OXNEY,
IN antient records written Oxene, lies at the northeast bounds of this hundred, the next parish adjoining
northward from St. Margaret's at Cliffe. The borsholder is chosen at the court leet for the hundred of
Bewsborough.
THIS SMALL PARISH has nothing remarkable in
it, it is much the same in its situation and appearance as those already described in this part of Kent,
lying bleak and much exposed. The lands consist of
open uninclosed corn fields, the soil of which is chalk,
and much of it very poor. The court-lodge, called
Oxney-house, is the only one in the parish.
THE MANOR OF OXNEY was in early times in the
possession of the family of Auberville, who held it by
knight's service of Hamo de Crevequer, as of the manor of Folkestone. Sir William de Auberville, of
Westenhanger, held this manor in king Richard I.'s
time, whose grandson of the same name left an only
daughter and heir Joane, who marrying Nicholas de
Criol, brought him this manor, and his descendant
Sir Nicholas de Criol, or Keriel, died possessed of it in
the 2d year of king Richard II. and his son William
Keriel alienated it to Robert Tame. After this family
was become extinct here, the Sedleys, of Southfleet,
became possessed of it, in whom it continued down to
John Sedley, esq. of Southfleet, one of the auditors
of the exchequer, in king Henry VII.'s reign, who
added much to the building of the court-lodge here;
in the younger branch of whose descendants, seated at
Scadbury, in that parish, this manor continued down
till at length the descendant of them, Sir Charles Sedley, bart. of Nuthall, in Nottinghamshire, passed it
away by sale to Rose Fuller, esq. of Sussex, who died
possessed of it in 1777, s. p. and gave it by his will to
John Trayton Fuller, esq. who married his niece, and
he is at this time the possessor of it. There is no court
held for this manor.
There are no parochial charities. The poor of this
parish are maintained with the poor of the adjoining
one of St. Margaret at Cliffe, this parish paying after
the rate of one third, and that of St. Margaret the
other two thirds towards the relief of the poor of both
parishes.
OXNEY is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of
Sandwich.
The church, which was dedicated to St. Nicholas,
has been long since desecrated. The walls of it still
remain; it has a roof, and is now made use of as a
barn. This church was antiently part of the possessions of the family of Auberville, owners likewise of
the manor as above-mentioned, one of whom, Sir
William de Auberville, senior, in king Richard I.'s
reign, having founded West Langdon abbey, gave
this church to it in pure and perpetual alms, which
gift was afterwards confirmed by his descendants Simon
de Auberville, or Albrincis, and Nicholas de Criol.
After which this church continued with the abbey to
which it was appropriated, till the dissolution of it in
the 27th year of king Henry VIII.'s reign, when it
was, among the rest of the possessions of the abbey,
granted in the 29th year of that reign to the archbishop, who not long afterwards exchanged the scite of
the abbey and other possessions of it, among which
was the advowson and appropriation of this church,
with the crown, whence it was not long afterwards
granted to the family of Sedley, owners of the manor
of Oxney likewise, since which the tithes and other
emoluments of this desecrated church have continued
vested in the owners of the manor down to the present
time, John Trayton Fuller, esq. being the present
proprietor of them.
There was a yearly payment to the curate of this
church reserved to it in king Henry VIII.'s grant of
the scite and lands of Langdon abbey, which shews
the church was not at that time desecrated. The
chamberlain of St. Augustine's abbey paid yearly to
the abbot of Langdon, or to whomever for the time
being should administer divine offices to the abbot
and convent's tenants of Oxene, three bushels of
barley. (fn. 1)
Archbishop Walter granted licence to the canons
of West Langdon, to serve in this church, among
others, which thereupon became afterwards esteemed
as a perpetual curacy. (fn. 2)
James Jeken, the tenant of the court lodge, is
the present lay rector, and receives the tithes of this
parish.