Teston
Encyclopedia
Teston is a village in the Maidstone
District of Kent
, England
. It is located on the A26 road
out of Maidstone
, four miles (6.4 km) from the town centre. There is a narrow stone bridge
over the River Medway
here.
Barham Court
is the 'big house'. It has now been converted into offices and apartments. It was once the home of Randall Fitz Urse
, one of the knights who murdered Thomas Beckett in 1170. It passed to the de Berham family now called the Barhams, and then the Boteler (or Butler) family. They were Royalists
, William Butler was imprisoned for supporting the Kentish Royalist Petition 1642, which indirectly led to the Battle of Maidstone
1648. When Edward Hasted
visited in the 18 th century it was owned by the Bouveries. After that it passed to the Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham
.
The village church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. On one wall of the church, under a window, is a memorial tablet to a former vicar, the Rev James Ramsay
, he was the Rector of Teston and Nettlestead
from 1781 until he died in July 1789. He was a friend of Charles Middleton
, William Pitt
and William Wilberforce
and he worked with them for the abolition of slavery.
Rev. James Ramsay, who served as a surgeon under Middleton aboard in the West Indies but later took holy orders and served on the Caribbean
island of St Christopher (now St Kitts), where he observed first-hand the treatment of slaves. He briefly lived with the Middletons at Barham Court, then was given the living of the Teston and Nettlestead, by Middleton. Nestor Court is named after Ramsey's servant and companion.
William Cobbett
passed through Teston on Friday 5 September 1823.
There is a village green, shop/Post Office, Village Hall and a Farm Shop.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, Thomas Martin began making cricket ball
s in a workshop above the post office. When he retired the business was taken over by Alfred Reader who expanded the business and transferred it to the factory. The current factory. on Malling Road was built in 1927. The workers at the Reader factory formed their own trade union
- The Teston Independent Society of Cricket Ball Makers, to represent their interests, it was the smallest trade unions in the country, and was only de-listed in March 2006.
Cricket has been played at Barham Court since 1896. The current club runs two teams, the Sunday Team representing the village in the Kent Village League.
The River Medway
at Teston Bridge is 5.41m above mean sea level, and 7.31m upstream of the weir
and lock
. It lies 10.4 km upstream of Allington
where the river becomes tidal. The bridge is mediaeval, but was widened for river traffic in 1749. The lock was originally constructed in the 1740s, when 14 locks were built to make the river navigable from Maidstone
to Tonbridge
to allow export of iron products from the Weald
, for example cannon to the Royal Dockyard
at Chatham. The current lock dates from 1911 and will take craft up to 24.5m by 5.6m with a draft of 1.7m.
At Teston Bridge there is a country park on a 12 hectare meadow, with public day ticket fishing. There is a continuous footpath along the bank of the Medway and at this point is included in the Maidstone Millennium River Park, and the Medway Valley Walk.
.
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...
. It is located on the A26 road
A26 road
For the road in Northern Ireland see A26 road The A26 road is one of the three cross-country two-digit numbered roads in the southeast of England, the others being the A25 road and A27 road. It carries traffic from Maidstone in Kent in a generally south-westerly direction to Tunbridge Wells and...
out of 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...
, four miles (6.4 km) from the town centre. There is a narrow stone bridge
Teston Bridge
Teston Bridge is a road bridge across the River Medway, between Teston and West Farleigh in Kent, England.-History:The bridge was constructed in the 14th or 15th centuries and comprises six arches of various heights and widths, the middle three of which span the river.Three of the arches were...
over the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
here.
Barham Court
Barham Court
Barham Court is a fine old house in the village of Teston, Kent.It was once the home of Reginald Fitz Urse, one of the knights who murdered Thomas Beckett in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170....
is the 'big house'. It has now been converted into offices and apartments. It was once the home of Randall Fitz Urse
Reginald Fitzurse
Sir Reginald FitzUrse was one of the four knights who murdered Thomas Becket in 1170.His name is derived from Fitz which is a contracted form of the Norman-French fils de, meaning "son of" and Urse from the Latin ursus, meaning a bear, probable nom de guerre of his ancestor...
, one of the knights who murdered Thomas Beckett in 1170. It passed to the de Berham family now called the Barhams, and then the Boteler (or Butler) family. They were Royalists
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, William Butler was imprisoned for supporting the Kentish Royalist Petition 1642, which indirectly led to the Battle of Maidstone
Battle of Maidstone
The Battle of Maidstone was fought in the Second English Civil War and was a victory for the attacking parliamentarian troops over the defending Royalist forces.- Background :...
1648. When Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted was the author of a major county history, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent .-Life:...
visited in the 18 th century it was owned by the Bouveries. After that it passed to the Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham
Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham
Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham PC was a British naval officer and politician.He was born at Leith, Midlothian to Robert Middleton, a customs collector of Bo'ness, Linlithgowshire, and Helen, daughter of Charles Dundas.-Naval career:Middleton entered the Royal Navy in 1741 as captain's...
.
The village church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. On one wall of the church, under a window, is a memorial tablet to a former vicar, the Rev James Ramsay
James Ramsay (abolitionist)
James Ramsay was a ship’s surgeon, Anglican priest, and leading abolitionist.-Early life and Naval service:Ramsay was born at Fraserburgh, Scotland, the son of William Ramsay, ship’s carpenter, and Margaret Ogilvie. He was apprenticed to a local surgeon and later educated at King's College,...
, he was the Rector of Teston and Nettlestead
Nettlestead, Kent
Nettlestead is a village and civil parish on the road south-west of, and part of the borough of Maidstone. More than 800 people live in the parish...
from 1781 until he died in July 1789. He was a friend of Charles Middleton
Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham
Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham PC was a British naval officer and politician.He was born at Leith, Midlothian to Robert Middleton, a customs collector of Bo'ness, Linlithgowshire, and Helen, daughter of Charles Dundas.-Naval career:Middleton entered the Royal Navy in 1741 as captain's...
, William Pitt
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
and William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
and he worked with them for the abolition of slavery.
Rev. James Ramsay, who served as a surgeon under Middleton aboard in the West Indies but later took holy orders and served on the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
island of St Christopher (now St Kitts), where he observed first-hand the treatment of slaves. He briefly lived with the Middletons at Barham Court, then was given the living of the Teston and Nettlestead, by Middleton. Nestor Court is named after Ramsey's servant and companion.
William Cobbett
William Cobbett
William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
passed through Teston on Friday 5 September 1823.
There is a village green, shop/Post Office, Village Hall and a Farm Shop.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, Thomas Martin began making cricket ball
Cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...
s in a workshop above the post office. When he retired the business was taken over by Alfred Reader who expanded the business and transferred it to the factory. The current factory. on Malling Road was built in 1927. The workers at the Reader factory formed their own trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
- The Teston Independent Society of Cricket Ball Makers, to represent their interests, it was the smallest trade unions in the country, and was only de-listed in March 2006.
Cricket has been played at Barham Court since 1896. The current club runs two teams, the Sunday Team representing the village in the Kent Village League.
River
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
at Teston Bridge is 5.41m above mean sea level, and 7.31m upstream of the weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
and lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
. It lies 10.4 km upstream of Allington
Allington, Kent
Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated alongside the sides of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. It is part of the built-up area of Maidstone. It has 2 primary schools; Allington Primary and Palace Wood...
where the river becomes tidal. The bridge is mediaeval, but was widened for river traffic in 1749. The lock was originally constructed in the 1740s, when 14 locks were built to make the river navigable from 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...
to Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
to allow export of iron products from the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
, for example cannon to the Royal Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
at Chatham. The current lock dates from 1911 and will take craft up to 24.5m by 5.6m with a draft of 1.7m.
At Teston Bridge there is a country park on a 12 hectare meadow, with public day ticket fishing. There is a continuous footpath along the bank of the Medway and at this point is included in the Maidstone Millennium River Park, and the Medway Valley Walk.
Media
Teston Bridge was used as a location in the 1958 feature film DunkirkDunkirk (film)
Dunkirk is a 1958 British war film directed by Leslie Norman and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and Bernard Lee. It was based on two novels: Elleston Trevor's The Big Pick-Up and Lt. Col. Ewan Hunter and Maj. J. S...
.