Rector, the Rev. George H. Gray, who _is a minor Canon of Canterbury and Sacristan of Canterbury Cathedral, was appointed Perpetual Curate by Dr. Eden. Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of Dover, in 1890; but in 1891 Dr.- Eden gave up the donative presentation and appointed Mr. Gray Rector. There is no Rectory House at the present time, the small parsonage which existed in the days of Queen Elizabeth having disappeared.

THE CHURCH A8 IT IS.

The Church, standing at a prominent turning of the main road, like a city set on a hill, cannot be hid. The fabric consists of chancel, nave, south porch, and a picturesque turret, surmounted by a little spire. The Church having in recent years been thoroughly restored, its antiquity is not so apparent as it was before the architects and builders took it in hand. The chancel is lighted on the east by two large lancets, and on each side by two smaller lancets widely splayed. The south wall still retains its pre-Reformation piscena, and the north wall its aumbry. Between the two north windows of the chancel is a white marble mural slab, to the memory of William Courthope, of Stodmarsh Court, whose predecessors lived there for many generations, and he, the last of the family, died 24th March, 1727, aged 75 years.” There are still in the north-west window some remains of old colored glass. Hasted states that in his time one of the windows had a figure of the Blessed Virgin, crowned, with a child in her arms; and the figure of a woman with the head of an old man lying on her arm; both beautifully done. These figures have entirely disappeared. There is now at the entrance to the chancel a very handsome screen carved in eight panels, forming a pretty arcade. The central support being cut away to make the opening to the chancel, there is a shield on the piece remaining having the initials "I.R.” This screen has been, at some time, heightened. The body of the Church is lighted by four windows, one on the north, one on the west, and two on the south. The roofing looks new, although some of the principal beams, and more especially the framework of timber supporting the turret, are old, yet sound. William Courthope, whose monument has been mentioned, was the donor of the present Communion flagon and patten, the date of which would be about 1700. The chalice now in use is of much earlier date, viz., 1625. The turret contains two bells, one of them being probably the oldest in Kent. On the smaller
one—24 inches—there is an inscription, “Ave Maria Gracie Plena.” The date is probably before 1300. The larger bell—25 mches—has the inscription, “A-Bove All Things Love God." This bell is probably pf Elizabethan date. The latest addition is a very handsome pulpit, a great improvement to the church. This and a handsome brass plate on the adjacent wall were erected by public subscription in memory of the late Trooper Ernest Sole, of the South African Light Horse, who, with ten others of the East Kent Mounted Rifles, volunteered for service in South Africa at the commencement of the Boer War. He died of fever at 8tanderton, South Africa. The pulpit was dedicated by Dean Farrar in March, 1891. It may be mentioned that the congregations in this church are very good, often 50 people being present out of about 80 residents

CHURCH RESTORATIONS.

Special mention should be made of the recent restorations of this church, as their extensive character and the thoroughness of the work reflect credit on the whole parish, and more especially on the rector, Mr, Gray, who was largely instrumental in raising the money for the work. The present rector was appointed curate-in-charge m 1884, and at that time a thorough restoration of the whole fabric was much needed. In 1887 a large portion of the north wall fell down, which brought matters to a crisis. A committee was formed from the parishioners, and the restoration of the nave was thoroughly taken in hand, for which about £450 was raised. This was expended on the nave and on the building of the new south porch. This sum was made up of a grant of £100 from the Diocesan Church Building Society, and the rest was raised by private subscriptions, the parishioners contributing about £25. The work was carried out by Mr Belsey. builder, of Littlebourne, under Messrs. Cavell and Bromley, architects, of Canterbury, but Mr. Cavell died before the completion of the work, the church being re-opened in October, 1888. Soon after this the late incumbent, the Rev. W. Hooker, died, and the Rev. G. H. Gray being as before mentioned, presented to the living, the restoration of the chancel was taken in hand, the late minister having declined to allow the previous restoration to include the chancel. For this chancel restoration, a further sum of about £350 was raised, and the work was done by Messrs. Whiting and Co., of Osnringe. under the superintendence of Mr. R. S. Dav, the Diocesan survevor and architect. Later in the same year, the chancel was re-opened bv the Bishon of Dover, and this ancient fabric, instead of being a blot on the Diocese. has now been transformed into a beautiful little church, presenting a complete and thorough restoration of the old work. Later good open seats, of pitch pine, were put in the nave, instead of the chairs which took the place of the old pews at the restoration of the nave. The church is now very near perfection, but further subscriptions would be welcome for furnishing fresh curtains at the east end and a new frontal for the altar cloth After so much has been done for the old fabric, this, which is needed to make it complete, will doubtless not be long wanting.

DOVER PUBLIC HOUSES CLOSED

The following list of hotels, inns, and public houses closed in Dover since about the year 1860 has been sent to us, and should be a fair answer to the question asked at the close of the letter from the Rev. Hugh Falloon and others that appeared in our paper last week:

Antwerp Hotel. Paris and York Hotei, Lordon Hotel. Providence Hotel, , Briefc-makers’ Arms, Fector’s Arms. Hoiv»e now 16, or 17, Bridge Street, Carpeliters’ Arms, Elephant and Castle, Royal Exchange, Turnham Green Tavern, Folkestone Arms, Three Suns, Saracens Head. Foresters’ Arms, Olive Branch, Hous*--now 4, Bowling Green Hill, House new 3, Blucher Row, Spotted Cow, Hou*c where is S, Woolcomber-street, He.’^e where is 66 or 68. St. James’-street, Mr «e Arms, Flying Horse, House where now is \b ston’s. Can non-street, Antwerp Tap, IN yal George, House where now is tT. Tu*kers, Market - lane, Northumberland Ac-ns, Crispin. Cambridge, Cambridge Arr.ts Green Man, House where is now the Bon Marche. Bee Hive. True Briton, Welcome All Nations. Mariners’ Arms, Union Tap, Little Lord Warden, Three Kings, where now is Hearn’s potato store, Golden Fleece, Prince of Hesse, Paris Tap,

House at the opposite corner, Newcastle Arms, Plume of Feathers, Packet Boat, Jollv Sailor, Crown and Anchor, London Hotel Tap. Crusader, Folkestone Cutter. Victoria Tap, Seven Stars, Hovelling Boat, House where is now Hawkesfield’s office, Princess Maud, Railway Inn,

office, Railway Inn, King William. Some of these houses died from natural causes, some were removed to erect more suitable premises, and some closed by the Magistrates owing to their character. The list, which might be added to, fully bears out our statement as to houses having been closed in Dover; and in proportion to its

size, few towns have done more m that

direction.