View allAll Photos Tagged Alignment
is the newest addition to the workshop. Albeit the usage of the most tools is obvious to me some are not. A manual would be great - if you have a copy of the manual please contact me!
A pair of Macá Grande (Podiceps Major) was fishing while a Coipo was swimming heading his home. Everyone coexists pacefully.
Is a need to be comfortable with lots of pockets an alignment? I am not sure if this is an inner reflection or a practical choice or a familiar crutch.
Before sculpting the necks, both heads were mounted to thin wire so they could be positioned correctly.
This is a HEAVILY modified Bringheli fork alignment block. I found the 4 threaded bolts extremely annoying and in-accurate for set-up. The bolts have been replaced with 1/4" rod that I threaded on the ends to bottom out on the fixture. The rod is smooth so the springs can move freely. The plunger then pushes down on the top plate evenly and with extreme pressure. I made the t-handle with a rotating plunger on the bottom so it won't dig into the top and allows very even pressure. This is a HUGE improvement and is now a very functional attachment. Having a 1,500 lb table that has been ground to a tolerance of under .001" does not hurt.
Back at it with The Alignment Guy here at HQ. Each car is setup differently based on driver, suspension type, intended use, etc. Cool process.
Photo: Ryan Gates
I always try to remember to trace where everything goes before I lift it up and apply the hot glue. Otherwise I'm liable to end up with the thing backwards, off by 30 degrees, etc.
Street scenes of Lincoln
An alignment :)
You can see a random selection of my photos here at Flickriver: www.flickriver.com/photos/9815422@N06/random/
I was walking along an upper walkway at my work looking out the window. This was one of those moments when you are glad a camera is never far.
As I walked, the lampost and the trees came into a wonderful alignment. Unfortunately the white pine in the background didn't get the memo.
I spent a day at Griffith Park's Observatory, and took a loop of the area along Hollywood, Sunset, Santa Monica Blvds. Visited Koreatown and Chinatown before a nightly departure. LA is huge and the traffic is terrible!
The crescent Moon, Venus and Jupiter in almost a perfectly straight line tonight over North York (Toronto).
Focal length: 35 mm
Aperture: f/22.0
Exposure: 1/80 Sec
ISO Speed: 100
Pentax K-5 + smc Pentax-DA 35mm f/2.8
A mile or so away from Wickhambreaux lies Ickham. A stunningly pretty village, all tudor brick or clapboard houses, and the famous and picturesque quadruple oast overlooking the fields that lead down to the Little Stour.
There can be no mistaking the approach to St John, past a long row of timer store houses on the left, with the unKentish spire of the church rising above the yews.
Snow was still melting, giving a picture perfect view as I cradled my cameras and walked to the lych.
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The church is entered from the south and is much longer than first impressions indicate. The nave is very dark, for it has no clerestory and is only lit by the outer aisle windows. The chancel, which is long and out of alignment, is most impressive, being built at a much higher level than the nave. There are two transepts, the one on the south partly blocked by the organ which has lovely barley-twist carving. Behind it is an unexpected chapel, possibly built as a chantry by Thomas de Baa who died in 1339. His tomb occupies the south wall and is a good example of its type. What makes this church even more interesting is that there is a 'twin' monument in the north transept to William Heghtesbury who died in 1372 - although this is in a better state of repair.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Ickham
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ICKHAM
LIES the next adjoining parish to Wickham eastward, being called in the survey of Domesday both Hickham and Gecham, and in other antient records Yeckham, taking its name from the Saxon word yeok, a yoke of arable land, and ham, a village. The whole parish consisting for the most part of arable land. There are three boroughs in this parish, viz. of Cottenham, Seaton, and Bramling.
Ickham lies about five miles eastward from Canterbury. The high road from which to Deal and Sandwich leads through it, across the Lesser Stour, usually called the Littleborne river, its western boundary, just below the ford of which is Ickham, usually called Littleborne mill, though belonging to this manor. The trout bred in this river are esteemed the best coloured, and the finest flavoured of any in either of the river Stours. On the right side of the road, on a very gentle rise from the river, is the house and park grounds of Lee, which form a beautiful picturesque appearance; adjoining to these grounds is Hazeling wood, the only one in the parish, and on still higher ground, more southward, the two estates of Garwinton, which adjoin to Adisham downs, a wholesome pleasant country.—About a mile further on from Lee, the above road passes through the hamlet of Bramling, in which is the court-lodge of that manor, and a modern neat house, built by John Paramore, esq. whose daughter Catherine carried it in marriage to admiral Charles Knowler, who resided in it, and died s. p. in 1788, leaving his widow surviving, who afterwards resided in it, and died in 1792, the year after which it was sold to Henry Rice, esq. who died in 1797, and his widow at present resides in it.
The village of Ickham, in which is the church and court-lodge, stands in a low flat country, very wet and unpleasant, the road through it being but little frequented. Further northward is the borough and hamlet of Seaton, beyond which is a level of marsh-land, containing about one hundred acres within this parish, which is here bounded by the Lesser Stour and the Wingham river. The soil throughout it is in general fertile, especially those two large extensive fields between the village and the Canterbury road, called Ickham and Treasury fields. A fair is held in the village on Whit-Monday, for pedlary and toys.
Offa, king of Mercia, in the year 791, gave to Christ-church, in Canterbury, fifteen plough-lands in Ickham, Perhamsted, and Roching; and in several dens in the sorest of Andred, the pannage of hogs, which he granted free from all secular service and regal tribute, which was afterwards increased by one Athelward, who in the year 958, gave more lands here to that church. (fn. 1) After which this manor continued part of that church's possessions, and on the division made by archbishop Lanfranc between himself and the priory, it was allotted to the share of the latter; accordingly, in the survey of Domesday, it is thus entered:
In Dunebafort hundred, the archbishop himself holds Gecham. It was taxed at four sulings. The arable land is twelve carucates. In demesne there are three, and twenty-nine villeins, with sixty cottagers having sixteen carucates and an half. There is a church, and four mills of one hundred shillings, and thirty five acres of meadow, and wood for the pannage of thirty hogs. The whole manor was worth, in the time of king Edward the Confessor and afterwards, twenty-two pounds, now thirtytwo pounds. Of the land of this manor, William his tenant holds as much as is worth seven pounds.
This manor was assigned by the convent ad cibum, that is, to the use of their refectory. In the 10th year of king Edward II. the prior of Christ-church ob. tained a grant of free warren in all his demesne lands in this manor among others, about which time it was, with its appurtenances, valued at seventy-two pounds. The buildings here were much improved by prior Chillenden, about the year 1400, who new erected all of them, excepting the dove-cote and one chamber; and prior Sellinge, about 1480, not only made the prior's chamber more pleasant, but built a dormitory likewise for the brethren resorting hither. At which time this manor was let to serme, at the yearly rent of 661. 13s. 4d. In which state it continued till the dissolution of the priory in the 31st year of Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands, where it did not continue long, for the settled it, among other premises, in his 33d year, on his new-erected dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose inheritance it still continues. A court baron is regularly held for this manor, which extends over part of the parishes of Rucking and Snave, and Ivechurch, in Romney Marsh.
The dean and chapter retain to themselves the court baron and all royalties, rents of assise, &c. and a certain fishing, called Grypping, with all commodities belonging to it. BUT THE COURT-LODGE, with the watermill and demesnes of the manor, with all waters, rivers and ways, together with all customs of sowings, harvesting, &c. and carriages of the manor due from the tenants, are demised by them on a beneficial lease for three lives, the interest of which is now vested in Thomas Barrett, esq. of Lee.
The Bay farm, antiently called the manor of Baa, though now it has lost even the name of having been one, and is reputed as part of the paramount manor of Ickham, was in former times accounted as such. It is situated about a quarter of a mile from the village, and had antiently possessors of the same surname, as appeared by an old fragment of glass in this church, of which were left only the words Hic . . . . de Ba . . . . and under a coat of arms, viz. Or, a lion rampant, sable, crowned, argent, was written in old French capitals, Thomas de Ba, of which there are now no remains left. He is supposed to have resided at this mansion, and to lie buried in the south chancel of this church, which is still called by his name, where, under an arch in the wall, his essigies, habited in armour, still remains lying on a tomb at full length, almost entire, but without any inscription. After this family was extinct here, the Wendertons, of Wenderton, in Wingham, became owners of it, and continued so till John Wenderton, in the 1st year of king Henry VIII. passed it away to archbishop Warham, who at his death in 1533 gave it to his youngest brother Hugh Warham, esq. of Croydon, and he gave it in marriage with Agnes his daughter to Sir Anthony St. Leger, lord deputy of Ireland, whose son Sir Warham St. Leger, of Ulcombe, sold it to Stephen Hougham, of Ash, who, as appears by his will, anno 1556, had the year before enseoffed John Gayson in this estate, called Baa, otherwise the Bay, with the Baa-field, in Ickham. He seems to have sold it to Denne, of Denne-hill, in Kingston, and his son Thomas Denne, esq. recorder of Canterbury, about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, alienated it to Curling, who passed it away by sale to Valentine Austen, who resided at it, and in the 14th year of James I. conveyed it to his son Richard Austen, gent. in whose descendants it continued till it was sold to Gillow, in which it remained till Richard Gillow, of Woodnesborough, alienated it, in the year 1704, to John Gibbs, of Adisham, whose direct descendant Mr. Richard Gibbs, of Ickham-court, is the present owner of it.
Bramling is a manor, in the south-east part of this parish, which, about the year 784, was given by one Wullaf to the monks of Christ-church, in Canterbury, who had it of the gift of king Edwlf, confirming the same. After which, though this place is not particularly mentioned in the survey of Domesday, yet it appears to have continued part of the possessions of the priory, for king Edward II. in his 10th year, granted to the prior free-warren within this manor. (fn. 2) At the dissolution of the priory, in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. it came into the king's hands, where it did not remain long, for he settled it, in his 33d year, by his dotation charter, on his new-founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, where the inheritance of it remains at this time.
It is demised on a beneficial lease, by the dean and chapter, to Mr. Richard and John Holness, of Littleborne, whose ancestors have been lessees of it for many years past.
Apulton, or Appleton, as it is now called, lies at a small distance southward from Bramling, in the southeast part of this parish, extending into Wingham likewise. It was once esteemed a manor, though it has long since lost all reputation of ever having been one, paying now a quit-rent to the paramount manor of Ickham, part of which it is at this time accounted. It is written in old deeds, Apylton, from its being the inheritance of a family of that name, for in one of them, made by Reginald de Cornhill, owner of Lukedale and the adjoining precinct of Welle, one William de Apylton, of Ickham, is a witness to it, but whether they were related to the Apyltons, of Essex and Suffolk, is uncertain. After this family was extinct here, the Denis's were become possessed of it, one of whom, John Denis, of Apulton, who was sheriff of London in the year 1360, anno 35 Edward III. founded a chantry here in that reign, which was called Denis's chantry, and the lands with which it was endowed, are still called Denis's lands. After this family, one Adam Oldmeade appears by the private deeds to have been owner of it in the reigns of king Henry V. and VI. from whom, before the latter end of the reign of the latter, it had passed by sale to Bemboe, who alienated it to Hunt, in which name it did not remain long, for about the latter end of king Henry VII's reign, it was become the property of Dormer, descended from the family of that name in Buckinghamshire; from which name, not many years after, it was sold to Gason, a name very antient in this parish, from which it was afterwards conveyed to Hodgekin, whose ancestors were formerly possessed of Uffington, in Goodnestone, near Wingham, in whose descendants the property of it did not remain long before it was sold to Francis Rutland, gent. and he alienated it to John Winter, clerk, prebendary of Canterbury, who in 1605 devised it to John his son, his lands and tenements in Ickham, called Appington, (fn. 3) and by him it passed by sale to Denne, of this parish, from which name, in king Charles I.'s reign, it went by sale to Forster, in whose family it continued till the year 1680, when one half of it was purchased by Sir James Oxenden, of Dean, in whose family it continued down to Sir George Oxenden, bart. of Dean, who purchased a further part of this estate, being three eighths of it, of which, and the moiety above-mentioned, he died possessed in 1775, and his son Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. of Brome, is the present owner of them; but the remaining eighth part continued in separate owners, and continued so till Mr. Simon Durrant, of London, lately passed away that part of it likewise to Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. who is now possessed of the whole of it.
Lee is a seat, situated in the south-west part of this parish, at a small distance from the river. It was formerly spelt Legh, and belonged to a family who took their surname from their residence at it, one of whom, Richard de la Legh, was owner of it in Edward I.'s reign, as appears by a deed of the 13th year of it, and it is probable that the tomb in the wall of the Lee chancel in this church, on which is the figure of an antient man, lying at full length, belonged to him. How long it continued in his descendants, I have not found; but at the latter end of king Edward IV.'s reign, the family of Stoks, or Stokys, as they were sometimes written, were become owners of it. After this name was become extinct here, it came by sale in James I.'s reign into the possession of Sir William Southland, who bore for his arms, Or, a dragon rampant, with wings inverted, vert, on a chief, gules, three spears heads, argent; assigned to him in 1604, by William Camden, clarencieux. (fn. 4) He resided at this seat, which at length descended to his grandson Thomas Southland, esq. who in 1676 alienated it to Paul Barrett, esq. afterwards knighted, who was a sergeant-at-law and recorder of Canterbury, who bore for his arms, Or, on a chevron, sable, three lions passant of the field, between three mullets, pierced of the second. His grandson Thomas Barrett, esq. was of Lee, where he died in 1757, and was buried in the Lee chancel, in Ickham church, as were his four wives, the first being Anne, daughter and coheir of Sir William Boys, M.D. by whom he had three sons, who died insants; the second, Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Peter Peters, M. D. of Canterbury, by whom he had an only daughter Elizabeth, married to the Rev. William Dejovas Byrch, of Canterbury; the third, Sarah, daughter and heir of Hercules Baker, esq. by whom he had no issue; and the fourth, Katherine, daughter and at length heir of Humphry Pudner, esq who surviving him, died in 1785, by whom he left an only son and heir Thomas Barrett, esq. who is now of Lee, and the present possessor of this seat.
The house of Lee, which was but indifferent before, has been, by the skill and art of Mr. Wyatt, admirably improved in the disposition of the apartments, among them is a most beautiful library, finished in the most perfect stile of gothic taste. The three fronts of the house convey an idea of a small convent, never attempted to be demolished, but partly modernized, and adapted to the habitation of a gentleman's family; and the gently rising ground, antient spreading trees, and the adjoining rivulet, seem to correspond with it, and to form a scite selected by monks, with a view to retirement and meditation, while at the same time no distant prospects tantalized them with views of opulence and busy society. In the house is a small but curious collection of pictures.
Well is a district on the west side of the river, next to Littleborne, which, so late as the beginning of king James I.'s reign, was esteemed as part of that parish, but it has been for a number of years past annexed to the parish of Ickham. Though the chief part of it is situated as above-mentioned, yet there are some small parts, separated by other parishes intervening. THE MANOR of it, usually called WELL-COURT, stands close to the bank of the river, and was in very early time the property of the family of Clifford, from whom it passed into the possession of those who took their surname from it, the trustee of one of whom, John at Welle, in the 44th year of king Henry III. sold it to Reginald de Cornhill, who lest by Matilda de Lukedale his wife, an only daughter and heir, who carried this manor in marriage to one of the family of Garwinton, whose descendant Thomas de Garwinton obtained the king's licence in the 30th year of king Edward III. to suppress the chantry held here, and to grant that part of its revenues which lay at the Wike to St. John's hospital; in Northgate, and to keep possession of the scite of the chantry, and the lands belonging to it at Lukedale, to him and his heirs; in which name it descended down to Mr. William Garwynton, who dying s. p. it came to his next heir Joane, married to Richard Haut, of a younger branch of those of Bishopsborne, in whose descendants it continued down to Richard Haut, who leaving an only daughter and heir Margery, she carried this manor in marriage to William Isaak, esq. of Patrixborne, whose son Edward Isaak leaving by his first wife, an only daughter and heir Jane, she carried it in marriage to Martin Sidley, esq. of Great Chart, and their son Sir Isaac Sidley sold it to Sir Henry Palmer, of Bekesborne, who had married his mother Jane before-mentioned. Sir Henry Palmer died possessed of it in 1611, and by will devised it to his old servant, as he stiles him in his will, John White, in tail general, remainder to his son inlaw Sir Isaac Sidley, above-mentioned. How it passed afterwards, I have not found; but in the year 1680 it was become the property of Mr. Francis Jeoffery, whose only daughter and heir Elizabeth entitled her husband John Knowler to it, and they afterwards joined in the conveyance of it to Robert Daines, who left it by will in 1733 to Daines Balderston, and he in 1750 passed it away to his father Captain George Balderston, of Dover, who died in 1751, leaving his wife Sarah surviving, whose trustees in 1775 sold it to Sir Philip Hales, bart. and he in 1787 alienated it, with other adjoining estates, to Isaac Baugh, esq. the present owner of it, who has since built a seat for his residence, on the rise of the hill, within this precinct, about a quarter of a mile distant from the courtlodge of it.
The ruins of the chapel or church of Well, adjoining to the court-lodge, are still remaining. It was entire in 1535, in which year Thomas Franklyn, parson of Ickham, devised a legacy to the repair of it. On the next page is a view of the ruins of it.
THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.
¶The church, which is exempt from the jurisdiction of the archdeacon, is dedicated to St. John. It consists of three isles, a cross sept, and high chancel, having a slim spire steeple at the west end, in which hang four bells. It is handsome, and kept neat. In the high chancel is a stone, with a cross flory, and old French capitals round the edge, obliterated. A memorial for Sir Richard Head, bart.obt. 1721. Underneath is a large vault, in which several of this family lie buried, among them the late Sir John Head, bart. archdeacon of Canterbury, his two wives, and his children, who all died infants. A memorial for admiral Charles Knowler, obt. 1788. The transept, or south chancel, called the Bay chancel, belongs to that estate. On a tomb, under an arch in the south wall, is the figure of a man in armour, with his hands joined together and uplisted, lying at full length, pretty entire, probably for Thomas de Baa, owner of that manor. On the pavement are several stones, with old French capitals round the edges, all obliterated, excepting one for Martin de Hampton, rector of this parish and prebendary of Wingham, obt. 1306. Several memorials of the Austens, owners of Bay farm. The north transept or chancel is called the Lee chancel, belonging to that seat, under which is a large vault, in which lie several of the Barrett family. On the pavement is a memorial for dame Sarah Barrett, daughter of Sir George Ent, widow of Francis Head, esq. of Rochester, and married secondly to Sir Paul Barrett, of Canterbury, obt. 1711, arms, Barrett, impaling Ent, azure, a chevron, between three falcons belled, or. Under an arch in the north wall is the figure of an old man, lying at full length on a tomb, his hair cut short, with a cap on his head, and his hands joined and uplifted, most probably for Richard de la Legh, owner of this seat. Against the east wall is a monument for the right hon. Sir William Southland, of Lee, obt. 1638. About seventy years ago there were eighteen stalls in the chancel of this church, which were used by the prior and monks of Christchurch when they resorted hither, as well as for others of the clergy who should be present here at divine service. In the church-yard, near the porch, is a tomb for the Paramors, of Ickham; several tombstones and memorials for the family of Gibbs, of the court-lodge; and one for Margaret, wife of Valentine Austen, obt. 1615. At the west end of the steeple is an antient circular arch, with indented ornaments. In the windows of this church there were formerly the arms of Fitzalan, and of the priory of Christ-church; both long since destroyed. There was a chapel in it, dedicated to St. Thomas, which had a light perpetually burning in it.
The church of Ickham was antiently appendant to the manor, and continued so at the dissolution of the priory of Christ-church in the 31st year of Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands, who afterwards, in his 33d year, settled the manor on his new-founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, but he granted the advowson of the rectory of this church in exchange to the archbishop, in which state it now continues, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.
It is valued in the king's books at 29l. 13s. 4d. and the yearly tenths at 2l. 19s. 4d. In 1588 it was valued at 150l. communicants two hundred and five. In 1640 it was valued at 250l. the like number of com municants. It is now of the value of about 450l. per annum. There are twenty acres of glebe.
The rector is collated to the rectory of Ickham, with the chapel of Well annexed.
Angkor Wat or "Capital Temple" is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. It was first a Hindu and later a Buddhist temple. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura, present-day Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
Breaking from the Shiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (नगर). Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds" (Sanskrit: वाट vāṭa ""enclosure").
HISTORY
Angkor Wat lies 5.5 kilometres north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred at Baphuon. It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures. It is the southernmost of Angkor's main sites.
According to one legend, the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to act as a palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea.
According to the 13th century Chinese traveler Daguan Zhou, it was believed by some that the temple was constructed in a single night by a divine architect. The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-C. 1150). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown, but it may have been known as "Varah Vishnu-lok" after the presiding deity. Work seems to have ended shortly after the king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished.
In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kilometers to the north.
In the late 13th century, Angkor Wat gradually moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.
One of the first Western visitors to the temple was António da Madalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of."
In the mid-19th century, the temple was visited by the French naturalist and explorer, Henri Mouhot, who popularised the site in the West through the publication of travel notes, in which he wrote:
"One of these temples - a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo - might take an honorable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."
Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, found it difficult to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site. There were no ordinary dwellings or houses or other signs of settlement including cooking utensils, weapons, or items of clothing usually found at ancient sites. Instead there is the evidence of the monuments themselves.
Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century, mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues.The temple is a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride that has factored into Cambodia's diplomatic relations with France, the United States and its neighbor Thailand. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863. From a larger historical and even transcultural perspective, however, the temple of Angkor Wat did not become a symbol of national pride sui generis but had been inscribed into a larger politico-cultural process of French-colonial heritage production in which the original temple site was presented in French colonial and universal exhibitions in Paris and Marseille between 1889 and 1937. Angkor Wat's aesthetics were also on display in the plaster cast museum of Louis Delaporte called musée Indo-chinois which existed in the Parisian Trocadero Palace from C. 1880 to the mid-1920s. The splendid artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate on 11 August 1863 and invading Siam to take control of the ruins. This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country that had been under Siamese (Thai) control since 1351 AD (Manich Jumsai 2001), or by some accounts, 1431 AD. Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 and has controlled Angkor Wat since that time.
ARCHITECTURE
SITE AND PLAN
Angkor Wat, located at 13°24′45″N 103°52′0″E, is a unique combination of the temple mountain, the standard design for the empire's state temples and the later plan of concentric galleries. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolises the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. Access to the upper areas of the temple was progressively more exclusive, with the laity being admitted only to the lowest level. Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This has led many (including Maurice Glaize and George Coedès) to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple.Further evidence for this view is provided by the bas-reliefs, which proceed in a counter-clockwise direction - prasavya in Hindu terminology - as this is the reverse of the normal order. Rituals take place in reverse order during Brahminic funeral services. The archaeologist Charles Higham also describes a container which may have been a funerary jar which was recovered from the central tower. It has been nominated by some as the greatest expenditure of energy on the disposal of a corpse. Freeman and Jacques, however, note that several other temples of Angkor depart from the typical eastern orientation, and suggest that Angkor Wat's alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with the west.
A further interpretation of Angkor Wat has been proposed by Eleanor Mannikka. Drawing on the temple's alignment and dimensions, and on the content and arrangement of the bas-reliefs, she argues that the structure represents a claimed new era of peace under King Suryavarman II: "as the measurements of solar and lunar time cycles were built into the sacred space of Angkor Wat, this divine mandate to rule was anchored to consecrated chambers and corridors meant to perpetuate the king's power and to honor and placate the deities manifest in the heavens above." Mannikka's suggestions have been received with a mixture of interest and scepticism in academic circles. She distances herself from the speculations of others, such as Graham Hancock, that Angkor Wat is part of a representation of the constellation Draco.
STYLE
Angkor Wat is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture - the Angkor Wat style - to which it has given its name. By the 12th century Khmer architects had become skilled and confident in the use of sandstone (rather than brick or laterite) as the main building material. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks is yet to be identified, although natural resins or slaked lime has been suggested. The temple has drawn praise above all for the harmony of its design. According to Maurice Glaize, a mid-20th-century conservator of Angkor, the temple "attains a classic perfection by the restrained monumentality of its finely balanced elements and the precise arrangement of its proportions. It is a work of power, unity and style." Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. The statuary of Angkor Wat is considered conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work. Other elements of the design have been destroyed by looting and the passage of time, including gilded stucco on the towers, gilding on some figures on the bas-reliefs, and wooden ceiling panels and doors.
FEATURES
OUTER ENCLOSURE
The outer wall, 1024 by 802 m and 4.5 m high, is surrounded by a 30 m apron of open ground and a moat 190 m wide. Access to the temple is by an earth bank to the east and a sandstone causeway to the west; the latter, the main entrance, is a later addition, possibly replacing a wooden bridge. There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points; the western is by far the largest and has three ruined towers. Glaize notes that this gopura both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper. Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu, known as Ta Reach, which may originally have occupied the temple's central shrine.Galleries run between the towers and as far as two further entrances on either side of the gopura often referred to as "elephant gates", as they are large enough to admit those animals. These galleries have square pillars on the outer (west) side and a closed wall on the inner (east) side. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus rosettes; the west face of the wall with dancing figures; and the east face of the wall with balustered windows, dancing male figures on prancing animals, and devatas, including (south of the entrance) the only one in the temple to be showing her teeth. The outer wall encloses a space of 820,000 square metres, which besides the temple proper was originally occupied by the city and, to the north of the temple, the royal palace. Like all secular buildings of Angkor, these were built of perishable materials rather than of stone, so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some of the streets. Most of the area is now covered by forest. A 350 m causeway connects the western gopura to the temple proper, with naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side. Each side also features a library with entrances at each cardinal point, in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance, and a pond between the library and the temple itself. The ponds are later additions to the design, as is the cruciform terrace guarded by lions connecting the causeway to the central structure.
CENTRAL STRUCTURE
The temple stands on a terrace raised higher than the city. It is made of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, each level higher than the last. Mannikka interprets these galleries as being dedicated to the king, Brahma, the moon, and Vishnu.
Each gallery has a gopura at each of the points, and the two inner galleries each have towers at their corners, forming a quincunx with the central tower. Because the temple faces west, the features are all set back towards the east, leaving more space to be filled in each enclosure and gallery on the west side; for the same reason the west-facing steps are shallower than those on the other sides.
The outer gallery measures 187 by 215 m, with pavilions rather than towers at the corners. The gallery is open to the outside of the temple, with columned half-galleries extending and buttressing the structure. Connecting the outer gallery to the second enclosure on the west side is a cruciform cloister called Preah Poan (the "Hall of a Thousand Gods"). Buddha images were left in the cloister by pilgrims over the centuries, although most have now been removed. This area has many inscriptions relating the good deeds of pilgrims, most written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese. The four small courtyards marked out by the cloister may originally have been filled with water.
North and south of the cloister are libraries.
Beyond, the second and inner galleries are connected to each other and to two flanking libraries by another cruciform terrace, again a later addition. From the second level upwards, devatas abound on the walls, singly or in groups of up to four. The second-level enclosure is 100 by 115 m, and may originally have been flooded to represent the ocean around Mount Meru.
Three sets of steps on each side lead up to the corner towers and gopuras of the inner gallery. The very steep stairways represent the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the gods. This inner gallery, called the Bakan, is a 60 m square with axial galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine, and subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers. The roofings of the galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in the heads of lions or garudas. Carved lintels and pediments decorate the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines. The tower above the central shrine rises 43 m to a height of 65 m above the ground; unlike those of previous temple mountains, the central tower is raised above the surrounding four. The shrine itself, originally occupied by a statue of Vishnu and open on each side, was walled in when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism, the new walls featuring standing Buddhas. In 1934, the conservator George Trouvé excavated the pit beneath the central shrine: filled with sand and water it had already been robbed of its treasure, but he did find a sacred foundation deposit of gold leaf two metres above ground level.
DECORATION
Integrated with the architecture of the building, and one of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat's extensive decoration, which predominantly takes the form of bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Higham has called these, "the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving".
From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka (from the Ramayana, in which Rama defeats Ravana) and the Battle of Kurukshetra (from the Mahabharata, showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans). On the southern gallery follow the only historical scene, a procession of Suryavarman II, then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hindu mythology.
On the eastern gallery is one of the most celebrated scenes, the Churning of the Sea of Milk, showing 92 asuras and 88 devas using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu's direction (Mannikka counts only 91 asuras, and explains the asymmetrical numbers as representing the number of days from the winter solstice to the spring equinox, and from the equinox to the summer solstice). It is followed by Vishnu defeating asuras (a 16th-century addition). The northern gallery shows Krishna's victory over Bana (where according to Glaize, "The workmanship is at its worst"). and a battle between the Hindu gods and asuras. The north-west and south-west corner pavilions both feature much smaller-scale scenes, some unidentified but most from the Ramayana or the life of Krishna. Angkor Wat is decorated with depictions of apsaras and devata; there are more than 1,796 depictions of devata in the present research inventory. Angkor Wat architects employed small apsara images (30–40 cm) as decorative motifs on pillars and walls. They incorporated larger devata images (all full-body portraits measuring approximately 95–110 cm) more prominently at every level of the temple from the entry pavilion to the tops of the high towers. In 1927, Sappho Marchal published a study cataloging the remarkable diversity of their hair, headdresses, garments, stance, jewelry and decorative flowers, which Marchal concluded were based on actual practices of the Angkor period.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
The stones, as smooth as polished marble, were laid without mortar with very tight joints that are sometimes hard to find. The blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints in some cases, while in others they used dovetails and gravity. The blocks were presumably put in place by a combination of elephants, coir ropes, pulleys and bamboo scaffolding. Henri Mouhot noted that most of the blocks had holes 2.5 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep, with more holes on the larger blocks. Some scholars have suggested that these were used to join them together with iron rods, but others claim they were used to hold temporary pegs to help manoeuvre them into place. The monument was made out of millions of tonnes of sandstone and it has a greater volume as well as mass than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The Angkor Wat Temple consumes about 6 million to 10 million blocks of sandstone with an average weight of 1.5 tons each. In fact, the entire city of Angkor used up far greater amounts of stone than all the Egyptian pyramids combined, and occupied an area significantly greater than modern-day Paris. Moreover, unlike the Egyptian pyramids which use limestone quarried barely half a km away all the time, the entire city of Angkor was built with sandstone quarried 40 km (or more) away. This sandstone had to be transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 40 km to the northeast. The route has been suggested to span 35 kilometres along a canal towards Tonlé Sap lake, another 35 kilometres crossing the lake, and finally 15 kilometres upstream and against the current along Siem Reap River, making a total journey of 90 kilometres. However, Etsuo Uchida and Ichita Shimoda of Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan have discovered in 2012 a shorter 35-kilometre canal connecting Mount Kulen and Angkor Wat using satellite imagery. The two believe that the Khmer used this route instead.
Virtually all of its surfaces, columns, lintels even roofs are carved. There are miles of reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns, griffins, winged dragons pulling chariots as well as warriors following an elephant-mounted leader and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hair styles. The gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1000 square metres of bas reliefs. Holes on some of the Angkor walls indicate that they may have been decorated with bronze sheets. These were highly prized in ancient times and were a prime target for robbers. While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stonemason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture under 1.2 m, this took about 60 days to carve. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. The labor force to quarry, transport, carve and install so much sandstone must have run into the thousands including many highly skilled artisans. The skills required to carve these sculptures were developed hundreds of years earlier, as demonstrated by some artifacts that have been dated to the seventh century, before the Khmer came to power.
ANGKOR WAT TODAY
The Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992. Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, established in 1992, which has provided some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to protect the site. The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to protect the devatas and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple from damage. The organisation's survey found that around 20% of the devatas were in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone but in part also due to earlier restoration efforts. Other work involves the repair of collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapse: the west facade of the upper level, for example, has been buttressed by scaffolding since 2002, while a Japanese team completed restoration of the north library of the outer enclosure in 2005. World Monuments Fund began conservation work on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery in 2008 after several years of conditions studies. The project restored the traditional Khmer roofing system and removed cement used in earlier restoration attempts that had resulted in salts entering the structure behind the bas-relief, discoloring and damaging the sculpted surfaces. The main phase of work ended in 2012, and the final component will be the installation of finials on the roof of the gallery in 2013. Microbial biofilms have been found degrading sandstone at Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, and the Bayon and West Prasat in Angkor. The dehydration and radiation resistant filamentous cyanobacteria can produce organic acids that degrade the stone. A dark filamentous fungus was found in internal and external Preah Khan samples, while the alga Trentepohlia was found only in samples taken from external, pink-stained stone at Preah Khan. Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 2004 and 2005, government figures suggest that, respectively, 561.000 and 677.000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years. The site has been managed by the private SOKIMEX group since 1990, which rented it from the Cambodian government. The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has also provided some additional funds for maintenance - as of 2000 approximately 28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples - although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities. Since Angkor Wat has seen significant growth in tourism throughout the years UNESCO and its International Co-ordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC), in association with representatives from the Royal Government and APSARA, organized seminars to discuss the concept of "cultural tourism". Wanting to avoid commercial and mass tourism, the seminars emphasized the importance of providing high quality accommodation and services in order for the Cambodian government to benefit economically, while also incorporating the richness of Cambodian culture. In 2001, this incentive resulted in the concept of the "Angkor Tourist City" which would be developed with regard to traditional Khmer architecture, contain leisure and tourist facilities, and provide luxurious hotels capable of accommodating large amounts of tourists. The prospect of developing such large tourist accommodations has encountered concerns from both APSARA and the ICC, claiming that previous tourism developments in the area have neglected construction regulations and more of these projects have the potential to damage landscape features. Also, the large scale of these projects have begun to threaten the quality of the nearby town's water, sewage, and electricity systems. It has been noted that such high frequency of tourism and growing demand for quality accommodations in the area, such as the development of a large highway, has had a direct effect on the underground water table, subsequently straining the structural stability of the temples at Angkor Wat. Locals of Siem Reap have also voiced concern over the charming nature and atmosphere of their town being compromised in order to entertain tourism. Since this charming local atmosphere is the key component to projects like Angkor Tourist City, local officials continue to discuss how to successfully incorporate future tourism without sacrificing local values and culture. At the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012, both parties have agreed Borobudur and Angkor Wat to become sister sites and the provinces will become sister provinces. Two Indonesian airlines are considering the opportunity to open a direct flight from Yogyakarta, Indonesia to Siem Reap.
WIKIPEDIA
Sequence, structure, and phylogenetic analyses of various MtnBs.(A) Multiple sequence alignment of MtnBs. Magenta triangles indicate histidine residues essential for binding divalent metal ion. Numbers on left of sequences show innate amino acid number for each protein. The alignment was created using ClustalW; identical and similar amino acids were highlighted/shaded with Boxshade. (B) Predicted tertiary structure of the T. thermophila MtnB domain. This was predicted from the known structure of A. aeolicus MtnB (PDB ID: 2IRP) using Swiss-model (swissmodel.expasy.org/). Three histidine residues essential for metal binding are shown by magenta sticks. Nitrogen atoms of histidine residues at active site are shown in blue. Structure was drawn using PyMOL version 0.98 (pymol.org). (C) Phylogenetic tree based on primary sequences of MtnB family. Alignments were created with ClustalW and displayed using Treeview. Scale bar indicates difference of 0.1 substitutions per site. Full names and gene accession numbers are as follows: Anopheles gambiae str. PEST (XP_310624), A. aeolicus VF5 (NP_214357), Arabidopsis thaliana (NP_974931 residues 1?247), Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A4 (XP_661197), B. subtilis str 168 (NP_389244), Caenorhabditis elegans (NP_509690), Chlorella variabilis (EFN54454 residues 1?254), Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans JEC21 (XP_572402), Danio rerio (NP_001004679), Dictyostelium discoideum (XP_639930), Drosophila melanogaster (NP_572916), Enterobacter cloacae subsp. cloacae ATCC 13047 (YP_003613571), Geobacillus kaustophilus HTA426 (YP_146808), Homo sapiens (NP_057041), Hydra magnipapillata (XP_002165198), Klebsiella oxytoca (formerly Klebsiella pneumoniae 342) (YP_002239745), Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806 (CAO89699), Monosiga brevicollis MX1 (XP_001750472), Mus musculus (NP_062709), Neurospora crassa OR74A (XP_964699), Oryza sativa Japonica Group (NP_001067908 residues 1?252), Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 (NP_250374), Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288c (NP_012558), Schizosaccharomyces pombe 972h- (NP_593625), Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (XP_794552 residues 3114?3362), Synechococcus elongatus PCC 6301 (YP_172813), Vitis vinifera (XP_002274553 residues 1?257), Volvox carteri f. nagariensis (XP_002956646 residues 1?218), Xenopus tropicalis (NP_001015712). Although some MtnBs consist of more than two domains, only MtnB domains were used for phylogenetic analysis. Proteins described in (A) are underscored.
A mile or so away from Wickhambreaux lies Ickham. A stunningly pretty village, all tudor brick or clapboard houses, and the famous and picturesque quadruple oast overlooking the fields that lead down to the Little Stour.
There can be no mistaking the approach to St John, past a long row of timer store houses on the left, with the unKentish spire of the church rising above the yews.
Snow was still melting, giving a picture perfect view as I cradled my cameras and walked to the lych.
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The church is entered from the south and is much longer than first impressions indicate. The nave is very dark, for it has no clerestory and is only lit by the outer aisle windows. The chancel, which is long and out of alignment, is most impressive, being built at a much higher level than the nave. There are two transepts, the one on the south partly blocked by the organ which has lovely barley-twist carving. Behind it is an unexpected chapel, possibly built as a chantry by Thomas de Baa who died in 1339. His tomb occupies the south wall and is a good example of its type. What makes this church even more interesting is that there is a 'twin' monument in the north transept to William Heghtesbury who died in 1372 - although this is in a better state of repair.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Ickham
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ICKHAM
LIES the next adjoining parish to Wickham eastward, being called in the survey of Domesday both Hickham and Gecham, and in other antient records Yeckham, taking its name from the Saxon word yeok, a yoke of arable land, and ham, a village. The whole parish consisting for the most part of arable land. There are three boroughs in this parish, viz. of Cottenham, Seaton, and Bramling.
Ickham lies about five miles eastward from Canterbury. The high road from which to Deal and Sandwich leads through it, across the Lesser Stour, usually called the Littleborne river, its western boundary, just below the ford of which is Ickham, usually called Littleborne mill, though belonging to this manor. The trout bred in this river are esteemed the best coloured, and the finest flavoured of any in either of the river Stours. On the right side of the road, on a very gentle rise from the river, is the house and park grounds of Lee, which form a beautiful picturesque appearance; adjoining to these grounds is Hazeling wood, the only one in the parish, and on still higher ground, more southward, the two estates of Garwinton, which adjoin to Adisham downs, a wholesome pleasant country.—About a mile further on from Lee, the above road passes through the hamlet of Bramling, in which is the court-lodge of that manor, and a modern neat house, built by John Paramore, esq. whose daughter Catherine carried it in marriage to admiral Charles Knowler, who resided in it, and died s. p. in 1788, leaving his widow surviving, who afterwards resided in it, and died in 1792, the year after which it was sold to Henry Rice, esq. who died in 1797, and his widow at present resides in it.
The village of Ickham, in which is the church and court-lodge, stands in a low flat country, very wet and unpleasant, the road through it being but little frequented. Further northward is the borough and hamlet of Seaton, beyond which is a level of marsh-land, containing about one hundred acres within this parish, which is here bounded by the Lesser Stour and the Wingham river. The soil throughout it is in general fertile, especially those two large extensive fields between the village and the Canterbury road, called Ickham and Treasury fields. A fair is held in the village on Whit-Monday, for pedlary and toys.
Offa, king of Mercia, in the year 791, gave to Christ-church, in Canterbury, fifteen plough-lands in Ickham, Perhamsted, and Roching; and in several dens in the sorest of Andred, the pannage of hogs, which he granted free from all secular service and regal tribute, which was afterwards increased by one Athelward, who in the year 958, gave more lands here to that church. (fn. 1) After which this manor continued part of that church's possessions, and on the division made by archbishop Lanfranc between himself and the priory, it was allotted to the share of the latter; accordingly, in the survey of Domesday, it is thus entered:
In Dunebafort hundred, the archbishop himself holds Gecham. It was taxed at four sulings. The arable land is twelve carucates. In demesne there are three, and twenty-nine villeins, with sixty cottagers having sixteen carucates and an half. There is a church, and four mills of one hundred shillings, and thirty five acres of meadow, and wood for the pannage of thirty hogs. The whole manor was worth, in the time of king Edward the Confessor and afterwards, twenty-two pounds, now thirtytwo pounds. Of the land of this manor, William his tenant holds as much as is worth seven pounds.
This manor was assigned by the convent ad cibum, that is, to the use of their refectory. In the 10th year of king Edward II. the prior of Christ-church ob. tained a grant of free warren in all his demesne lands in this manor among others, about which time it was, with its appurtenances, valued at seventy-two pounds. The buildings here were much improved by prior Chillenden, about the year 1400, who new erected all of them, excepting the dove-cote and one chamber; and prior Sellinge, about 1480, not only made the prior's chamber more pleasant, but built a dormitory likewise for the brethren resorting hither. At which time this manor was let to serme, at the yearly rent of 661. 13s. 4d. In which state it continued till the dissolution of the priory in the 31st year of Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands, where it did not continue long, for the settled it, among other premises, in his 33d year, on his new-erected dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose inheritance it still continues. A court baron is regularly held for this manor, which extends over part of the parishes of Rucking and Snave, and Ivechurch, in Romney Marsh.
The dean and chapter retain to themselves the court baron and all royalties, rents of assise, &c. and a certain fishing, called Grypping, with all commodities belonging to it. BUT THE COURT-LODGE, with the watermill and demesnes of the manor, with all waters, rivers and ways, together with all customs of sowings, harvesting, &c. and carriages of the manor due from the tenants, are demised by them on a beneficial lease for three lives, the interest of which is now vested in Thomas Barrett, esq. of Lee.
The Bay farm, antiently called the manor of Baa, though now it has lost even the name of having been one, and is reputed as part of the paramount manor of Ickham, was in former times accounted as such. It is situated about a quarter of a mile from the village, and had antiently possessors of the same surname, as appeared by an old fragment of glass in this church, of which were left only the words Hic . . . . de Ba . . . . and under a coat of arms, viz. Or, a lion rampant, sable, crowned, argent, was written in old French capitals, Thomas de Ba, of which there are now no remains left. He is supposed to have resided at this mansion, and to lie buried in the south chancel of this church, which is still called by his name, where, under an arch in the wall, his essigies, habited in armour, still remains lying on a tomb at full length, almost entire, but without any inscription. After this family was extinct here, the Wendertons, of Wenderton, in Wingham, became owners of it, and continued so till John Wenderton, in the 1st year of king Henry VIII. passed it away to archbishop Warham, who at his death in 1533 gave it to his youngest brother Hugh Warham, esq. of Croydon, and he gave it in marriage with Agnes his daughter to Sir Anthony St. Leger, lord deputy of Ireland, whose son Sir Warham St. Leger, of Ulcombe, sold it to Stephen Hougham, of Ash, who, as appears by his will, anno 1556, had the year before enseoffed John Gayson in this estate, called Baa, otherwise the Bay, with the Baa-field, in Ickham. He seems to have sold it to Denne, of Denne-hill, in Kingston, and his son Thomas Denne, esq. recorder of Canterbury, about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, alienated it to Curling, who passed it away by sale to Valentine Austen, who resided at it, and in the 14th year of James I. conveyed it to his son Richard Austen, gent. in whose descendants it continued till it was sold to Gillow, in which it remained till Richard Gillow, of Woodnesborough, alienated it, in the year 1704, to John Gibbs, of Adisham, whose direct descendant Mr. Richard Gibbs, of Ickham-court, is the present owner of it.
Bramling is a manor, in the south-east part of this parish, which, about the year 784, was given by one Wullaf to the monks of Christ-church, in Canterbury, who had it of the gift of king Edwlf, confirming the same. After which, though this place is not particularly mentioned in the survey of Domesday, yet it appears to have continued part of the possessions of the priory, for king Edward II. in his 10th year, granted to the prior free-warren within this manor. (fn. 2) At the dissolution of the priory, in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. it came into the king's hands, where it did not remain long, for he settled it, in his 33d year, by his dotation charter, on his new-founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, where the inheritance of it remains at this time.
It is demised on a beneficial lease, by the dean and chapter, to Mr. Richard and John Holness, of Littleborne, whose ancestors have been lessees of it for many years past.
Apulton, or Appleton, as it is now called, lies at a small distance southward from Bramling, in the southeast part of this parish, extending into Wingham likewise. It was once esteemed a manor, though it has long since lost all reputation of ever having been one, paying now a quit-rent to the paramount manor of Ickham, part of which it is at this time accounted. It is written in old deeds, Apylton, from its being the inheritance of a family of that name, for in one of them, made by Reginald de Cornhill, owner of Lukedale and the adjoining precinct of Welle, one William de Apylton, of Ickham, is a witness to it, but whether they were related to the Apyltons, of Essex and Suffolk, is uncertain. After this family was extinct here, the Denis's were become possessed of it, one of whom, John Denis, of Apulton, who was sheriff of London in the year 1360, anno 35 Edward III. founded a chantry here in that reign, which was called Denis's chantry, and the lands with which it was endowed, are still called Denis's lands. After this family, one Adam Oldmeade appears by the private deeds to have been owner of it in the reigns of king Henry V. and VI. from whom, before the latter end of the reign of the latter, it had passed by sale to Bemboe, who alienated it to Hunt, in which name it did not remain long, for about the latter end of king Henry VII's reign, it was become the property of Dormer, descended from the family of that name in Buckinghamshire; from which name, not many years after, it was sold to Gason, a name very antient in this parish, from which it was afterwards conveyed to Hodgekin, whose ancestors were formerly possessed of Uffington, in Goodnestone, near Wingham, in whose descendants the property of it did not remain long before it was sold to Francis Rutland, gent. and he alienated it to John Winter, clerk, prebendary of Canterbury, who in 1605 devised it to John his son, his lands and tenements in Ickham, called Appington, (fn. 3) and by him it passed by sale to Denne, of this parish, from which name, in king Charles I.'s reign, it went by sale to Forster, in whose family it continued till the year 1680, when one half of it was purchased by Sir James Oxenden, of Dean, in whose family it continued down to Sir George Oxenden, bart. of Dean, who purchased a further part of this estate, being three eighths of it, of which, and the moiety above-mentioned, he died possessed in 1775, and his son Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. of Brome, is the present owner of them; but the remaining eighth part continued in separate owners, and continued so till Mr. Simon Durrant, of London, lately passed away that part of it likewise to Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. who is now possessed of the whole of it.
Lee is a seat, situated in the south-west part of this parish, at a small distance from the river. It was formerly spelt Legh, and belonged to a family who took their surname from their residence at it, one of whom, Richard de la Legh, was owner of it in Edward I.'s reign, as appears by a deed of the 13th year of it, and it is probable that the tomb in the wall of the Lee chancel in this church, on which is the figure of an antient man, lying at full length, belonged to him. How long it continued in his descendants, I have not found; but at the latter end of king Edward IV.'s reign, the family of Stoks, or Stokys, as they were sometimes written, were become owners of it. After this name was become extinct here, it came by sale in James I.'s reign into the possession of Sir William Southland, who bore for his arms, Or, a dragon rampant, with wings inverted, vert, on a chief, gules, three spears heads, argent; assigned to him in 1604, by William Camden, clarencieux. (fn. 4) He resided at this seat, which at length descended to his grandson Thomas Southland, esq. who in 1676 alienated it to Paul Barrett, esq. afterwards knighted, who was a sergeant-at-law and recorder of Canterbury, who bore for his arms, Or, on a chevron, sable, three lions passant of the field, between three mullets, pierced of the second. His grandson Thomas Barrett, esq. was of Lee, where he died in 1757, and was buried in the Lee chancel, in Ickham church, as were his four wives, the first being Anne, daughter and coheir of Sir William Boys, M.D. by whom he had three sons, who died insants; the second, Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Peter Peters, M. D. of Canterbury, by whom he had an only daughter Elizabeth, married to the Rev. William Dejovas Byrch, of Canterbury; the third, Sarah, daughter and heir of Hercules Baker, esq. by whom he had no issue; and the fourth, Katherine, daughter and at length heir of Humphry Pudner, esq who surviving him, died in 1785, by whom he left an only son and heir Thomas Barrett, esq. who is now of Lee, and the present possessor of this seat.
The house of Lee, which was but indifferent before, has been, by the skill and art of Mr. Wyatt, admirably improved in the disposition of the apartments, among them is a most beautiful library, finished in the most perfect stile of gothic taste. The three fronts of the house convey an idea of a small convent, never attempted to be demolished, but partly modernized, and adapted to the habitation of a gentleman's family; and the gently rising ground, antient spreading trees, and the adjoining rivulet, seem to correspond with it, and to form a scite selected by monks, with a view to retirement and meditation, while at the same time no distant prospects tantalized them with views of opulence and busy society. In the house is a small but curious collection of pictures.
Well is a district on the west side of the river, next to Littleborne, which, so late as the beginning of king James I.'s reign, was esteemed as part of that parish, but it has been for a number of years past annexed to the parish of Ickham. Though the chief part of it is situated as above-mentioned, yet there are some small parts, separated by other parishes intervening. THE MANOR of it, usually called WELL-COURT, stands close to the bank of the river, and was in very early time the property of the family of Clifford, from whom it passed into the possession of those who took their surname from it, the trustee of one of whom, John at Welle, in the 44th year of king Henry III. sold it to Reginald de Cornhill, who lest by Matilda de Lukedale his wife, an only daughter and heir, who carried this manor in marriage to one of the family of Garwinton, whose descendant Thomas de Garwinton obtained the king's licence in the 30th year of king Edward III. to suppress the chantry held here, and to grant that part of its revenues which lay at the Wike to St. John's hospital; in Northgate, and to keep possession of the scite of the chantry, and the lands belonging to it at Lukedale, to him and his heirs; in which name it descended down to Mr. William Garwynton, who dying s. p. it came to his next heir Joane, married to Richard Haut, of a younger branch of those of Bishopsborne, in whose descendants it continued down to Richard Haut, who leaving an only daughter and heir Margery, she carried this manor in marriage to William Isaak, esq. of Patrixborne, whose son Edward Isaak leaving by his first wife, an only daughter and heir Jane, she carried it in marriage to Martin Sidley, esq. of Great Chart, and their son Sir Isaac Sidley sold it to Sir Henry Palmer, of Bekesborne, who had married his mother Jane before-mentioned. Sir Henry Palmer died possessed of it in 1611, and by will devised it to his old servant, as he stiles him in his will, John White, in tail general, remainder to his son inlaw Sir Isaac Sidley, above-mentioned. How it passed afterwards, I have not found; but in the year 1680 it was become the property of Mr. Francis Jeoffery, whose only daughter and heir Elizabeth entitled her husband John Knowler to it, and they afterwards joined in the conveyance of it to Robert Daines, who left it by will in 1733 to Daines Balderston, and he in 1750 passed it away to his father Captain George Balderston, of Dover, who died in 1751, leaving his wife Sarah surviving, whose trustees in 1775 sold it to Sir Philip Hales, bart. and he in 1787 alienated it, with other adjoining estates, to Isaac Baugh, esq. the present owner of it, who has since built a seat for his residence, on the rise of the hill, within this precinct, about a quarter of a mile distant from the courtlodge of it.
The ruins of the chapel or church of Well, adjoining to the court-lodge, are still remaining. It was entire in 1535, in which year Thomas Franklyn, parson of Ickham, devised a legacy to the repair of it. On the next page is a view of the ruins of it.
THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.
¶The church, which is exempt from the jurisdiction of the archdeacon, is dedicated to St. John. It consists of three isles, a cross sept, and high chancel, having a slim spire steeple at the west end, in which hang four bells. It is handsome, and kept neat. In the high chancel is a stone, with a cross flory, and old French capitals round the edge, obliterated. A memorial for Sir Richard Head, bart.obt. 1721. Underneath is a large vault, in which several of this family lie buried, among them the late Sir John Head, bart. archdeacon of Canterbury, his two wives, and his children, who all died infants. A memorial for admiral Charles Knowler, obt. 1788. The transept, or south chancel, called the Bay chancel, belongs to that estate. On a tomb, under an arch in the south wall, is the figure of a man in armour, with his hands joined together and uplisted, lying at full length, pretty entire, probably for Thomas de Baa, owner of that manor. On the pavement are several stones, with old French capitals round the edges, all obliterated, excepting one for Martin de Hampton, rector of this parish and prebendary of Wingham, obt. 1306. Several memorials of the Austens, owners of Bay farm. The north transept or chancel is called the Lee chancel, belonging to that seat, under which is a large vault, in which lie several of the Barrett family. On the pavement is a memorial for dame Sarah Barrett, daughter of Sir George Ent, widow of Francis Head, esq. of Rochester, and married secondly to Sir Paul Barrett, of Canterbury, obt. 1711, arms, Barrett, impaling Ent, azure, a chevron, between three falcons belled, or. Under an arch in the north wall is the figure of an old man, lying at full length on a tomb, his hair cut short, with a cap on his head, and his hands joined and uplifted, most probably for Richard de la Legh, owner of this seat. Against the east wall is a monument for the right hon. Sir William Southland, of Lee, obt. 1638. About seventy years ago there were eighteen stalls in the chancel of this church, which were used by the prior and monks of Christchurch when they resorted hither, as well as for others of the clergy who should be present here at divine service. In the church-yard, near the porch, is a tomb for the Paramors, of Ickham; several tombstones and memorials for the family of Gibbs, of the court-lodge; and one for Margaret, wife of Valentine Austen, obt. 1615. At the west end of the steeple is an antient circular arch, with indented ornaments. In the windows of this church there were formerly the arms of Fitzalan, and of the priory of Christ-church; both long since destroyed. There was a chapel in it, dedicated to St. Thomas, which had a light perpetually burning in it.
The church of Ickham was antiently appendant to the manor, and continued so at the dissolution of the priory of Christ-church in the 31st year of Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands, who afterwards, in his 33d year, settled the manor on his new-founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, but he granted the advowson of the rectory of this church in exchange to the archbishop, in which state it now continues, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.
It is valued in the king's books at 29l. 13s. 4d. and the yearly tenths at 2l. 19s. 4d. In 1588 it was valued at 150l. communicants two hundred and five. In 1640 it was valued at 250l. the like number of com municants. It is now of the value of about 450l. per annum. There are twenty acres of glebe.
The rector is collated to the rectory of Ickham, with the chapel of Well annexed.
A composite image of the planetary alignment taken at the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial Park in La Jolla, CA on January 30, 2016 at around 5:30 a.m.
Photos were taken @ 16mm = image distortion :( Distortion was fixed and then photos were stitched together in Photoshop. I will try to take pictures again when I can but this time with a different lens. Hoping for clear skies!
(This is the same composite image as the previous one but without the illustration of constellations).
To hold the legs of my upper staging deck into an exact position, I made alignment keys from thin wood. The wood is 3/16" thick in 1" x 12" strips given away by hardware stores to stir house paint. The support legs for my upper staging deck are 3/4 thick and mostly 6" long. I place the upper deck exactly where it needs to be and cut the wood strips to fit the location and trap the legs into place. Two strips fastened down by carpenter's glue and wood screws will keep the legs from wandering, and I only need to make alignment keys for three legs at the corners of the big unit and one key for the smaller unit.
The track in the photo is part of my current eastbound staging and will be relocated to the new upper deck. Three "mouseholes" visible in this shot are for the switch machine control wires from the upper deck through the main layout sections.
These megalith alignments, contemporary to those (more famous) of Carnac, show that the Crozon peninsula was inhabited since many thousands of years. The standing stones date from about 2500 BC. In the beginning there were probably more than 400 stones; today there are only 65 left, arranged in three lines that form three of the four sides of a rectangle. The longest line is about 200 m. It is assumed that the arrangement had an astronomic significance related to the constellation of Pleiades whose name in Breton is “ar yar” (the hen), hence the name of the place derived from “Lagad-Yar” (hen’s eye).
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Aliniamentele de megaliţi, contemporanele cu cele (mai cunoscute) de la Carnac, aratǎ cǎ peninsula Crozon a fost locuitǎ de mai multe mii de ani. Menhirele dateazǎ din anii 2500 î.Ch. Iniţial, în amplasament s-au aflat probabil peste 400 de pietre; astǎzi au mai rǎmas 65, dispuse în trei linii formând trei din laturile unui dreptunghi. Cea mai lungǎ dintre ele are cca. 200 m. Se presupune cǎ amplasamentul a avut unele semnificaţii de naturǎ astronomicǎ, fiind legate de constelaţia Pleiadelor, purtând în bretonǎ numele de “ar yar” (gǎina), de unde şi numele locului derivat din “Lagad-Yar” (ochiul gǎinii).
Source: WIKIPEDIA
I was driving to Otterden, using John Vigar's book as a guide to the East Kent churches I had missed.
I was using the Sat Nav, at least to get me to the village, so I could concentrate on the roads and sights as I went along, just on the offchance I passed another church unexpectedly.
And so I came to Eastling, and across a walled field, I saw the church, so, finding there was a large car park, I pulled up.
To get into the church yeard, one could either climb over a wooden stile, one built into the wall, or through the gate a few metres further along. I chose the gate.
Through the churchyard, and under the shadow of a huge yew tree to find the porch door, and church door beyond both unlocked.
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A huge church entered across a meadow along a path which passes a huge Yew tree. The porch is high Victorian with the jazziest floor in Kent, no doubt the work of Richard Hussey who restored the church in the mid nineteenth century. This leads to a church with origins in the 12th century but owing more to the 13th and even more to the 19th century! The arcades are built in a much replaced Early English style but work well. In the centre alley is the lovely ledger slab of a man who put it there a few years before his death and inscribed lest someone else steal his pole position! In the south transept is a pretty monument showing kneeling children and a most colourful shield of arms displaying sea creatures. The chancel contains some rare blank arcading in the north wall which may have formed sedilia elsewhere or which may be part of a monument. Its arches are held up by four strong men with bulging shoulders. What a surprise it is! Next to it is one of the finest 14th century tomb recesses in the county, though the faces at either end are Victorian fantasies. This is a much-loved and rewarding Downland church, which is open daily.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Eastling
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It is widely accepted that there has been a place of worship on the site of the Parish Church of St Mary's at Eastling since Anglo-Saxon times.
The oldest surviving parts of the present building are the base of the south-west Tower, the Nave and the western part of the Chancel. All are thought to have been built by the 11th century, possibly on the foundations of an earlier church. The remainder of the Tower and the central part of the Chancel are Norman.
The North and South Aisles and the Arcades between the Aisles and the Nave were built in the 13th century. In the 14th century, the Chancel was extended eastwards to create a Sanctuary. Also in that century, the St Katherine Chapel and an Arcade was added to the south-east corner of the building.
In 1855-56, the Nave, North Aisle and the South Arcade were substantially rebuilt, the West Porch added and the Nave re-roofed.
The Nave - or central area of the church - dates from the 12th century and is notable for its unusually narrow original walls (later, the Arcade walls). Fractionally over 2ft thick, they are considered to be attributable to Saxon workmanship which favoured relatively "thin" solid walls against the Norman style of "thicker" walls comprising two leaves with a filled cavity.
The western end of the Nave is thought to be a late 12th-century extension.
The South Aisle was constructed in the early part of the 13th century and substantially rebuilt by Victorian architect R. C. Hussey in 1855. Some original 13th-century material was re-used, and the eastern respond located against the Chancel remains substantially untouched.
The North Aisle was also created in the 13th century and completely rebuilt by Hussey as part of his major "modernisation" of the building. The South Aisle incorporates a 14th-century window.
The Victorians' enthusiasm for remodelling churches also extended to the Nave which was rebuilt by Hussey in 1855-56. He also added the West Porch, constructed a Vestry and re-built the Chancel arch. It's worth comparing the ceilings of the South Aisle which is said to have escaped Hussey's attentions and that of the Nave where he left only the tie beams and principal trusses visible.
The box pews, pulpit, lectern, rector's stall and choir stalls all date from the Victorian era. The wooden wall benches pre-date the pews.
The alignment of the Tower and Chancel is considered attributable to Saxon, rather than Norman, workmanship. If you stand in front of the east window and look back to the west door you will see that the Nave and Chancel are out of alignment, and this suggests that the Chancel pre-dates the Nave.
Examples of Norman workmanship to be seen in St Mary today are:
• the upper part of the Tower;
• perhaps the belfry stage with its pairs of round-headed openings;
• the re-styling of the western part of the Chancel; and
• the west end of the Nave (possibly a late 12th century extension).
Early in the 13th century, the Chancel was re-styled and given Early English lancet windows.
A further period of rebuilding-took place during the 14th century. The Chancel was extended eastwards by a further 22ft, so creating the Sanctuary.
The stained glass in the Chancel windows are memorials to the Birch Reynardson family. The east window contains picture panels, the work of famous church glass artist Thomas Willement of Davington.
On the north wall of the Sanctuary at Eastling Church is a double Aumbry.
Built as a cupboard in the wall - usually with a wooden door - this would have been used to house the Church Plate.
A piscina is, in effect, a medieval stone bowl near the altar where a priest carried out ceremonial cleaning tasks.
The piscina in Eastling Church dates from the late 13th century and takes the form of a stone cill incorporating twin bowls - one for hand washing, the other for cleaning the chalice and other sacred vessels.
It was originally located in the Chancel. When this part of the building was extended during the 14th century, the piscina was moved to its present position on the south wall of the Sanctuary.
The sedilia at Eastling Church comprise three recessed stone seats with trefoiled canopies. By convention, sedilia were placed south of the altar and used by the priest, deacon and sub-deacon.
Created late in the 13th century, Eastling's sedilia were moved, during the 14th century, from the Chancel to their present position in the (then) new Sanctuary.
The Stone Stalls, on the north side of the Chancel, would have once served as choir stalls. These recessed seats have unusual carved stone canopies in the form of four trefoiled arches carried on caryatids (columns sculpted as female figures).
In his "Notes on the Church", Eastling Church historian Richard Hugh Perks says that a 19th century ecclesiologist, Francis Grayling, theorised that they were mural recesses. Mr Perks considers the church might once have been decorated extensively with murals - born out by the traces of wall paintings found in the 1960s when the Chancel was re-decorated. However, the paintings were in such very poor condition that they were covered over. Mr Perks also draws attention to the fragment of the former Chancel east wall which can be seen at the east end of the Stone Stalls.
The St Katherine Chapel was built around 1350. As part of the scheme, an arcade was formed on the south side of the Chancel. The fluted (concave-sided) pillars are an unusual design, also found in Faversham Parish Church and at Eastchurch, Sheppey. It is thought that the workmanship might be by masons from either Leeds Priory or Faversham Abbey.
The Chapel houses a 19th century organ, the Martin James monument and a fine oak chest with an inscription of "1664 H" carved inside. The "H" is the mark of a Michael Shilling, who was churchwarden at the time.
There is evidence that Eastling Church once had a Rood Screen, possibly extending across both the Chapel and the Chancel. On this would have stood a Cross with a carving representing a crucified Jesus. The Reformation saw the destruction of the Rood and no trace remains, apart from the base of a stairs turret at the south-east corner of the South Aisle.
The West Porch was built in 1855, by Victorian architect R.C. Hussey as part of his major alterations to the church.
However, the fine Norman west doorcase is much older, possibly dating from 1180. It is carved from chalk blocks; some of the internal wall faces are also chalk, a common feature of many Downland churches. It was partly restored by the Victorians.
The churchyard owes much to a generous bequest for its maintenance by Dorothy Long (d. 1968). It used to be part of the 'Gods Acre Project' setup by the Vicar of Eastling Parish Caroline Pinchbeck (who departed the parish in 2012) but from 2013 has been returned to previous landscaping regimes.
When the churchyard was being managed with wildlife in mind, it preserved the diversity of nature alongside well kempt areas. This means parts of the old graveyard were left to grow from springtime onwards and were cut in September. Many species of wild flowers grew in a spring meadow and were followed by grasses. This encouraged wildlife into the graveyard, owls, field mice, voles, multiple species of insects and birds. The uncut areas were managed, which means to say they were not left to grow out of control. Brambles, the majority of stinging nettles and other unwanted plants were removed by hand and the graves were always tended so that the vegetation did not disturb them.
Areas of the churchyard that were mown were done so with a petrol mower but the grass was not collected, It was left on the ground as a mulch. No pesticides were used, they damaged the graves, leaving contaminated black rings around them and killed any wild flowers or grass in the affected areas. The emphasis of the gods acre project management process, started in 2008, was balance. By maintaining the churchyard in this way it was both cost effective and beneficial to local wildlife and preservation. (N. Perkins/ Grounds man Eastling Church 2007-2012)
The original graveyard has a modern extension with spaces still available for burials and close to the entry gate is an area dedicated to the burial of ashes.
Several graves date from the 17th and 18th centuries and include memorial stones to Mary Tanner who was born in the year of the Battle of Naseby; to Christopher Giles born in 1674 and his wife Susannah born in 1691; and to Thomas Lake of Eastling Gent died February the 19th 1717.
Close to the West Porch is a 13th century stone coffin slab, in the form of a cross with a sword, a style sometimes referred to as a "Crusader Tomb".(original text) This is infact incorrect, an archaeologist has confirmed that the stone is a medieval headstone most likely from the back of the church which was once standing that has been moved and placed by the entrance for asthetic qualities. There is another stone to the left of the entrance from a sarcophagus which again has been moved and placed by the entrance.
There is a Yew Tree by the West Door and It is said to be an ancient which would put it's minimum age at 2000 years, predating the church. However dating methods for Yew Trees are inconclusive.. It is hard to reliably scientifically date a Yew Tree due to several factors.. Information on the dating process can be found here. (source: ancient-yew.org) Also Yew trees can grow fast and ages can be exaggerated, a large Yew is most likely the age of the Church but unlikely to be older than it's Anglo-Saxon predecessor. There is no firm evidence to link Yew trees to pagan religions or the theory that Church's were built on Pagan Ritual Sites. (source: Illustrated History of the Countryside, Oliver Rackham)
The circle of yews which continue around the church have been said to have sprouted from the ancient Yew Tree, however archeologists and Yew Tree Specialists have put forward that actually the Yew Trees have been landscaped to look like that. In the past Yew Trees were planted to ward of witches and evil spirits. It is clear if you measure out the trees and use dimensions for aging that the trees have been landscaped.
Work carried out on the tower in 2010 to install a compostable toilet has radically changed the dimensions and structure of the lower and middle of the tower.
The base of the south-west Tower is said to date from the early 11th century, possibly earlier. Much of the remainder of the Tower is Norman.
The Tower - five feet thick at its base - is of flint and chippings, with ragstone quoins, and is heavily buttressed. The external brick buttress to the tower is 18th century. Brick was also used in rebuilding sections of the north-west angle of the Tower, the belfry openings and the Tower doorcase. Today's slated spire would once have been clad with wooden shingles.
The door to the Tower is set in a large arch with "Articles" of the Ringing Chamber, on wooden boards above it.
Eastling has six bells, four of them made by Richard Phelps during the time he occupied the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Click here for more info. Unfortunately, the present condition of the timber bell frame with its elm headstocks (constructed around 1700) and the upper part of the Tower do not allow the bells to be rung safely.
www.eastlingvillage.co.uk/st-mary-s-church.html
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THE next parish south-eastward from Newnham, is Easling, written in old deeds likewise Esling, and Iseling.
It is situated among the hills, on very high ground, about five miles southward from Faversham, and a little more than a mile south-eastward from Newnham valley, in a healthy but cold and forlorn country, being much exposed to the north-east aspect. The village, with the church and parsonage in it, a near pretty dwelling, stands on the road leading from Otterden to Newnham valley; in it there is a large well-timbered house, called Gregories, formerly of some account, and rebuilt in 1616, it formerly belonged to Hoskins, and then to Parmeter, in which name it still continues.—Though there is some level land in the parish, yet it is mostly steep hill and dale, the soil in gen ral a red cludgy earth, poor, and much covered with flints. It is very woody, especially in the eastern parts of it.
A fair is held in the village on Sept. 14, yearly, for toys and pedlary ware. On Nov. 30, being St. Andrew's, there is yearly a diversion called squirrel bunting, in this and the neighbouring parishes, when the labourers and lower kind of people assembling together, form a lawless rabble, and being accoutred with guns, poles, clubs, and other such weapons, spend the greatest part of the day in parading through the woods and grounds, with loud shoutings, and under the pretence of demolishing the squirrels, some few of which they kill, they destroy numbers of hares, pheasants, partridges, and in short whatever comes in their way, breaking down the hedges, and doing much other mischief, and in the evening betaking themselves to the alehouses, finish their career there in drunkenness, as is usual with such sort of gentry.
THIS PLACE, at the time of the taking of the general survey of Domesday, was part of the extensive possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the general title of whose lands it is thus entered in that record:
Herbert held of the bishop of Baieux Nordeslinge. The arable land is one carucate. It was taxed at half a suling. There two borderers pay two shillings. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, and afterwards, it was worth twenty shillings, now twenty-five shillings. Turgod held it in the time of king Edward the Confessor.
These two manors, (one of which was Throwley, described immediately before in this record) Herbert, the son of Ivo, Held of the bishop of Baieux.
And a little below,
Roger, son of Ansebitil, held of the bishop, Eslinges. It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is one carucate. There is in demesne . . . . and one borderer has half a carucate. There is a church, and one mill of ten shillings, and two acres of meadow. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth sixty shillings, and afterwards twenty shillings, now forty shillings. Unlot held it of king Edward, and could go where he pleased with his land.
Fulbert held of the bishop, Eslinges. It was taxed at five suling, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, and now for two, and so it did after the bishop gave the manor to Hugh son of Fulbert. The arable land is six carucates. In demesne there are two carucates, and thirty villeins having three carucates. There is a church, and twenty-eight servants, and one mill of ten shilings. Wood for the pannage of thirty bogs In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth ten pounds, and when he received it six pounds, now four pounds, and yet the bishop had eight pounds. Sired held it of king Edward.
The three estates described before, included North Easting and its appendages, Huntingfield and Diven manors, with others estates in this parish, then esteemed as part of them.
On the bishop's disgrace four years afterwards, all his possessions were confiscated to the crown.
Fulbert de Dover, mentioned above as tenant to the bishop of Baieux for one of these estates, appears afterwards to have held all three of them of the king in capite by barony, the tenant of them being bound by tenure to maintain a certain number of soldiers from time to time, for the defence of Dover castle, in which there was a tower called Turris dei inimica, which he was bound by his tenure likewise to repair.
Of him and his heirs these estates were held by knight's service, of the honor of Chilham, which they had made the caput baroniæ, or chief of their barony. (fn. 1) That part of the above-mentioned estates, called in Domesday Nordeslinge, was afterwards known by the name of THE MANOR OF EASLING, alias NORTHCOURT, which latter name it had from its situation in respect to the others, being held of the lords paramount by a family of the name of Esling, one of whom, Ralph de Esling, died possessed of it in the 26th year of king Edward I. anno 1297, then holding it by knight's service of the honor of Chilham. He left an only daughter and heir Alice, who carried this manor, with that of Denton, alias Plumford, in marriage to Sir Fulk de Peyforer, who, with Sir William de Peyforer, of Otterden, accompanied king Edward. I. in his 28th year, at the siege of Carlaverock, where, with many other Kentish gentlemen, they were both knighted. They bore for their arms, Argent, six fleurs de lis, azure.
Sir Fulk de Peyforer, in the 32d year of the above reign, obtained a grant of a market weekly on a Friday, and one fair yearly on the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross at Esling, and free-warren for his lands there. Before the end of which reign, the property of these manors was transferred into the family of Leyborne, and it appears by an inquisition taken in the 1st year of Edward III. that Juliana, the widow of William de Leyborne, who died anno 2 Edward II. was possessed of these estates at her death, and that their grand-daughter Juliana, was heir both to her grandfather and father's possessions, from the greatness of which she was usually stiled the Infanta of Kent.
She was then the wife of John de Hastings, as she was afterwards of Sir William de Clinton, created earl of Huntingdon, who paid aid for the manor of Northcourt, alias Easling. She survived him, and afterwards died possessed of this estate in Easling, together with Denton, alias Plymford, in the 41st year of king Edward III. and leaving no issue by either of her husbands, these manors, among the rest of her estates, escheated to the crown, for it appears by the inquisition taken that year, after her death, that there was no one who could make claim to her estates, either by direct or even by collateral alliance.
These manors remained in the crown till the beginning of king Richard the IId.'s reign, when they became vested in John, duke of Lancaster, and other seoffees, in trust for the performance of certain religious bequests in the will of Edward III. in consequence of which, the king Afterwards, in his 22d year, granted them, among other premises, to the dean and canons of St. Stephen's college, in Westminster, for ever. (fn. 2) In which situation they continued till the 1st year of king Edward VI. when, by the act passed that year, they were surrendered into the king's hands.
After which the king, by his letters patent, in his 3d year, granted these manors, among others lately belonging to the above-mentioned college, to Sir Thomas Cheney, privy counsellor and treasurer of his houshold, with all and singular their liberties and privileges whatsoever, in as ample a manner as the dean and canons held them, to hold in capite by knight's service. (fn. 3) whose son Henry, lord Cheney, of Tuddington, had possession granted to him of his inheritance anno 3 Elizabeth, and that year levied a fine of all his lands.
He passed these manors away by sale, in the 8th year of that reign, to Martin James, esq. prothonotary of the court of chancery, and afterwards a justice of the peace for this county, who levied a fine of them anno 17 Elizabeth, and died possessed of them in 1592, being buried in the south chancel of this church, under a monument, on which are the effigies of himself and his wife. He bore for his arms, Quarterly, first and fourth, vert, a dolphin naiant; second and third, Ermine, on a chief gules, three crosses, or. His great-grandson Walter James, esq. was possessed of them at the time of the restoration of king Charles II. whose heirs sold them in the latter end of that reign, to Mr. John Grove, gent. of Tunstall, who died possessed of them in 1678, after which they descended down to Richard Grove, esq. of Cambridge, but afterwards of the Temple, in London, who died unmarried in 1792, and by his will devised them to Mr. William Jemmet, of Ashford, and Mr. William Marshall, of London, who continue at this time the joint possessors of them.
THE MANOR OF HUNTINGFIELD, situated in the eastern part of this parish, was, at the time of the takeing of the general survey of Domesday, part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, as has been already taken notice of before, and on his disgrace came, with the rest of his estates, to the crown, about the year 1084.
After which, Fulbert de Dover appears to have held it, with others in this parish, of the king in capite by barony, by the tenure of ward to Dover castle for the defence of it. Of him and his heirs it was held by knight's service, of the honor of Chilham, the head or chief of their barony.
Simon de Chelsfield held it of them, as lords paramount, in the reign of Henry III. but at the latter end of that reign, this manor was come into the possession of that branch of the eminent family of Huntingfield settled in this county, descended from those of Suffolk, in which county and in Norfolk they had large possessions. Hence this manor assumed the name of Huntingfield-court, and it appears by the roll of knights fees, taken at the beginning of the reign of Edward I. that Peter de Huntingfield then held it. He resided at times both here and at West Wickham, of which manor he was likewise possessed, though it seems when he was sheriff in the 11th, 12th, and 13th years of that reign, he kept his shrievalty at Huntingfield-court. In the 9th year of it he obtained a charter of free-warren for his lands at Eslynge and Stalesfeld, and in the 28th year of it attended the king at the siege of Carlaverock, in Scotland, for which service he, with others, received the honor of knighthood. He died in the 7th year of Edward II. anno 1313, leaving by the lady Imayne his wise, who was buried in the church of the Grey Friars, London, Sir Walter de Huntingfield his son and heir, who having obtained several liberties for his manor of Wickham, and liberty to impark his grounds there, (fn. 4) seems to have deserted this place, which in the next reign of Edward III. was sold either by him or by his son, Sir John de Huntingfield, to one of the family of Sawfamere, and in the 20th year of that reign, the lady Sawfamere, Dna' de Sawsamero, as she is written in the book of aid, paid respective aid for it.
But before the end of that reign, it had passed into the name of Halden, for it appears by the escheat-rolls that William de Halden died in the 50th year of it, possessed of Easling manor, called Huntingfield, held of the castle of Chilham; soon after which it became the property of Sir Simon de Burleigh, who being attainted in the 12th year of Richard II. this manor, among the rest of his possessions, came to the crown. After which, anno 2 Henry IV. John, son and heir of Sir John de Burley, cousin and heir of Sir Simon de Burley, was, upon his petition, restored in blood, and the judgment against Sir Simon was revoked, and three years afterwards the king, with the assent of the lords, wholly restored him to all his hereditaments, except as to those excepted by him. (fn. 5) How long this manor remained in this name I have not found, but in the reign of Henry VI. it was in the possession of Sir James Fienes, who anno 25 of that reign, by reason of his mother's descent, was created Lord Say and Sele, and was afterwards made lord treasurer, but becoming unpopular, from his being so great a favorite, he was seized on in the insurrection raised by Jack Cade, and beheaded in the 29th year of that reign. He was at his death possessed of this manor, which by his will be devised to his son Sir William Fienes, who became likewise lord Say and Sele, but the unhappy contention which then subsisted between the houses of York and Lancaster, in which he risked not only his person, but his whole fortune, brought him soon afterwards into great distresses, and necessitated him to mortgage and sell the greatest part of his lands. How this manor was disposed of I have not found, but within a very few years afterwards it appears to have been in the hands of the crown, for king Richard III. in his first year, granted to John Water, alias Yorke Heraulde, an annuity out of the revenues of his lordship of Huntingfield, and afterwards by his writ, in the same year, on the resignation of John, garter, principal king at arms, and Thomas, clarencieux, king at arms, he committed to Richard Champeney, alias called Gloucestre, king of arms, the custody of this manor.
But the see of it seems to have remained in the crown till king Henry VIII. in his 35th year, granted it to John Guldford and Alured Randall, esqrs. to hold in capite by knight's service. John Guildford was the next year become the sole proprietor of it, and then alienated it to Sir Thomas Moyle; he sold it, in the 7th year of Edward VI. to John Wild, esq. of St. Martin's hill, Canterbury, with its members and appurtenances in Esling, Sheldwich, Whitstaple, Reculver, and Ulcombe. However, it appears that he was not possessed of the entire see of it at his death in 1554, for he by his will devised his two thirds of this manor, (besides the third part due to the queen, after his wife's death) to his son Thomas Wild, then an infant, whose son John Wild, esq. of St. Martin's hill, alienated his share, or two thirds of it, which included the courts, sines, amerciaments, and other privileges belonging to it, to Martin James, esq. prothonotary of the court of chancery, owner of the manor of North-court, alias Easling, as above-mentioned, whose great-grandson, Walter James, esq. possessed it at the restoration of Charles II. at the latter end of which reign his heirs sold it to Mr. John Grove, gent. of Tunstall, who died possessed of it in 1678, and his great-grandson Richard Grove, esq. of London, proprietor likewise of North-court above-described, died in 1792, having by his will devised these manors (which having been for many years united in the same owners, are now consolidated, one court being held for both, the stile of which is, the manor of Easling, alias North court, with that of Huntingfield annexed, in Easling, Ulcomb, and Sheldwich) among the rest of his estates, to Wm. Jemmet, gent. of Ashford, and William Marshall, of London, and they continue at this time the joint possessors of these manors.
BUT THE REMAINING THIRD PART of the manor of Hunting field, in the hands of the crown in the reign of Philip and Mary, as before-mentioned, in which was included the mansion of Huntingfield court, with the demesne lands adjoining to it, continued there till it was granted, in the beginning of the next reign of queen Elizabeth, to Mr. Robert Greenstreet, who died possessed of it in the 14th year of that reign, holding it in capite by knight's service. His descendant Mr. Mathew Greenstreet, of Preston, leaving an only daughter Anne, she carried this estate in marriage to Mr. Richard Tassell, of Linsted, and he alienated it in 1733 to Edward Hasted, esq. barrister-at law, of Hawley, near Dartford, whose father Mr. Joseph Hasted, gent. of Chatham, was before possessed of a small part of the adjoining demesne lands of Huntingfield manor, which had been in queen Elizabeth's reign become the property of Mr. Josias Clynch.
The family of Hasted, or as they were antiently written, both Halsted and Hausted, was of eminent note in very early times, as well from the offices they bore, as their several possessions in different counties, and bore for their arms, Gules, a chief chequy, or, and azure. William Hausted was keeper of the king's exchange, in London, in the 5th year of Edward II. from whom these of Kent hold themselves to be descended, one of whom, John Hausted, clerk, or as his descendants wrote themselves, Hasted, born in Hampshire, is recorded to have been chaplain to queen Elizabeth, and a person much in favor with her, whom he so far displeased by entering into the state of marriage, which he did with a daughter of George Clifford, esq. of Bobbing, and sister of Sir Coniers Clifford, governor of Connaught, in Ireland, that he retired to the Isle of Wight, where he was beneficed, and dying there about the year 1596, was buried in the church of Newport. His great grandson Joseph Hasted, gent. was of Chatham, and dying in 1732, was buried in Newington church, as was his only son Edward, who was of Hawley, esq. the purchaser of Huntingfield court as before-mentioned. He died in 1740, leaving by his wife Anne, who was descended from the antient and respectable family of the Dingleys, of Wolverton, in the isle of Wight, one son, Edward Hasted, esq. late of Canterbury, who has several children, of whom the eldest, the Rev. Edward Hasted, late of Oriel college, in Oxford, is now vicar of Hollingborne. He bears for his arms the antient coat of the family of Halsted, or Hausted, as mentioned before, with the addition in the field, of an eagle displayed,ermine,beaked and legged, or, with which he quarters those of Dingley, Argent, a fess azure, in chief, two mullets of the second between two burts, which colours Charles, the third son of Sir John Dingley, of Wolverton, in James the 1st.'s reign, changed from those borne by his ancestors and elder brothers, i.e. from sable to azure.
Edward Hasted, esq. of Canterbury, above-mentioned, succeeded his father in this estate, which he, at length, in 1787, alienated to John Montresor, esq. of Throwley, who continues the possessor of it.
The foundations of slint and stone, which have continually been dug up near this house, shew it to have been formerly much larger that it is at present. There was once a chapel and a mill belonging to it, the fields where they stood being still known by the name of chapel-field and mill-field, which answers the description of this estate given in Domesday.
DIVEN is A MANOR, situated almost adjoining to the church of Easting, which is so corruptly called for Dive-court, its more antient and proper name. This estate was likewise one of those described before in Domesday, as being part of the possessions of the bishop of Baieux, on whose disgrace it was, among, the rest of his estates, forfeited to the crown; after which, Fulbert de Dover appears to have held it, with others in this parish therein-mentioned, of the king in capite by barony, by the tenure of ward to Dover cattle, and of him and his heirs it was held, as half a knight's fee, of the honor of Chilham, the caput barouiæ, or head of their barony.
In the reign of Henry III. John Dive held this estate as before-mentioned, of that honor; and his descendant Andrew Dive, in the 20th year of king Edward III. paid aid for it as half a knight's fee, held of the above barony, when it paid ward annually to Dover castle. In this name the manor of Diven continued till the beginning of the next reign of king Richard II. when it was alienated to Sharp, of Ninplace, in Great Chart, in which it remained till the latter end of Henry VII. when it was conveyed to Thurston, of Challock, from which, some year after, it was passed by sale to John Wild, esq. who, before the reign of queen Elizabeth, sold it to Gates, and he alienated it to Norden, who conveyed it to Bunce, where it remained after the death of king Charles I. in 1648; soon after which this manor was sold to John Adye, esq of Down court, in Doddington, who died possessed of it in 1660, and his two sons, Edward and Nicholas, seem afterwards to have possessed it in undivided moieties.
Edward Adye, esq. was of Barham, and left seven daughters his coheirs, of whom Susanna, married to Ruishe Wentworth, esq. son and heir of Sir George Wentworth, a younger brother to Thomas, the noted but unfortunate earl of Strafford, entitled her husband to the possession of her father's moiety of this manor, with other lands in Doddington, upon the division of his estates among them. He left an only daughter and heir Mary, who married Thomas, lord Howard, of Essingham, who died possessed of this moiety of Diven-court in 1725, and leaving no male issue, he was succeeded in this estate by Francis his brother and heir, who was in 1731 created Earl of Essingham, and died in 1743. His son Thomas, earl of Effingham, afterwards alienated this moiety of Divencourt to Oliver Edwards, esq. of the six clerks office, as will be further mentioned hereafter.
The other moiety of this manor, which, on the death of his father, came into the possession of Nicholas Adye, esq. of Down-Court, in Doddington, was devised by him to his eldest son John Adye, esq. of Down court, who anno 23 Charles II. suffered a recovery of it. (fn. 6)
He left an only daughter and heir Mary, married to Henry Cullum, sergeant-at-law; but before that event, this estate seems to have been passed away by him to Thomas Diggs, esq. of Chilham castle, Whose descendant of the same name, in 1723, conveyed it, with Chilham-castle, and the rest of his estates in this county, to Mr. James Colebrook, citizen and mercer of London, who died possessed of this moiety of Diven-court in the year 1752, after which it passed in like manner with them, till it was at length sold by his descendants, under the same act of parliament, in the year 1775, to Thomas Heron, esq. of Newark upon Trent, afterwards of Chilham-castle, who about the year 1776, joined with Oliver Edwards, esq. the proprietor of the other moiety, as has been mentioned beforce, to Mr. Charles Chapman, of Faversham, who then became possessed of the whole of it, which, at his death in 1782, he devised by his will to his nephews and nieces, of the name of Leeze, two of whom are now entitled to the fee of it.
THE MANOR OF ARNOLDS, which is situated about a mile eastward from the church of Easling, was likewise part of the estates of the bishop of Baieux, mentioned before, and on his disgrace came with the rest of them, to the crown, of which it was held afterwards in capite by barony, by Fulbert de Dover, by the tenure of ward to Dover castle, and of him and his heirs it was again held, as half a knight's fee, as of the honor of Chilham, the head of their barony.
Of them it was held by Arnold de Bononia, whence it acquired the name of Arnolds, alias Esling. His son John Fitzarnold afterwards possessed it in the reign of Edward III. after which Peter de Huntingfield was owner of it, but in the 20th year of Edward III. the lady Champaine, or Champion, and the earl of Oxford paid aid for it, as half a knight's fee, held of the barony above-mentioned. How it passed afterwards I have not seen, but in the next reign of Richard II. it was become part of the endowment of the dean and canons of the collegiate free chapel of St. Stephen's, Westminster, with whom it remained till the suppression of it in the 1st year of Edward VI. when it came into the hands of the crown; after which it became the property of Gates, and after that of Terry, in which it continued several years, and by that acquired the name of Arnolds, alias Terrys, from which name it was sold, in the reign of queen Anne, one part to the Rev. William Wickens, rector of this parish, who bore for his arms, Party, per pale, or, and sable, a chevron coupee, between three trefoils, all counter changed, whose son Mr. William Wickens, succeeded to it on his death in 1718. He died without male issue, and by his will devised it to his two daughters, one of whom marrying Elvy, he bought the other sister's share in it, and his widow surviving him now possesses both of them; another part was sold to Chapman, and a third to Avery. Since which it has become more inconsiderable, by the two parts last-mentioned having been again parcelled out, so that now it is sunk into that obscurity, as hardly to be worthy of notice, but the manerial rights of the manor are claimed by John Wynne and Lydia his wife.
Charities.
EDWARD GRESWOLD, by his will in 1677, gave 20l. for the benefit of the poor not receiving alms, to be laid out in land or otherwise, by his executors, who in 1680 purchased a piece of land, called Pinkes-cross, in Easling, containing two acres, in trust, for this purpose, the rent of it is now 154. per annum, vested in the minister and parish officers.
The poor constantly relieved are about twelve, casually twenty-five.
EASLING is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Ospringe.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, consists of three isles and a south chancel, called St. Katherine's. The steeple, which is a low pointed one, stands at the west end; there are six bells in it.
Alicia de Esling, wife of Robert de Eschequer, and lady of the manor of Esling, with the consent of archbishop Theobald, in the reign of king Stephen, granted the church of Elinges, situated on her estate, to the priory of Ledes, in perpetual alms, together with the temporalities, or appropriation of it, to be possessed by them for ever after the death of Gervas then incumbent of it. Which gift was confirmed by archbishop Hubert, in the reign of Richard I.
Notwithstanding which, there was no vicarage endowed here, nor did the canons of Ledes ever enjoy the parsonage of it; but archbishop Stephen Langton, who succeeded archbishop Hubert, with the consent and approbation of William de Eslinges, patron of this church, granted to the canons of Ledes twenty shillings yearly, to be received from it in the name of a benefice; and he ordained, that beyond that sum, they should not claim any thing further from it, but that whenever it should become vacant, the said William de Esling should present to it. But it should seem that after this, they had not given up all pretensions to it, for they obtained, seventy years after this, viz. in 1278, of the prior, and the convent of Christchurch, Canterbury, a confirmation of the archbishops Theobald and Hubert's charters to them, in which this church is particularly mentioned. (fn. 7) How long it continued in the hands of the family of Esling I do not find, or in those of private patronage; but before the 22d year of Edward III. it was become part of the possessions of the college founded by Sir John Poultney, in the church of St. Laurence, Canon-street, London, with which it remained till the suppression of the college, in the reign of Edward VI. when it came, with the rest of the possessions of it, into the hands of the crown.
After which it seems to have been granted to Sir Thomas Moyle, of Eastwell, whose sole daughter and heir Catherine married Sir Thomas Finch, of that place, and afterwards Nicholas St. Leger, esq. who in her right presented to this rectory in 1574; after which Sir Moyle Finch, knight and baronet, the eldest son of Sir Thomas and lady Catherine, succeeded to it, in whose descendants, earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, this advowson continued down to Daniel, earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, who died possessed of it in 1769, without male issue, leaving his four daughters his coheirs. He was succeeded in titles by his nephew George Finch, esq. only son of his next brother William; but this advowson, with Eastwell, and the rest of his Kentish estates, he gave by his will to his nephew George Finch Hatton, esq. only son of his third brother the hon. Edward Finch Hatton, (fn. 8) who is the present owner of it.
The pension of twenty shillings payable from this church to the priory of Ledes, at its suppression in the reign of Henry VIII. came into the hands of the crown; after which it was settled, among other premises, by the King, in his 33d year, on his newerected dean and chapter of Rochester, who are now entitled to it.
¶This rectory is valued in the king's books at sixteen pounds, and the yearly tenths at 1l. 12s. In 1587 the communicants here were eighty-seven.
In 1640 it was valued at 120l. Communicants one hundred. It is now worth upwards of 200l. per annum.