and it happens that we meet with him again in the
Chilham rental where he holds the same piece of land which is now
described as "at ye end of Udumnd Green". In this way we learn
that Uddenham and Udumnd Greens are the same place. Turning to the
Halford Mills MSS. we are told that the Greene (whose name he does not
know) was "near 30 acres" in area and stretched "from the
river over Hague Hill in length". He also states that the Bell and
the Roundabout, both on the 6 inch map, were on the Green. It is now
abundantly evident that Uddenham Green centred on what is now called
Smarden Bell but we have yet to discover Uddenham itself. The Green was
evidently on both sides of the long stretch of road passing through the
Bell and all north and west of this road seems to have been in the Den
of Marden belonging to Chilham. South of the Green we come very quickly
to the Den of Smarden also belonging to Chilham and including Ash Farm,
as I am informed by Mr. W. H. Knocker. This leaves only two existing
claimants for the chief house of the Uddenham den. The first is Hadman's
Place but this seems to be on the Chilham side of the road and can only
have been at the extreme end of the Green. On the other hand, we can
recognize some resemblance between Hadmans and Udumnd, which would be
more impressive if there were not an Adman Field on Ash Farm and a
Hamden farm in quite a different part of the parish. On the whole it
seems likely, as Wallenberg (Place Names
of Kent) suggests, |
|
that Hadman's enshrines the personal name Hadman
and has nothing to do with Uddenham. This leaves only Smarden Bell—now a hamlet with a public house, smithy, etc.—as a probable site of
Uddenhom. This is in the middle of the south edge of the Green and it is
clear that it does not now bear its original name which has been
superseded by that of the Bell Inn. It is therefore a good claimant and
is almost certainly the old Uddenham much disguised.
HILDGARINGDENN.
This is the remaining den of Little Chart which is in the
Smarden area. F. says it is in Pluckley and K.PN. hints at Garden Wood
in Surrenden Park as a survival of the name. The M.R. do not bear this
out. According to these the den includes:
(a) Withernden Meadowe and Le Ost.
(b) Lands of Michael Eason in Bethersden and Pluckley.
(c) Sixteen acres in Bethersden and Smarden.
(d) Bakers Garden and 56 acres in Little Chart including pieces named
great and Little Hothe, Great and Little Hickes, Hicksgrove, Little
Marling, Donghills, Great Bakers, Stanfords, Barefield, Moltehole,
Middle Wood, Easy Hill and a field whose name puzzled the manor clerk
who seems to have written |