THE DOVER EXPRESS AND EAST KENT NEWS—FRIDAY, 24 OCTOBER, 1902.

LXXIV. CHERITON

Cheriton is the parish lying next westward of Folkestone. Its ancient part occupies a little glen which opens out to the sea just beyond the plateau of Shorncliffe, with its church overlooking it from the western hillside; but now the most populous part of Cheriton is on the roadside near Shorncliffe railway station, rapidly assuming an urban aspect.

CHERITONS HISTORY.

The parish of Cheriton had anciently no less than seven Manors, some of which must have been very small, seeing that the parish, as a whole, only contains 1754 acres, the principal Manor was that of Cheriton. It was held at the Conquest of the Barony of Averenches, alias Folkestone, as one Knights fee, and ward to the Castle of Dover, by a family who took their name therefrom. In the reign of Henry III. it became separated from the Barony, it was then held by Waleran de Ceritone, and by his descendant, Odo de Ceritone, in the beginning of the reign of Edward I. Soon after that time this family seems to have removed to Farningham Manor, and Roger de Mereworth came into possession. For a time the Valoyns were the Lords of the Manor, Henry de Valoyns, Sheriff a.d. 1341, being in possession of it at the time of his Sherivalty. Sir Francis Fogge, who married one of the Valoyns, a little later was Lord of the Manor and resident at Cheriton. His effigy, cross-legged, was on his tomb in Cheriton Church, and remained until about 150 years ago, when it was removed. The Fogges were at Cheriton many generations, and were succeeded by the Brockmans, who afterwards removed to Beechborough, in Newington, but still continued in possession of Cheriton Manor, and are now the patrons of the living. The Manor of Swetton, lying in the centre of the parish, was anciently held by the Crevequers, but in the reign of Henry VIII. it became the property of the King, who granted it to Lord Thomas Cromwell; and it also eventually became part of the possessions of the Brockmans. Enbrooke Manor was part of the Barony of Folkestone, held by a family named Enbrooke, who in the reign of Edward III. gave the lands to Langdon Abbey; but the Manor house, which was about half a mile eastward from the church, was occupied by the Enbrookes until about the middle of the 15th century, when it was sold to Peter of Alkham. It passed to the Everings of Alkham, and eventually to the Honywoods. Another Manor was called Bishop's Enbrooke, and afterwards named the Oaks. It adjoined the other Enbrooke, and in the reign of Henry III. became the possession of the Abbot of West Langdon. At the Reformation the King gave it to Archbishop Cranmer, hence it took the name of Bishop’s Enbrooke. It, however, returned to the Crown, and was given by Queen Elizabeth to one of her Esquires. Sir Edward Sandys, of Northbourne; and subsequently had many owners. Casebourne, lying to the west, was so named from Galfridus de Casebourne, one of its earliest owners, who was a knight of Dover Castle. It afterwards became the property of the Honywoods, of Postling. Sweet Arden was a little Manor of three acres in this parish, which cannot now be identified. In the time of Edward I. it was held by Wiliam de Sweet Arden, and the property is believed to have been situated in the little glen between the church and Seabrook. Ackhanger is the seventh and last Manor to be mentioned. It lies on the north of the parish up the hill, the residence of which was in Tirlingham. At the Conquest it was held by Nigell de Muneville, but has for many years been the property of the Earl of Radnor.

CHERITON OF TO-DAY.

The parish of Cheriton is an oblong area two miles in length and one mile wide, extending from the chalk hills on the north, through a gorge in the quarry hills on the south to the seashore at Sandgate, which district is partly in this parish. From the steep hillside on which the church stands there is a charming sea view, while immediately below, in the ravine which separates it from Shorncliffe, is the old Gothic Manor house, now divided into cottages, and its ancient barns and outhouses on the slope of the opposite hill, in ruins. Looking down the valley to the sea, there is, at the western extremity of Shorncliffe, a bluff headland, sides covered with foliage, and on the top are still left some of those picturesque but useless bulwarks, Martello towers. Down the little valley towards the sea runs a road, called Horn street, and in the same direction goes Seabrook, a stream that rises in Newington, and passing down to Sandgate, loses itself there in the sea beach. Away eastward extends the wide plateau, where is located Shorncliffe Camp, seaward; while landward is the newer part of Cheriton, where there have sprung up within recent years long continuous streets of middle-class houses and villas, together with many places of business. The village hall is a handsome Gothic building, and is used for meetings and entertainments, having a library and reading room attached. It was given by the late Mr. Jesse Pilcher, of Cheriton Manor, in 1874. There are several Free Church places of worship, and on the roadside is a handsome new church, dedicated to All Souls, which was built in 1894 at a cost of £4000, bequeathed by Mrs. C. Thompson. There is much traffic between this part of Cheriton and Folkestone, which is carried on by regular services of brakes and motor cars. From the centre of Cheriton street a road leads up into the Camp, and soldiers of all sorts throng the thoroughfares. The Camp has been the making of modern Cheriton. The force here was originally more naval than military, being in charge of the Coastguards, who had a battery here which was intended to be mounted with 90 guns, the commanding officer of this station being then in charge of the Martello towers. Its character was, however, changed by the large military encampment formed on this plateau in the year 1794. For the style of warfare of that time Shorncliffe was a well-protected place, with its ramparts of hills in the rear, and defended by its Castle, towers, batteries, and the Military Canal on its south-west flank. Now, although much increased in size, it has no pretensions to be anything more than a Camp of observation; but in that respect it is continually growing. At first, the barracks built here were for infantry and artillery, but in recent years there has been provided large accommodation for cavalry. At first the huts were primitive and inconvenient; but now a large part of the Camp is substantially built, and on the fringe of it, inland, are lines of “tin” huts right up to the brow of the valley over against Cheriton parish church. There were formerly cavalry barracks at Saltwood and Brabourne Lees, but they have all now been concentrated at Shorncliffe. Just under the brow of Shorncliffe, looking west, is Underhill, a house where the Duke of Richmond lay frequently as he passed from King Charles II. when he was in exile on the Continent. He is said to have hidden in the wood there which is still called “Richmond’s Shave.” and there was a subterraneous passage from thence to the house of one Writtle, who aided the Duke in his adventures. This was the Duke of Richmond who died on the Continent in 1672, and should not be confounded with the Kings natural son, who was born in the same year, and was afterwards created the Duke of Richmond, the first of the present line. The Duke was not very well requited for his loyalty to his exiled King. After the Restoration he was himself practically exiled, being sent to an Embassy abroad for having fallen in love with a married Mrs. Stuart, one of the Kings favourites; and he died abroad. Writtle, who aided the Duke, fared better. He, after the Restoration, was made Governor of Upnor Castle. In Cheriton parish there are the Cottage Homes for the pauper children belonging to the Elham Union, built in 1893. They were placed here so as to be free from the influences of the Workhouse, and to enjoy the freedom and salubrity of country life. The former is secured to them; but Cheriton is so rapidly developing that nearly the whole parish is being urbanised; but in the direction of the parish church and the sea there are beautiful views situate on hill and dale which the enterprising builder cannot easily destroy.

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.

The parish church of Cheriton, dedicated to St. Martin, overlooking the little valley of Horn street, is of various dates. Its tower, which stands at the west end, and is embattled, was pronounced by the late Rev. Scott-Robinson to be probably pre-Norman, or certainly not later than the 11th century. It would appear that the tower was built at or before the Conquest, and probably had attached to it a small church which seems to have served for a century or more; and then was built the Early English chancel, the walls of which still remain, with their deep foundations, in the hillside, forming the present east end of the church. At the same time the nave was continued down to the tower, the church then consisting of chancel, body, and tower. In order of time, the next work was the building of the north chantry, in the 13th century; and in the apex of the east window of it there is some coloured glass said to be the remains of a cartoon of the Crucifixion of that date. The north chantry was the property of the Lord of the Manor, and there is still a squint from it open through the chancel wall which affords a good view of the High Altar. The chantry opens from the nave by a pointed arch resting on a solid pier. The south aisle, which has an arcade of pointed arches on octagonal pillars, was built in the 14th century. At the east of it there is a piscina and a sedilia. with two seats under canopied niches. There are numerous projecting stones in the top part of this aisle, where there have been images or shrines. When this aisle was first built there was a south door to it, which has been long closed up. The north aisle is a modern and handsome annexe, having been built at the restoration of 1873. The north wall having a series of handsome decorated windows, copied, by the suggestion of Mr. H. B. Mackeson, of Hythe, from those in Charlton Church, in Surrey. The north porch was built as a memorial of Lord Justice Knight-Bruce. On it is an inscription “A refuge from the storm and a shadow from the heat,” and visitors to this beautiful Churchyard often find it so. The grave of the donor is on the south side of the Chancel, and over it a tall cross, but no inscription except “K. B.” on the boundary stones.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH.

Having traced the stages by which this Church was built, a few interesting features of the interior are worth a further glance.

It has one of the most beautiful chancels to be found in Kent. The windows of the chancel, consisting of eight lancets, are high up, of a marked Early English type, three on each side and two in the eastern gable, all filled with stained glass of rich colouring. These windows being high, the blank walls below afford space for ornamentation, and they have been enriched with arcades of pointed arches on Purbec marble shafts, with moulded capitals. On each side there are six of these niches, forming twelve stalls with stone seats. In the apex of the gable there is a circular window, and a little lower, the two lancets, with a niche between them, in which there is a white cross. There is a very beautiful reredos under the lancets consisting of seven small arches and an aumbry on the north side. There are three ancient brasses on the south wall, taken up from the floor of the chancel at the restoration of 1873. The pulpit has some good wood carving, and is about 400 years old. In the north chancel there were two ancient tombs much decayed. One of these still remains, being within an arch of the north wall, on which is an effigy in stone of a man in long vestments. The other is now gone; it was on the pavement near the other, on which was the effigy of a woman, having a head-dress and wimple under her chin. Hasted says that these were the most ancient monuments of this kind that he had seen in this country, and are supposed to have been memorials of some of the Enbrooke family. There is in the chancel a mural memorial of Joan Brodnax, wife of Robert Brodnax, who, having had six sons and eight daughters, died in 1592, at the age of 39. Underneath is:—

“Live well and die never,

Die well and live forever.”

In the south aisle is an arched recess with a recumbent figure. There is also a memorial in the north chancel to Mrs. Elizabeth grand-daughter of Sir Walter Raleigh, who died at Enbrooke, Sandgate, 26th Oct., 1716, aged 80 years. There are memorial windows for the Rev. N. Frazer, a former Rector, Jesse Pilcher, of Cheriton Court, who founded the village hall; Sir Francis Reilly, Q.C.; and to Maria, wife of the Rev. Reginald Brydges Knatchbull-Huggeson, who was Rector from 1866 to 1876. In 1881 the four old bells were re-cased, and two new ones added in memory of this lady, who was the daughter of the Rev. T. Brockman, of Beachborough. The churchyard is an elevated plateau, corresponding with Shorncliffe opposite, and affords extensive views of sea and land. On the north-east side is a pretty lich-gate. Much credit is due to the Rector, the Rev. R. C. Salmon, and the Churchwardens, Mr. J. B. Horton and Mr. J. E. Quested, for the beautiful state in which the graveyard is kept.