Bishop Odo holds Essewelle. The Domesday Survey of 1086 records the manors of Eswalt, Essewelle, and Soles as part of the holdings of Odo, Bishop of Bayeaux, who was the half-brother of King William I, the Conquerer. Odo was created Earl of Kent in 1067 as reward for his support during William’s invasion and subsequent […]
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The Ancient Manor of Oesewalum. Revised and updated 26.11.2018
The origin of the name Oesewalum has been the subject of discussion for many years, J. K. Wallenberg in his “The place-names of Kent” published in 1934, believed the name to derive from ōs or ēs; a deity/deities or semi-deity/deities and walu; a bank or ridge, giving a literal meaning of the ridge or bank […]
The settlement and church at Oesewalum: the origins of Nonington.
St. Mary’s Church appears to have been built in the original manorial settlement that became Nonington proper and it is likely that a chapel had been founded there during the ownership of Oesewalum by at least two abbesses of the Benedictine Abbeys of Minster on the Isle of Thanet and Southminster at Lyminge from the […]
The Ancient Manor of Oesewalum-much revised. Also: Where was Oesewalum?
The origin of the name Oesewalum has been the subject of discussion for many years, J. K. Wallenberg in his “The place-names of Kent” published in 1934, believed the name to derive from ōs or ēs; a deity/deities or semi-deity/deities and walu; a bank or ridge, giving a literal meaning of the ridge or bank […]
The Boys family of Fredville and the English Civil War-updated
Some information was kindly forwarded to me by Victor Judge regarding Edward Boys, a younger son of Sir Edward Boys of Fredville, and the younger brother of Major John Boys, the last Boys of Fredville. Sir Edward Boys of Fredville served as Lieutenent of Dover Castle and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. He was initially […]
Fredville House School in Nonington-revised and with additional new photographs.
‘Big Fredville’ House was used as a girls boarding school from the mid-1920′s after the Plumptre family moved to the nearby newly built “Little Fredville” house. Actress Georgette “Googie” Withers was a pupil there around 1929 to 1930 just prior to beginning her long career. She was educated first at Fredville Park School, and after […]
The lost Holestrete or Holt Street windmill in Nonington
The windmill appears to have been located just to the north of the site of the old Snowdown Collier pit baths and car park on the brow of the hill on the west side of the road up from Holt Street. The site would have been well served by roads to Ackholt, Holt Street in […]
Gavelkind, a Kent custom-free socage tenure of land
Gavelkind as a form of free socage tenure and of inheritance is an example of ancient customary law in England. Before gavelkind tenure was abolished by the passing of the Administration of Estates Act of 1925, all land in Kent was presumed to be held by gavelkind until the contrary was proved. Some ancient legal […]
Eswalt, later St. Alban’s Court: before the Domesday Survey of 1086
Eswalt and the neighbouring manor of Essewelle had once been part of of the manor of Oesewalum, also Oeswalum and Oseuualun, which had belonged to Christ Church Cathedral Priory in Canterbury and then came into the possession of the Crown, probably during the latter part of the 10th century. The Domesday Survey of 1086 records that during the reign […]
The Royal Oak in The Drove in Lower Holt Street-revised 2.3.2018
The last of Nonington’s alehouses to be licenced was The Royal Oak in The Drove, Lower Holt Street, Nonington, which was also the last of the old alehouses to carry on business. The pub is sadly closed at present and leaves Nonington without a pub. Hopefully it will re-open in the very near future. William Wanstall junior […]
