St Peter & St Paul's, Newchurch
Newchurch lies in one of the oldest parts of the Romney Marsh . The Romans created the Dymchurch Wall and the Rhee Wall which protected the harbour at Lympne . The land between originally used to provide salt to the legions became slowly filled with alluvial deposits and turned into rich farmland.
The church was started in the 1200's, probably by monks from Bilsington Priory, and consecrated by Archbishop Rich in 1238. The first recorded clergyman is Master Richard de Copeland, 1285
The tower was started about 1410. However, because the land around is reclaimed silt, the tower started leaning alarmingly towards the west. Large buttresses were erected to prevent it from falling down and building work was stopped. Many years were to pass before it was deemed safe to complete it and the top of the tower was finally added in 1480. This was built perpendicular to the ground. Because of this the church tower has a major bend in the middle with the lower two sections leaning to the west.
The village is in quite an isolated position, and was a centre for the sheep and wool trade . Because of this owlers [Smugglers on the Marshes were known as Owlers - rumoured to be because of the owl-like sounds they made to communicate at night] would frequent the area to obtain the wool for its illegal export. It is likely as with most of the other Marsh churches, that smuggled goods would have been stored in the church, the most likely gang to do this would have been the Aldington Gang who were based at Aldington just inland from Newchurch.
Newchurch is derived from the Anglo Saxon Niwe Cirice (New Burial Ground), and is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Nevcerce.
St Peter & St Paul's, Newchurch
Newchurch lies in one of the oldest parts of the Romney Marsh . The Romans created the Dymchurch Wall and the Rhee Wall which protected the harbour at Lympne . The land between originally used to provide salt to the legions became slowly filled with alluvial deposits and turned into rich farmland.
The church was started in the 1200's, probably by monks from Bilsington Priory, and consecrated by Archbishop Rich in 1238. The first recorded clergyman is Master Richard de Copeland, 1285
The tower was started about 1410. However, because the land around is reclaimed silt, the tower started leaning alarmingly towards the west. Large buttresses were erected to prevent it from falling down and building work was stopped. Many years were to pass before it was deemed safe to complete it and the top of the tower was finally added in 1480. This was built perpendicular to the ground. Because of this the church tower has a major bend in the middle with the lower two sections leaning to the west.
The village is in quite an isolated position, and was a centre for the sheep and wool trade . Because of this owlers [Smugglers on the Marshes were known as Owlers - rumoured to be because of the owl-like sounds they made to communicate at night] would frequent the area to obtain the wool for its illegal export. It is likely as with most of the other Marsh churches, that smuggled goods would have been stored in the church, the most likely gang to do this would have been the Aldington Gang who were based at Aldington just inland from Newchurch.
Newchurch is derived from the Anglo Saxon Niwe Cirice (New Burial Ground), and is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Nevcerce.