Brenchley

This article is about the village. For people named Brenchley, see Brenchley (name).

Brenchley is a village in the civil parish of Brenchley and Matfield,^[3][4] in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.

Brenchley
Brenchley
Brenchley Location within Kent
Population	2,715 (Parish)[1] 2,863 (2011 Census)[2]
OS grid reference	TQ675415
Civil parish	Brenchley and Matfield
District	Tunbridge Wells
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Tonbridge
Postcode district	TN12
Dialling code	01892
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Tunbridge Wells
List of places UK England Kent 51.1486°N 0.3941°E / 51.1486; 0.3941

All Saints Church is located in the village, and is a Grade I listed building.^[5]

History

The name is historically derived from Branca's Leigh. The village is located 8 miles (13 km) east of Royal Tunbridge Wells, and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Paddock Wood, and includes the neighbouring village of Matfield. Brenchley & Matfield CoE primary school is located in Brenchley.

The village earns some historical fame by being one of the villages that was closely involved in post medieval iron making. The site of the furnace lies within the parish of Horsmonden now.

A Market formerly held in the churchyard at Brenchley was granted in 1230 to Hamo de Crevecoeur, to be held on his own land, and the day moved from Sunday to Wednesday. In 1233 this was readjusted to Saturday.^[6] By 1296 it belonged to Gilbert de Clare, who in 1312 claimed that his ancestors had held it 'from time out of mind'.

Notable people

• George (b. 1600) and John Lewis (b. 1606), early colonists of the Massachusetts Bay Colony arriving aboard the Hercules of Sandwich, England in 1634/5.
• John Browne, (d1651), the second holder of the office of King's Gunfounder.
• Hamo de Crevecoeur (d 1263), Norman nobleman who possessed Brenchley and established a market.
• Gordon Giltrap (b 1948), musician, was born in Brenchley.
• Edward Martin (1814–69), English cricketer who was born in Brenchley.
• Richard Philpott (1813–88), English cricketer who resided in Brenchley at the time of his death.
• Sophie Rhys-Jones (b 1965), wife of Prince Edward, lived in Brenchley.
• Thomas Thornycroft (1815–85), sculptor, lived in Brenchley at the time of his death.
• Wat Tyler (1341–1381), leader of the Peasants' Revolt, is reputed to have been born in Brenchley.
• Siegfried Sassoon.

See also

• Marle Place - local open Garden with a Victorian gazebo, Edwardian rockery, walled Italianate scented garden, modern mosaic terrace, grass tennis court and artist's studio and gallery.^[7]

References

1. National Statistics Archived 15 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine Census 2001
2. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
3. "Brenchley and Matfield". Mapit. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
4. "Change of Name of Brenchley Parish Council" (PDF). Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
5. "PARISH CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS, Brenchley and Matfield - 1249609 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
6. Calendar of Close Rolls, Henry III: 1227-1232 p. 340; 1231-1234, pp. 233-34.
7. "Marle Place". ngs.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.

Sources

• F C Clark (1947). Kentish Fire. Rye, Sussex: Adams & Son.

External links

• Information about Brenchley on VillageNet
• An Introduction to Historic Kent