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 authorit ...
of
Brenchley and Matfield, 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 A ...
of
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. T ...
,
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. 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 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 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 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 (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 (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 (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 Blac ...
, is reputed to have been born in Brenchley.
*
Siegfried Sassoon.
See also
*
Marle Place - local open Garden with a Victorian gazebo, Edwardian rockery, walled Italianate scented garden, modern mosaic terrace, grass tennis court and artist's studio and gallery.
References
Sources
*
External links
Information about Brenchley on VillageNetAn Introduction to Historic Kent
{{authority control
Villages in Kent