Boughton Monchelsea Village History

The Village of Boughton Monchelsea lies on a ragstone ridge situated between the North Downs and the Weald of Kent and has commonly been called Quarry Hills. Over the centuries its main commerce has been ragstone, arable, orchards, woodland, hops, cobnuts and pastureland.

Hop-pickers around 1900

Some of the earliest history of Boughton Monchelsea is in the Iron Age settlement at Quarry Wood Camp (Camp Field). There are traces of an outer rampart on Parsonage Farm (on the edge of Park Wood) constructed by the Belgae about 40AD possibly as a defence against the Roman invasion in 43AD.

Plans of Quarry Wood Camp with pre-Roman remains

The foundations of a Roman bathhouse were discovered in 1841 near Brishing Court, also a Roman villa at Brishing and a cemetery at Lockham. The Quarries were worked extensively in Romans times and the villa and bathhouse could well have belonged to the Quarry owner.

The Parish of Boughton Monchelsea, along with the whole of Kent, was later ruled by Earl Godwin or (Godwine). He was an Anglo Saxon who gave his support to the Dane Canute the Great who became King in 1016. In 1017 Canute (Cunate Cnut) divided his kingdom into four earldoms Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia and Wessex and he appointed Godwin, the only Anglo Saxon, as Earl of Wessex.

Edward the Confessor became King in 1042, by which time Earl Godwin had become the most powerful Anglo Saxon in England. To maintain Godwin’s loyalty Edward married his daughter Edith. Unfortunately Edward had taken a vow of celibacy so produced no heir. Godwin died in 1053, and his son Harold later became King and fought with William the Conqueror in the now famous Battle of Hastings.

Army encampment near Coxheath in 1779

William the Conqueror took possession of all the land and in 1067 made Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, (his half brother) Earl of Kent. The Bishop later fell into disgrace and all his property was confiscated. By the end of the 12th century Boughton came into the possession of the Montchensie's (A Norman Family) from which the second part of the village name derives.

In 1778-79 there was a huge army encampment along the Heath Road stretching from Coxheath to Boughton Monchelsea ready to meet the threatened French invasion. Eleven thousand solders were camped along the road with the headquarters in Linton Park and officers billeted at the Cock Inn, Martins Farm and cottages in Church Street.

It was widely thought that Boughton, derived from Bocton, means where beech trees grew or a clearing in a beech wood. Another school of thought, and probably the more logical, is that Bocton means a “Farm - Manor held by book and chapter” hence the Manor of the Montchensie.

The first part of the name Boughton has changed many times over the centuries, the earliest known being Boltone (1086); Bouton (1226); Bocton (1257); Boctone, Nr. Meydenstone (1273); Bocton Monchansy (1278); Boulton Munchensey (1279); Bocton Munchanesy (1280); Bocton Munchensy (1281); From the 16th century the name of the Parish is given as Boughton Monchelsea and so it has remained. The name changes are more likely to have been caused by the likelihood that people could not spell, rather than a conscious desire to change them.

Boughton Quarries

In Roman times much of the stone from the Quarries was used in the building of the walls of London, a temple on the site of St. Pauls Cathedral and, possibly, building a temple on the site where St Peters Church now stands. In Norman times the ragstone was used in the building of Westminster Abbey and through the reign of Edward III the ragstone was used to repair Rochester Castle. In 1419 King Henry V ordered 7000 stone cannon balls from the village. The quarries were worked right up to the 1960’s when the last quarry was closed.

Photos of The old forge and Quarrymen

Boughton Church

Boughton Church lies just over the brow of the Quarry Hills over looking the Weald, as are the churches of Linton, Chart Sutton and Sutton Valance. It is thought that they are built on the sites of old Roman temples, which were placed facing the sun. However, another explanation is that they are adjacent to an ancient track way running parallel to, and between, the Heath Road and the church.

The church was built around 1100 and consisted of a nave tower and sanctuary. In the late 14th century substantial rebuilding took place enlarging the sanctuary, and a chapel and isle were added on the northern side. The tower and north isle were partially rebuilt in 1530-40. There was a disastrous fire in 1832 when the nave was destroyed. The church was rebuilt in 1834 with further extensive rebuilding and enlargement in 1874. During the civil war the village favoured the cavaliers and was occupied by the roundheads who destroyed most of the church windows.

The Lychgate to the church was constructed, without nails, in 1470 and is believed to be the second oldest in the country. It leads to the church and cemetery, which over looks the deer park and the Weald, with probably the most stunning view in Kent if not England.

Boughton Monchelsea Place

Boughton Monchelsea Place and an old drawing of the estate

Boughton Monchelsea Place stands on the site of the original Manor House. In 1287 William de Montchensie was killed at the siege of Dryslwyn Castle. His daughter married the Earl of Oxford and the then Manor passed by inheritance through various Kent families: the Harpurs and Peckhams, Thomas Wyatt (1551), the Rudstons (1551-1613), Barhams (1613-1685), Thomas Rider (1685-1887) The property then remained empty for many years until Lt Col. George Winch 1903 (Style & Winch Brewers Maidstone), then Mr Michael Bluett Winch (1950) and then his godson Mr Charlie Gooch (1990) each took up residence. The estate passed to the current owners in 1997.

Michael Bray January 2004
(Minor edits 2007)