BUCKLAND.

THE next parish westward from Stone is Buckland, called in Domesday, Bocheland, situated somewhat less than a mile northward of the great London road, at the 44th mile stone.

THIS PLACE took its name from the tenure of it, being so called from the Saxon words, boc, or book, and land, that is, land held by writing or charter, being free and hereditary, and passing by livery and seisin. It is usually called Buckland near Faversham, to distinguish it from a parish of the same name near Dover, in this county.

It is a very small parish, situated obscurely and little known, though adjoining the north side of the high London road, at the 44th mile-stone. It lies in a flat low country, much the same as that of Stone last-described, excepting that the parish of Tenham on the northern side of it intervenes, and cuts it off from the adjoining marshes. The soil is in general very good, there are but two houses in it, near to which is the church, the situation, like the adjoining ones, is very unhealthy.

THE MANOR of Buckland, at the time of taking the general survey of Domesday, was part of the possessions of Odo, the great bishop of Baieux, the king's halfbrother, and earl of Kent, under the title of whose lands it is entered in it as follows:

Osbern holds Bocheland of the bishop (of Baieux) It was taxed at three yoke. The arable land is one carucate. In demesne there is one, and three villeins, with two borderers having half a carucate. There are eight servants.. . . . . Seuuard held it of king Edward . . . . . In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth four pounds, and afterwards three pounds, and now seventy shillings.

The same osbern holds one yoke of the bishop, in the same manor, and it was taxed at one yoke. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth twenty shillings, and afterwards, and now, it was and is worth ten shillings.

And a little further thus:
Turstin de Girunde holds in Bochelande one yoke of the bishop, and it was taxed at one yoke. There is one villein paying six shillings. It is and was worth always twelve shillings. Turgot held it of king Edward.

Four years after the taking of this survey, the bishop of Baieux was disgraced, and all his possessions were consiscated to the crown.

After which, one part of the above-mentioned estate in Buckland seems to have been granted to the family of Crevequer, of whom it was held by the Peyforers, who likewise held lands in it of the abbot of Faver sham, by knight's service, the seignory of which had been granted to that abbey by some good benefactor to it.

These estates seem afterwards to have come into the possession of a branch of the family of Apulderfield, commonly called Apperfield, one of whom, William de Apulderfield, died in the 33d year of Edward III. possessed of the manor of Buckland, held of the king as of his castle of Leeds, as of the honor of Crevequer, by knight's service.

His son of the same name died in the 47th year of that reign, holding it as above-mentioned for the term of his life, the reversion of it being vested in Sybill, who was wife of Richard de Frognale, and it was found likewise that John de Frognale was her son and heir, and he died in the 49th year of it, possessed of this manor, with the advowson of the church of Bokeland, held in manner as above-mentioned, in whose descendants it continued down to Thomas Frogenhall, esq. who died possessed of this manor in 1505, holding it in capiteby knight's service, and by his will, proved that year, ordered his body to be buried in this church, and devised this manor, with its appurtenances, and other lands lying in Linsted, Tong, Tenham, and Stone, to Joane his wife for her life, and afterwards to be disposed of by his executors in deeds of charity. (fn. 1) After which I find Edward Northwood to have died possessed of an interest in this estate anno 2 Henry VIII. as did Thomas Godding in the 25th year of that reign, (fn. 2) and his heir passed it away to Henry See, or At-See, as he was sometimes called, of Herne, in this county, who was possessed of the whole of this manor, with the advowson of the church, at his death, in the 30th year of it, in which name and family it remained for some time, and till at length Edward See, gent. of Herne, about the 10th year of king James I. alienated the ma nor, with the advowson, then holden in chief, to Thomas Mendfield and Dorothy his wife. He died in 1614, bearing for his arms. Argent, a fess engrailed, in chief, three fleurs de lis, sable, and his widow afterwards possessed it. Henry Saker, of Faversham, became afterwards possessed of it. He bore for his arms, Sable, a bend engrailed, between two bulls heads, crased, or. (fn. 3) His eldest son Christopher, sold it, before the end of that reign, to Sir Basil Dixwell, knight and baronet, who died in 1641, s. p. He left his estates to his nephew Mark Dixwell, esq. whose son Basil, in 1660, was created a baronet. (fn. 4) He in 1664 alienated this manor, with the advowson of the church, and Buckland farm, with other lands and appurtenances in this parish, to Richard Read, esq. who in 1676 conveyed them to Henry Eve, D. D. of Linsted, who died possessed of this estate in 1686, whose arms were, Quarterly, sable and or. His eldest son, Henry Eve, M. D. succeeded him in it, and dying in 1686, intestate, it became the property of his three sons, Henry, James, and Charles Eve, in equal thirds. Henry, the eldest son, died in 1702, leaving one son Henry Eve, of Riverhead, in Sevenoke, who purchased his uncle James's third part, and dying in 1726, his two thirds of it descended to his only daughter and heir Dorothy, who in 1753 carried them in marriage to her cousin Charles Eve, gent. of Hoxton-square, the youngest son of James Eve above-mentioned. He survived her, and in 1770, sold them to Mr. Thomas Gillow, of St. Nicholas, in Thanet, the present possessor of them.

The remaining third part of this estate, which was inherited by Mr. Charles Eve, attorney at-law, of Canterbury, the younger son of Henry Eve, M. D. as above-mentioned, was sold by him, in 1747. to trustees, for the use of John Taddy, druggist, of South wark, whose widow Susanna, and only son Christopher Taddy, of Pater-noster row, London, are the present owners of it.

BUCKLAND is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICITION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Ospringe.

The church, which was dedicated to St. Nicholas, has been in ruins for many years. The steeple, which was a spire, was standing in 1719. The north and south walls of the church are now standing, and the west end, where was formerly the steeple, in which was one bell. The east end is quite down, and the whole roof of the church fallen in, and the inside a heap of rubbish.

It is a rectory, and valued in the king's books at 44l. 5s. and the yearly tenths at 11s. 4d. In 1678, there were only six communicants here.

The church of Buckland, as appears by the above account of the manor, passed from time to time as an appendage to it, till the family of Eve alienated the manor, with the farm and lands of Buckland, as before-mentioned, but they reserved the advowson of the church to themselves, and it continued in their possession till the year 1754, when two thirdsof the patronage of this church, being two succeeding turns of the presentation to it, were sold to Mr. John Unwin, of London, who now possesses them; but the remaining third part of it, being the third turn of presentation, remained with Mr. Charles Eve, and he is the present proprietor of it.

Church Of Buckland.

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