Throwley is an English village south of

Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient British t ...

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 ...

Swale Swale or Swales may refer to: Topography * Swale (landform), a low tract of land ** Bioswale, landform designed to remove silt and pollution ** Swales, found in the formation of Hummocky cross-stratification Geography * River Swale, in North ...

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 ...

.The name is recorded in the Doomsday Book as Trevelai, which corresponds with a Brittonic origin, where "Trev" means a settlement or farm house and "Elai" typically relates to a fast moving river or stream (CF. Trelai (showing the loss of terminal "f") in Cardiff).

History

At the end of the civil wars of 1139-53, King Stephen's chief lieutenant

William of Ypres William of Ypres ( nl, Willem van Yper; 1090 – 24 January 116524 January 1164 O.S., 1165 N.S.) was a Flemish nobleman and one of the first mercenary captains of the Middle Ages. Following two unsuccessful bids for the County of Flanders, ...

gave the churches of Throwley and

Chilham Chilham is a mostly agricultural village and parish in the English county of Kent with a clustered settlement, Chilham village centre, in the northeast, and a smaller linear settlement, Shottenden. Well-preserved roads and mostly residential liste ...

to the

Abbey of Saint Bertin The Abbey of St. Bertin was a Benedictine monastic abbey in Saint-Omer, France. The buildings are now in ruins, which are open to the public. It was initially dedicated to but was rededicated to its second abbot, . The abbey is known for its La ...

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...

, France. Throwley Priory was built as a cell of that Benedictine house. It was dissolved as part of Henry IV's general suppression of

alien priories Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as monasteries and convents, which were under the control of another religious house outside England. Usually the mother-house was in France.Coredon ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms'' p. ...

in 1414 and granted to Thomas Beaufort, the half-brother of the king's father. Beaufort gave Throwley to

Syon Abbey Syon Abbey , also called simply Syon, was a dual monastery of men and women of the Bridgettines, Bridgettine Order, although it only ever had abbesses during its existence. It was founded in 1415 and stood, until its demolition in the 16th cen ...

on 13 July 1424, a gift confirmed by Henry VI in 1443. A

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

was established in the Parish during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to provide a landing ground for fighter biplanes defending

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the

Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...

and Kent. It was located near Bells Forstal.

Geography

Throwley lies on top of the Kent North Downs in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The landscape is mainly arable fields and woodland copses covering just over 5 square miles.

Demography

The population of around 130 households is scattered across a number of hamlets the largest of which is Throwley Forstal.

Landmarks

Within the parish is

Belmont House and Gardens Belmont is a Georgian house and gardens in Throwley, near Faversham in east Kent. Built between 1769 and 1793, it has been described as "a marvellous example of Georgian architecture that has remained completely unspoilt". The house is famous for ...

, an 18th-century house with a fine collection of clocks and beautiful gardens. The estate was owned by successive generations of the

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle o ...

family, it is now held in trust.

Religion

The Parish church is St Michaels and All Angels which is built of flint, inside are monuments to the Harris and

Sondes Sondes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Baron Sondes **Earl Sondes ***George Milles, 1st Earl Sondes (1824–1894) *Viscount Sondes *George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham Sir George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham KB (Nove ...

families. The church tower has a ring of eight bells.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent