Arch Cant 108 1990

RESEARCHES AND DISCQVERIES 1N KENT 

THE BUILDER OF BIFRQN5 

In their interesting note on the excavations at the site of Bifrons in
Patrixbourne, R. Cross and T. Allen say that the original house ‘was
erected either by Sir Robert Bargravc (d. 1600) or by his son, Sir
John Bargrave’ (Arch. Cami, cvii [I989], 328), but neither Robert
nor John. nor any other member of the family, was ever knighted.
In his will Robert Bargravc describes himself as Robert Bargar, of
Bridge, yeoman, but he was also a tanner there and was buried in the
chancel of Bridge church on 4th January, 1600/01, as Was his wife
Jane, daughter of John Gilbert, of St. Peter’s, Sandwich, late in 1603.
He had directed in his wil1,which was dated in 1598, that he was to be
buried with his father at Patrixbourne, but he apparently changed his
mind. He was identified with Bridge, where he had his tanhouse,
rather than with Patrixbourne, and of his eleven children all were
baptized at Bridge, except the last three, who were baptized at
Patrixbourne, beginning with his son, George, on 2nd April, 1586.
John, the cldest son of Robert, was certainly of Patrixbournc and,
moreover, he did not inherit his tather’s tanhouse at Bridge, although
his eldest son was baptized there in 1598. Of his seven remaining
children, five were baptized at Patrixbourne, but Sarah, the fifth, was
baptized at Tilmanstone, on 8th November, 1607, and John, the
sixth, at Nonington, on 18th November, 1610, suggesting the fan1ily‘s
absence from Patrixbourne during that time. Their father is reputed
to have been the builder of Bifrons, and it would appear from these
details that he was. and that the construction was carried out in the
period 1607 to loll. It was in September 1611, too, that John
Bargrave, alias Bargar, of Patrixbourne, had a grant of arms from
Camden, Garter.
The possibility that John's father, Robert. built Biirons cannot as
yet be ruled out, but is contrary to tradition and not really supported
by the existing evidence. One interesting aspect of the matter is the
sudden rise to richcs of the Bargars, or Bargravcs, of Bridge, because
before John, certainly, and Robert, possibly, the family were of
somewhat humdrum station in Willesborough. Wealth may have
come through .lohn‘s marriage to Jane, the daughter and co-heir of
Giles Crouche, of London, about 1597.
PHILIP H. BLAKE