STONE,

SO called from the Saxon, stane, signifying a stone or rock, lies in the south-east part of the island of Oxney.

The village and church of Stone stand together, nearly in the middle of the parish, on the high ground which runs through the midst of it, below which it is rich, fertile marsh lands. It extends (excepting on the west towards Wittersham, and a small space towards Ebeney) as far as the streams at the boundaries of this island, being above three miles and an half in length from east to west, and two miles and an half from north to south. There are several small parcels of coppice in different parts of the uplands of it.

In the year 991, a time when almost all parts of this realm felt the sury of the Danes, this village of Stone was entirely spoiled and burnt by them. A fair is held here on Holy Thursday or Ascension day yearly.

The manor of Aldington, formerly part of the pofsessions of the see of Canterbury, claims over the greatest part of it; another part is within the manor of Snavewick, alias Court at Wick; and another part of it is within the manor of Wingham, near Canterbury.

APDALE is a small manor here, the stone mansion of which has been long since ruinated, the scite of it only now remaining, appears to have been of no small size. The demesnes of it have been for some length of time added to a farm called Prauls, situated about a mile westward from the church. The only mention I find of this manor is in the will of Mr. Thomas Stace, who resided in it, and died possessed of it in the year 1512, and devised it to Mr. John Stace his son. It was late, as well as Praul's, the property of Richard Grove, esqof London, whose ancestors had been possessed of it for a considerable length of time. He died unmarried in 1792, and by will gave it, among his other estates in this county, to Mr. William Jemmett, and Mr. William Marshall, the former of whom, on a partition of his estates, became the sole proprietor of it, and remains so at this time. (fn. 1)

Charities.

JOHN STILL, senior, by will in 1556, gave land in this parish to the use of the poor of it; which is vested in the churchwardens and overseers, and is of the annual value of 13s. 4d.

There is a school in this parish, supported by voluntary contributions.

The poor constantly relieved are about twenty six, casually seven.

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Limne.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is a handsome building, consisting of three isles and three chancels, having a square tower, with a beacon turret, at the west end, in which hang six bells, one of which has been lately added. In the south chancel is a memorial for Sarah, daughter of Stephen Tighe, who married George Carter, esq. of Kennington. She died in 1763, arms, Azure, two lions rampant combatant, or; an escutcheon of pretence, Argent, a fess azure, in chief three martlets, and in base, a chevron of the last; and another for her insant son. There are no other memorials or inscriptions in the church.

The church of Stone was part of the antient possessions of the monastery of St. Augustine, to which it was appropriated in 1347, anno 22 Edward III. the abbot if it having then obtained a bull from pope Clement VI. for that purpose, and three years afterwards the king granted his licence for this purpose, with the condition that an adequate portion should be allotted out of the profits of it to the vicars of it. All which was confirmed by archbishop Islip, in 1359, who next year endowed it by his decree, ordained, that the perpetual vicar of this church should have a mansion for his habitation on the soil of the church, to be built and made complete at the costs and expences of the religious, and by the vicar afterwards to be supported and repaired, together with crofts and a garden, both com petent, sufficient close, and that the vicar should receive all manner of oblations in the church and parish; and all tithes of sheaves arising from gardens or orchards dug with the foot, and the tithes of wool, lambs, chicken, calves, milkmeats, pigs, geese, ducks, hens, bees, pasture, pigeons, honey, wax, apples, pears, garden herbs, hemp, flax, eggs, silva cedua, merchandizes; and all manner of tithes whatsoever of things due of custom or right, the tithes of sheaves arising elsewhere than in the aforesaid places, and of hay within the parish only excepted. Besides which, he decreed, that the vicar should have three cart loads of hay, and two cart loads (caractatæ) of straw, to be delivered by the religious or their servants there, at their own cost, and at convenient times yearly. And he taxed and estimated the above portion in annual value at ten marcs sterling; and appointed, that at the above rate of taxation, the vicar ought to pay to the tenth whenever any such should be exacted, or that he ought to contribute to it; but that the vicar should undergo the burthen of officiating in the church, either by himself or some other fit priest, in divine offices, and in finding of lights in the chancel, and of bread and wine for the celebrating of masses, and that he should pay the procuration due to the archdeacon when he visited, and the expences for the chrism and oil when required, and the making of pentecostal processions; but that he should not take any thing beyond the above portion, or undergo or acknowledge any other burthens than those expressed above. (fn. 2) After this the church and advowson of the vicarage remained with the above monastery till the final dissolution of it anno 30 king Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered into the king's hands, where this rectory and advowson staid but a short time, for the king, by his dotation-charter, in his 33d year, settled them on his new-erected dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose possessions they now continue. It is remarkable, that in this dotation charter, the rectory and vicarage of Stone, near Faversham, is granted to the dean and chapter, instead of this of Stone, in the Isle of Oxney, which is no where mentioned in it, though they have enjoyed the latter, and not the former, ever since, under that charter.

In 1384, this church, or rectory appropriate, was valued at twenty pounds, but anno 30 Henry VIII. it was demised by the abbot and convent, together with all tithes, fruits and emoluments, to John Stilley, on a lease for twelve years, at the yearly rent of sixteen pounds and twenty pence. It is now demised on a beneficial lease, by the dean and chapter, at the like yearly rent. Sir Edward Hales, bart. of St. Stephen's being the present lessee of it. (fn. 3)

The vicarage is valued in the king's books at 17l. 12s. 8½d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 15s. 3¼d. In 1587 it was valued at fifty pounds, communicants one hundred and sixty. In 1640 at only forty, communicants eighty-seven. By a survey of this parsonage in 1650, it appeared that it consisted of one close, called Glebeland, containing three acres, whereon the great barn, commonly called the parsonage barn, then much decayed, stood, worth together five pounds per annum, and all the tithes of corn and hay in the parish; all which were let by the dean and chapter anno 1633, for twenty-one years, at the yearly rent of sixteen pounds and twenty pence, but were worth, over and above the same, forty pounds per annum. In which lease the lessees covenant to take down the granary and two bayes of the barn, and to erect on the glebe-land a farm house, and to keep the same in repair, as well as the chancel of the church; the presentation being excepted.

The hay and straw before-mentioned are now compounded for yearly to the vicar, by the payment of 3l. 5s. in lieu of it. It is now of the annual value of one hundred and fifty pounds, and about ninety pounds clear income. There are four acres of glebe land belonging to it.

In the year 1735 disputes having arisen between the vicar and the parishioners, on the manner of paying vicarial tithes for the grass-lands within this parish, an award was made next year, by which those lands were adjudged, and have ever since paid to the vicar one shilling and six-pence per acre in money, for all tithes whatsoever. (fn. 4)

There was land and wood, containing two acres, in this parish, given to find a lamp in this church, and thence called Lampfield, which use was suppressed, among others of the like fort, anno 2 Edward VI.

Church of Stone.

Footnotes