Rainham Manors, Castles and other significant Estates Kent Online Parish Clerks

Visit Images of England to search for possible photographs of the following estates.  The English Heritage-Pastscapes website has the National Monuments Record online and is also a good place to search for photographs and historical information pertaining to any of the buildings and sites listed below.

The paramount manor of MILTON claims over this parish, subordinate to which is the manor of

MERE, otherwise MERE’S COURT, which lies in the borough of Mere, in the southern part of this parish, adjoining Bredhurst, and was, in very early times, part of the possessions of a family which gave name to this district, as well as another estate contiguous, formerly called Merethorne, but now generally denominated Maresbarrow, corruptly for Mere’s borough.

Peter de Mere and Walter and Geoffry de Meredale were owners of these and other estates in this parish, as early as the reign of King John.  However, previous to that of Edward I., the manor of MERE, with MERETHORNE otherwise MERESBOROUGH, had become the property of Roger de Leyborne, whose son, Sir William, became possessed of it in the 2d of Edward I., on the death of his mother, who held it in capite, together with the manor of Mere, by the service of walking principal lardner at the coronation of the king.  His granddaughter, Juliana, carried this manor and estate in marriage successively to her three husbands, and leaving no heirs, they escheated to the crown, where Meresborough seems to have continued till it was purchased and settled on the dean and canons of St. Stephen’s chapel, Westminster, in pursuance of the religious bequests made by the will of Edward III.  This manor so continued till the reign of Edward VI., when this free chapel was dissolved, among others, and the lands and possessions surrendered to the king, who, in his 3d year, granted the manor of Mere court, with Meresborough, lately in the possession of Sir Christopher Hales, deceased, to Sir Thomas Cheney, treasurer of the household, whose son and heir, Henry Cheney, esq. of Todington, in Bedfordshire, with Jane, his wife, alienated these premises, held in capite, in the 12th year of that reign, by the description of the manors of Mere court, otherwise Mere’s court, Merethorne, and Bradhurst, with their appurtenances, to Richard Thornhill, grocer and citizen of London.

After the above period, Sir Henry Cheney, then lord Cheney, of Todington, granted and made over to him all liberties, franchises, loyalties, and assize of bread and wine, ale, green wax, and all other privileges within the above manors, which he had ever possessed, or had in any shape a right to;  which liberties were claimed by Richard Thornhill, esq., when judgment was given for them in his behalf by the barons of the Exchequer, on a trial had in Michaelmas term, in the 17th year of that reign.  From him they descended, in like manner as Bredhurst, down to Charles Thornhill, esq., who, in the reign of Charles II., alienated the manor of Mere court, with that of Bredhurst, (for Meresborough appears to have been sold elsewhere,) to Sir John Banks, bart., whose daughter and coheir, Elizabeth, then married to Heneage Finch, second son of Heneage earl of Nottingham, entitled her husband to the same;  in whose descendants, earls of Aylesford, this estate continued, down to the Right Hon. Heneage earl of Aylesford, who afterwards possessed the same.

MERETHORNE however, also called MEREBOROUGH, and now generally MARESBARROW, was alienated by Charles Thornhill, esq. in the reign of Charles II., to John Tufton, earl of Thanet, whose descendant, the Hon. Sackville Tufton, afterwards possessed this manor.

SILHAM, or SILEHAM COURT, as it is usually called, is also a manor in the southern part of this parish, of which Walter Auburie died possessed in the 1st of Edward I..  After that period, it passed into the possession of Peter de Meredale, in right of Agnes, his wife, by whom he had two sons, William and Roger, who possessed it jointly, in gavelkind, in the reign of Edward II..  It subsequently passed to one Donet, which family increased its possessions in this parish, by the purchase of the estate of Roger de Reynham, at the beginning of the reign of Edward III..  It descended at length down to James Donet, who died in 1409, holding the manor in capite. He lies buried in the high chancel of this church, in one of the windows of which were formerly his arms, Argent, three pair of barnacles, gules.  On his death, without issue male, his sole daughter and heir, Margaret, carried this manor in marriage to John St. Leger, of Ulcombe, whose descendant, Sir Anthony, lord deputy of Ireland, in the reign of Henry VIII., alienated that part of his estate here purchased of Reynham, to Sir Thomas Cheney, treasurer of the king’s household.  His son, Henry Cheney, esq. of Todington, again sold them to Richard Thornnill, esq., whose descendant, Charles, in the reign of Charles II., passed them away to John Sackville, earl of Thanet; and his descendant, the Right Hon. Sackvile Tufton, earl of Thanet, afterwards possessed this property.

The manor of Silham, or Sileham court, however, was sold by Sir Anthony St. Leger to Christopher Bloor, esq., who rebuilt his seat in this parish, called BLOOR’S PLACE, in which his ancestors had resided for several generations.  He procured the disgavelment of his lands, and died possessed of this manor and seat, having married the daughter of John Colepeper, esq. of Aylesford, by whom he left no male issue, when Olympia, one of his daughters and coheirs, entitled her husband, John Tufton, esq. of Hothfield, to the possession of the same.  It appears, from the pedigree of this family, to have descended from ancestors whose original name was Toketon, who, from several deeds there quoted, were possessed, as early as the reign of King John, of lands lying near Meredale, and, in the reigns of Edward I. and II., of others near Sileham.  They removed hence to Northiam, in Sussex, and again, under Edward VI., to Hothfield, in this county, where they have ever since remained.

John Tufton, abovementioned, continued to reside at Hothfield, and was created a baronet in 1611.  His eldest son, Sir Nicholas Tufton, was first created lord Tufton, and afterwards earl of Thanet;  and in his descendants, earls of Thanet, the manor of SILEHAM COURT, with BLOOR’S PLACE, and other estates in this parish, continued down to the Right Hon. Sackville Tufton, earl of Thanet.  There is no court held for this manor.

The manor of QUEEN’S COURT, with the farm, called BERENGRAVE, in this parish, were part of the possessions of the crown, and so continued till Queen Alianore, widow of Henry III, and mother of Edward I., in 1273, gave them together with a mill in this parish, to the master and brethren of St. Catherine’s hospital, near the Tower, to hold in pure and perpetual alms, free from all secular service whatsoever;  which gift was confirmed by Edward I. in his 20th year.  Queen Philippa, wife of Edward III., greatly enlarged this royal hospital, which had been founded by Queen Maud, wife of Stephen, before 1148, and was afterwards augmented by the several queens of England, insomuch, that there was sufficient to maintain a master, three brethren chaplains, three sisters, ten poor women, and six poor clerks.  In this state it continued in the reigns of Henry VIII. and Edward VI., having escaped the general suppression of such foundations;  and, in consequence, the fee of the manor of Queen’s court, with Berengrave, remained part of the possessions of this hospital.  Lady Sackville was the lessee in 1653, and after her, Sir Richard Colepeper.¹

¹Excerpt:  W. H. Ireland, ed. & comp. England’s topographer: or A new and complete history of the county of Kent; from the earliest records to the present time, including every modern improvement..  (England:  1828).  Embellished with a series of views from original drawings by Geo. Shepherd, H. Gastineau, &c. with historical, topographical, critical, & biographical delineations.