Rainham Church History, Brasses, Stained Glass Windows Kent Online Parish Clerks

Visit Images of England to search for possible photographs of the church or its brasses and windows.  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 the church.

Rainham is within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese of Canterbury and deanery of Sittingbourne.  The church, dedicated to St. Margaret, is a handsome building, consisting of two very broad aisles, and the same number of chancels, with a high beacon tower at the west end.  There was formerly some good stained glass in the windows of this church, which has long since been destroyed.

The high chancel belongs to the parsonage of Rainham, wherein lie interred several of the family of the ALLEN’s, as well as the NORDEN’s and NORREY’s;  there is also a small monument, commemorative of the latter, with the effigies of himself and wife, kneeling at a desk, whose armorial bearings are, Argent, billettee a cross, pattee flore, sable.  On the north side of the altar is a handsome tomb of Bethersden marble, the brasses of which are wanting:  on the pavement is a memorial, in brass, for John BLOOR, obt. 1529;  and near the latter are several others, robbed of their brasses.

The north chancel belongs to the earl of Thanet, wherein are two superb monuments, one bearing the effigies of a man in military attire, seated on part of his armour, which was erected for George, the sixth son of John TUFTON, earl of Thanet, A.D. 1670;  the other presents the figure of a man in his parliamentary robes, to commemorate Nicholas earl of Thanet, who died in 1679.  In the north aisle there is also a vault for the family of John RUSSELL, esq. of Greenwich.

Under the chancel are two large vaults, wherein are deposited the remains of the family of the Tufton’s.  On the 20th of October 1791, the steeple of this edifice was greatly damaged by a storm of thunder and lightning, which also split the wall for several feet in length.

Robert DE CREVEQUER, founder of Leeds abbey, about the year 1137, gave to the canons there, in free and perpetual alms, all the churches of his estates, with the advowsons, among which was that of Renham, with eighteen acres of land.

In the reign of Henry VI., Sir John PASHLEY resided at Rainham, who married the widow of John Beaufitz, of the parish of Gillingham.  The family of NORDEN also resided in this parish for some generations, one of which line, namely, John Norden, died in 1580, and lies buried in the chancel of this church;  their arms formerly adorned the windows, and still remain at each corner of his gravestone, in brass.

The vicarage was valued in the king’s books at £14 4 7, the yearly tenths being £1 8 5-1/2.  In 1640 the estimate was £70, and the communicants 100.  It was subsequently valued at £200 per annum, when the number of inhabitants was the same.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.