EASTBRIDGE

LIES next northward from Blackmanstone, in Romney Marsh likewise, and within the liberty and jurisdiction of the justices of it. It is written in Domesday, Estbrige; in other records, Estbruge.

IT HAS nothing worth mention in it, the whole of it being much the same as the adjoining parishes described before, only it is situated rather upon higher ground. In the northern part of the parish is an estate, formerly belonging to the family of Monins, afterwards Napleton's, then Butler's, of which name it was purchased by Denne, of Lyd, whose heirs now possess it. And above that, near eastbridge church, is an estate, once part of the demesnes of the manor, formerly Twysden's, which now belongs to Charles Lowndes, esq. and the trustees of Mr. John Finch's charity, of Limne.

EASTBRIDGE was, before the Norman conquest, part of the possessions of Godwin, earl of Kent, and was afterwards given by the Conqueror to Hugo de Montfort. He appears to have held THE MANOR OF EAST-BRIDGE in his own hands, in demesne, and accordingly it is thus entered in the record of Domesday, under the general title of his lands:

In Werde hundred, Hugo himself holds Estbridge in demesne. Alsi held it of earl Godwin, and it was taxed at one suling. The arable land is six carucates. In demesne there are three carucates, and two villeins, with thirty-six borderers having four carucates. There are eight saltpits, with the third part of a ninth saltpit, of twenty shillings. Half a fishery of eight pence. Wood for three hogs for pannage. There are two churches. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, and afterwards, it was worth ten pounds, now fifteen pounds.

On the voluntary exile of Robert de Montsort, grandson of Hugh above-mentioned, in king Henry I.'s reign, this manor, among the rest of his estates, came into the king's hands as escheats, and it continued so, as appears by the Testa de Nevil. in the beginning of king Henry III.'s reign, when it was valued at twelve pounds, and held by Stephen de Heringod, but it seems that he held it only at will, for afterwards that king, in his 13th year, granted this manor, with its appurtenanances, to that eminent man Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, and chief justice of England, (fn. 1) with liberty to give or assign it to whomever he would, to a religious house or otherwise, to hold by the rent of one sore sparhawk yearly, in lieu of all services. Not long after which, he appears to have settled this manor, together with the advowson of the church, on the hospital of St. Mary in Dover, afterwards called the Maison Dieu, (fn. 2) then lately founded by him, part of the revenues of which it continued till the reign of king Henry VIII. when, on the suppression of the hospital, this manor and advowson, came into the king's hands, where the manor itself remained till the 5th year of queen Elizabeth, who granted it, with all its demesne lands to Cuthbert Vaughan, esq. and Elizabeth his wife, in special tail, with remainder to her heirs for ever. She was daughter and coheir of Thomas Roydon, of East Peckham; she afterwards married Sir Thomas Golding, and dying in 1595, was buried at East Peckham. On their decease, s.p. this manor, with that of Honychild, in the adjoining parish of St. Maries, came to her two children by William Twysden, esq. of Chelmington, her first husband, viz. Roger Twysden, esq. and Margaret his sister, whose husband Richard Dering, esq. of Surrenden, whose se cond wife she was, became in her right possessed of this manor of Eastbridge, in whose descendants, baronets, of Surrenden, it has come down to the present proprietor, Sir Edward Dering, bart. now of that place.

There is no court held for this manor.

Charities.

JOHN FINCH, gent. of Limne, by will anno 1707, devised his sixth part of 160 acres of marsh-land in this parish, to the ministers. churchwardens, and overseers of Limne aud Eastbridge, in trust, that they of Limne should dispose of two third parts of the rents thereof to poor people, as therein-mentioned; and that they of Eastbridge should dispose of the other third part of the rent to three of the poorest and eldest people of this parish, who have been good, honest and industrious people, and of civil life and conversation, who have never received alms or relief of this parish or any other, and in case there should not be so many found there, then to so many of the poor of Dimchurch, so qualified, which should make up the constant number of three half yearly for ever, one payment to be made on the Sunday after Christmas-day, and the other upon the yearly day of his burial for ever. The annual produce is 9l. 15s. 6½d.

There is not more than one poor person relieved here yearly on an average.

EASTBRIDGE is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Limne.

The church has been for many years in ruins. It seems to have been a handsome building, and being situated on a small rise, makes a very conlpicuous object over the whole marsh, having the appearance of a stately well-built tower, with pinnacles at the top of it. There remain only some small part of the side walls and the east wall of the sleeple. It appears to have consisted of one isle and one chancel, and to have been built of the quarry-stone. This church was an appendage to the manor of Eastbridge, and was given with it by Hubert de Burgh, in king Henry III.'s reign, to the hospital of St. Mary, alias the Maison Dieu, in Dover, as has been already mentioned, part of the possessions of which it continued till the suppression of the hospital in the reign of king Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands, whence this rectory was afterwards granted to Sir John Baker, of Sissinghurst, his attorney-general, who conveyed it back again to the crown, where it remained till king Edward VI. in his Ist year, granted it, among other premises, to archbishop Cranmer. (fn. 3) Since which it has continued parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.

This rectory is valued in the king's books at 5l. 6s. 8d. and the yearly tenths at 10s. 8d. In 1588 it was valued at twenty-five pounds, and there were no communicants, and in 1726 it was of the like value.

Sir Edward Dering's lands in this parish, being the demesne lands of this manor of Eastbridge, claim at this time an exemption from the payment of tithes.

Church of Eastbridge.

Footnotes