Miscellaneous Notes
Some fifteenth-century wills
IT may be of service to those of our members who are interested in bestamentary matters to direct attention to the XLII volume of the Canterbury and York Society's publications (issued in 1937), which contains a full transcript of all Wills, proved before Archbishop Chichele [1414-1443) or his Commissaries. The volume is edited by Dr. E. F. Jacob, Professor of Medieval History in the University of Manchester, 1nd Mr. H. C. Johnson, Assistant Keeper of the Public Records, who have provided an excellent Introduction, Glossary, and Index. a copy of the work is in the Cathedral Library at Canterbury, where it nay be consulted by students.[fn1]
The following is a list of Kentish Testators whose Wills are to be found in the above volume.
3erham, John, of Cranbrook.
To be burd in the Church of St. Dunstan, Cranbrook,. before the, altar of Blessed Mary. Proved 18 May, 1442.
3ettenham, Stephen, of Cranbrook, Esquire and J.P.
To be burd in the porch of Cranbrook Church, near Helewys, his first wife. Proved 9 June, 1415.
3ourbage, Rio., Vicar of Leigh. Proved 26 Apr., 1435.
To be burd in the Church of Leigh.
3runston, Tho., of Preston, next Faversham.
To be burd in Preston churchyard, next to the grave of William. Makenade. Proved 20 March, 1425.
)atherell, Hen., of St. Peters, Sandwich.
To be burd in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist within the said church. Proved 13 Septr., 1425.
}hapman, Will.
To be burd in the Churchyard of S.S. Peter and Paul, Charing. Proved 25 Jan., 1432.
Jheyne, Will, of Shurland in Sheppey, esquire.
To be burd in the Chapel ofSt. Katherine within the Abbey ofS,'S. Mary· and Sexburga in the Isle of Sheppey. Proved 14 June, 1441.
lrane, John, Rector of Hawkhurst.
To be burd in capella, .sive cancello de Hawlchur.st. ProvE\d 30 Oct., 1415.
ldmund, Stephen, ofMonkton, Thanet.
. To be burd in Monkton Churchyard. Proved 20 May. 1425.
'ogg, Joan, Widow ofSir Tho. Fogg, J{nt.
·To be burd in the Cathedral 0hurch of Canterbury beside her husband..
froved 27 July, 1420.
\odfrey, Thos., of Old Romney.
To be burd in the Parish Church of Lydd. Proved 27 Oct., 1430. [pg70]
Grene, John, Rector ofCharing.
To be burd in the Chancel of Gharing Church. Bequests of many books. Proved 29 Dec., 1434,
Henry IVth, IDng.
To be burd in Canterbury Cathedral. Proved Dec. 4, 1429.
Helwolding, Nich. of Herne.
Proved 20 Apr., 1430.
Helwolding, Agnes, Widow of Nicholas H.
Proved 9 May, 1430.
Hugham, Will, Vicar of St. Mary, Northgate, Cant.
To be burd in the Church of the Priory ofSt. Gregory in Canterbury. Proved 1 Jan., 1417.
Hugwet, John, of Chartham.
To be burd in the Churchyard of Ohartham. Proved 10 Nov., 1420.
Islep, Radulf, Chaplain of Buckingham's Chantry in Cant. Cathedral. Proved 13 Sept., 1420.
Leverton, Alan, Rector ofHarrietsham.
To be burd in theConventualChurch ofthe Holy Trinity ofMotenden. Proved 8 Dec., 1429.
Lovelich, Master John, Rector of St. Alphege,Cant.
Bequests of books, an interesting Will. Proved 25 Sept., 1438.
Maroche, John ofSt. Alphege,Cant.
To be bu.rd in cimiteris ecclesio Christi. Oanterarie. Proved 21 Sept., 1420.
Mew, John, ofEast Peckham.
To be burd in the Church of E. Peckham. Proved 17 Nov., 1421.
Mottisfont, John, Vicar ofLydd.
To be burd in the Holy MotherChurch. (Bequests ofbooks.) Proved 25 Sept., 1420.
Pachet, John, of Holy Cross, Cant.
Proved 10 Nov., 1420.
Penwortham, Master Henry, Registrar ofthe Archbishop,RectorofCrayford. To be hurd in the Church ofSt. Nicholas, Rochester. Proved 27 Sept., 1438.
Raynhull, Rob., Vicar of Holy Cross, Cant.
(Bequests of books.) Proved 29 Apr., 1417.
Rykill, Rose, Widow ofSir Will. Rykill, Knt.
To be bu.rd in the Chapel of Blessed Mary in Rochester Cathedral. Proved 27 Aug., 1419.
Rye, Roger.
(20 marks to the repair of the Nave of Stalisfield Church.) Proved 2 Dec., 1425.
Savage, Sir Arnold.
To be bu.rd in the Chapel of St. Mary in the Church of Bobbing.
Proved 7 Sept., 1420.
Savage, Katherine, Widow ofSir Arnold S.
To be burd in theChancel ofBobbingChuroh, nearthe grave ofher IatE husband. Proved 22 Dec., 1436.
Seyntleger, John, ofPluckley, Esquire.
To be burd in theChapel ofSt. Thomas the Martyr in PluckleyChurch.
Proved 12 Dec., 1441.
Spehaan, John, of Shoreham, Kent.
To be burd in the Church of Shoreham. Proved 18 Jan., 1421.[pg71]
Tonge, Seman de, ofFaversham.
To be burd in the Chancel of the Holy Trinity of the Church of Faversham. Proved 14Nov., 1414.
Trivet, Lady Elizabeth, Widow of Sir Tho. Trivet, Knt.
To be burd in Canterbury Cathedral. Proved 17 December, 1433.
Welde, Hen., Rector ofWickhambreux.
To be burd in the Chancel of the Church ofWickhambreux. Proved 12 Oct.• 1420.
Wotton, John:, Master of the Collegiate Chui•ch of All Saints, Maidstone.
To be burd before the Altar of St. Thomas the Martyr in the south aisle of the Collegiate Church. Proved 26 Nov., 1417.
Young, Ric., Bishop of Rochester.
To be burd on the south side of the Chapel of Blessed Mary in
Rochester Cathedral" under a marble stone". Proved 28 Oct., 1418.
c. EVELEIGH WOODRUFF.
An earthen mound near Rochester
ABOUT 1 mile south of Borstal in a beech wood called " Shoulder of Mutton Shaw " is an overgrown earthen mound some 10 feet in height and between 30 and 35 feet in diameter at its base. It has been known to map-makers for some long time, and has been variously described by them as a tumulus, a castle, and a fort. A recent visit has not confirmed the section of the mound published in V.G.H. Kent, vol. I (1908), p. 411, there being no sign of a surrounding ditch or of the symmetrical depression there shown in the top. It has no structural features of note, and appears to be a simple tump of earth and chalk. Excavation has certainly been made in the summit of the mound, but this may be due to the burying of a dead sheep which, on the farmer's information, took place some years ago.
Close by the western side of the mound is the sixteenth Boundary Stone of the City of Rochester, and this surely provides the clue to its purpose. In 1460, part of the City boundary ran from Keneling's Crouch or Poule's Cross on the Rochester-Maidstone road to the Manor of Nashenden, to the Mill Hill next Nashenden, thence to the stone, and then between the King's Highway leading to Wouldham and the Manor of Ringes on the east side of that Manor.[fn1]
According to Hasted the -stone is also mentioned in a charter of Charles I to the City. From the charter evidence it is not quite clear whether the stone stood nearer to Ring's Hill Farm, where a boundary stone still stands, or whether it was ·the stone at the side of the mound. In any case, a boundary mark would almost certainly be provided on such a hillside spur,· and it may well be that advantage was taken of an earth mound which may already have been in use as a Manorial meeting place. An examination of original documentary sources would probably decide the question.
R. F. JESSUP.
[fn]1|Hasted, History of Kent, Svo ed., IV (1798), 54-.[/fn]
Green Court, Canterbury Cathedral Precincts, and the Norman Castle
The digging of an air raid shelter in the Green Court has brought to light many fragments ofpottery and tiles ofboth Roman and medieval origin. No foundations were met with and the site seems to have been much disturbed and used as a dump for waste materials of all kinds. A number of small pieces of Roman Samian have been picked up, the majority displaying first century characteristics; one piece of decorated ware, in particular, has a bifid tendril binding, which is notably pre-Flavian. Several unusual flints were also noticed, but it has been ascertained that their present position is due to a re-arrangement ofthe King's School Museum and that they are of North American origin.
At the Eastern end of the Court and approximately in its centre, a medieval well has been revealed, 120 feet from the Deanery. It is of dressed stonework and five feet in diameter. The top had been domed over with brickwork and the well is filled with earth to within six feet of the present ground level.
In digging round the foundations of the Edwardian gatehouse, an account of which appeared in Arch. Cant., LIII, 143, fragments of Roman pottery and of bone were noticed and also a layer of very dark earth containing charcoal, about two feet below the present ground level.
The Early 18th-Century Dispute over the Pilots' Gallery on St Leonard's, Deal
In Vol. XLIX (1937) ofA .O. appeared a paper on St. Leonards which included two documents dated June 26th and November 5th, 1709. These gave two stages in the dispute over the rights of the Pilots to the exclusive use ofthis gallery. The following document gives an earlier stage in the trouble, clearly one of long standing.
(In another hand)
This was refus'd
by ye Rector &
Church Wardens.
Articles of Agreemt made between the Rector
[and] Churchwardens of Deale in behalf of
the Parish And the Wardens of the ffellow
ship of pilots in behalf of their Brethren.
Memorandum.. On the second day of :ffebruary Anno Dom: 1709: And in 8th year ofthe Reign ofor Sovn Lady Anne by the Grace of God Queen of Great Britain &c. It was agreed Between Henry Gerard Rector ofthe Parish Church and Parish ofDea.le in the County of Kent and john Dooris (Davie] & nathaniel child churchwardens ofthe said [pg78]parish and parish church of the one part And John Pye Thomas Brothers Edward Hasselwood wm Mumbrey & John Wootton Wardens of the £fellowship or Society of pilots of Deale aforesd of the other part in manner following Vizt
Whereas some difference and Controversye bath lately happened concerning the sitting or placing of people in the Gallery erected in the parish Church of Deale that is called the pilots gallery and concerning the propriety of the same. Now Therefore that a final stop may beput to all controversy and disagreemt and ^hat a_ lasting unity love & Christian concord may be continued between the said £fellowship of pilots .and the rest of the parishioners of Deale aforesaid.
It is fully concluded and agreed upon by and between all the before named parties in manner and form following (That is to say)
First That the sd Gallery called the pilots Gallery be forthwith taken down and new Erected.
Secondly. That the three formost seats be allways acknowledged to belong to the pilots and their heirs & successors for ever And that they may put-on Locks & Keys on their Doors and use such security as they shall think fit.
Thirdly. That the other hindmost seats of such new ordered Gallery shall allways belong to the Disposal of the Church Wardens and parishioners of the sd parish for-ever.
Fourthly. It is agreed between all the before named parties that in Remembrance of this Conclusion and Agreement made by the parties in Composing the Differences aforesaid An Anniversary Sermon be preached Yearly on Candlemas day at the parish Church aforesaid by the Rector for the time being or his Deputy concerning Love Unity Charity & Brotherly Agreement which is the Ornament a.s well as Duty of Christians. For which Sermon the Rector shall be paid Twenty Shillings by the Wardens of the pilots.
And lastly it is Agreed. That at the end of every such Sermon this prsent Agreement shall in the Vestry of the sd Church be read over to all 'parishioners that shall be present in order to perpetuate the remembrance hereof. In Witnesse whereof all the parties above named have hereunto set their hands and seals the day & year first above written. (Note in another hand) This was never signed.
W. P. D. STEBBING.
“The Star Inn”, Canterbury
THE drawing of the Star Inn, m St. Dunstan's Street, made December 2nd, 1847, speaks of the inn as "about to be destroyed." This was apparently true of the rear of the building, but the gabled front, supported by carved braokets, is . still standing, though muoh modernized. It faces the opening of Station Road West, and suffered
[fg]jpg|PLATE I. THE STAR INN, ST. DUNSTAN'S STREET, CANTERBURY,
ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED.|Image[/fg]
[fg]jpg|PLATE: ll. THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE BACK OF THE STAR INN, ST. DUNSTAN'S STREET, CANTERBURY, ABOUT TO BE TAKEN DOWN.|Image[/fg]
[pg76]considerable, though not irreparable, damage in the heavy air raids both of 1940 and June 194;2. A passage shown in the drawing leads under the inn into a courtyard at the back, and is still called Star's Place. The portion to the west of this opening is now a small public house-the Rose and Crown ; the eastern portion is divided into two shops. In a modern wall at the back of the building is inserted the sto^e plaque inscribed n^J^J.-G. it has not been possible to identify these initials ; the records of Holy Cross parish, near the boundary of which the inn stood, are fragmentary. The will of William Bygge (December 12th, 1470) of St. Pater's parish; leaves to his wife, among much other property throughout the city, his·"tenement called the Sterre and one called the Forge in the parish of Holy Cross, Westgate."
bygge, a baker by trade, was twice mayor of Canterbury (1460 and 1466). He had some interest in the Fleur-de-Lis Inn, and may have built some part of it. His bequest of £10 towards the completion of St. George's Gate is noticed by Somner. His son John Bygge (Mayor, 1472, 1473 and 1474), owned and enlarged Cogan House. The stone plate may thus record the reconstruction of an older inn. Is it possible that the initials stand for "Deo Gratia, Jesu gratia" 1
Dorothy Gardiner.
[The drawings are the work of the late A. G. P. :r,rinty, who at the time lived at Os pringe but later movedto Petersfield. He married a Miss Arden, a descendant of Shakespeare's mother, and my mother's second cousin.-EDITOR.)
A Roman Site at Little Chart, West of Ashford
[pg76][The drawings are the work of the late A. G. P. :r,rinty, who at the time lived at Ospringe but later moved to Petersfield. He married a Miss Arden, a descendant of Shakespeare's mother, and my mother's second cousin.-EDITOR.)
:M.R. Robert Geering, of Ashford (Local District Secretary) supplies the following preliminary report, which has been drawn up in collaboration with Mr. A. G. B. Chittenden, on the discovery in June, .1942, of the site of a Roman Villa in a field known as Stambers at Little Chart.
The approximate 6" map reference is Sheet LIV. S.W.Lat. 51°, 10' 40\ Long. O °, 46' 30";
The site, together with a.bout 60 acres of adjoining land, is leased to Messrs. R. Brett & Sons, Ltd., of Canterbury,· as a stone quarry, and is owned by Mr. Walter Gaskin, of Chart Court. They have kindly permitted exploration and shown a desire to preserve the site of the villa, for which the Society records its grateful thanks.
The discovery was made by a workman opera.ting a steam navvy which opened up foundations and brought to the surface a considerable section of tessellated pavement, This man wisely suspended operations and reported the matter to the manager, Mr. Kinnear. The .firm, through him, brought the discovery to the Society's notice, and we have to thank this gentleman for his lively interest throughout the period of excavation, and for the subsequent filling in.
PLATE: lll. HHAt 'l(E'l':S ON THE FRONT S1DE OF THE STAR INN. ST. DUNSTAN'S STREET. CANTERBFRY.
STONE INSERTED IN THE BACK WALL OF THE STAR INN. ST. DUNSTAN'S STREET. CANTERBFRY.[pg77]
Trial excavations disclosed a rectangular room (the Frigidarium) with an apse at the western end. In the latter is a plunge bath, paved with red tesserae, containing a drain, and approached by two steps descending from the Frigida.rium. This was paved with a geometrical design in black and white. Adjoining, a Tepidarium and a Caldarium were exposed, the latter with its hypocaust. The form.t:ir contained considerable remains of a tessellated pavement made from the local rag. Flanking these rooms to the E. is a large area of pavement, similar to the floor of the bath ; this was doubtless the floor of the passage connecting other parts of the villa, as yet unexplored. The whole of the walls forming the foundations to the above rooms a.re built of Kentish Rag apparently quarried from the site. In these, 2 ft. 6 in. in thickness, the familiar red brick occasiona.Jly appears. Considerable remains of coloured plaster line the walls.
The site and adjoining la^d to the N.E. have been viewed from the air, and as a result of this, and investigations made by test holes and exploration of.the neighbouring land generally, there are strong grounds for assuming that a fairly large site has been located. There is, moreover, evidence, during periods of dry ,veather, of masonry near to· the surface both adjoining to and near by, and where fragments of tile, glass and tesserae occur.
Numerous sherds of Samian and other wares, decorated plaster, glass, ironwo1·k, and two coins have been found.[fn1] Certain human remains have been submitted to Sir Arthur Keith, who was of the opinion that they were for the most part Roman, and in one case pre-Roman. A human burial with an iron spear-head which was found may date from the Anglo-Saxon period, and belong to the graves which were opened up by Dr. Littledale in 1936 (Arch. Gant. XLVIII, p. 235).
Plans of the excavated portion of the villa have been prepared by Lieut. J. G. S. Brinson, R.E. These will be invaluable in the future.
Mr. Gearing also acknowledges the valua.ble assistance he has received from Dr. 8. G. Brade-Birks and.Dr. Littledale. The site has also been visited by Canon R. U. Potts, Mi's. Gardiner, Sir Edward Harrison and Flight-Lieut. R. F. Jessup.
[fn]1|Those are reduood 3rd Bross of Fauata ,v. of Constantine I, o.nd probably of Constantine n oa Oaeso. 1st. Edition.[/fn]
Treasure Trove at Staple
ON May 31st, 1942, while Mr. J. E. J. West, of 2 Ohm·ch Cottages, Staple, wllJ:l digging in his garden he unearthed n. hoard of 138 silver ooiua which, under the lMv relating to Treasure Trove, had to be adjudio0,ted upon by tho British Museum. <Mr. John Allan, the head of tho Numismatic Dopa.rtmont of the Museum, has been kind enough to supply the following list of the find. [pg78]The site was formerly occupied by an old cottage which was demolished some years ago, leaving, however, some foundations and brick flooring. It was in the act of removing the latter to extend his garden that Mr. West unearthed the hoard. In his words, which came out in his evidence at the Inquest, the :first one for Treasure Trove that Mr. Rutley Mowll, the Coroner, had ever conducted: "I merely put the fork in and they came out in a lump." For the inquest a jury was empanelled. After inspecting the coins and hearing the law relating to the subject the jury found that the hoard was Treasure Trove.
Mr. Allan reports that " Civil War finds of this type are very frequent, but this was buried much later. I cannot think of another find of the time of Charles II."
Elizabeth. Shillings :
Mintmarks-Martlet, Cross-crosslet (3) Lis, Pheon (2) A (2),
Escallop, Crescent, Ton (3) Woolpack, Key (2) Anchor 18
Sixpences:
1565, 1567 (2), 1571, 1573, 1578, 1582, 1583 and one ill^gible 9-
James I. Shillings:
Lis, Rose (10), Escallop (2), Grapes (3), Coronet (2) 18
Sixpences:
1604, 1605 2 .
Charles I. Half-crowns: Tower Mint.
Lis, Portcullis (2), Bell, Crown, Ton, Triangle (3), Triangle in
circle (6), {P) (4), (R), Eye (2), Sun (3), Illegible (4) 29
Half-crowns: York Mint 1
Shillings: Tower Mint.
Cross, Harp (3), Portcullis (2), Bell, Ton (4), Anchor (4),
Triangle (7), Star (4;), Triangle in circle (7) (P)' (8) (R) (4)
Eye (2), Sun (4) and Illegible (4). 55
Shillings: Aberystwyth Mint 1
mm.Book.
Charles II. Hammered Coinage :
Half-crown : mm. Crown.
Shilling: mm. Crown 2
Milled Coinage :
Half-crown 1671, 1672, 1673 3
138