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The Ancient Manor of Oesewalum-much revised. Also: Where was Oesewalum?
The origin of the name Oesewalum has been the subject of discussion for many years, J. K. Wallenberg in his “The place-names of Kent” published in 1934, believed the name to derive from…
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The Boys family of Fredville and the English Civil War-updated
Some information was kindly forwarded to me by Victor Judge regarding Edward Boys, a younger son of Sir Edward Boys of Fredville, and the younger brother of Major John Boys, the last Boys…
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Fredville House School in Nonington-revised and with additional new photographs.
‘Big Fredville’ House was used as a girls boarding school from the mid-1920′s after the Plumptre family moved to the nearby newly built “Little Fredville” house. Actress Georgette “Googie” Withers was a pupil…
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Akholte (Ackholt or Acol) windmill-revised
A post mill, taken from a King’s Lynn, Norfolk, funeral brass, 1349 The earliest known reference to a windmill in Nonington is in a 1309 Latin document recording the transfer of ownership in…
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Gavelkind, a Kent custom-free socage tenure of land
Gavelkind as a form of free socage tenure and of inheritance is an example of ancient customary law in England. Before gavelkind tenure was abolished by the passing of the Administration of Estates…
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Eswalt, later St. Alban’s Court: before the Domesday Survey of 1086
Eswalt and the neighbouring manor of Essewelle had once been part of of the manor of Oesewalum, also Oeswalum and Oseuualun, which had belonged to Christ Church Cathedral Priory in Canterbury and then came into the possession…
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The Royal Oak in The Drove in Lower Holt Street-revised 2.3.2018
The last of Nonington’s alehouses to be licenced was The Royal Oak in The Drove, Lower Holt Street, Nonington, which was also the last of the old alehouses to carry on business. The pub is…
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A PULHAM GARDEN REDISCOVERED IN NONINGTON, KENT by Peter Hobbs.
An edited version of this article by Peter Hobbs, the present owner of Old St. Alban’s Court, was previously published in Archaeologia Cantiana Vol: 138-pages 291-299. Since 1519, the Hammond family had lived…
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The Esole dovecote
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…
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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,…