BRIDGE
LIES the next adjoining parish to Patrixborne
southward, being written in old deeds, Bregge, and
taking its name from the bridge, which was antiently
over the stream which crosses it. This parish was in
early times so considerable, as to give name both to the
hundred and deanry in which it is situated.
IT IS SITUATED about two miles and an half eastward of Canterbury, on the high Dover road, formerly
the Roman Watling-street way, which appears high
and entire almost throughout it; in the valley on this
road stands the village of Bridge, with the church and
vicarage in it, a low moist situation, the bourn or stream
of the Little Stour crossing it under a stone bridge,
built a few years ago by the contributions of the neighbouring gentlemen. At a small distance southward is
Bridge place, now inhabited by lady Yates, widow of
the late judge Yates, and of Dr. Thomas, late bishop
of Rochester. The hills, form which there is a most
pleasing prospect, are wholly chalk, as are in general
the other upland parts of it, towards the south especially, where the country is very barren, with heathy
ground and woodland, and much covered with stones.
In this part of the parish is Gosley wood, once belonging to St. Augustine's monastery, afterwards granted
to Thomas Colepeper, esq. It belongs now to Mr.
Beckingham.
The MANOR OF BLACKMANSBURY, alias BRIDGE,
claims over the greatest part of it, and the manor of
Patrixborne over that part of this parish on the north
side of the Dover road. There are two boroughs in
it, viz. of Blackmansbury and of Bridge.
The MANOR OF BLACKMANSBURY, alias BRIDGE,
was parcel of the possessions of the abbey of St. Augustine, belonging to the sacristie, as appears by the
registers of it, in which frequent mention is made of
this manor, with the free tenants belonging to it, in
Honpit, Rede, and Blackmansbury. In which state
this manor continued till the suppression of the abbey
in the 30th year of king Henry VIII. when it came
into the king's hands, (fn. 1) where it remained till the 36th
year of that reign, when this manor, with divers lands
in Houndpit and Blackmanbury, was granted to Henry
Laurence, to hold in capite by knight's service, and he
that year held a court here; and in his descendants it
continued till the 18th of queen Elizabeth's reign,
when it was alienated by fine levied, by John Laurence,
to William Partherich, esq. whose arms were, Vaire,
argent and sable, on a chief of the second, three roses of
the first. His grandson Sir Edward Partherich, of this
place, passed it away in 1638 to Sir Arnold Braems,
descended of a family originally out of Flanders, where
his ancestors were opulent merchants. Jacob Braems,
his ancestor, was of Dover, merchant, and built the
great house now the Custom house there, where he resided. Sir Arnold Braems above-mentioned, bore for
his arms, Sable, on a chief, argent, a demi lion Tampant,
gules. He built a spacious and magnificent mansion
on the scite of the antient court-lodge here, which he
named BRIDGE-PLACE, in which he afterwards resided,
as did his son Walter Braems, esq. till his death in
1692; but the great cost of building this seat so impoverished the estate, that his heirs, about the year
1704, were obliged to part with it, which they did by
sale to John Taylor, esq. of Bisrons, 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 but give 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 Bisrons abovedescribed, down to his great-grandson Edward Taylor,
esq. the present possessor of them. There is not any
court held for this manor.
BEREACRE, now called Greatand Little Barakers
is another manor in this parish, which in the 21st year
of king Edward I. was in the possession of Walter de
Kancia, as appears by an inquisition taken that year, at
his decease; not long after which it has passed into a
family of its own name. After this name was become
extinct here, it came into the possession of the Litchfields, who owned much land about Eastry, Tilmanstone, and Betshanger, and in this name it continued
till the 22d year of Edward IV. and then Roger Litchfield passed it away to Richard Haut, whose only daughter and heir Margery carried it in marriage to William
Isaac, esq. of Patrixborne, from whose descendant Edward Isaac, about the latter end of king Henry VIII.
it was sold to Petyt and Weekes, who joined in the sale
of it to Naylor, of Renville, from which name it was
alienated to Smith and Watkins; after which it was
conveyed by sale to John Taylor, esq. of Bisrons, in
whose descendants it has continued down to Edward
Taylor, esq. the present owner of it.
Charities.
SIR HENRY PALMER, of Bekesborne, by will in 1611, gave
10s. to be yearly paid out of his manor of Well-court, towards
the relief of the poor of it.
The poor constantly relieved are about eighteen, casually
the same.
BRIDGE is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of its
own name.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter, consists
of three isles, a high chancel, and a north sept or chancel in the middle of the north isle. It has a spire steeple
at the south-east corner, in which are three bells. In
the high chancel, within the altar-rails, is a monument
for Jane, second daughter of Walter Harslete, of
Bekesborne, first wife of Sir Arnold Braems, ob 1635,
and lies buried in St. Mary's church, in Dover; and
for Elizabeth, (second daughter of Sir Dudley Diggs)
his second wife, obt. 1645, and lies in the middle of
this chancel. Against the north wall is a painted portrait of Robert Bargrave, gent. of Bridge, obt. 1649.
Under a circular arch in the same wall are two rows of
small imagery, carved in stone, the uppermost repre
santing God the Father, with several figures on each
side; the lower one, figures taken from the history of
the Old Testament. Underneath these, in the hollow
of the wall, is the figure of a man lying at full length,
in robes, with his two hands joined and uplifted, having
on his head seemingly a full perriwig. A memorial for
John Hardy, esq. of Bridge-place, obt. 1779. On the
east side of the south window is a hollow in the wall, and
under it an inscription for Macobus Kasey, vicar of Patrixborne, obt. m.v.c.i.xii. and of his being vicar there
xxi years. On the opposite side of the window is carved
the figure of a scull, with a snake entering in at one
eye, and the end of it out at the other, and a hand with
a finger pointing up to it, as if it had been the cause of
the person's death, and several bones are interspersed
about it. The north chancel is made use of for a school,
by voluntary contributions. On the south side of the
chancel is a circular arched door-way, with Saxon ornaments. In the register are many entries, from the
year 1580 to 1660, of the family of Bargrave, alias
Bargar, residents in this parish, and one for Thomas,
son of John Cheney, gent. who died in 1620.
The church of Bridge, which is a vicarage, was always esteemed as a chapel to the church of Patrixborne,
and as such is included in the valuation of that vicarage
in the king's books, the vicar of which is instituted and
inducted into that vicarage, with the chapel of Bridge
annexed to it. (fn. 2)
The parsonage of this parish therefore, as an appendage to that of Patrixborne, is the property of Edward
Taylor, esq. of Bifrons. In 1588 here were eightynine communicants, in 1640 one hundred and twenty.