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THE BRAEMS OF BRIDGE PLACE

By P.G. Elgar

The Braems family were originally of Flemish stock and settled in Sandwich at the
beginning of the. Stuart period. Jacob, father of Arnold, set up in business in
Dover as a merchant in the reign of Charles 1. Early seventeenth-century maps of
the harbour area clearly show large plots of land on both sides of the harbour
wall as belonging to Jacob Braems. The Hoverport car park now occupies part of
this area.

Arnold was born in Dover and baptized in St Mary's Church on 3rd October
1602. He continued in his father's footsteps, using all his energies to help
develop Dover as a port, gradually acquiring further lands all along the sea front
and becoming the principal merchant in the town. He erected large buildings and
warehouses in the expectation of Dover becoming a free port, accumulating a
large fortune by monopolizing the landing and storage of goods and farming the
harbour tolls and customs. Arnold became the first chairman of Dover Harbour
Board and was elected Member of Parliament in April 1660, but remained at the
House of Commons only a short time, preferring the commercial life. He was
knighted by Charles II. Most of the Braems’s ’Old Buildings’, as they were known,
were destroyed in a disastrous fire in 1808.

Arnold was well connected with most leading families in East Kent. Such
prominent names as Dering, Harfleete, Oxenden, Digges, Bargrave and Palmer
are frequently found alongside references to the Braems.

Arnold was first married to Joan, second daughter of Walter Harfleete of Bel<es—
bourne. She died on 27th July 1633 and was buried in St Mary's Church, Dover.
His second marriage was to Elizabeth, second daughter of Sir Dudley Digges of
Chilham Castle. She died on 27th Mary 1643 and was buried in St Peter's
Church, Bridge. A memorial tablet to both wives was erected here.

Much of Arnold's fortLirie was spent on the construction of an enormous and
spectacular mansion at Bridge near Canterbury. Bridge Place was originally the
site of the Manor of Bridge (or Blackemansbury) and in the possession of the
Abbey of StAugustine. It extended over the greater part of the village and
continued so until suppressed by Henry Vlll when the lands were confiscated. In
the thirty»sixth year of his reign the properties were granted to Henry Lawrence to
hold by knight’s services. A court was regularly held by the new owner. Passing
through several hands the land came into the possession of Sir Edward Pai'thei'ich
who conveyed it to Arnold about 1636. About two years later he had the court
lodge pulled down and began to erect his magnificent courtyard mansion in a
correct classical style, with Tuscan plasters. After Cliilham Castle it was the largest
house. in East Kent in the seventeenth century. Much of the house was built with

539

Bridge Place today, from the Bishopsbourne Road.

Macifn iolurces Consulted

I ‘3 < in! C.\{V., ’Kent: a Social and Economic History’, Longman's, 1965 Everitt Alan
P_l;::3S’C1(39TYg|'6fl'U:l;l:’er(:§Orl:ef):|ein(lT::1e HGi:2at Rebellion, 1640-1660', Leicester. Univ_ersit‘i’
1930. Hueffer FM [The cm 9 PlSOr’y Oi Dover Harbour’ Amen‘ Speml Ed'"""5'
through Kem“r/Rh-Fe-;1and Penctilltlev p!r)t(s ,KB ackwood, 1900. lgglesden, C., ’Sauriters
of the Town and Port of Dover’ Led 0 ‘& éi emlsh Expiess’ 190" Lyons: Rev‘ l" Hlilolv
Travels in England 1661-1663; R gel H_ 1av_v, 1813.. Theiournalofwilliam Schellinks’
of Bridge Canterbl1rY Cathedral /lmir Nomi 5°C’-my a"d»C“'““°"' lg” 7""? Mat’
Bridge Cjrmerbury CalhedralA .rc ives, 1838. Parish Registers of St Peter's Church,

r rchives, 1569-1767.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Mr John Williamson and Rev Ra ' ‘ ~
, _ . ymond Cilbert of Bridge, for assist-
3”_$_:- {Tho AQISS lItr}i_‘d.a Hayward of Dover, for photography.
m _ 9 °Y_"_ '5l°"'C3l 50090’, UWV€F5"Y College, London, for kind permission to
_print two pictures of Bridge»Place from ’The Journal of William Schellinks’ Travels in
Enslafldi 1661-1663’, and to quote from the text. V

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Sketch map of Dover Harbour showing the plots held by Jacob Bravms, based on seven-
teenth century maps.

hand-made Dutch bricks landed at Sandwich. The project exhausted Arnold's
fortune to such an extent that he became financially crippled.
The house possessed a large deer park, an aviary and extensive gardens. For an
early description we are indebted to a Dutch artist who became a guest at Bridge
Place. ‘The Journal of William Schellinks’ Travels in England, 1661-1663',
contains many references to the property and its many facilities. He seems to
have been given a tour of East Kent on his way to Bridge Place. He mentions
travelling from Dover in the coach Braems had sent via Sandown Castle,
Whitfield, Waldershare, Womenswold, Barham, Kingston and Bishopsbourne
before arriving at the mansion at 8 o'clock in the evening, 8th July 1661, ’to a
friendly welcome and were magnificently entertained and drank quite a few
healths with sack’. On the following day he played on the bowling green and on
the 12th visited Canterbury Cathedral. He described Bridge Place as containing,
in addition to Braems’s own fine residence, a large number of rooms, chambers,
halls and other good apartments. The grounds were ‘very beautiful, well kept
pleasure grounds, with fruit trees, well watered by a fast flowing fresh sparkling
stream of wonderfully clear sweet water, (the Nailbourne). This splits up into
several branches and rivulets; also some fish ponds in which  trout is bred,
which is very similar to a large carp and tastes very delicious.’
‘There are also some vineyards, producing yearly two or three hogsheads of
wine. He (Arnold) also has his own brewery, bakery, wine—press, hop garden,
barns, stables, oxen, cows, sheep, pigs, geese, ducks  everything that one can

540

  
  
 

 

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I , . '  . - _~‘ - _ , . l R R
Bridg Place, drawn by Schellinks, about 1661. l "V3

 

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_ _ . f l '_ louse and he
desire in such an estlablishment. The church standsHri<;tafSar lr::i‘:d\::“1nP avenue of
has the right to nominate a l'I’1|n|Sl(:1Of l"1lS <  6;;/MS!‘ On: :5 prmecmd from rain
lime trees from his house to the (. urm un . -
and sun’. . - f the

, . ‘ )h (3.5 0
Schellinks also mentions an annual muster of seven or T111, ':.fi0:t‘)F(?)<:,:' Bi5h0ps_
'litia on 6th October 1661, each 200 me" Wong’ 0" t E l 1

b“ n The exercises and skirmishes appear to have gone on all daY- EV"-TY
our 9‘ ’ ’ ‘ ' - i I . ossible.
parish and household was obliged to supply and arm as m3‘nY mg” Th: atmnaye
Another prominent Dutch artist who visited Bridge Place’ ugf er  Pd n kw”-
' . - .- ' ~ _, on 0 ,
of Arnold was Cornelius Janssen, a fashi()nal;le pcllrlmt |fF1ar?1i*'3i(egl(;"E‘a§t Kent‘
lW€nlY Y"»3’5‘ He made pomam of many 0“ e W83 W Walter. certairil)’ did. He

Arnold probably iravelled abroad; his yoifniler lion‘ rder of CanterburY with
accompanied his friend Tom Denne, son 0 tifi ecot 53.” from Dover 0rr128‘h
whom he had fallen out over a probate matter. ’i'ey Se ’. T’

J ily 1646 in the §wallow for a two—month expedition to the Low Countries. iey

[ . . .

,. .. .- ' Rti.dam,The
Vlslled f0fl5 held bY 3"“-"ll "Oops and Vdnous mwris lngsisgdngy tliepcontents of
Hague, Brussels, Amsterdam and Leyden. They were impr . b » of “range
the museum at Leyden, especially the mummies and the ogies _ t~ S at

‘ ‘ . - , , icure
animals, also the various houses of the Prince of Orange and Ru kens‘ pa‘ Sea by
Antwerp They sailed from Ostend on 8th October but were SP”)

‘ , . . ' over.

contrary winds until the 20th, when they landed at 'Ya:n\1/I:/)Ulh|‘|5(ljF: (She rank; of

Arnold and Walter were both involved in the Civi an ;h E” (med the
Major and Colonel respectively in the East Kept l'3{or<t.e. “O:YOf 1136960 [In the
Kentish Rebellion of 1648 the petitioners were e y - »
to corrupt the Commonwealth Navy in 1659.

541

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Sketch map of Bridge House and Grounds, based on Tithe. Map, 1838.

Walter laid an unsuccessful plot in 1647-48 in an attempt to seduce the
Governor of Dover Castle and take the stronghold from the Roundheads for
Prince Charles. When the plot failed Walter was obliged to go into hiding for a
while.

It is almost certain that he and other Kent men were involved with other con-
spirators in the assassination of Doctor Dorislaus in May 1649. A wild conspiracy
known as Gerard's Plot involved several young Kent Cavaliers, including Walter.
It set off a train of events which were to lead to the most serious insurrection of
the lnterregnum, the Rising of 1655, usually known by the name of its Wiltshire
leader — Penruddock.

The town of Dover itself seems to have been moderately loyal to the Parliamen-
tarians. Returns_of ’suspected persons’, presumably Royalists, throughout’ the
country, occupy seven volumes in the British Library Additional Manuscripts
series. Arnold was one suspect whose movements were carefully watched, the

information being notified to central officials. The following extracts cover a
three—month period:

542

The Garden, Bridge Place, drawn by

Schellinks, about 1661. _
(Royal Historical Society)

 

D Arnold Braems merchant 6th February 1656, at the house of
over — ~/ A ‘I ‘ . ~ . -

Mr Richard Harrison, a tailor over against the Dolphin Tavern, in
the Parish of Barking.

12th Feb Braines gave notice of removal to Dover.

 ll/1/l:;ICh  Blrei-:r:rslS()OfnBFiidge went to the house of l-larrison a tailor.

The Dover returns were made by one Reynolds 'R98'5l’a'l_r Wl"-’ 5"e'“5 to llaje
been a careless person, constantly iipbraided for sending f€lU”"5 W'°”3 V
addressed or writing in an illegible hand. Note his mistakes above. . 1671 he

Arnold seems to have supported worthy causes. It is recorded that’in C (ii
and his Lady contributed £1.10s. to a ctollerttion made bY ll“? P"‘Q: Ofm Ur
towards the raising of £3,000 for the ’rederr.iptI<_>t1.0l 3 8'e3l_”l‘m fr ‘I 0
Christian countrymen from that miserable Turkish infidel whose |l1l1Umdl1d5 averéi
and bondage they now groan under’. Apart from a 3d and 4d all otherfi 003‘?
2d each. . _

Arnold died on 13th November 1681 and was interred on the 21st in t|x:‘Elast
Chancel of St Peter's Church. He was buried in linen, an extravagance for VL ic irat
heavy fine was imposed. (A law compelled all to be buried in wool for the ene I
of the woollen industry.)

No record of any further marriage could be found, although some references to
Arnold and ’his Lady’ indicate that he did at least have a companion.

Walter lived on until September 1692. His widow Margaret was eventuallY
obliged to sell the estate in about 1704 to Mr_John Taylor. He pulled dovfvn a
large portion but the remaining wing still provided a large enough house Or a
gentleman. It was later purchased by the Marquis of Conyngham and becamf P3”
of the Bifrons estate. In recent years it has become a well known country clu ).

543