For centuries domestic pigeons were kept in dovecotes, also known as a columbaria; pigeonnaire; or pigeon house. They were easy to breed and provided a meat considered to be a delicacy by the wealthy and their manure was considered to be the best fertilizer available. Pigeon dung has a very high nitrogen content and has […]
Hammond, Plumptre, & Co., the Canterbury bank
William Osmund Hammond As well as being land-owners, the Hammonds of St. Alban’s Court and the Plumptres of Fredville were also partners in a Canterbury bank. In 1818, the bank was called Hammond, Plumptre, Furley, Hilton & McMaster, but was more generally known as the Canterbury Bank. However, over the years the bank was also […]
Acol, or Ackholt, in the old parish of Nonington-revised 11.01.2018
Ackholt, Acholt or Acol, Nonington. Also:1283 Ackholt; 1469 Akholte; 1626 Acholt. Ackholt is now in the Parish of Aylesham and lies just the other side of the railway-line where the Nonington to Womenswold bridle way crosses the Snowdown to Aylesham road on the southern boundary of the old parish of Nonington. Pronouced Acol (Aye-kul) with a long […]
Sir John Harleston at Esol and Freydvill’-revised 2.1.2017
The 1377 St. Alban’s Abbey manorial rental rolls for Esol record that the house, buildings and land previously held by Sir John de Beauchamp was then owned Sir John Harleston, who also had a life interest in the Manor of Freydvill’. Sir John Harleston, sometimes spelt Harlestone or Herliston, had much in common with Sir […]
The Quadryng family at Fredeuyle and Esol-revised 1.1.17
John Quadryng, a City of London mercer, aquired one half of the Manor of Fredeuyle, as Freydvill’ was by then known, in the opening years of the 15th century and the manor remained with the Quadryng, also Quadring, family for much of that century. It’s not clear when the Quadryngs acquired the Esol house and lands as […]
Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, at Esol
Please note: the page for Sir John de Beauchamp at Esol has also had some minor revision. *********************** Sir John Beauchamp died from plague at Calais on 2nd December of 1360 and had no legitimate children so his title became extinct and his property passed to family members, with Esole and the other property in […]
The Manor of Essewelle: Esol and Freydevill’ under the Colkyns-revised 21.12.2017
The Colkyns, also Kulkin, Kalkyn, Calkin, Colekin, ect, were not originally members of the Anglo-Norman land-owning class but wealthy Canterbury merchants who appear to have married into it during the reign of King John [1199-1216]. The earliest reference to the Colkyns in connection with the knight’s fee of Essewelle is to be found in a […]
Nonington voters in the 1754 Parliamentary elections.
During the Middle Ages the Knights of the Shire were the most prominent members in the House of Commons with two knights elected for each of the 37 counties under Royal jurisdiction. Elections for Knights of the Shire were conducted by county sheriffs at county courts and in the early days of Parliament all freemen, even […]
The Napoleonic Wars-Nonington and The East Kent Volunteers.
On February 1st.,1793, France declared war on Britain and Holland causing some alarm in southern England because of the closeness of the enemy. This caused the leading inhabitants of East Kent and Canterbury to call a meeting the following month where it was decided to form an association for the defence of East Kent and […]
The Redd Lyon at Frogham-revised
The second oldest alehouse in the old parish of Nonington was “The Redd Lyon”, later “The Red Lion”, at Frogham which is a hamlet some mile and a half or so as the crow flies to the south of St. Mary’s Church. Some of the old alehouse out-buildings still stand on the north side of […]
