LITTLE MONGEHAM,

OR Parva Mongeham, as it is sometimes written; in Domesday, Mundingeham, has the above addition, to distinguish it from the adjoining parish of Great Mongeham, last described.

A borsholder is chosen at the court of Norborne manor alternately every year, for the borough of Little Mongeham, including East Studdal, and for the borough of Ashley, in the parish of Norborne.

THIS PARISH contains about sixteen houses within it, and about 1000 acres of land. It reaches a long way southward till it joins Waldershare parish, comprehending all East Studdal, the estates in which be long to Mr. Barrett, of Lee, and the heirs of Mr. Michael Russell, of Dover, as far as the road leading from Betshanger to Maidensole, which is likewise in this parish. It is rather more hilly, and the soild more inclined to chalk, than Great Mongeham, last-described, and the fields are more open and uninclosed. There is not any fair.

THE MANOR OF LITTLE MONGEHAM was given by Aldric, son of Widred, king of Kent, with the consent of archbishop Bregwyn, in the Ist year of his reign, anno 760, by the description of six plough lands in the southern part of the antient ville of Mundlingham, which land was called Parva Mungeham, to Lambert, or Jambert as he is called by some, then abbot of St. Augustine's Monastery, for the use of his convent. (fn. 1)

In the survey of Domesday, the abbot's possessions here are thus entered, under the general title of the land of the church of St. Augustine:

The abbot himself holds Mundingeham. It was taxed at two sulings and an half. The arable land is five carucates. In this manor, the land which the monks hold, was never taxed. And Wadard held there land, which in the time of king Edward the Confessor was always taxed; and at that time it was a manor jointly together. Now the monks have in demesne four carucates and twenty borderers, with one carucate, and one mill of sixteen shillings, and wood for the pannage of four hogs. There is a church. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, it was worth twenty-two pounds, and afterwards ten pounds. The part of the abbot twenty six pounds.

Wadard has in demesne there one carucate and eight villeins, having four carucates. It is and was worth ten pounds.

It pays no service from thence, except thirty shillings per annum to the abbot.

In the year 1313, being the 7th year of king Edward II. in the iter of H. de Stanton and his sociates, justices itinerants, the abbot upon a quo warranto, claimed and was allowed sundry liberties therein mentioned in this manor, among others, in like manner as has been already mentioned before, in the description of the other manors belonging to this monastery, in the former parts of this History. (fn. 2)

Salamon de Ripple, a monk of this monastery, being about the 10th year of king Edward III. appointed by the abbot keeper of several of their manors, made many improvements in them, particularly at Lityl Mungam, where he built much.

After this, the manor of Little Mongeham continued part of the possessions of this monastery till its final dissolution in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered into the king's hands, by whom this manor was afterwards, with the advowson of the church, granted to the archbishop, and his successors, part of whose possessions it continues at this time. The lease of this estate, the advowson being reserved to the archbishop, has been for many years held by the possessors of Knolton manor, the present lessee being Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. now of Knolton.

There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly relieved are about four, casually two.

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESTASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sandwich. (fn. 3)

The church has been ruinated for many years, but the foundations are remaining in a little pasture-close, near the farm-house of Little Mongeham manor.

It is a rectory, which has ever been appurtenant to the manor, and as such belonged to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, after the dissolution of which, the manor, with the advowson appurtenant, was granted to Sir John Baker, who reconveyed the advowson itself back again to the crown, whence it was granted, among other premises, by Edward VI. in his 1st year, to archbishop Cranmer, since which it has continued parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.

The rectory is valued in the king's books at 5l. 15s. In 1640 it was valued at 50l. It is now a discharged living, and is of the clear yearly value of 90l. out of which, however, the incumbent pays five guineas yearly to the curate of Sutton, for officiating in that church, for the inhabitantants of this parish. There are seven acres and an half of glebe land.

Mr. Bacon, in his Liber Regis, gives the clear yearly value of many of the livings throughout England, taken from such information as he had received, and that mostly from the several incumbents of them; but this value can by no means be relied on, as may be seen in relation to many of them in this county; and as an instance, this rectory of Little Mongeham is set down by him at the clear yearly value of thirtyfive pounds only.

The parsonage, or grange of Asheley, in the parish of Norborne, has twelve acres of glebe belonging to it in this parish, and it receives the great tithes of Maidensole-farm, and of about two hundred acres more within the bounds of this parish.

Forty acres of land belonging to the almonry, or parsonage of Norborne, belonging to the archbishop, Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. lessee, lies in this parish, and claimed an exemption of tithes, but on a suit lately instituted between White, vicar of Little Mongeham, versus D'Aeth, the vicar recovered his right to the tithe of this land, which has been paid ever since.

Church of Little Mongeham.

Footnotes