A TOUR AROUND BRIDGE 1. Description of the Parish Triangular in shape; location of population; origin of the parish as offshoot of Patrixbourne; swine pastures in the weald [Arch Cant 76, 1961 pp58-74: PH Reaney, Place-Names and Early Settlement in Kent] History of Burne Domesday book does not mention Bridge, as at that time it was a part of Patrixboume. The name does however occur in the Domesday Monachorum, so there was at least a Saxon church (or chapel) pre-existing. Bridge Church itself built ca end of 12"‘ century. (like many others). Maybe this was the point at which Bridge Parish came into existence. Bridge Hundred does exist in Domesday. Was this a meeting point ofthe hundred, by the river’? “In Bridge Hundred Richard son of William holds Patrixbourne from the Bishop [Odo of Bayeux] It answers for 6 sulungs. Land for 8 ploughs. In lordship 3 ploughs. 44 villagers with 3 smallholders have 10 ploughs. A church; 1 slave; 4 mills at 165 8d; a fishery at 6d; pasture, from which outsiders have ploughed 6 acres of land; woodland, 4 pigs. Value before 1066 £18; when acquired, £10; now £19.” A sulung defines the land worked by an eight-ox plough, including arable associated pastures. meadows, shaves etc. It approximated to the territory of a self-supporting ham1et., nominally 200 acres. (Arch Cant 109, 1991, pp 29-39: KP WITNEY: Kentish Land Measurements of the Thirteenth Century). 1n1914 the main road was not yet tarred through the village: a road of thick chalky dust.(Mrs Friend of the Red Lion) A hundred or two of London buses carrying troops. They thought the Germans must have put something in the dust to make everyone cough and sneeze. 1. Description; origins (Romans and pre-Romans) British Camps (“oppida”) such as ‘Old England’s hole’ in Bourne Park on the Dover Road. are in close proximity to... these old (pre-Roman) roads. Three roads lead NW from Patrixbourne Hill. . . The road on the left hand ascends the steep hill in the direction of Hardres. and passes through Whitehill Wood It leads to the ancient Britisdh camp in lffm wood. where sunbumt pottery and other remains of clearly British origin have been found.. Caesar remarks that after defeating the Britons (on Barham Downs they retreated to one of their strongholds [perhaps in lffin Wood‘?] This road is known as the Kingsbury Road [past Flint Cottage- Tithe Maps]. [According to Mrs Friend, Kingsley Lane — she also remarks ofa ‘mansion, in Gosley wood towards Kingston end.] What was the ‘Kingsbury’? May not this be merely Saxon for the British and Roman entrenchments this road passed through? They were supposed by the Saxons to be the ‘bury’ ofa great king... the Saxons’ knowledge of the country they had conquered being notoriously weak. It is said to have terminated at Rutupiae and westward as far as Salisbury Plain It crossed the Dover Road on Bridge Hill. but., though it did not go direct to Canterbury It went to Bigbury [according to Detsicas: The Canliaci Belgic Canterbury’s predecessor] The central road is now the main road between Dover and Canterbury. lt passes through Bridge, near by being the site ofa British Camp known by the name of‘Old England’s Hole’, at which place tradition places the last fight the Britons made in opposing Julius Caesar’s advance in BC 54. [Third road goes up Bekesbourne Hill to Longport. Also another road ‘Pilgrim’s way’ which meets the last mentioned at St Martin’s hill. [Most of this based on Vine]: GP Walker: OLD ROADS IN EAST KENT & THANET, Arch Cant 38: 1926, pp77-78 Saxon Cemertery on Side Hill (in Patrixboume): 18-20 graves. Boume Cemetery ?top of Star hill excavated by Bryan Faussett and Lord Londesborough [TG Faussett, MISCELLANEA, Arch Cam 6; 1864-5 pp 329-330] Extended description of this excavation in Arch Cant 10; 1876 by TG Faussett. ‘We examined about a hundred in all.’ 2. Saxon Remains Arch cam 46, 1934, Field Notes, p 58 On the Roman road up Bridge Hill a row of Saxon barrows just inside Bourne Park (lnverztorium Sepulchrale, p. 95-100: “About twenty years since [ie ca 1835, but according to The Archae0Z0gz'calAZbum about 12 years ago. ie 1833] in digging the high road above Boume Park a quantity of Romano-British sepulchral urns were found. More recently, while excavations were being made in the low ground for a sheet of water [ie Boume Park lake] Mr Bell discovered several Roman interments” These were both burials on coffins and urns of burned ashes. Arch Cam, 73, 1959 p 62-74: PH Reaney A Survey of Kent Place-Names, suggests that Bekesbourne (Livingsbourne) was tenanted in 1066 by a surviving saxon family. 3 Bourne, earlier Hautbourne Sir William Haute of Bishopsbourne involved in Buckingham’s rebellion of 1483 [pro Richard 111] was the son of Sir William Haute ofBishopsbourne who had married Joan Woodville, sister of the first Earl Rivers in 1429 He was, therefore, a first cousin to the queen and brother to Sir Richard Haute of lghtham Mote, who had been beheaded at Pomfret. [William Cheney of Sheppey also involved] [Lady Elizabeth Grey d. of Lord Rivers of the Mote married Edward IV secretly in 1464] AE Conway: THE MAIDSTONE SECTOR or BUCK1NGHAM’s REBELLION. OCT. 18 1483 Arch Cant 37, 1925 pp 97-120. [Pedigree of Sir Richard Woodville of The Mote on p 120] Cheney, Haute & Guilford families all in it together. Arch Cant-I1, 1929, pp 181-185: WH Godfrey, BOURNE PARK, NEAR CANTERBURY : refto Book of Boume. Sr Anthony Aucher was Marshall of Calais, Governor of Guisnes and Master of the Jewel House to Henry VIII, Edward VI and Queen Mary, and was killed at the taking of Calais in 1558. His descendant Sir Anthony was created Baronet in 1666. Two sons inherited, and when Sir Hewitt (for whom his mother had built the house in ca 1700. Westenhanger part demolished in 1701) died (1726) title became extinct. His eldest sister married Dr Corbett who had 5 daughters, eldest of whom married Stephen Beckingham. Matthew Bell snr bought from the widow of Rev JC Beckingham, who had died in 1807. Boume tenanted in 1844 by Lord Londesborough, brother of Marquess Conyngham. 4 Bifrons, a brief history; Bargraves; Conynghams; Patrixbourne Road [Arch Cam 4; 1861 pedigree of Bargrave: ] Arch Cant 14, 1882 p 173: suggestion that Bargrave or Bargar derives from Baracre or Beracre. Edward Taylor succeeded to Bifrons in 1767. Died 1792. Erected new Bifrons on site close to the old one. His building is the present house, but its exterior has been cased, and it has been otherwise altered. Illustrations ofBifrons in Arch Cant J07, 1989, pp327-332: - The first house, and in 1794 before 19”‘ c remodelling. Demolished 1948. First built ca 1600. Painting by Jan Siberechts ca 1705/10. new building 1767 by Rev Edward Taylor.. Minor alterations after Conynghams bought in 1830, by Thomas Hunt (d. 1831) and his pupil GH Smith in 1835. Major rebuild in 1863/64. The early Georgian House was virtually demolished. Predominant bricks in rebuild were Faversham soft reds and LBC yellows. Arch Can! 108, 1990 p 270 (PH Blake) adds that Robert Bargar of Bridge, Yeoman, was a tanner, buried in Bridge chancel on 4/1/1600/01 Had his tanhouse in Bridge. His eldest son John was ‘of Patrixbourne’, but did not inherit the tanhouse, though his son was baptised in Bridge. John reputed to be the builder ofBifrons, ca 1607-161 1. In 161 1, too, John Bargrave alias Bargar of Patrixbourne had a grant of arms from Camden, Garter. Family were of humdrum station in Willesborough. Wealth may have come through John’s marriage to Jane, daughter of Giles Crouche of London, ca 1597. Arch Cant 110, 1992: pp313- 329 : BM THOMAS: A History ofBifrons Manor House Built on site ofa previous house, unknown. Sold by Bargraves to Sir Arthur Slingsby in 1662, Thomas Baker before 1673, Thomas Adrian 1680, John Taylor 1694, 29 September. Taylor born 1665, son of Nathaniel Taylor a Shropshire barrister. Rev. Edward Taylor died 1798: 4 sons. Eldest was Edward, who married Louisa Beckingham of Bourne in 1802. He became MP for Canterbury in 1807. They moved to Bourne in 1824. Her mother died in 1844 in Dover (Bourne then bought by Matthew Bell). First tenant of Bifrons was 2"d Marquess of Ely in 1825. In 1828 Lady Byron tenant. 1830 Bifrons sold to Henry, Marquess Conyngham, Lord Steward of the Household to George IV. Died 1832, widow died 1861 aged 91. Then Francis, 2nd Marquess C., died 1876. Lord Chamberlain 1835-39. Major changes to house 1863. Cost £12014 4s 9d. 3rd Marquess brother of2“d, George Francis, 1876, d. 1882. House passed to 4”‘ marquess Henry Francis, but house let: to Edward Weinholt, JA Miller, Frank Penn, C01. The Hon. Milo Talbot, died 1932, but Mrs Talbot remained till 1939 Arch Cant 120, 2000 pp 77-105 MG BRENNAN: The Exile of two Kentish Royalists during the English civil war deals with Bargrave cousins John (c1610-1680) and Robert (1628-61) Robert was son oflsaac B (1586-1643) John son ofJohn cl. 1625 (who built Bifrons). Refto “Mr Cooly of Trin Coll Cambs was secretarie to the Lord X”(3l May 1645) on p 86 (nobody of that name listed in the Trinity Alumni, but John Cooly appears in the Churchwarden’s records for 1673/5 as a tenant of Anthony Aucher ofBourne with 6 acres of land.) 5 The gas works Built by Marchioness Conyngham to supply Bifrons and two villages. Some pipework still surviving in field? 6 The school: people Thomas Badcocke of Patrixboume d before 1681 leaving £227 17s 3d. Had 3 sons & 1 dr. aged 3-14 A Thomas Badcocke was Churchwarden of Bridge in 171 1, first mentioned 1693. If born in 1666 he’d be 15-27more likely the latter. Compton Census of 1676 of all inhabitants over 16yrs. Suggested 40 children to every 60 adults gives: Bekesbourne: Conformists 1 12 Papists 0 Nonconformists 8 Total pop: 200 Bishopsbourne “ 127 “ 1 “ 2 “ 195 Patrix& Bridge 196 “ O “ 4 333 (From: 17”‘ c Miscellany, Kent Records XVII, 1960) Religious worship in Kent: the census of 1851 (Kent Records 1999) p xxx “Bridge and Patrixbourne had ben united into a single benefice at the Tithe Commutation Act. (But it always was?) . CH I-lallett had a stipend of £442 p.a. Bridge Parish: Area 1 161 acres: Number of Houses in 1851 — inhabited 132, uninhabited 6 building, 0. Population: 1801: 325; 1811:397; 1821: 432; 1831: 543; 1841: 817; 1851: 864 [sharp rise in 1841 due to workhouse — 1841: 165; 1851: 234. St Peters’ endowed with tithe £201 0s 4d, fees £10 Sittings: Free 100; other 300. The church will nearly accommodate the whole of the parishioners. Average attendance for year Morning: 270, afternoon 330, Evening 102. Vicar’s rent charge £400, Glebe rent £42 Total £442. Maurice Allen Smelt, Curate. Wesleyan Chapel Bridge Attendance Morning: 12 on average. [Primitives not yet taken over?] Kent Records 1984: KL Wood-Legh: The Kentish visitations of Archbishop Warham: (151 1-12): “Ecclesia de Bekysbourne. . .item, that Alice the wif of Johan C[1]aryngeboll suspiciously Goethe to the house of M. Malk’, vicare of Patryksbourne, late and rathe, and he in lykewyse to hir house.” [ie Malcolm Ramsey, vicar 1495-1538] — Joan Claryngbold denied the article against her, was ordered to avoid the company of of the vicar of Patrixbourne, but not required to purge herself, because this had been enjoined by the vicar. Ecclesia de Patrykisbourne. .. Compertum est: that the vicar of the said churche kepithe Alice Claryngbole and doethe advoutry the whiche is openly knowen. Mr Macolinus Ramsey denied the charge against him: ordered to purge himself with two laymen and two men of his order, came on the appointed day with . . . . Ecclesia de Brigge Compertum est: that the wardeyne of seynt Laurence in Caunterbury wothholdithe 16d a yere dew to the churche of Brigges aforesaid whiche he paid not thies 30 yeres. [Robert Dovor, monk of St Augustine’s., warden of the house of the sisters of St Laurence, Canterbury, denied owing the church 16d annual rent. Churchwardens proved his liability and he was directed to pay or to answer before the abp.] Item, M. Isaac withholdithe 2d a yere of the churche rent and is behind by the space of 15 yeres. [William Isaak, gentleman, to pay annual rent of 2d in future and to settle with churchwardens for arrears.] Item oone Thomas Yong withholdithe 5d a yere of the churche rent 3 yeres and more and wille not pay except M Isaac and other pay theirs. [Thomas Yong said he had settled with churchwardens for rent and arrears and they confirmed this.] Item that Nicholas Parker withdrawithe 2d a yere thies 30 yeres. [Nicholas Parker denied owing rent. Churchwardens proved his liability by the rental, as above;: to pay rent and arrears or to compound with churchwardens.] Item that they be not duely served with an honest preest but sometime with a freere, sometime with noone at all, and that the vicare wille not have there a preest resident. [Mr Macolinus Ramsey, vicar, to serve the cure by a fit secular priest as soon as possible; meanwhile no religious to minister to the parishioners.] Item that the vicare will geve noo rights to theym that wille not content his mynd and when they doo not aggre with hym aftir his pleasur. [Vicar denied having refused the sacraments to anyone on account of unpaid debts.] Kent Records: Calendar of feet of fines Bridge 1 1 June 1262: Q[uerentes] Ralph s. of Gervase de Kenewysburn. D[eforciates] Walter Truoe and w[ife] Blanche; a mess. 6 ac. Ofland, 4 ac. Of wood 13s of rent and rent of 10 hens in Brigges. D acknowledged the premises to be the right ofQ of the gift of D. To hold to Q and his heirs ofD and the heirs of Blanche, paying yearly half pound of cumin at easter and doing service to the chief lords. Q gave a sore sparrow hawk. (46 Hen. 111) Bridge 25 Nov 1262; Q. Adam Snegg’. D William , Master ofthe Hospital of Priests of St Mary, Canterbury. 16 ‘/2 ac. Of land in Brigge and the suburbs of Canterbury. . . . Bridge 8 July 1271 Q. Nigel de Thurkyng and w. Cristine D Ralph de Brigg, clerk; 2 mess. 4 ac ofland and the moiety ofa mill in Brigg. Q acknowledged the premises to be the right ofD D gave 20s. (55 I-Ien III) Bridge Pit; Blackmansbury; Kenewesborne 25 november 1271 D Ralph le Clark of Bregg 187 ac of land in Brigge Pitte, Blakemannesbir’ and Kynesburn’. D acknowledged the said land with appurtenances as in demesnes, homages, services etc to be the right of Q Roger Abbot of St Augustine Canterbury and his church of the gift ofD and for this Q granted it to D. paying yearly 12 marks at Nativity oflohn Baptist & Michaelmas. Hasted III 724 notes that in 1249 Robert Abbot of St Augustines gave Ralph the lands of Kenewesborne for 20s per annum. Was Ralph an early vicar‘? [Not in the lists] 7 Brookside 8 Methodist Church Bridge Village Hall and the early history of Methodism in Bridge The Methodist Chapel as it now stands in Bridge has recently celebrated its centenary, for the 'Iron Chapel’ in Patrixbourne Road was erected in 1894. The then Minister, William Rodwell Jones (who lived in Canterbury) signed the application to the Registrar General for use by the Wesleyan Methodists on June 22“ of that year. The application to build had been submitted to the Chapel Committee in Manchester on April 30"‘ by Mr Jones, Thomas Grant Cozens (see also below), AJ Baker and Jabez James Lintott, the estimated cost being £177. This sum had to suffice for all possible costs, including purchase ofthe land, fencing, architect's commissions and so on. A further condition was that all liabilities had to be defrayed within twelve months after the opening of the Chapel, so as to leave no debt whatsoever. Sanction for the building furthermore was given only grudgingly, for a handwritten note is appended to the form: The Committee strongly object to Iron Chapels. In their opinion a good substantial brick building would be far more satisfactory in the end [and] more economical. Moreover the Committee would be prepared to aid in the latter but are precluded from doing so from allowing debt on Iron buildings. In spite therefore of no pecuniary help from Manchester the money was raised and the building completed and fitted out well under budget with seating, hymn books, mats and oil lighting for a total sum of£l 39-1 7s-0%d. For more than 100 years now it has served its purpose, and perhaps it has confounded everyone by being more economical than brick? But what of the period before 1894‘? The early history of the Methodist Church is complicated by disputes over fine points of doctrine and organisation, which led to the formation of numerous breakaway groups, the reasons for which are not of importance here. They did however result in one decision which has lefi its mark on the village and in which the Marchioness Conyngham was closely involved. The first record of Methodism in the village is said to be a minute of 1823 authorising one William Fordred to rent a house for Methodist Meetings ‘at no more than 2/6 per week’. Whether this was an option taken up is not certain, and William Fordred does not reappear, but the following year support for the cause was evidently already sufficiently strong for the trustees in Canterbury to feel able to buy a plot ofland for £50 on which to erect their own Chapel. This was indeed a plot very conveniently and prominently situated, with a frontage of 33 feet on the south-west side of Bridge Street, and extending back some 97 feet, adjacent to land belonging to the Rev. Richard Barham, who at the time ovmed Bridge Farm. This is the site on which the present Village Hall stands. The earliest record of ownership of the land ascribes it to William Ottoway, who owned various properties in the county. On his death his sons sold this piece, which at the time consisted ofa house and garden plot, to Stephen Simmonds for £100, in January 1819. Simmonds didn't enjoy the property for long however. He was in debt and died intestate leaving four sons, only one of whom (John) was of age, a few years later. Joseph Duplock of Ramsgate, gentleman, was the person who through Simmonds’ debts held claim on the property, and it was he who, presumably in agreement with John, sold it on to the Wesleyan Methodist Trustees in June 1824. Their names are worth recording here, though none lived in Bridge: Thomas Pilcher of St. Dunstan's in Canterbury, Wheelwright, Daniel Gouger of Kingston, Miller, Thomas Grant of Kingston, Farmer, James Sutherland of Canterbury, Tailor, Henry Stickalls of Canterbury, Clothier, Thomas Hobday of Canterbury, Coal merchant, Thomas Finch Cozens of Canterbury, Builder, Jonathan Bundock of Canterbury, Upholsterer, Robert Clarke of Canterbury, Butcher, William Clay of Canterbury, Hatter, William Potter of Canterbury, Cordwainer. As solid tradesmen they were doubtless aware that Mr Duplock's authority to sell was not 100% secure, for they also required an indemnity from him to the tune of.£150 in case any of the younger Simmonds boys (who were under 15 years old) should later file a claim, contending that they had not been party to the sale. With the property now in their hands, the Wesleyans began to build, and eventually spent £320 on constructing and furnishing the structure which is now the front portion of the Village Hall. Some years later a note happily records that the adjacent house is tenanted by a Mr Wood, Cordwainer (ie shoemaker) 'with shoemaker's shop, garden and appurtenances together with a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel’. A photograph of the Village hall, or Reading Room as it then was, taken in the early 1900's still shows the shop as a ‘leather store‘ adjacent to the hall. To begin with the chapel flourished. The surviving March-July preaching plan of 1827 shows that services were held twice every Sunday, at 10.30am and 6.30pm, or at 10.30am and 2.30pm in alternate weeks. A list of preachers, several of whom appear as the Trustees above, is appended: Cusworth; Stones; Langstone; Hobday; Hills; Coulter; Stubberfield; Crippen; Cozens; Bundock; Corbet; Vile; H.Coulter; White; Read; Ashwell; Masters; Tappenden; Clay; Martin; Bate; Dyason; Luck; Ladd; Laker; Royce (on trial) The 1820's, leading to the Reform Act of 1832 however, were marked by a period of political turbulence which was also reflected in the development of Methodism. Such agitation resulted in a series of secessions focussed on the tensions existing between the ministers, bolstered by the well-to-do laity, and the rest ofthe people generally. While at that time they did not in general affect the development of the creed, the unrest culminated in 1850 with the formation of the 'Methodist Free Churches’ and other groups, and between 1850 and 1855 the 'Connexion' lost some 100,000 members, nearly one third of the total. Bridge was evidently not untouched by these events, for in 1851 permission was sought from (and given by) the President at a conference in Sheffield for the building to be sold, as there had been 'no attendance at late years at Wesleyan Chapel - hence their desire to sell.‘ [Alleged elsewhere to be ca 12 averageThe form of consent was eventually signed by ‘John Scott, 16 August 1852'. Where had the people gone‘? A letter from a local solicitor in the Conyngham papers (Mr R Pilcher) to another in London (probably Lady Conyngham's) dated 5 September 1853 reveals that some had undoubtedly reverted to Anglicanism, but others had joined the secessionists: I am told . . . that no sale is valid unless the consent ofthe president be had - this was obtained 2 years since when the idea of selling the estate was first thought about - owing I think to the Rev Mr Stevenson [the vicar of Patrixbourne & Bridge] drawing the Wesleyans to the parish church — a sect called 'Ranters' now have the chapel at £4 per annum and they disturb the whole neighbourhood. The house lets for £10. The OED offers the following gloss on 'Ranters': Ranter: Applied to members of the Primitive Methodist body, which originated in 1807-10. It then quotes the History of the Primitive Methodists by I-I Boume: When these . . . meetings were closed, the praying people, in returning home, were accustomed to sing through the streets. . . This circumstance procured them the name of Ranters; and the name of Ranter, which first arose on this occasion [in 1814], afterwards spread very extensively. The OED also quotes the Penny Cyclopedia, XV: . . the Primitive Methodists, who are sometimes known as Ranters, originated in Staffordshire. This term describes therefore people of a joyous and evangelical disposition, rather than rowdy. In Bridge they were however eventually ejected from the Chapel, for, as Mr Pilcher explains: The Marchioness has verbally agreed to purchase from the Wesleyan Trustees in the Canterbury District, a house, garden and methodist chapel at Bridge for £270 . . .Her ladyship intends turning the Chapel into a Lecture Room or a Village Literary Institution, on payment ofa shilling a year for the improvements ofthe rising generation. In due course the sale was agreed (on 21 July I854) by the then Trustees, three of whom (Bundock, Gouger or Gauger and Thomas Finch Cozens) had survived since 1824, the remainder being Thomas Grant Cozens of Canterbury, Builder, probably the son of TFC, and the same who signed the petition to the Manchester Chapel Committee forty years later (he was born in 1825), Francis Hewson of Wickhambreux, Baker, Thomas Bird of Canterbury, Brushmaker, Edward Castle of Canterbury, Gardener, William Frederick Crippen of Camden Town, Grocer, Thomas Harnett Gifford of Bridge, Cordwainer, Henry Allsworth of Canterbury, Baker, John Smith of Canterbury, Carpenter, Edward Small of Canterbury, Plumber. All these were required to state that they had been 'in peaceable and uninterrupted possession of the property for 30 years and upward‘, and knew of no claim of title of possession since 1824. The reappearance of the younger Simmonds boys was still therefore evidently a remote possibility, as Mr Pilcher somewhat deviously notes: The father . . . died intestate consequently the sons were equally entitled, and had there been a surplus — under our law of gavelkind John the Elder son did sign as you will observe and the estate passed by feoffment, I think two of the brothers died. I know and believe he has a Brother living nr Romney - or this one by the bye may be John - it strikes me that it might be unadvisable to say anything to either on the subject - it is so far back - I recollect the [piece] of land when it was a garden abutting to the Dover Road. The Primitive Methodists, having been evicted from the chapel, presumably met privately for a while, until they were able to secure a site in Dering Road for a wooden chapel of their own, which was duly erected in 1868. At the time it was the only building on that side of the road (opposite the end of Filmer Road) and fairly well separated from other properties. The building survived (though in the 20”‘ century not as a chapel) until 1951, when it was demolished and replaced by a row of lock—up garages. It is however clearly marked as such in the survey of 1872/1873 (OS 1/2500 map sheet 47.9W), while there is no indication of a Wesleyan chapel at all. In the last two decades of the nineteenth century however a movement for Methodist Reunion was gathering pace, and by 1892 a Methodist Society was re-formed with 14 members, whose efforts then were rewarded with the erection of the ‘Iron Chapel‘. The Primitive Chapel is recorded still on a map of 1898, but by 1907 it is no longer marked, the building having been taken over as a private house. The history of Methodism since that time has been for Bridge quiet and relatively uneventful. But what of the Reading Room? The Chapel as originally built in the 1820's (and shown on the 1873 map) was only half as long as the present main hall. It survived until 1874, when major improvements were undertaken, ‘in celebration of the coming of age ofthe Marchioness's son‘ (Henry Francis, Viscount Slane), which extended the hall to its present size, and inserted a fireplace. The front wall abutting the pavement is original, though the windows may have been replaced. The former 'Village shop‘ was erected after 1824, in the gap created between the Chapel and the earlier property on the corner of Union Road, but the old cordwainer's leather goods shop has vanished, and the space incorporated into the adjacent property. The Reading Room has meanwhile served many functions, not least as Canteen and Recreation Room for troops in the First World War, renamed as the Village Hall in the 1970's and purchased outright in the 1980's from the Conyngham Estate. The Hunter Room (named after the village doctor Roger Hunter, who practised here throughout World War 11 until the 1960's) has also been added in recent years. Sources: 1994 Exhibition documents (board 73); Conyngham papers (Whitfield) 8.U.438.T.25 MM Raraty 5 April 2000/revised 23 October 2001 © mmr 9 Bridge Hill Cottages; Bourne Lodge; Lynton House Several board cottages on the hill adjacent to Patrixbourne Road, four now demolished. A forerunner of Lynton House is shown on Ogilby’s map of 1675. “A freehold Messe. or Tenement with the Garden Orchard and Appurts. thunto belongg containg by estimation 3 acres more or less situate lying and being in the several parishes of Bridge and Patrixbourne or one of them in the County of Kent. And also to six Cottages adjoining the above with the yards gardens and appurts. thunto belongg situate in the sd several parishes of Bridge & Patrixbourne or one of them — the latter Estate being held for the residue ofa term of 500 years created by an lndre Dated 23‘’ Nov’ 1710.” In 1675 this estate belonged to William Cheston, a yeoman of Bridge. 1674 18”’ Sept’} Will of William Cheston then dated and proved at Canterbury the 9”‘ June 1677 whereby he Willed & Bequeathed — His House whin he then lived and the Malthouse Barns Stable and Outhouses thereto belongg together with the gardens orchards closes and lands containing in all by estimon. 18 acres more or less with their and every oftheir appurts. and then in his posson. or occupon. Unto his eldest Son Richard Cheston his heirs and assS' for ever. Lynton House was formerly known as Lansberry Cottage, and probably built by John Lansberry, who died in 1849. For many years until the 1980’s the upper side ofthe house proclaimed in bold letters the name ofa coal merchant ***** who resided here. It was later the residence of Mr FRW Berry, a prominent Canterbury Estate Agent (also air vice- marshal *****). Bourne Lodge built on part of this estate (all now built up) as dower house by Matthew Bell 2'“? Grandson of the Director of The Equitable Life. 10 East Bridge House 11 Bridge Hill House; Bridge Hill House 1799 property of Stephen Beckingham, tenanted by Edward Hawkins at a rent of£20 per annum 12 Canterbury Races 1799 The Race Ground yearly rent of £3 ls from executors of Francis Whitfield. The race course 42 acres 1 perch valued at £313 45, property of Stephen Beckingham 13 [Higham] 14 The Hexagon; Star Hill; Military Arch Cam 56, 1943 p 69: RF Jessup, MISC NOTES: “Saxon barrows inside Bourne Park mutilated by excavation in 1845 now obliterated by recent ploughing under war emergency. The Race Course... was responsible for much destruction... A small regular six-sided enclosure appears immediately to the NE of the hammer—shaped tree enclosure in Bourne Park. About 400 yards to the SE and 50 yards from the Roman road is a fairly large barrow circle, possibly Roman.Three other possible Roman barrow circles. . .could be seen in the fields between Bourne Park and Charlton Park.” The six-sided enclosure (hexagon — of aerial photo) is by no means small: It has a radius of approx 18 metres. Recent (2001 -3, ongoing) excavations have revealed a surrounding ditch, and at least two graves. Date: Iron-Age, possible pre-Roman.. It lies very close to the line of Kingsbury Road as it rises up Star Hill (why the name?) 15 Mediaeval facts Arch Cam 346, 1934, p 33f :Will of Joan widow oflohn Denys late of Welle next Littlebourne 8 feb 1441: To the fabric of the churches in Bekesbourne, Patrykkesbourne and Bregge 6s 8d each Arch Cant 50; 1938 THE REGISTER AND CHARTULARY or THE HOSPITAL or ST LAURENCE, CANTERBURY p 48: “Warin Brends, son of Osbarn of Pette, near Rodweye, grants to the brothers and sisters of the hospital of St Laurence all his lands in Bregge [Bridge] to be held of grantor at a yearly rent of 16d, a payment of31d to Ralph Clerk, 1d Romescot, 1 hen and 3 farthings, ‘and he that carries the hen shall eat it there or bring it back’ (qui illam portaverit illuc manducabit vel reportabit). . . .” (°a' 1331). 16 Old Englands Hole [FT Vine: CAESAR IN KENT, 1886 P 169; 2”” EDN 1887, Elliot Stock p 172;] “Never forget, my son,” said the father of him whose researches and suggestions have done so much to inspire the writer of these pages, “Never forget that this is ‘Old england’s Hole’ and that here a last stand was made for liberty by your British forefathers.” . . .The rampart and ditch by which [the oppidum] was surrounded may still be traced. An agger or mound. . .still remains. . . .Watling street... runs close to the enclosure, below the modern road by which Bridge Hill is now ascended [not true] The rampart of the oppidum on this side is even now of considerable height, and must at one time have been at least twenty feet high[2"d edn — not in Isl] Other evidence: “When the present road on Bridge Hill was dug out in 1829 five or six Roman urns, with six or eight human skulls, were discovered about five feet below the surface, embedded in the chalk. The remains of a horst in a ferrruginous condition were found within the oppidum by some boys about fifteen years ago [I872]. There is still a slight bank surrounding the Hole, though it is probably a chalk pit, partly filled in by Matthew Bell. It is too small (and badly positioned) to be a defensive position. Alec Detsicas in The Cantiaci, p.2 (1983) remarks: “The Hill-fort at Bigbury, the precursor of Belgic Canterbury, controlled the crossing ofthe Stour”. Bigbury is SE ofthe Stour, before the crossing. Sheppard Frere, writing in 1967 (revised ed 1987) says “In the early morning he reached the Stour and easily drove the Britons from the crossing. The principal ford lay at the future site of Canterbury. No settlement yet existed on this site [but later, Frere refers to Belgic Canterbury: did it appear between 54BC and 43AD??], but a hill-fort lay on the heights above at Bigbury, one and a half miles beyond the ford.” Evidence has been found for Belgic settlement at Canterbury. The town is more than twice as far from Bigbury as suggested. And why should Caesar cross the river before attacking Bigbury? A romantic solution might be that he did in fact encounter Britons at Old England’s Hole, who then retired to Bigbury along the Kingsbury Road. The river would then be the little Stour. But C. doesn’t then mention the Stour crossing. None of these arguments quite work. 17 Bourne Gatehouse Built in 1857 by Matthew Bell of Bourne House as Gate Lodge to Bourne. Bourne Park Road was until after WWII a gated road at both ends. One post on the upper side ofthe road remains here. It is probable that there was a previous lodge on this side to guard the entrance to the park. And Ogilby’s map of the Dover Road of 1675 marks ‘The Greyhound’ on this site in the corner of ‘Sir Anth. Aucher’s Park’ Aucher owned Bourne Estate at the time. The Lodge has a number of ghost stories attached to it: one concerns a Victorian Coachman in his greatcoat who was seen at the window by a young boy in the 1970’s_; another is ofa young woman being brought into the house severely injured after her coach had turned over on the hill. A motorist on the hill is also said to have had to swerve on the hill outside to avoid something apparently crossing the road, although closer inspection revealed nothing there. 18 The Church . 5 Arch Cant 12; 1878 p 203f Holders of fees in Kent anno 38 Hen Ill (1254) ref to ‘Blakemannesby[rie]’: ‘Thomasde Bourne tenet in Hegham iiij quarter. milit. de domino Willelmo de Say, undej. quarter. In Berekere Arch Cant 14; 1882, pp 169-184: WA Scott Robinson: PATRICKSBOURN-E CHURCH AND BIFRONS. Description of memorials in Patrixbourne & summary of vicars. ‘Cardinal Morton instituted Malcolm Ramsey MA on the 7”‘ of August 1494, but others must have held the benefice during that century, whose names are not recorded. Very few incumbents retain a living for so long a period as Ramsey did. He died in 1538, having been vicar of Patricksbourne for 44 years, and was buried in the chancel of Bridge Church. A memorial of him is carved in relief on the south wall ofthat chancel.. All these vicars (save one) had been presented to the benefice by the Prior and Convent of Merton in Surrey, but during Ramsey’s long incumbency, the priory sold or otherwise alienated the next presentation to one John Bowle. John Grene instituted by Cranmer on 5”‘ July 1538 after Merton had been dissolved. Various others until Robert Rawson, presented by William Paitheryche December 1589, also John White in 1594. Edward Partridge was Patron in 1640 [so Braems had not yet taken over?] John Fige presented by Braems in Feb 1662/3 then John Mackallar Nov 7 1667-Jan 27 1698/9 (31 years). Petition in Lambeth from 33 parishioners in May 1695 “Against mr Mackallars oppression, vexations, misdemeanours, and miscarriages.1n the forefront stand disputes about tithes left long unsettled, and then overcharged. The vicar’s absence, for some weeks from Partixbourne, and for eight weeks from Bridge (Jan-March 1695) is likewise mentioned. The petitioners allege that he sometimes sat while reading prayers and preaching. They say that he detained the offertory amounting to about £1 per annum, pretending that he himself was ‘The Poor’. Also that he neglected to pay his proportion ofthe poor rates and the Kings taxes. The tenour of the petition evinces much petty irritation about trivial matters, but we can readily account for it when we remember that Mr Mackallar had then been vicar for 28 years and was evidently getting old and infirm.. His successor John Bowtell was presented to the living by Margaret, widow of Walter Braems and held it for 55 years (Feb 1697/8-Jan 1753). John B’s wife Olive was daughter of John Taylor. (Both buried in Patrixbourne churchyard) Then his brother-in-law Herbert Taylor for ten yrs, then Herbert’s son Edward Taylor for 35 years. Bridge Register:’John Levingston, a private soldier in Major General Jeffery’s regiment of foot (No. 14), who was accidentally killed by a bread or forage wagon, belonging to the camp at Barham Down, going over his body, whereby he was crushed to death, was buried Aug 17 1760.’ WP Griffiths visited Bridge Church in 1844. Noted absence of an organ at Bridge, west kingsdown & Bapchild (out of 25). Overall impression is that most churches were well kept & carefully arranged. (qv his report) (Arch Cant 103, 1986, pp 1 19- 125: N YATES, The Condition of Kentish Churches before Victorian Restoration) Notes on St Peters Bridge: Roman Road through Bridge may have continued in use for some time since a) Domesday refers to Bridge Hundred (knowledge of the bridge survives) and b) Domesday Monachorum (earliest date cal 100) lists the church in a way that suggests a record of remote times. There was therefore almost certainly a Saxon Church here before the Norman invasion. It was probably though never more than a Chapel, since Bridge has never been separate from Patrixboume. The Chapel therefore implies habitation, and a continued use of the road. Possible pre- conquest trading centre for the Nailbourne valley. (Alan Everitt: Wickhambreux/lckham — Littlebourne (implying Great Bourne) — Bekesbourne — Patrixbourne — Bishopsbourne (Kingston/Bridge). (Wootton & Denton from Bishopsboume) It is possible — even probable, given the course of the road up the hill, that the Norman church (late 12thc) is founded on the road itself. Two Norman doors (effigies of early Bridge inhabitants!) First listed vicar (as Patrixboume Walter de Burne 1 189) Outside W door a slab, with indents for a brass of a man & woman & group of daughters, ca 1450. once the top slab ofa table tomb on the north side ofthe church (I-lasted). Ifa genuine external brass it is the earliest recorded, & only pre-reformation example in Kent. Probably placed here in 1859/60. Another edifice on the North side was probably the stocks [or were they on the Green?] “He who will not the law oboy/ here in ye Stocks must surely lay” Malcolm Ramsey was vicar for 43 years from 1495-1538 (alias Maccobus Keasey of Hasted who died 1512 having been vicar for 21 yrs — he it is whose effigy lies in the North Chancel wall) Was he a Scotsman?? Listed as the only Pre-reformation MA.. The visitation of 1502 (ecclesiastical progress by the bishop to hear complaints and inspect the parish) took place at Wye: Prior of Merton (who held the gift — appropriator) was absent, but vicar (Ramsey) appeared, with Churchwardens Thomas Cheseman/John Newman and Parishioners William Aleyn/ Stephen Miller/ John Miller/ Richard Prentice: the earliest certain inhabitants of the parish. Visitation of 1573 noted that Thomas Outlaw (surname common in the early birth registers which date from 1579) had got Mary Bell with child, she living with her father- in-law Simon Parramor. Also, that Mr Hevyside our curatt does not say the divine service every Sunday. Complaints about others no doubt too. John Mackallar (another Scot??) vicar 1667-1698, very conscientious at first (his entries in the registers are full and beautifully written) was cited in 1695 for never being around. The parish accounts of 1673-1740 show that the parish was responsible for upkeep ofthe church, as well as the stocks and the bridge. 1676 saw a wholesale refurbishment of the belfry. Payments to a bellfounder (Mr Palmer) suggest that there have not always been three bells here (which 1 have not seen) though one is undoubtedly old, with an inscription: Ave Maria gratia plena d[e]us tecu in Saxon capitals, ca 1325, cast by same bellfounder as Patrixbourne no 2 William le Belytere. Bellropes were replaced every 2/3 years. Two surveys of the church done before the rebuilding of 1859/1860 a) Z Cozens 1793 b) WP Griffith 1844 See print of 1815. Rebuilt by Mary Gregory, native of Congleton, but her husband Edward was vicar of Petham See Igglesden for what is there now. Many old tablets were removed, pillars altered windows shifted in the restoration. Cozens notes Robert Bargrave 1584-1649. (By Cornelius Janzen?) Semicircular carving (from above a door?) Above God below in 5 compartments: 1 the expulsion from Eden; 2 Serpent, Adam & Eve; 3 Cain & Abel preparing sacrifices; 4 Abel offering sacrifice; 5 Cain slaying Abel Font of Serpentine marble. Clock by Gillett & Bland 1874 (or Gillett & Johnson 1847) Notable tablets: Baldock — common E Kent name Braems Brice — farmer Foord — farmer Forth — Workhouse master and clerk Lansberry — of Lansberry cottage alias Lynton House (1783-1849) Baron Montesquieu (1750-1824) of Bridge Hill house Amelius Sicard, (see also W Window) 48 years local doctor 1832-1880. Born 1809 His father was probably the doctor before him. See also gravestone outside. Churchyard was closed by Order in Council on October 31 1990. New part of Churchyard was purchased from Dowager Lady Conyngham on August 28 1860 Outside: Gravestones of Mantle (1762) (161) Colegate Frederick 1790-1877 builder of Chapel Yard (ie post office). Later built Alexandra House on his retirement. Daughter turned it into a school. Craft 1727 (b 1716) (193) Crofts [Crafts'.’] 1775 b 1686 Foord James farmer 1733 b 1663 (41) Zebulon Vinson butler to Mrs Gregory (95) Halward 1749 b 1675 (27) Robinson 1723 b1688 (192) Spain 1715 b 1658 (135) Stringer 1752 b 1662 (17) Tucker 1714 b 1685 (76) Unknown 1716 b1633 (134) Arch Cant 122, 2002 ppl 13-142: MARY BERG: Patrixbourne Church suggests that Patrixbourne church was built by Ingelram Patrick (died 1 190/91) between 1 170-1 190. Would Bridge have been built at much the same time? Patricks owned manors of Bridge as well. William Patrick 1 fl. 1066-83; Richard his probable son held it in 1086 (Domesday) from Odo of Bayeux. William Patrick 11 held Patrixbourne by 1 1 15 — he was heir to the French properties ofthe family. Stiil owned ca 1 135. His heir was William Patrick 111, died 1 174. WP IV also died 1 174, succeeded by lngelram. Ca 1200 church (and village?) passed to Beaulieu Priory near Rouen and stayed until l00yrs war with one or two short interludes. Beaulieu had local trouble with peasants, gave up on Patrixbourne, which was given to Merton Priory to supervise in Surrey. In 1317 the archbishop of Canterbury decreed that there should always be two chaplains at Patrixbourne, one of them to serve Bridge. 1333 escheator of Kent ordered to return Patricksbourne to Beaulieu., but communication problems during 2l0Oyrs war caused Beaulieu to lease Patrixbourne in 1390 to Richard Altryncham for 60 yrs. RA sold out to Merton Priory in 1409. Next came Isaacs in 1400s John Isaac buried ca 1440. 19 The Bakery; 18"‘ c row; Nash & Hardeman; Pharmacist 20 The Red Lion Reminiscences of Mrs Friend (195 8)” When I came here in 1896 the Post Office was at the Grocer’s shop. , Mr Perry; Miller, Mr White; Tailor, Mr Stevens; Veterinary Surgeon, Mr Howard; Blacksmith, Mr Gilbert; Clock Maker, Mr Billy Hardiman; Saddler, Mr Taylor; Schoolmaster, Mr Wye. Now is 1955, the post master is Mr Roberts and the Post Ofiice is in his own house,; no mill or miller, no tailor, no vet, no smith, no clockmaker, no saddler.” 21 Skippers 22 Motorist 23 Anne’s House 24 Plough & Harrow 25 Saddlers 26 Hawkins 27 The Bridge; The river; Schellinks 28 Albert Terrace 29 River House & Glen Falls 30 Butcher & shambles Butcher in 1668 was John Cooly 31 Beans Cottages; The Farm; Western Avenue Bridge Farm was the home farm of Blackmansbury. In the 19”‘ c it was owned by Rev. RH Barham (Thomas Ingoldsby). Demolished in 1962 it is visible on Schellink’s drawing of the High Street of 1662. “The right-hand end of the jetty proved false, and masked a fifteenth century wagon entrance which was in a direct line with the gateway into the farmyard.. Remainder of the house had been a typical 15th century wealden house, with central hall open to the roof, small rooms each side, and jettied out in front. Modernised in 151 half of 17”‘ c when a great fireplace was added and upper floor inserted. Further modernised in 18”" or early 19th C (Conyngham?) to appear as in modern times.. Another timbered house had stood at right-hand end of the building, but demolished in the 18”" 0 when the wagon entrance was blocked and entrance to yard moved to the right. Stairway of eight solid oak blocks of mediaeval date. The house must have presented a very attractive appearance at this time for on the front of the house vertical timbers known as studs were set close together.. In first half of 17”‘ c alterations made, no doubt by Sir Arnold Braems. Bread oven probably added in 163 8, when red brick floors were inserted. Late 18"‘ c covered all older windows, and three small bays inserted, with three sash windows above. Front doorway blocked and a new one inserted to the left. New newel stair inserted at rear ( later that the fireplace). Barn and cowshed undoubtedly dated from 15”‘ c. Very like Durlock Grange, both belonging to St Augustine’s Abbey and then Conynghams. (Arch Cant 79, 1964, pp 136-142) 32 White Horse 1 June 1668 Rented by William Ford yeoman from Sir Arnold & Walter Braems [Ford publican to 1668?] 23 July 1668 Rented by John Cooley Butcher from A & W Braems and Wm Ford 30 April 1679 Rented by John Cooley from Sir John[?] Aucher 5 April 1682 Rented by John Cooley from Sir Anthony Aucher 27 Jan 1682 three bonds from John Cooley to Sir A Aucher 8 May 1685 Rented by John Cooley from Sir A A via Francis Mitchell gent of Cant. 1702 Deed Poll under the hand of John Cooley [Cooley publican l668—I700?] Subsequently property of Stephen Beckingham whose wife was Catherine Corbett one of five daughters of John Corbett of Bourne by his wife Elizabeth formerly Elizabeth Aucher, sister to Hewytt Aucher, son of Sir Anthony and dame Elizabeth Inventory of 28 November 1799 gives tenant of White Horse as James Aylward at a yearly rent of £1 8. 33 Forge 34 Purssord butcher 35 The Ship; Primrose Alley 36 Alexandra House 37 Garage 38 Belle Vue Terrace 39 Rosebank 40 Albany Terrace 41 Village Hall 42 Shop 43 Doctors 44 Post Office; Chapel Yard 45 Cottages 46 Weston Villas 47 Sefton Villas 48 Conyngham Lane 49 Hillside 50 Sunnyside; Dering Road; ?Aunt Betsy 51 Filmer Road development; Primitive Chapel 52 Union Road; The Workhouse 53 Mill Cottage and the Mill A short history ofBridge Windmill: 1596-1954 There is no _windmill in Bridge. A brief exploration of the village will however reveal the existence of Mill Lane, running up from the ford by Little Bridge Place to a row of eight postwar houses alongside an old bridleway at the top, named Mill Terrace, and a 1960's development in the centre of the village off Western Avenue called Windmill Close. These names are virtually all that remain to remind us of a once familiar landmark, whose site now lies beneath one of the fuel storage tanks on the corner of Mill lane and Union Road. The only building remaining associated with it is Mill Cottage in Union Road, built (it is said, about 1730. but in fact more probably 1830) sideways on to the road to give the miller a clear View of his workplace. The first evidence for a corn mill at Bridge appears on the first detailed map of Kent issued by Philip Symondson in 1596, but it may have been in existence of course long before that. Windmills have been recorded in this country since the twelfth century. What is perhaps remarkable about Symondson's mill is that it is plainly not visible from Mill Cottage, for it is placed near the top of Side Hill, a quarter of a mile from the church, on the NE side of Bridge Hill. On a later map, in John Harris's History 0fKent of 1719, it is similarly positioned, and represented clearly as a post mill (like Chillenden Mill), which is the oldest type of mill. It is not represented on the large-scale map (2 inches to the mile) by Andrews, Dury and Herbert of 1769, but reappears clearly positioned on Greenwood’s 1821 map and again on a map dating probably from 1825/6 in the 18”‘ edition of Paterson's Roads. Here it is again placed at the top of Side Hill, just on the Patrixbourne side of the parish boundary below the ancient track known then as Kingsbury Lane which cut through the woodland and ran down into Patrixbourne, very close, indeed, to the viewpoint chosen by Jan Siberechts for his panorama of Bifrons House and Patrixboume of 1705-10, (a viewpoint now obliterated by the by-pass). This track from Middle Pett is traceable from the point where it crosses the bridge over the old railway down the hollow way past Flint Cottages. It has been obliterated (though still visible in aerial photographs) across Star Hill, and was stopped up altogether in 1830 for a distance of 385 yards beyond its crossing of Bridge Hill. A continuation does still survive beyond Bridge bypass behind the wood above Side Hill as far as Keeper’s Hill. It would not be wholly fanciful to imagine the painter Siberechts seated within a convenient distance of the mill, and the resulting view confirms one's sense that this is indeed a better site for a windmill than that down in the valley, albeit on a small eminence, and closer to the village. Very likely the order stopping up the bridleway was not unconnected with the disappearance of the mill from this site, as will appear as the story unfolds. The position of Bridge Mill prior to about 1820 is confirmed by the documentary evidence, which also introduces us to some of the millers. The Kentis/1 Gazette of 26-30 May 1786 reported that On Saturday last was committed to St Dunstan's gaol. . . John Kent, of this city, miller, charged on the oath ofJohn Pilcher, of Bridge, miller and baker, with having stolen out of his mill in the Parish of Patrixbourne, a bag, containing upwards of one hundred weight of wheaten flour. . . Our first known miller is revealed. Mr Pilcher was not a young man in 1786, and could well have begun his work forty or more years before that, for the Gazette shortly afterwards (13-17 April 1787) carried a small advertisement: Wanted, a man who understands the business of a MILLER and BAKER. . . He may have constant work and good wages by applying to John Pilcher, at Bridge. Eighteen months later Mr Pilcher was dead. Wednesday last died in Bridger's Alms Houses, in this city, Mrs Pilcher, aged 94, mother of the late Mr Pilcher, miller, of Bridge. (Gazette, 2-5 September 1788) On 10-14 October of the same year an advertisement was placed, offering for sale furniture ‘of the late Mr John Pilcher, Baker, at Bridge.‘ Perhaps the Gazette gives a clue as to the identity ofthe man who applied for work in 1786: Tuesday was married at Boxley . . . Mr George Cleggett, miller and baker at Bridge, to Miss Frances Parks, at Boxley (8 July 1791). Mr Cleggett's business was evidently prosperous: WANTED. An apprentice to a miller and Baker - a stout healthy lad, of a creditable family. Apply to George Cleggett, Bridge (12 August 1791). With more hands available, Mr Cleggett was able to expand: Cleggett, miller and baker, Bridge, takes this opportunity of returning his most grateful acknowledgements to the neighbouring gentry and inhabitants of Bridge for the many past favours received in the above branches: at the same time begs leave to inform them, he has just opened a corn-chandler's shop, and hopes by the strictest attention to every article of his business, he shall be able to merit their future as well as past favours. Beans, Peas and Barley, to be sold ready-ground. N.B. Gentlemen who keep dogs may be supplied with oatmeal, in any quantity, on the most reasonable terms. (8 October 1791) Shortly after this (26 October 1791) we find a further advertisement for ’a sober miller’, presumably because of the expansion of business, rather than because his apprentice had been too stout or healthy in his indulgence. By the early years of the following century the mill had been taken over by John Fagg, who in the Gazette of 18 July 1808 was in his turn advertising for ‘a journeyman wind- miller'. Later that same year we find explicit reference to the location of the mill: MILL ROBBED, Whereas in the night of Wednesday last, the 30”‘ November, the Mill belonging to John Fagg, on Bridge Hill, was broke open by forcing the hinges ofthe door, apparently with an iron crow or chisel, and a Quantity of flour with TWO SACKS marked 'J.Fagg, Bridge Mill‘ were stolen thereout and traced for about half a mile across the fields, leading towards Canterbury by Patrixbourne. Whoever can give information so that the offender or offenders may be convicted, shall receive a reward of TWENTY POUNDS from the aforesaid John Fagg (2 December 1808). Such a substantial reward underlines both the value of flour, and the vulnerability of mills. The final chapter in the history of this mill is tantalisingly recorded by the Gazette of 7 July 1818: To be sold. . . a CORN WINDMILL, driving two pair of stones, and machinery complete and a storehouse near. . . both in good repair, as the same are standing . . . on a piece of land at Bridge Hill . . . now in the occupation of Mr John Fagg, miller. The said corn windmill and storehouse must be taken down and removed by the purchaser, on or before the sixth April next . . . The reason for the strict deadline is unclear, and as has been mentioned above, even the 1826 map still marks the old location, so the mill may not have been removed so swiftly; though equally, the change may not yet have been picked up. The sequence of events in the 1820's remains mysterious. But the period around 1820-1830 was one of change in the village as a whole. The great houses round about were changing hands. The Taylors who had owned Bifrons (and much else besides) sold the house to Lord Conyngham in January 1830. Edward Taylor the younger had married the heiress of Boume, Louisa Beckingham, in 1802, and after her father's death sold that property too to Lord Conyngham. Charles de Secondat, Baron Montesquieu, who had been living at Oswalds in Bishopsbourne since his escape from the French Revolution and who had bought Bridge Hill House (originally owned by the Rev. John Beckingham) for £1500 in 1793, died there in 1824. The property was then taken by the Rev. Edward Gregory, who immediately entered upon major improvements, including the stopping-up of the road mentioned earlier. This most conveniently coincided with the realignment of Bridge Hill north-eastwards and the grading of its slope under the Turnpike Acts, which was taking place in 1829-30, along with a similar treatment of Town Hill on the Canterbury side of the village (hence the very steep slope at the entrance to Dering Road). A few years earlier, in 1816/17, the principal road from Bridge to Patrixbourne, which ran right past the front of Bifrons, was stopped up part way along (Laundry Lane, now Conyngham Lane), and a new road built (Bekesbourne Road) around the perimeter of Edward Taylor's land. Pressure of traffic was being noticed even at this early date. In the midst of this, on 19-20 January 1830, at the same time as Bifrons was sold, an agreement was drawn up between Edward Lord Skelmersdale, Sir Herbert Taylor (by now Lieutenant General) and Edward Taylor, late of Bifrons on one side, and James Ashenden, farmer and William Sankey, surgeon of Bridge on the other, for the sale to Ashenden for £200 of All that piece of land called or known by the name of the Three Corner Meadow containing 2 acres, 2 roods 7 perches formerly in tenure of Henry Crosoer, afterwards of Charles Howard, late of said James Ashenden and then of Joseph Gardener and William Fagg the younger . . . abutting to a bridle way leading from the village of Bridge to a place called Linsey Bottom towards the north, to the highway or road leading from the village of Bridge to a place called Street End towards the west or south-west, and to lands formerly of the heirs of Mr Forde and then belonging to the Rev Barham [RH Barham, alias Thomas Ingoldsby, 1788-1845, who at the time owned Bridge Farm in the High Street, demolished in 1962] towards the south-east, which said piece was theretofore used with and formed part of a farm called the Upper Pett Farm late in occupation of Richard Garner deceased, and was theretofore described as all that . . . in occupation of Henry Crosoer . . . And also all that com windmill and other the buildings then lately erected and built on said land by and at the whole costs and expense of said James Ashenden [though in a later document, of 21 August 1878, Thomas Ashenden is said to have been the builder]. (East Kent Archive Centre ref. U438 T27) By 1830 therefore a mill existed, though it had only lately been built, on the site in the village. Was this the same mill that had been demolished elsewhere a few years earlier? Both had two pairs of stories, but this was a smock mill, albeit quite a small one. The mill on Bridge Hill was, by the time of its demolition, possibly still the post-mill of the 17”‘ century. Wholesale removal of a mill was not impossible, although the terrain between Bridge Hill and Three Corner Meadow was difficult: Many . . . Kentish mills were moved . . . from one part ofa village to another or into an adjoining parish, often to take advantage of the prevailing south- westerly winds from a more exposed position. . . . Often, to remove a mill, the octagonal body was divided up into eight sections by sawing down the eight cant (corner) posts; then, in re-erection, these sections would be bolted together again. One of the original cant posts bolted together in this way can still be seen in Ripple Mill. . . Frequently, however, the body of the mill was conveyed intact, and one can imagine that difficulties sometimes arose in the conveyance of such a huge structure. . . . (W.Coles Finch, p.63) The day after James Ashenden bought the site from the Taylors, he turned a tidy profit by leasing the mill and land to Ann and Sarah Garner for 500 years at a price of £400 (plus ten shillings to Dr Sankey). Ann Garner died on 8 March 1831 however, and the land was passed to Charles Edward Howard, a veterinary surgeon. Ashenden died in September 1832, and the following year Sarah Garner sold out to Thomas Sladden, who, having bought out Ashenden's children in turn sold the mill to Thomas and Benjamin Johnson (2 March 1832) for £650 - a profit of £250 therefore. The 1841 census records Thomas Johnson (born ca 1791) as resident in Union Street, presumably in Mill Cottage. Thomas ran the mill until his death in 1856. His long tenure, of some 24 years evidently left a mark on the village, for he was still remembered nearly a century later: Local history has it that the figure of the dusty miller was a familiar sight in the village, for his practice was to deliver flour to his customers personally, his method of transport being the back ofa donkey. One presumes, of course, that he loaded the donkey with his sacks of flour and he himself led the animal through the village. (Folkestone Herald, 25 March 1933) Before Johnson died he had taken on Gilbert Huxstep as miller ( aged 32, census 1851), but by 1859 Huxstep had taken on the tenancy of Bridge Farm and the miller was George Fryer, who was Benjamin J ohnson’s executor and brother-in-law. Fryer kept the mill running for a further twenty years or so, while Benjamin seems to have been in charge of Barton Mill in Canterbury. In 1865 Benjamin Johnson died (1 1 March), and a couple of years later his widow, Mary Ann, took out a mortgage from one George Adams (?a cooper) for £500, presumably to buy back Fryer's interest, yet in 1874 Fryer also paid Adams £500 to recover ownership. After Mary Ann's death in 1875 (15 March) however ownership of the whole property was conveyed (January 1877) to the Johnson children Susanna, Martha Francis, Ellen Eliza, Emily and John Gilbert, with Fryer remaining as tenant, In the following year (21 August 1878) the Johnsons sold the whole property to the Rt. Hon Arthur Baron Wrottesley (Baron Wrottesley, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire) and Theodore Henry Brinckman, Bart. for the princely sum of £1 000. The property had once more reverted to aristocratic ownership! At this point the 24 year old John Gilbert Johnson was prospering, for he was the employer of four men at Barton Mill, and ofa maid at home, where his eldest sister Susanna now ran the household (Wrottesley and Brinckman on the other hand employed 32 servants between them). On 10 April 1879 the 65 year old Fryer gave up his tenancy ofthe mill, which was valued then atjust £98 105 10d - notably including a sack chain 50 feet long and two iron pinions to the stones - and retired with his wife Mary Ann (a daughter of Thomas Johnson) a few yards down the hill to number 5 Union Road. Some months later (October 1880) John Johnson transferred the tenancy to William White, who in his turn moved into the Mill House with his wife Rebecca and thirteen year old daughter Emily. William had been born in 1829, and was therefore by now well into middle age. The fact that his daughter was born in Bridge suggests that Mr White had already been working at Bridge Mill for some years. At this point the mill was judged to be worth no more than £65 9s 6d, including the ‘lifts etc. for sweeps . . .and three old sails‘. The reference to (canvas) sails suggests that the mill at this time was fitted with ‘common sweeps’. Later photographs suggest that these were subsequently modernised as ‘patent sweeps', with automatic adjustment ofthe shutters, depending on wind speed. By the last decade of the century industrial milling was offering stiff competition to the old trade, and Mr White endeavoured to upgrade the mill with the addition of a steam- engine to assist the wind. This was however no more than a short-term solution, and when the mill was taken over by William Manwaring in 1900 he endeavoured to improve productivity further by installing a Blackstone oil engine in an outside store to run an additional pair of stones. The inevitable could not be put off for much longer though, and in 1907 wind-power was abandoned. A long period of slow decay set in as first the sweeps were removed and then the body of the mill demoted to serve merely as a general storehouse. The mill probably ceased work grinding corn by whatever means sometime during or just after the first world war. Mr Manwaring moved on to become the owner of one of the last remaining working windmills in the country (before their recent revival as a 'heritage' industry) at Willesborough. The lastjourneyman ever to have worked at Bridge Mill was remembered (in 1954) as one A. Pegden. By 1933 when the Lemar family replaced Mr and Mrs Charlie Hollands in the Mill House the mill site was being used as a coal yard, an outlying depot of HE Burniston, a Canterbury coal merchant, and Mr GF Lemar was employed to expand the local coal trade. His daughter Gladys still (2000) resides at 41 Union Road, the Mill House, though the coal yard in its turn has been replaced by the storage tanks of Messrs Corralls liquid fuel depot. The one remaining relic of the mill itself is a millstone in the front porch of the Mill House. Early in 1933 the remains of the mill were described by the correspondent of T he F olkestone Herald." The tower of Bridge Mill is covered with tarred sheeting. It therefore has a sombre aspect and is not as picturesque as some of our old derelicts. It is, in fact, rather a sorry spectacle, with two sweeps missing and only the midlings remaining ofthe other two. The stage. . . has vanished entirely, and the fantail has also disappeared. The body ofthe mill, however, is fairly sound, and there are two floors of brickwork beneath the weather-boarded structure. (25 March 1933 Mr J Holman, reporting the state of affairs in June of the same year, relates: The midling has been cut off at the end ofthe cheek pieces, the cap reboarded and creosoted. The back of the cap has been cut off short and boarded up, while the tower has also been repaired. Although the cap looks a bit strange, I am glad that repairs have been carried out since the mill was getting into a bad state. I believe it is now used as a store. (W Coles Finch, p. 313) The mill survived, decaying gradually, through the second world war and beyond, until at last the end came, witnessed by the late Mr CP Davies. On Friday 15 October 1954 four men arrived to commence demolition. By midday on Wednesday 20”‘ they had, with the aid of a crane, reduced the mill to its unusually tall, two-storey tapering brick base — tall perhaps to compensate for its relatively low-lying position. There remained on the site at the time of my visit the cast iron windshaft 1 1'4" long, canisters 9" by 1'2‘/2", tapering from top to centre thus >. Brake wheel wooden, clasp armed, wood geared, cant 1'2" deep, cogs 3" pitch, 3 5/8" face. Brake — wood; curb — wood; iron truck wheels. Upright shaft - in two parts; upper part iron, carrying iron wallower, with wood ring to drive sack hoist. Wallower had four arms, cogs 3" pitch, 4" face. Lower part, upright shaft wooden, octagonal in section, spur wheel wooden, clasp armed, 1‘/2" pitch, 3" face. (CP Davies, MS notes) The major part ofthe mill gear was thus still in place and well-preserved. Even the body might have been saved if it had survived another 15 years or so. But an age which allowed the destruction of Bridge Farm had no time for an old windmill. MM Raraty ©11/03/00 54 Pett Farm 1799 Property of Stephen Beckingham of Bourne. Tenanted by James Finch at an annual rent of £24 55 The Duck Inn Notes on The Duck lnn Was originally built in 1623 as a farm and consisted of two dwellings owned by Isaac Clinton, who died in 1647. Thence to Samuel Clinton, d. 1701 and Robert Clinton d 1732. Was then known as Wodelands, and included 7 acres of land. In 1732 it was occupied by Clement Foxearth and Richard White. In 1780 was owned by Thomas ?Dack (a descendant ofthe Clintons) Sold in 1785 to Ruben Clare and in 1793 to Henry Corner of Canterbury. Sold in 1806 to Michael Price, wheelwright and horse dealer of Bishopsbourne, who died in 1831. Thence to Neville Price, d. 1842. Thomas Goodwin, grocer if Bishopsboume obtained a licence in 1849 to sell ales, groceries and provisions from the property - ‘Woodlands’. 1862 was in possession of Thomas Sargeant, grocer and beer seller [1861 census wood- Sawyer] 1874 William Newell, 1890 Thomas Needle (general stores and beer house). 1891 census Thomas Stubbles [56] & Caroline [61] Ag lab & Licensed Victualler: Woodmans Arms 1904 a filll licence granted to Thomas Stubbles as the ‘Woodmans Arms‘. He left in 1906. Renamed ‘The Duck‘ in the 1960's. 56 Mill Lane Dering Road Dering Road in Bridge commemorates Colonel Cholmeley Dering, a younger brother of Sir Edward Dering of Surrenden Dering, the seventh baronet. He is well known in Kentish annals as commander of the New Romney Fencible Cavalry (Duke of York's Own), which he raised in East Kent in 1794 and with which he served in Ireland for three years, receiving the thanks of the Lord Lieutenant and both Houses of Parliament in that country for his eminent services during the rebellion of 1798. The regiment was disbanded in October, 1800, on its return from Ireland. One year before, probably in anticipation of the event, Colonel Dering had bought Howletts [in Ickham] (.7) from its builder, lsaac Baugh, and was in consequence the second owner ofthat most distinguished house, one of the best ofits size and style in England. On the death of his elder brother in 181 1 he became guardian of the infant eighth Dering baronet and had to remove to Surrenden from Howletts, which he sold about 1816 to George Gipps Esq., son and heir of one of the founders of the Canterbury Bank. In 1817 he was returned as MP for New Romney. He died in 1836 and was buried at Pluckley. Howletts remained in the Gipps family until about forty years ago. Another local Irish connection! Howletts (or Owlets, as it was formerly called) was formerly the inheritance of Isaac family, but they lost it before the reign of Elizabeth I. In 1558 it belonged to John Dorante ( a benefactor to Littlebourne) whose descendants alienated it to Sir Henry Palmer who resided here and died in 1611, and by his will gave it to Sir Isaac Sidley, his son-in-law, who conveyed his right to his brother-in-law Sir Henry Palmer, and he about 1620 alienated it to Sir Charles Hales of Thanington, but afterwards of Howletts, who died in 1623. His grandson Sir Robert Hales was created baronet 1660 during the time of whose grandson Sir Thomas this seat fell down and the family removed to another house nearer the church in this parish (Bekesbourne), where they afterwards resided. At length his descendant Sir Philip Hales in 1787 alienated the scite of it, with the gardens and offices remaining, and belonging to it, to Isaac Baugh who... has lately built for his residence a mansion on these grounds at a small distance north-westward from the scite ofthe ancient house. . . (Ed. Hasted, vol 3 p 716) 57 58 Brickfield 59 the ford; Brick Noggin 60 Little Bridge Place 61 Bridge Place; Braems During the Thirty Years’ War an international entrepot developed at the port of Dover as a result of English attempts to tax continental Europeans for using neutral English shipping by forcing traffic into Doveer to pay taxes. Goods brought to Dover for storage, then reexported in English ships.. Silver entrepot began in 1620, by 1632 (diplomatic accord England/Spain) “It provided that English vessels freighting Spanish silver should always stop at Dover in order to unload two-thirds of their cargoes for coinage in London. The silver removed from the ships was transported over the Dover Road to the Tower Mint.” Rate reductions resulted in higher income: “The Farmers saw their revenue from commodity re—exports increase from £1 1000 in 1634 to over £18000 in 1636 and to £23000 in 1638.” Arch Cam‘ 95, 1979 pp 53-64 A KEPLER: Entrepot Policy etc . No wonder A Braems thought he could afford to build a big house! A Hasenson: The History of Dover Harbour, p 42 (map p 43): In 1641 “The Land at ' this point is mostly owned by Jacob Braeme[s].” Jacob was son of Charles Braems, m 1595, d ca 161 1 of Sandwich & Dover. Jacob was Customer of Dover. Elder Brother of Sir Arnold, ba. Oct 1602. hence born 1596/1600. Arnold 1602-1681, knighted 27 May 1660.(in consequence of his ‘humble remonstrance’ to Charles II which accounts for a great loss of money?) MP for Dover 1660. [see Blackmansbury, vols 5 & 8] Bridge Place The Manor of Blackmansbury, alias Bridge belonged to the Abbey of St Augustine, a total of 62 acres and three roods. Was let to tenants until suppression of the abbey in 1539 put it into the King's hands. In 1545 this manor, with divers lands in Houndpit and Blackmanbury was granted to Henry Laurence to hold in capite by the 20"‘ part of a knight's fee, and he that year held a court here; and in his descendants it continued till 1576 when it was alienated by John Laurence to William Partherich, [Harris spells this Patrick] whose grandson Sir Edward Partherich passed it away in 1638 to (afterwards Sir) Arnold Braems who built a spacious and magnificent mansion on the site of the ancient court-lodge, which he named Bridge Place, in which he aflerwards resided, as did his son Walter Braems until his death in 1692; but the great cost of building this seat so impoverished the estate that his heirs, for he had no surviving issue, about the year 1704, were obliged to part with it, which they did by sale to John Taylor, of Bifrons, who soon afterwards pulled down the greatest part of this mansion, leaving only one wing of it standing, the size and stateliness of which, being of itself full sufficient for a gentleman's residence, cannot fail to implant in our minds an idea of the grandeur of the whole building when entire. He died in 1729 since which this manor and seat has continued in his descendants, in like manner as Bifrons, down to his {great - {Hasted 2"d edn}] grandson the Rev. Edward Taylor. (Ed. Hasted, Vol.3 p724/5). This was the largest house in 17th century East Kent afier Chilham Castle. It appears to have been rectangular, certainly with a flat front of nine bays with the main door in the centre (Illustrations by Schellinks, 1661, and Adriaen Ocker, late 1670s), two storeyed, but with a row of seven dormers projecting from the hipped roof. Of this only three bays of the house's left hand end remain. $ome excavations in 1962 by members ofthe King's School uncovered parts ofthe terrace and other garden remains. Among subsequent owners / tenants have been 1849: R Brice, vice-chairman ofthe Board of Guardians (ofthe Union) 1890-1897: Oscar de Satges 1907: Mrs Wilson 1913-15: Seymour l-larries 1924-40: Mrs Ethel Penn 1954: Mrs Neame ‘?1962 : Malcolm Pinhorn 1969: Peter Malkin [Mrs Friend: I remember when General and Lady Byng resided there. . .the Duchess of Albany, daughter of Queen Victoria stayed after opening some official event in Canterbury] PG ELGAR: The Braems of Bridge Place: Bygone Kent 18, 1997 says bridge Place was built with imported Dutch bricks.. The house possessed a large deer park, an aviary and extensive gardens. Schellinks arrived on 8 July 1661 at 8pm ‘to a friendly welcome and were magnificently entertained and drank quite a few healths with sack’. Next day he played on the bowling green. 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. This splits up into several branches and rivulets; [did Braems divert the stream‘? An early map qv shows a house astride the stream] also some fish ponds in which trout is bred. . . There are also some vineyards, producing yearly two or three hogsheads of wine. He also has his own brewery, bakery, wine-press, hop garden, barns, stables, oxen, cows, sheep, pigs, geese, ducks. . .everything that one can desire. . .He has planted a fine avenue of lime trees from his house to the church. . .Schellinks also mentions an annual muster of seven or eight companies of the Militia on 6”‘ October 1661, each 200 men strong, on the hill above Bishopsbourne. Arnold & Walter were respectively Major and Colonel in the East Kent force in the civil war, supporting the royalist cause. Arnold lost considerable sums in this respect. (see Pinhorn: Blackmansbury). In the Kentish rebellion of 1648 the petitioners were led by Arnold. Arch Cant 116, 1996 J KEPLER: The international entrepot at Dover in crisis etc pp293- 303.contains a long account of the activities of Jacob Braems (Brames) who ‘had inherited a quay, wharves, and herring houses at Dover from his father (Charles) in 161 1. During the 1630’s he had spent £3000 in building houses at Dover to fit and accommodate his fishing business...’ Made losses. Qv. This was Arnold’s brother, but A must have been also closely involved. 62 Brewery Lane; Fire engine; Waterloo cottages The village Green was between Waterloo Cottages and Brewery Lane (Mrs Friend) 63 Roads; Bypass Arch Cant 121, 2001 pp 121-131: T TATTON-BROWN: The Evolution of ‘Watling Street’ in Kent. “In the earlier Anglo-Saxon period, much of the Watling street route in Kent was probably not used at all. Only in the late Anglo-Saxon period did it once again become a main land—route from London to Canterbury and beyond (p121/2). Watling street begun immediately in 43AD. In 999 Danes sailed up Medway and laid waste the whole area. Though Rochester Bridge was possibly in use again from the seventh to ninth centuries, it was perhaps in ruins at this time (sea route to London from Canterbury via Seasalter)., and the Danes may have been able to sail through the bridge and fiirther up the Medway. Danes took Canterbury in 101 1. Only after accession of Cnut (1017) could the bridge have been rebuilt. From this time Watling St became once again the main route from Sandwich, Dover and Canterbury. The sea route however was probably the more important route until after the Norman conquest. From 12”‘ c onwards the land route re-established its importance. By late 14”‘ c (Chaucer) this was the road to Canterbury. Old Rochester bridge destroyed by floodwater after a great freeze in 1381 , and not rebuilt until 1392. Ferry used meanwhile. A DETSICAS: The Cantiaci, p 33 “According to Margary, Watling Street began at Dover: though this has the advantage of a shorter route from the Channel, it is unlikely to have happened before the second century, when Dover replaced Richborough as the main port of entry.” The road from Dover and that from Lympne were both in use from the beginning of the second century.(p35) But for a long time Dover was principally a naval port: the commercial port was Richborough. “Here was the beginning of the main Roman road to London and beyond...” (p 17) Military phase of occupation came to an end in ca 85AD. Construction then ofthe quadrifons. “The decline of Richborough in Hadrian-Antonine times brought about the development of Dover as the main gateway to Roman Britain. (p78)” Or vice-versa‘? Riding Gate in Canterbury (Dover Road) is the only one with a double portal. In 1836 the best served route was Royal mail London Dover, though more than half of all coaches went no further than Canterbury. Statute of Highways, 1555 provided for a Surveyor who served for one year and was unpaid, supplied by the vestry. Given a salary after 1773. Duty to get other parishioners on the roads for repairs six days a year. By end of 17”‘ c cartswere taking over from pack-horses.. Start of turnpike trusts. Bills originated by a group of landowners who would benefit, or tradesmen who wanted better roads for transport.. Money had to be raised to obtain an Act. Bill drafted, petition submitted to Parliament. Most acts ran for 21 yrs, on assumption that no more repairs need be done. Hence need for renewal acts. Discontinued in 1827. Later threatened by the railways. Canterbury & Barham turnpike act 1791. (Arch Cant, 100, 1984: B KEITH-LUCAS, Kentish Turnpikes). First turnpike act 1663: first in Kent 1709. 1787 paving, cleansing, lighting & watching of streets in Canterbury authorized. By 1851 there were over 290 tollgates in Kent. Canterbury& Barham Trustr: bar at Gutteridge Corner Income 1799-1802 was £342, £324, £324, £420. Income for august (race month ) was twice that of next highest. In the years 1827-29 major work was undertaken to smooth the gradients at Bridge, Barham & Denne hill at a cost of ca £2000. Trust closed in 1878.. In 1800 the debt was £5200, spread between eight people and one firm of bankers. Treasurer 1833 was Hammond, Plumptre, Parker, Farley, Bankers. Clerk Curteis & Kingford, Surveyor Wm Collis of Sturry. 1834 repairs: 1600 tons offlints annually at 25 a ton. (for 7 ‘/2 miles). The toll house at Gutteridge is incorporated in the Old Gate House Inn.. There is a finemilestone beyond Bridge on the old Dover Road. (Arch Cant, 102, 1985 pp 171-191: FH PANTON, Turnpike Roads in the Canterbury area). An 31 Georg. III (1791) 'AnAct for making a new Road from St George's gate in the City of Canterbury, to a Place called Gutteridge Bottom; and for repairing and widening the present Road from thence to the Dover Turnpike Road, in the Parish of Barham. Whereas the Road. . .is in a ruinous condition and in several parts narrow and inconvenient for passengers and carriages. . .and it would be of great convenience . . . ifa new commodious carriage Road was set out and made from St George's Gate to join the present Road at or near a Place called Gutteridge Bottom in the parish of Patrixbourne. . .' Trustees must possess by right (or wife's right) rents of £40, or an estate of £800, or be heir to an estate of£l00; none to be licensed victuallers. Trustees to meet at The King's Head in Canterbury on the second Monday after the Act is passed; ‘and shall then adjourn themselves to the Horse and Groom on Bridge Hill, and afterwards meet alternately at some publick Inn or tavern at Canterbury and Bridge, or alternatively at Canterbury and at any other Place near the said Road. . . . no Business shall be done . . . before the Hour of Eleven in the Forenoon.' The quorum to be five. Trustees empowered to make a new road not less than 35 feet and not more than 40 feet in breadth through land belonging to JohnHodges, Gent; James Warren, watchmaker; Will Elwyn & Thomas Elwyn, Gents; Chauntry Lane; George White; Wm Baldock, brewer; Wm Hougham; Elizabeth farewell Sladden & Henry Simmons; Ann Smith; John Nutt; John Walker; Thomas White Collard. Also, to widen and render safe and commodious the present road from Gutteridge Bottom to the Dover Turnpike Road in Barham they may buy up ground by the road. No house or land to be taken without the consent of the owner or proprietor thereof, . . . other than and except certain Messuages or Cottages and Sheds or Buildings, and a Carpenter's Yard, and Certain Gardens, Orchards and Yards, situate in Bridge Street, the Property of the Reverend Edward Taylor Clerk, Stephen Beckingham Esquire, Henry Crosoer, Henry Farley, Thomas Abree Pickering, --- Nash, and Thomas Neal respectively, in the respective Occupations of Richard Jarvis, John Cooper, Robert Kingsland, Robert Osborn, Samuel Elvey, James Aylward, the said Henry Crosoer, Joseph Dixon, George Fortune, Joseph Best, Mary Peake, and - - - Lawrence. Turnpikes and Tollhouses to be erected. Dues: Coaches etc with 4 or more horses 1/-; 2-3 horses 6d; 1 horse 3d. Waggons, carts with 5 or more horses 1/—; 4 horses 6d; 2-3 horses 4d; 1 horse 3d. Every horse, mare or gelding laden or unladen, not drawing, ld; Every drove of Oxen, cows, neat cattle 10d per score, pro rata; Calves, hogs, sheep, lambs 5d per score, pro rata; Carriages & waggons with broad wheels to pay only half tolls Tolls to be paid but once per day, tickets not transferable. Exemptions: election days, road repairers, dung or manure carriers, hay, undried hops, farm implements, mails, soldiers etc, farmers or servants residing in Patrixbourne, Bridge, Bishopsbourne, Kingston and Barham. Tolls to be let 3 years at a time. No Parking on the road: 40/- penalty. Nothing to be erected within 6 yards of the centre of the road. Mileposts to be installed. Trustees: Sir Brook Bridges bart Sir Narborough d'Aeth bart Sir William Fagg bart Sir John Honywood bart Sir Edward Knatchbull bart Sir Horace Mann bart Sir Henry Oxenden bart Sir John Brewer Davis Kt John Abbott of St Dunstans John Austen John Baker of St Dunstans Thomas Barrett Richard Harris Barham William Baldock John Baker of Canterbury