OR KENT Surveyed and Illustrated. Kent, in Latine Cantium, Hath Its
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1 <sig B> VILLARE CANTIANVM: OR KENT Surveyed and Illustrated. Kent, in Latine Cantium, hath its derivation from ‘Cant’, which imports a piece of Land thrust into a Nook or Angle: and cer= tainly the situation hath an Aspect upon the Name, and makes its etymologie authentick. It is divided into five Laths, viz. St. Augustins, Shepway, Scray, Aylesford, and Sutton at Hone; and these again are subdivided into their several Bailywicks; as namely, St. Augustins comprehends Bredge, which contains and Eastrie, which con= these Hundreds: tains these: 1 Ringesloe 5 Downhamford 1 Wingham 2 Blengate 6 Preston 2 Eastrie 3 Whitstaple 7 Bredge & Petham 3 Corniloe 4 West-gate 8 Kinghamford 4 Bewesborough Shepway is divided into Stowting, and that and Shepway into these: into these Hundreds: 1 Folkstone 1 Bircholt Franchise 2 Lovingberg 2 Streat 3 Stowting 3 Worth 4 Heane 4 Newchurch 5 Ham 6 Langport 7 St. Martins 8 Aloes Bridge 9 Oxney Scray is distinguished into Milton Scray Chart and Longbridg Seven Hundreds Com= prehends 1 Feversham 1 Wye 1 Blackbourn 2 Bocton under 2 Birch-Holt 2 Tenderden 1 Mylton Blean Barony 3 Barkley 2 Tenham 3 Felborough 3 Chart and 4 Cranbrook Long-bridge 5 Rolvenden 4 Cale-hill 6 Selbrigh= tenden 7 Great Bern= feild Alresford is resolv’d into Eyhorn is Hoo and Twyford divided into 1 Eyhorn 1 Hoo 1 Twyford 5 Marden 2 Maidstone 2 Shamell 2 Littlefield 6 Little 3 Gillingham 3 Toltingtrough 3 Lowy of Tun= Bern= and 4 Larkfield bridge field 4 Chetham 5 Wrotham 4 Brenchly 7 Wallingston & Hormonden. 2 Sutton at Hone does only comprehend the Bailywick of Sutton at Hone, and that layes claim to these HUNDREDS. 1 Axstane 5 Dartford and Wilmington. 2 Little and Lesnes 6 Rooksley 3 Blackheath 7 Codsheath 4 Bromely and 8 Somerden Bekenham. 9 Westram These Hundreds were parcel’d out into such a proportion or number of Boroughs, Villages or Tythings, containing ten Housholders, whereof (as the Saxon laws and Customes informe us,) if any one should commit an unlawful Act, the other nine were to attach and bring him to Reason. If he fled, thirty one dayes were enjoyn’d him to appear: if in the mean time apprehended, he was forc’d to restore the Damage done; otherwise the Free-borough-head (that is to say the Tythingman) was to take with him two of the same Village, and out of three other Villages next adjoyning as many (that is, the Tythingman and two other of the Principal men) and before the Officers of that Hundred purge himself and the Village of the fact, restoring the Damage done, with the Goods of the Malefactor; which if they sufficed not to satisfie, the Free- borough or Tythingman must make up the rest, and besides take an oath to be no way accessary to the Fact; and to produce the offender, if by any means they could recover him, or know where he was. Besides, every Lord and Master stood Borough for all his Family, whereof if any servant were cal’d in question, the Master was to see him answer it in the HUNDRED where he was accus’d; if he fled, the Master was to resigne such goods as he had to the King: If himself were accus’d to be aiding or privy to his Servants flight, he was to clear himself by five men, otherwise to forfeit all his Goods to the King, and his man to be Outlawed. These Links thus intermutually fastned, made formerly so strong a chain to hold the whole frame of the State toge= ther in Peace and order, as all the mingled policies upon Earth, all the inter-leagued Societies of Men cannot represent a straiter Form of combination. As touching the other Customes of Kent, they have been so fully discuss’d by Mr. Lambert in his Kentish Perambulation, that I shall not much insist in the discove= ry of them: only I shall something winnow the word ‘Gavelkind’, because from that it is pretended the Tenure it self is derived. First, it is suggested, that the word Gavelkind is amass’d together in three Saxon Monosyllables, that is to say, ‘Gœf ele Kent’: but how this Custome should be originally established on three Syllables by the corruption of Time thus crouded and shut up in one word, is altogether ambi= guous and mysterious: For, if we shall unvail the word of its Saxon Habit, and put it into an English dress, it will signifie thus much, ‘Give all Child’; and how much nonsense lurks in that expression, I think is easily discernable: Indeed the phrase should be, if we would attempt to spin any thing of advantage out of it, ‘Gœf ele Kendern’, ‘Give all Children’, But how much of incongruitie and non-coherence lies wrapt up even in this, I beleeve is obvious enough; yet admit there were none, how four Syllables all of different vowels in their termination, should at length by the depravation of Language be all confusedly shuffled and stiv’d into this one word Gavelkind, will certainly appear to the most easie apprehension disputable enough. For my own particular, I’m convinc’d (with submission to cleerer speculations) that this word Gavelkind is derived from the Saxon word ‘Gabel’, which in the Latin we render Census, and put into English signifies some Rent-Service, or Tribute issuable from such and such Land, on which it is fixt as a solemn evidence of some homage due to the Prince or supreme Magistrate, for that security which is received both in life and propriety by his defence and tuition. And certainly this is some= thing proportionate to Reason; for all Gavelkind-Land is held in the Tenure of free-Soccage, which is charg’d with this manner of Rent-charge or imposition; and so in several Latine Records is represented under the Notion of Terra Censualis. 3 ’Tis true, that by the ancient custome of Germany, cal’d ‘Land-skiftan’, the Lands of the deceased was by equal portions to be distributed amongst all the Sons; but then it is as probable that this Tribute or ‘Gabel’ did accompany it, because the most essen= tial part of this Custome hath through the Channel of many hundred years flow’d down to this present Age, and is in force in sundry places in Germany at this instant: For though the Hernelickheis or Lordship, as they style it, descend Patrimonially per Jus Dominatus, by the right of Signorie to the eldest Son, yet all the Land ex= clusiely from that is equally divided between the Cadets or younger Brothers, on= ly returning some inconsiderable Rent-Service to the Prince, as a character of that Fealtie thy owe him for sheltring them in their several Patrimonies by his mutual support and protection. Certain it is when Hengist transported his Saxons first into Britain, that Custome of ‘Land-Skiftan’ was wafted over with them, and was by him allow’d to his Abet= tors and Partisans when they were invested in their new Acquists and Possessions in Kent, as all other Franchises and Immunities were, which before in Germany they were by prescription endow’d with, that they might more vigorously improve his designes upon this Island; yet still it is possible he reserved out of those Demeasnes thus by Grant couveyed to his accomplices, some Annual Tax or Gabel (though per= haps of a low and narrow value) as a signal acknowledgement that the Superiori= ty or Soveraignty was solely lodg’d in him. There are two other Customes which are properly calculated for the Meridian of Romeney Marsh, and perhaps through inadvertency were not recited by Mr. Lambert, and they are these: First, the King had anciently no Wast there, and secondly he had no Wracks, but they were appropriated to those Mannors of the Mersh that con= fin’d on the Sea; and surely if we fathom their original we shall find their foundati= on established on much of Reason. For first, how could the Crown entitle it self to any Wast there, where the Sea by its impetuous encroachments did engage the Inha= bitants to cast up Mounts, and erect Banks in any place which they should find most proportionate to their defence against the fury of so formidable an adversary? For the second, it is very equitable that they that are interessed in an expence of that vast= nesse in which the Publique (by the obligation of necessary consequences) is so much concern’d and wrapt up, should have something of Emolument indulged to them by the careful Munificence of the Prince, to poise and ballance those important dis= bursements which the ill neighbourhood of the Ocean does oblige them to, in fortifying the Mersh with perpetual Defences and Dams against its assaults and eruptions. Having thus discovered something in relation to the Customs of Kent, before I advance farther into the Land, I shall represent what care our former Kings have embarqu’d themselves in, to secure the Sea, by fixing Sea-watches and other Military Guards upon all the Avennues and Inlets of the Coast, to represse and check the attempts of any bold Intruder, as if their own safety and indemni= ty were folded up in the security of this County. Touching then Sea-watches upon the Coast, there are three Presidents, and a Mandate from the King to the Sheriff in a time of a more modern inscription for performing the like service. The first containing the watch by night in Record is styled Vigiliae minutae, which are due of right and custome to be made by the Men of certain HUNDREDS, as by the Title thereof, and the Writ for Exe= cution of the same may appear.