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ago, broke up their settlement round the church and
migrated to "New Street". Otherwise why New Street? If
we are correct in this assumption, we can believe that New Street has
been the centre of Ridley’s population during all the six centuries
since the Black Death.
Neither did the Black Death spare the families of the
feudal nobility, including that of the de Leybournes who had possessed
the overlordship and advowsons of Ridley for a very long period. The
last of that family was the great heiress Juliana, who died childless,
and in 1377 King Edward III made Ridley over to the Abbey of St. Mary
Grace, which stood on Tower Hill where are now the buildings of the
Royal Mint. This was the last great Cistercian Abbey to be founded in
England and, after
Richard II had confirmed the gift of his predecessor, the overlordship
of Ridley Manor and its advowson remained with that Abbey until its
dissolution under Henry VIII.
We have the names of two Roman Catholic "fathers"
who officiated in Ridley Church, and presumably lived in the Old Rectory
viz. Geoffrey de Rainham 1353, and John Harewold? in 1354.
We know surprisingly little about Ridley during the 200
years following the Black Death, but it appears a Cobham acquired the
Manor in 1382. That family could not have held it for long, however,
since we know that in1438 it was transferred from William Idele (Idley?)
and his wife Rose, to William Rikhill and his heirs for 100 mares.
This William Rikhill was presumably the grandson of a
famous Rikhill, Justice of the Common Pleas, who figures largely in the
troublous time of Richard ll and Henry lV. William Rickhill the Younger
married an heiress, Katherine Coventry, in 1421, became a prominent man
in Kent and died soon after 1441, in which year he seems to have become
dispossessed of Ridley. His coat of arms is still preserved in
Nettlestead Church. The family of Fitz then held it until the
dissolution of the monasteries.
And so, under the beneficial overlordship of the Abbot of
St. Mary Grace, life at Ridley was probably peaceful, and contentment
reigned until Henry VIII brought about the overthrow of all monastic
institutions. Ruthless destruction of venerable buildings and or
organisations which kept the life of the country flowing with a great
degree of smoothness were the forerunners of a period of distress
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such as the least fortunate of Englishmen have
never suffered in all our long history. Snoopers invaded the
countryside and we have a record, which Thomas Averill, then
Churchwarden of Ridley, had to sign in 1552, of the inventory of
Church goods: -
One old vestment of thread and twine
of
little worth – very
worn.
Six bad alter cloths of linen.
One bell.
One paten – gilt.
New lords and masters acquired possession of the Manor,
and the land and advowson of Ridley in the persons of that ancient
family of Sedley of Scadbury (or Scotbury) Park in Southfleet. We find
that William Sedley was Patron when Henry Denton was instituted as
Rector of Ridley on 1st April 1544. This parson Denton of
the reformed faith was witness to the Will of Thomas Averill,
Churchwarden in 1556. The Averills seem to have been a leading family
of the Parish in those days, and Thomas may well have been the
occupant of a Tudor Ridley Court, where he was perhaps the agent of
the Sedleys in their newly acquired properties.
It must have been the reigning Sedley who presented
Thomas Maxwell D.D. to the living in Ridley at the close of the 16th
century, when he was also the Rector of Ash. That Rev. Thomas Maxwell
has his virtues immortalized on his ornate tombstone in the Church of
Ash, and it must be under that Parish that further reference to him is
most appropriate.
It is known that it was a Sedley who presented Henry
Stacey to Ridley living in 1604 – he has left his name in a property
referred to as "Staceys" in the Court Rolls of the 19th
century. It was likewise the Sedleys who presented John Lambe, Rector
here from 1719 to 1740 and who is buried in Ridley Chancel. He was
succeeded by his son David Lambe, who died as Rector in 1771.
The Sedleys of Southfleet reigned over Ridley for about
230 years when, in 1769, Sir Charles Sedley moved out of Kent and sold
the manor of Ridley with suit rent amounting to £3.14.7 per annum,
the Manor House (Ridley Court) and about 413 acres of land in Ridley,
Ash and Meopham, and also the Ridley advowson to William Glanville
Evelyn of St. Clere in Ightham for £10,300. This |