Topic: Lyminge Parish - 1847

[mossman]

Thanks to you both, as always , you do us proud.

[ellenkate]

Many thanks, Busyglen.

I have this (much later) report in my files which may be of interest to someone:


Whirlwind at Lyminge:    Extraordinary Havoc at Sibton Park;   Wind's strange and violent vagaries
The storm of wind and rain of the early hours of Tuesday morning played havoc at Sibton Park, the estate of Mr John HOWARD, culminating in a phenomenon remarkable, if not unparalleled in the history of Lyminge and the surrounding district.  The wind all night had been blowing from the west, but about half-past four a current set in from the north;  the two currents, it is supposed, met and the result was a whirlwind of cyclonic, almost miraculous force which, for a distance of several hundred yards, swept all before it.
   Huge branches were torn off giant-like trees, and twisted into all sorts of fantastic shapes, as though they had been but mere chips of wood in the hands of a modern Hercules, whilst other trees were hewn bodily to the ground, uprooted by the violence of the wind.  The whirlwind or cyclone, whatever it may be called, took a zig-zag course for about five hundred yards.  One turn in the zig-zag was about one hundred yards in length and ran in a perfectly regular measurement of 50 yards wide.
   Outside the residence of Mr HOWARD there is a magnificent clump of sycamore trees, and it is believed that it owing to this fact that the house was not greatly damaged, if not totally destroyed.  The building was in the direct course of the whirlwind, which it is thought must have been partially impeded by the group of trees, and then sent upwards.
  It was, indeed, a sight to behold that the whirlwind left in its wake. The ground was literally strewn with branches large and small, one large branch being hurled into the air, and dropped quite 50 yards from the tree of which it formed a part.  One tree, a pollard, about two hundred years old, was terribly mangled;  another was a hawthorn tree of about fifty years;  the damage to both is quite beyond description and must really be seen to be believed.  Happily two fine old trees were just out of the course of the cyclone and were untouched.   But the clump of trees referred to did not stop all damage. After being sent up into the air, the whirlwind must have descended again, for in a perfectly straight line with the clump and about half a mile off, a roof was lifted bodily off an old shed, and carried twenty-two yards.  The roof weighed six hundredweight, and took five men to lift it when first put on to the shed.  With a final sweep at Councillor JENNER's residence, which is but a few yards off, and which, in the words of Mrs JENNER herself "fairly shook", the whirlwind must have spent its force in the open country beyond, for from this point nothing more of it - in the way of damage - can be traced.
 ...  There is an accompanying illustration "for which we are indebted to Lieut-Colonel J.W.WRAY, agent to Mr John HOWARD, of Sibton Park.
------  (from the Folkestone Hythe, Sandgate and Cheriton Herald, Sept 22 1906)

Ellenkate

[busyglen]

LYMINGE, is an extensive parish, and ancient village, 3 ½ miles N. by E. from Hythe, which contains 4,594 acres of land, of which nearly 1,500 acres are in woods; the soil is mostly a red earth, abounding with flints.  In 1841 here were 140 houses, and 941 inhabitants; population in 1801, 491; in 1831, 784.  The principal landowners are William P. Honywood, Esq., Colonel E. Sawbridge, Stephen Kelcey, Messrs. Thos. And Henry Rigden, Thomas Papillon, Esq., and the Rev.R. Price, the latter is also lord of the manor.  There are several springs in this parish which occasionally burst forth and form the stream usually called the Nailbourn, which runs on with a great gush of waters by Barham to the head of the Little Stour.  D. Gale conjectures, that at this village two Roman Ways intersected each other, one from Lenham to Saltwood Castle, and the other from Canterbury to Stutful.

THE CHURCH, (St. Mary and St. Eadburgh) consists of nave, side aisles, and chancel, with a low tower, in which are six bells and a clock.  It contains some neat tablets to the Price, Papillon, and other families.  The living is a rectory with the chapels of Stanford and Paddlesworth annexed, valued at £625, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. R. Price.  There are about 40 acres of glebe in this parish.  There is a rectory and vicarage endowed belong to this Church, both of which receive institution and induction.  The rectorial tithes are commuted for £465.17s.3d., and the vicarial, for £287.7s.9d.

The WESLEYANS have a small chapel here, built in 1835; and there is a Charity School in the village. 

EACH-END HILL is a hamlet, 1 mile S.E. from the Church.

THE ELHAM UNION HOUSE is pleasantly situated, and was built in 1836, at a cost of £4,500, for the accommodation of 300 inmates; and is now in course of being enlarged by the addition of side wings.  The Union embraces the parishes of Acrise, Cheriton, Elham, Elmsted, Folkestone, Hawkings, Hythe, Lyminge, Lympne, Monks Horton, Newington, Paddlesworth, Postling, Saltwood, Sellinge, Standford, Stelling, Stowting, and Swingfield.  There are 21 guardians appointed, to whom Thos. Mount, Esq., is Chairman; Mr. Rt. Thompson, Clerk and Super Registrar;, Rev. Wm. Tylden, Chaplain; Stephen Macdonald, Relieving Officer; and Mr. and Mrs. Kilroy, Master and Matron.

STONE HALL, 3 ½ miles N. from the church is the residence of Stephen Kelcey, Esq., Shuttlesfield, a hamlet one mile S.E. 

CHARITIES: Timothy Bedenfield, by will 1691, gave certain houses and lands, towards the education and maintenance of poor children of the parishes of Lyminge, Dymchurch, and Smeeth, and 30s. yearly to be distributed to six poor women of the said parishes.  The property consists of 26 acres, in St. Mary, Romney-marsh, let for £80 per annum; a cottage and 31 acres in Lyminge producing £28 yearly, and a cottage and garden at Woodchurch let for a yearly sum of £3.10s.  A portion of the funds are applicable to the support of youths at one of the Universities, but no applications have been made for this specific object since 1776. – William Kingsford, in 1817, left a ren-charge of £10 per annum issuing out of certain lands for the instruction of children of this parish and Paddlesworth.

Marked 1, reside at Eachend Hill; 2, Woodland; 3, Mockbeggar; 4, Shuttlesfield.

Banks, Jas. Bricklayer
1, Dent, Noah, Beerhouse
File, Geo. Shopkeeper
File, Thos. Carrier
Fox, Miss E.J. Schoolmistress
Fox, Geo. Shoemaker
Friend, Thos. Victualler, Coach & Horses
Gibbs, Stephen, Corn Miller
Hogben, Jas. Tailor
Hogben, Thos. Smith
Jacob, Thos. Grocer
Kelcey, Stephen, jnr. Esq. Stone Hall
Kelcey, Stephen, Esq. Stone St.
Kemp, Thos. Shoemaker
Kilroy, Michael, Governor of Union
Laver, Geo. Esq. Solicitor
1, Pledge, Thos. Butcher
Prebble, John, Carpenter
Price, Rev. Ralph, Rectory
1, Rigden, Edw. Carpenter
Rigden, Hy. Esq. Broad St. House
Squire, Elizabeth, Grocer
1, Standforth, Mr. Thos.
3 Swain, Nicholas, Victualler, The Gate
Tylden, Rev. Wm.
Valder, Fredk. Schoolmaster

FARMERS
Brice, Daniel
Broadbridge, Geo.
3, Broadbridge, Wm.
Buss, Daniel
1, Collick, John
4, Hambrook, Richard
Hogben, Edward
Hogben, Richard
Jacobs, Thos.
4, Kelcey, John, Grazier
4, Laws, Wm. & G. Graziers
2, Nonnington, Michael
Pilcher, Thos.
2, Prebble, Geo
1, Rigden, Thos & Hy.
4, Sawkins, Wm.
4, Woollett, Norwood, Jnr.

Taken from Bagshaw's History, Gazetteer and Directory of Kent 1847