Frinsted
Encyclopedia
Frinsted or Frinstead is a small village
in the parish of Wormshill
and in the Maidstone
District of Kent
, England
. and has been a recorded settlement (under the name Fredenestede) as far back as the Domesday Book
and indeed was the only settlement in the surrounding area to be described at the time to have a church. The village exists in the Hundred
of Eyhorne (and has been mentioned as such dating back to the Kent Hundred Rolls
of 1274 to 1275).
The parish is situated on the North Downs
between Sittingbourne
and Maidstone
some ten miles (16 km) south of The Swale
. To the West lies the village of Wormshill
, to the North East the village of Milstead
and the hamlet
of Kingsdown (including the Torry Hill estate)
and to the South and South East are the villages of Doddington
and Newnham
. The part of the parish northward of the church is in the division of East Kent, but the church itself, and the remaining part of it is in West Kent.
The village is surrounded by former manor house
s or "courts" being to the east Wrinsted court and to the west, Yokes Court and Madams Court.
The population is relatively unchanged in the past 200 years. In 1801
Frinsted's total population was 153. After rising to 219 around 1871, by the 1901 census
the population had dropped to 126. By 1971 the population was 138. As of the 2001 census
, the population was 171.
The village church is today dedicated to St Dunstan although an early-19th century watercolour records it as dedicated to All Saints. Although it has Norman
origins, the church as it stands today was constructed principally in the 12th century and was repaired and enlarged in 1862. The bell tower is typical of the Perpendicular Period
.
coins (or stater
s) dating back to the 1st century BC have been found in fields near the village.
The parish was part of those possessions which William the Conqueror gave his half-brother Odo, bishop of Baieux, under whose name it appears in the Domesday Book:
Four years after taking the above survey, the bishop was disgraced, and the King, his brother, seized the estate and the rest of his possessions, which were confiscated to the Crown. After which, the village came into the possession of Jeffry de Peverel, forming part of the barony of Peverel
, as it was then called, being assigned to him for the defence of Dover Castle
.
Nicholas de Gerund later held the manor
until he died during the reign of Henry III
. The manor then passed to the Crombwell family being in the name of Richard de Crombwell during the reign of Edward II. Ralph de Crombwell, his successor, later, obtained a charter of "free warren
" for his lands in the parish, and at his seat at Meriam-court (now commonly known as Madams Court).
During the reign of Edward III this estate transferred first to Richard le Gerund and then via marriage to Sir Henry de Chalfhunt. At this point it appeared in the Kent Hundred Rolls
and was noted, among other things, for the death of "a certain stranger killed in Fretthenestede". During the reign of Richard II
, the manor was transferred to the ownership of the nearby manor of Ospringe
. Subsequently the manor with the manor house
then known as "Wrensted" (more recently Rinsted court) and Madams-court sold to Robert le Hadde, resident in the Frinsted during the reign of Henry IV
.
Over the course of the following years the land moved many more times between heirs until vesting in the estate of Margaret Style (during the reign of Queen Anne
) who in 1716 sold it to a Mr. Abraham Tilghman. A commissioner of the Royal Navy
, and of the victualling office
he died in 1729 and was interned in the southern part of the church, where there is a monument erected to his memory. The manor stayed in the Tilghman family for the latter part of the 18th century.
The village is now a typical North Downs
commuter village. Described by John Marius Wilson in 1872, the village was owned principally by the Leigh-Pemberton family in the Barony of Kingsdown
. Descendants of the Leigh-Pemberton line still live in the village and the surrounding area.
A popular spot for rural-sightseeing, day-trippers and picnic outings in the summer and game shoots in the winter, the village previously contained a sub-post office, an active cricket club and held an annual horticultural show. Frinsted was also a motorbus terminus for rural intra-county routes. When the services were cancelled, the small bus park and building which included a public house
(The Kingsdown Arms) remained a popular pub and restaurant in the area. The pub was finally sold and converted to a private dwelling at the end of the 20th century.
The nearby Milstead and Frinsted Church of England
primary school opened in 1848 on land donated by the Leigh-Pemberton family who still retain a position on the school's board of governance.
An early example of an aircraft shot down in a dogfight
whilst on a World War I
bombing raid occurred near Frinsted on 19 May 1918. A German Gotha GV 979
heavy bomber
was engaged by British fighters
and crashed in fields near the village with one survivor who was captured. At least one of the German airmen killed was initially buried in Frinsted churchyard before being moved to a military cemetery at Cannock Chase
. Previously fields at Yokes Court near the village had been used as a Royal Air Force
airfield between February 1917 and November 1917. A private airfield for light aircraft still operates on the Yokes Court site and a second private airstrip exists at The Glebe, a collection of fields immediately to the east of the village.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the parish of Wormshill
Wormshill
Wormshill , historically called Wormsell, is a small village and civil parish within the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, England. The parish is approximately south of The Swale and north of Maidstone. The villages of Frinsted and Bicknor are equidistant to the east and west, respectively; while...
and in the Maidstone
Maidstone (borough)
Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone which is also the County town of Kent...
District of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. and has been a recorded settlement (under the name Fredenestede) as far back as the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and indeed was the only settlement in the surrounding area to be described at the time to have a church. The village exists in the Hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
of Eyhorne (and has been mentioned as such dating back to the Kent Hundred Rolls
Kent Hundred Rolls
The Kent Hundred Rolls are the documentary result of a 13th century Crown inquiry or census into the rights of the English monarchy over land and property in the Hundreds of the county of Kent. The Rolls are preserved in the English National Archives as part of the national Hundred...
of 1274 to 1275).
The parish is situated on the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
between Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
and Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
some ten miles (16 km) south of The Swale
The Swale
The name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.- History :The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water"....
. To the West lies the village of Wormshill
Wormshill
Wormshill , historically called Wormsell, is a small village and civil parish within the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, England. The parish is approximately south of The Swale and north of Maidstone. The villages of Frinsted and Bicknor are equidistant to the east and west, respectively; while...
, to the North East the village of Milstead
Milstead
Milstead is a village in the borough of Swale in Kent, England....
and the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Kingsdown (including the Torry Hill estate)
Kingsdown (hamlet)
Kingsdown is a small hamlet surrounded by the villages of Frinsted, Milstead, Doddington and Lynsted in Kent, England.The hamlet is within the civil parish of Milstead and Kingsdown which spans the boundaries of the boroughs of Maidstone and Swale...
and to the South and South East are the villages of Doddington
Doddington, Kent
Doddington is an affluent rural English village, in the south eastern county of Kent, within the borough of Swale. A picturesque village nestling in the 'Syndale Valley' which is in the Kent Downs and is designated an Area of outstanding natural beauty...
and Newnham
Newnham, Kent
Newnham is a village in the Syndale valley in Kent, England, in the administrative borough of Swale near the medieval market town of Faversham.- History :Newnham has existed as a community of dwellings and work-units for at least 1,000 years...
. The part of the parish northward of the church is in the division of East Kent, but the church itself, and the remaining part of it is in West Kent.
The village is surrounded by former manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
s or "courts" being to the east Wrinsted court and to the west, Yokes Court and Madams Court.
The population is relatively unchanged in the past 200 years. In 1801
Census Act 1800
The Census Act 1800 also known as the Population Act 1800 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which enabled the first Census of England, Scotland and Wales to be undertaken. The census was carried out in 1801 and every ten years thereafter...
Frinsted's total population was 153. After rising to 219 around 1871, by the 1901 census
United Kingdom Census 1901
A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on 31 March 1901. It contains records for 32 million people and 6 million houses, It covers the whole of England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Deal in Kent. Separate censuses were held in Scotland and Ireland...
the population had dropped to 126. By 1971 the population was 138. As of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population was 171.
The village church is today dedicated to St Dunstan although an early-19th century watercolour records it as dedicated to All Saints. Although it has Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
origins, the church as it stands today was constructed principally in the 12th century and was repaired and enlarged in 1862. The bell tower is typical of the Perpendicular Period
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
.
Early history
Iron AgeBritish Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
coins (or stater
Stater
The stater was an ancient coin used in various regions of Greece.-History:The stater is mostly of Macedonian origin. Celtic tribes brought it in to Europe after using it as mercenaries in north Greece. It circulated from the 8th century BC to 50 AD...
s) dating back to the 1st century BC have been found in fields near the village.
The parish was part of those possessions which William the Conqueror gave his half-brother Odo, bishop of Baieux, under whose name it appears in the Domesday Book:
"Hugh, the grandson of Herbert, and Adelold the chamberlain, holds of the bishop (of Baieux) Fredenestede. It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is three carucates. In demesne . . . . Three villeins having seven oxen. There is a church, and two acres of meadow and an half, and wood for the pannage of two hogs. It is, and was worth, separately, twenty shillings. Leunin held it of king Edward."
Four years after taking the above survey, the bishop was disgraced, and the King, his brother, seized the estate and the rest of his possessions, which were confiscated to the Crown. After which, the village came into the possession of Jeffry de Peverel, forming part of the barony of Peverel
William Peverel
William Peverell , was a Norman knight, and is shown in 'The Battle Abbey Roll' to have fought at the Battle of Hastings.-Biography:...
, as it was then called, being assigned to him for the defence of Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history...
.
Nicholas de Gerund later held the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
until he died during the reign of Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
. The manor then passed to the Crombwell family being in the name of Richard de Crombwell during the reign of Edward II. Ralph de Crombwell, his successor, later, obtained a charter of "free warren
Warren (free)
Free warren—often simply warren—refers to a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in mediaeval England to a subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, usually a wood or small forest...
" for his lands in the parish, and at his seat at Meriam-court (now commonly known as Madams Court).
During the reign of Edward III this estate transferred first to Richard le Gerund and then via marriage to Sir Henry de Chalfhunt. At this point it appeared in the Kent Hundred Rolls
Kent Hundred Rolls
The Kent Hundred Rolls are the documentary result of a 13th century Crown inquiry or census into the rights of the English monarchy over land and property in the Hundreds of the county of Kent. The Rolls are preserved in the English National Archives as part of the national Hundred...
and was noted, among other things, for the death of "a certain stranger killed in Fretthenestede". During the reign of Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
, the manor was transferred to the ownership of the nearby manor of Ospringe
Ospringe
Ospringe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Kent. It has a population of 715. Located south of Faversham, Ospringe forms part of the Borough of Swale...
. Subsequently the manor with the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
then known as "Wrensted" (more recently Rinsted court) and Madams-court sold to Robert le Hadde, resident in the Frinsted during the reign of Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
.
Over the course of the following years the land moved many more times between heirs until vesting in the estate of Margaret Style (during the reign of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
) who in 1716 sold it to a Mr. Abraham Tilghman. A commissioner of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and of the victualling office
Victualling Commissioners
The Commissioners for the victualling of the Navy, often called Victualling Commissioners, were the body responsible under the Navy Board for victualling ships of the British Royal Navy.-Creation:...
he died in 1729 and was interned in the southern part of the church, where there is a monument erected to his memory. The manor stayed in the Tilghman family for the latter part of the 18th century.
19th and 20th centuries
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the population of Frinsted declined from 208 (1881) to 150 (1921), a trend typical of downland parishes as a consequence of agricultural depression and the mechanisation of farming practises.The village is now a typical North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
commuter village. Described by John Marius Wilson in 1872, the village was owned principally by the Leigh-Pemberton family in the Barony of Kingsdown
Thomas Pemberton Leigh, 1st Baron Kingsdown
Thomas Pemberton Leigh, 1st Baron Kingsdown , was a British barrister, judge and politician.-Background:Born Thomas Pemberton, in London, Leigh was the eldest son of Thomas Pemberton, a chancery barrister....
. Descendants of the Leigh-Pemberton line still live in the village and the surrounding area.
A popular spot for rural-sightseeing, day-trippers and picnic outings in the summer and game shoots in the winter, the village previously contained a sub-post office, an active cricket club and held an annual horticultural show. Frinsted was also a motorbus terminus for rural intra-county routes. When the services were cancelled, the small bus park and building which included a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
(The Kingsdown Arms) remained a popular pub and restaurant in the area. The pub was finally sold and converted to a private dwelling at the end of the 20th century.
The nearby Milstead and Frinsted Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
primary school opened in 1848 on land donated by the Leigh-Pemberton family who still retain a position on the school's board of governance.
An early example of an aircraft shot down in a dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
whilst on a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
bombing raid occurred near Frinsted on 19 May 1918. A German Gotha GV 979
Gotha G
|-See also:-References:* The Complete Encyclopedia of Flight 1848-1939 by John Batchelor and Malcolm V. Lowe-External links:*...
heavy bomber
Heavy bomber
A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
was engaged by British fighters
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
and crashed in fields near the village with one survivor who was captured. At least one of the German airmen killed was initially buried in Frinsted churchyard before being moved to a military cemetery at Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
. Previously fields at Yokes Court near the village had been used as a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
airfield between February 1917 and November 1917. A private airfield for light aircraft still operates on the Yokes Court site and a second private airstrip exists at The Glebe, a collection of fields immediately to the east of the village.