About four hundred yards to the west of Soles is Three Barrow Downs, historically called Rowbergh and Rowberry Butts, taking its name from the three barrows in the shave adjacent to the ancient track way that is now part of the North Downs Way and known locally as “The Roman Road”. In the adjoining field […]
Author: admin
Nonnington via Sandwich to London by sea, a weekly service!
In the 1830′s Nonington was served by a weekly service to London via the port of Sandwich allowing residents, especially the shop keepers, to have goods brought in from outside of East Kent. I only became aware of this service when I was recently fortunate enough to find an original hand-bill for “The first hoy […]
Jane Austen’s visits to Nonington
In the early 1800′s Jane Austen was a frequent visitor to Fredville. She often stayed with her brother Edward and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Brooke Bridges, at Rowling House on the Bridges estate in neighbouring Goodnestone parish. In 1797 Edward inherited Godmersham Park from some childless relatives who had adopted him […]
Oesewalum and the Vikings-revised 31.05.2019
Oesewalum and the Vikings. Oesewalum was held by Earl Aldberht (also: Ealdbeorht, Ealdberht), and his sister, Selethryth (also: Seleðryth ,Seleðryð), Abbess of Minster on Thanet, and Southminster (also Suthminster), now generally accepted as having been at Lyminge). Oesewalum had either been inherited from their father, a Kentish noble and land-owner, or granted to them along […]
Essewelle and the Barony of Maminot, later the Barony of de Say-revised 15.3.13
After Odo’s downfall his holdings were reclaimed by the crown, and were thereafter held directly from the Crown. Ralph, ‘a noted despoiler of women’, was the brother of Gilbert Maminot, the Bishop of Lisieux and King William’s personal chaplain and doctor as well as being a large landowner in his own right, and Ralph’s and […]
Early windmills in Nonington: Soles, 1227 and Ackholt, 1309
The earliest windmills in Europe had a post-mill structure where the main structure sits on a post, usually a wooden post, that allowed the entire structure to be turned turn to face the wind by a long beam attached horizontally to the body of the mill. The mills usually sat upon a tripod made of […]
Cookys or Cooks Hill-updated.
Cookys or Cooks. The Cookys farm house was the present Holt Street Cottage, which is just above the Holt Street cross-roads, and the accompanying land seems to have originally been some 14 or so acres to the rear of the house, and some 14 or more acres of the large field across the Snowdown Road, which is […]
The Manor of Oesewalum (also Oeswalum and Osuualun)
This is a revision of the first part of the Oesewalum web-page. Please go to https://nonington.org.uk/?page_id=1511 to read the complete illustrated article. A large part of the centre of the old parish of Nonington was made up of the Manor of Oesewalum (also Oeswalum and Osuualun) which was held by abbesses of Minster-in-Thanet (sometimes referred to in documents as Suthmynstre,which is now believed by […]
Colonels Francis and Robert Hammond, adventurers & soldiers
The 1555 purchase by John Hammond began an ownership of the St. Alban’s estate by the Hammond family which continued until the late 1930’s, during which time the family continued to acquire additional land and property in Nonington and in neighbouring parishes. By the time the St. Alban’s Court estate was sold off in 1938 […]
Estretling, now Old Court
A few hundred yards further east of Ratling Court is the apparent site of Estretling manor house, the present Old Court Farm. There are still records of the manorial courts that were held into the 19th. The windows of the present Old Court farmhouse and some brick work with blue headers indicate a date of construction of […]