Brenchley is a village in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Brenchley and Matfield Brenchley is a village in the civil parish of Brenchley and Matfield, in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. All Saints Church is located in the village, and is a Grade I listed building. History The name is historically derived fr ...

, in the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England. All Saints Church is located in the village, and is a Grade I listed building.

History

The name is historically derived from Branca's Leigh. The village is located east of

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...

, and south of

Paddock Wood Paddock Wood is a town and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England, about southwest of Maidstone. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 8,263, falling marginally to 8,253 at the 2011 Census. Paddock Wood is a centre f ...

, and includes the neighbouring village of

Matfield Matfield is a small village, part of the civil parish of Brenchley and Matfield, in the Tunbridge Wells borough of Kent, England. Matfield was awarded the title of Kent Village of the Year in 2010. Buildings and amenities St Luke's Church is ...

. Brenchley & Matfield CoE primary school is located in Brenchley. The village earns some historical fame by being one of the villages that was closely involved in

post medieval Post-medieval archaeology is a term used in Europe to describe the study of the material past over the last 500 years. The field is also referred to as historical archaeology, a term originating in North America, and common in countries impacted ...

iron making Ferrous metallurgy is the metallurgy of iron and its alloys. The earliest surviving prehistoric iron artifacts, from the 4th millennium BC in Egypt, were made from meteoritic iron-nickel. It is not known when or where the smelting of iron from ...

. The

site Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typical ...

of the furnace lies within the parish of

Horsmonden Horsmonden ( ) is a village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The village is located in the Weald of Kent. It is situated on a road leading from Maidstone to Lamberhurst, three miles north of the latter place. The nearest railwa ...

now. A Market formerly held in the churchyard at Brenchley was granted in 1230 to Hamo de Crevecoeur, to be held on his own land, and the day moved from Sunday to Wednesday. In 1233 this was readjusted to Saturday. By 1296 it belonged to Gilbert de Clare, who in 1312 claimed that his ancestors had held it 'from time out of mind'.

Notable people

*George (b. 1600) and John Lewis (b. 1606), early colonists of the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

arriving aboard the ''Hercules'' of

Sandwich, England Sandwich is a town and civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, south-east England. It lies on the River Stour and has a population of 4,985. Sandwich was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval buildings, including sev ...

in 1634/

http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/hercules.htm] * John Browne (King's Gunfounder), John Browne, (d1651), the second holder of the office of King's Gunfounder. *

Hamo de Crevecoeur Hamo de Crevequer (died 1263) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Gerinun de Holeburn was in 1263 one of a jury of twelve assembled lawfully to conclude upon an ‘inquisition into how much land ...

(d 1263), Norman nobleman who possessed Brenchley and established a market. *

Gordon Giltrap Gordon Giltrap, MBE (born 6 April 1948) is an English guitarist and composer. His music crosses several genres. He has been described as "one of the most revered guitarists of his generation", and has drawn praise from fellow musicians including ...

(b 1948), musician, was born in Brenchley. * Edward Martin (1814–69), English cricketer who was born in Brenchley. *

Richard Philpott Richard Philpott (7 February 1813 – 8 June 1888) was an English cricketer who played for Victoria, Australia. He was born in West Farleigh and died in Brenchley. Philpott made a single first-class appearance for the side, during the 1850–51 ...

(1813–88), English cricketer who resided in Brenchley at the time of his death. * Sophie Rhys-Jones (b 1965), wife of Prince Edward, lived in Brenchley. *

Thomas Thornycroft Thomas Thornycroft (19 May 1815 – 30 August 1885) was an English sculptor and engineer. Biography Thornycroft was born at Great Tidnock, near Gawsworth, Cheshire, the eldest son of John Thornycroft, a farmer. He was educated at Congleton ...

(1815–85), sculptor, lived in Brenchley at the time of his death. *

Wat Tyler Wat Tyler (c. 1320/4 January 1341 – 15 June 1381) was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the institution of a poll tax and to demand economic and social reforms. Wh ...

(1341–1381), leader of the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

, is reputed to have been born in Brenchley. *

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both describ ...

References

Sources

External links

Information about Brenchley on VillageNetAn Introduction to Historic Kent
{{authority control Villages in Kent

History

Notable people

See also

References

Sources

External links