Elmsted parish church

I hope that this site may become a home for both local history and family history research in this beautiful corner of Kent.

Via the Internet I have found a number of people from around the world with their roots in either Elmsted or the other villages in this unspoilt area of Kent. Many of us have notes, maps, photos etc relating to this area which we never find anyone interested in to show.

There is a very large risk that the hours of research we have spent will get lost or put away somewhere and lost at some point. Even if we have enough to put it all together to get it printed it has only local interest, and would reach very few readers.

With the massive, and ever growing use of the Internet we have a chance to put our research at the hands of people that do want learn what we have found out.

Please either send me what you have so can include it on this site or let me have your URL so I can add a link to your own site.

My own family lived in or around Elmsted from 1600 until the mid 1800's .

Elmsted is situated on the North Kent downs about midway on the road between Canterbury and Folkestone just to the West of Stone Street, the old Roman road that linked Canterbury and the Roman Channel port of Lemanus (modern day Lympne).

Elmsted lies deep in the North Downs of East Kent surrounded by the parishes of Hastingleigh, Waltham, Stelling Minnis, Lyminge and Stowting. One of its boundaries runs along Stone Street a Roman road between Lympne and Canterbury. There is no village centre and 230 people live in about 100 dwellings scattered around the parish. There is no shop or doctor but there are two pubs - The George and The Timber Batts (the Rose and Crown was another until taken over by Stelling Minnis in a boundary change). Elmsted has about 25 listed buildings most of them old and magnificant examples of our past history. Within Elmsted are the hamlets of Bodsham, Northleigh and Evington Leas and various so called 'streets' where small collections of dwellings are located such as Hill Street, Whatsole Street, Maxted Street and Misling Street. The prevailing landscape is hills, valleys, sheep, grass, woodland and narrow, sunken and remote lanes. St James Church emerged in the late 11th or early 12th centuries and its incumbents can traced from about the 14th century. Elmsted was not mentioned by name in Domesday although Bodsham was. There is also good evidence that areas in Elmsted once known as Barton and Dene are in Domesday as well. There were five manors: Bodsham and the Liberty of St Augustine, Elmsted Court, Barton alias Longport, Dean Court and Southleigh alias Mizling. The Honywoods were the most prominent family and lived at Evington from the 1400s until early 1900s. Other major families include Argar, Cloke, Court, Dunkyn, Fordred, Hopkins, Impett, Lushington, Maxted, Newport, Rolfe and Spaine.

Kilburne's Topographical Survey of the County of Kent
Elmsted (Ealmstede) lieth towards the SE part of the county, about 3 miles towards the S.W. distant from Eleham in the Bailiwick and Hundred of Stowting, Lath of Shepway E. Division of the county, and Division of Justices in that lath. The liberties of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, and St Augustine, claims there, and the liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster claymeth over so much there as is in the Manour of Hastingleigh, it was in the Deanery of Eleham, and Diocese of Canterbury, the church was called St James, and a fair is kept here yearly upon the day of Saint James (being the five and twenty day of July). In the year 811 Wolfred (Archbishop of Canterbury) bought Elmsted of King Kenulphus (to the use of his church).

Thomas Philipott's Villare Cantianum
Elmested in the Hundred of Wye, was a Limb of that revenue, which fell under the Signiory of the noble and ancient family of Heringod. In Testa de Nevill, there is mention of Stephen de Heringod, who paid respective Aid in the twentieth year of Henry the third, for Lands which he held at Hardres and Elmsted, Stephen de Heringod this mans Grandchild, died about the beginning of Edward the first, and determined in a daughter and heir called Grace de Heringod, who was matched to Philip de Hardres: and to this manor in her Right, became incorporated into the revenue of this noble family, and remained for many generations fastened to this name, until the Age which almost commenced from our Fathers Memory; and then Dane-Court a Branch of this manor, was sold to Cloake, and Elmested itself by the same Fatality, went out to Marsh, whose Successor very lately hath fixed his Interest by Sale to Lushington.

Many thanks to Rex Lancefield for his many tidbits of information and Brian Berry for Elmsted information he has given Keith and I that he has uncovered while researching his forthcoming publication on Hastingleigh history.

Many Thanks to the people who have submitted information and pages that have been now included in this site.

David Pott webmaster