Aspects of Kentish Local History

Some Kentish Gravestones & other notes

St Margaret's Church, Rochester M.I.s with Index of names at end

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Monumental Inscriptions of St Margaret's Church, St Margaret's Street, Rochester
                                                                                   - recorded by D. E. Williams 2008

Introduction
The parish of St Margaret covered all of Rochester, except for within the old city walls, and an area east of the city, which was the parish of St Nicholas. Later, further parishes were carved out of St Margaret's, such as St Matthew, Borstal, formed in 1902.
   The first mention of the church is in a charter of Bishop Gundulph in 1108-09.
   The area around the church was a focus for Anglo–Saxon burials. Opposite the church, in Watts Avenue, 30 burials were found at the end of the 19th century. Further burials were found in Roebuck Road, and in 1979, three burials, partly excavated by the present writer, were found a short distance south of Watts Avenue, these graves were probably part of the Watts Avenue burial ground. It may well be that a "chapel of ease" existed on the site previously, but no church is mentioned in Domesday Book.
   The medieval church included a chapel belonging to the Lee family, which probably contained monuments to the family, if so, only one has survived, that of Thomas Manley (1690), who had married Jane Lee. John Thorpe records Lee arms from the chapel, in Registrum Roffenses, 1769, but no monuments in the chapel apart from that of Manley, perhaps any Lee monuments in the chapel were not visible in Thorpe's time?

Photograph of watercolour 1807. From the Petrie collection 

   By the 19th century, the medieval church was inadequate for the congregation, so the decision was taken to rebuild.
   The church was taken down and a larger plainer church was built in 1823-4. In 1839-40 the chancel and Lee chapel were demolished and a new chancel built. The church was re-built in rendered brick. The landmark 15th century tower fortunately remains.
   The fine view from the churchyard to the west and south takes in the winding River Medway and the North Downs.
   About 1959, the headstones in the churchyard were moved to the walls when the local authority took over maintenance of churchyards, apparently to make grass cutting easier, resulting in loss of character of the churchyard. It seems no attempt was made to record inscriptions on the rear of some stones, these were recorded by the present writer, at least, in part. It may have been about this time that some stones, which were noted in the past, but are now missing, may have been destroyed?
   The churchyard was closed for burials in 1865, when the new St Margaret's Cemetery (alongside St Nicholas Cemetery), Maidstone Road, Rochester was opened in 1865.

Section A  Interior of Church

Section B   Larger Monuments around the Churchyard

Section C  Western boundary wall (Backfields wall)

Section D  Southern boundary wall (Vange Mews), Eastern Boundary Wall
                             (St Margaret's Street, from the south. North of Lych Gate. Ledgers &
                              headstones forming a retaining wall south of the church. Cut down 
                              ledges forming steps on south side of church. 

Index of Names - from gravestones only

Locate the name you are interested in and note the numbers following. Using the links below, jump to the Section containing the number. Click on Edit at the top left of your screen, and from the drop down menu, click on Find on this page  (if Edit is not showing press CTL + F together) and type in the name. The cursor will jump straight to the name, highlighting it. Be sure to click on Next at the top, in case the name occurs again.
   Be sure to use the same method to search for any other names that you are interested in not listed below, that may perhaps occur amongst the many wills.
   Happy ancestor hunting.

Sections     A  01-50     B  51-96     C  97-223     D  224-272

Names Index ABBOTT 73 ADAMS 112 ALEXANDER 237 ALLAN 82 ALLEN 142 ALLIN 35, 254 AMOS 7 ANDREWS 55 ARMES 203 BAKER 5, 62, 137 BAMFORD 117 BARTHOLOMEW 233 BATTEN 102, 103 BAUCKHAM 83 BAXTER 137 BAYNARD 39 BELSON 57 BENNESS 119, 248 BINGHAM 44, 244 BLACKMORE 124 BLAKE 86 BODENT 189 BOGHURST 9, 10 BOSNELL 269 BOWEN 138 BOWMER 75 BOYS 54 BRADLEY 169, 210 BRAIN 211 BRANDER 86 BRENCHLEY 22	BREWER 259 BRICE 167 BRISLEY 22, 55 BROADFOOT 207 BROMFIELD 129, 130 BROMLEY 179 BROOKE 222, BROOKS 234 BUCKMASTER 86 BULLARD 3, 123 BUNYAR 220 BURCHAM 52 BURN 60, 61, 87 BURNETT 199, 219 BURRELL 136 BURTON 160 CAMERON 258 CAZENEUVE 16 CHURCH 128 CLARKE 45, 256 CLEMENTS 20 CLUFF 1 COD 46 CODD 50 COLCHESTER 74 COLE 43 COLLEY 199 COLLINS 187 CONEY 94 CONINGSBY 147 COPPER 101	COREY 37 CORNWELL 59 CORRALL 230 COWEE 189 COX 42 CRASWELL 252 CRESY 246 CURLING 170 DADD 114 DADSON 56 DALTON 80 DAVIES 202 DAVIS 214 DAY 156 DE COURCY 17, 19 DEAN 139, 198 DEBOIS 88 DICKESON 193, 194 DIXON 13 DOUGLAS 51 DRAGE 82 EASON 59 EDMUNDS 200 ELLIOTT 4 ELLIS 129 ELY 52 ETHERINGTON 267 EVANS 89 EWER 47
FARQUHAR 261 FENNELL 63 FENNEMORE 201 FENNER 1311 FERGUSON 56, 190 FINCH 90 FISHER 180 FLETCHER 239 FLOWER 138 FORWOOD 161 FREDERICK 108 FRENCH 121 FRESHWATER 178 FULLER 100 GAMON 152 GARRISH 186 GEORGE 52 GERRARD 179 GIBSON 252 GOBBETT 224 GOTTO 52 GOULD 270 GRIFFITHS 213 GUTTERIDGE 245	HALL 227, 238 HALLEY 105, 159 HAMMOND 31 HARDWIDGE 246 HARKER 271 HARLING 75, 253 HARRISON 241 HARVEY 62 HEAD 41 HENDRES 37 HERBERT 138 HETT 204 HICKS 63 HIDER 177 HIGGINS 699 HILLIER 66 HINDE 15 HOBART 195 HODDER 16 HODGSON 134 HOLLIDAY 118 HOMAN 82, 91, 209,240 HORE 181 HORN 71, 242 HORTON 154 HOUNSELL 131 HUGGET 53 HUGHES 116 HUNT 135 HUTCHISON 92	IRWIN 53 JENNINGS 8, 25, 196 JOHNSON 246 JONES 48, 212 JUPP 152 JURY 229 KIDWELL 231 KING 23, 174 KYBETT 153 LAFFON 17, 19 LAMBE 11 LAMPHORN 73 LANE 243 LANGLEY 93, 221 LARKIN 82, 100 LAW 26, 190 LAWS 268 LEAKE 249 LEITH 80 LEWIS 137 LIGHT 150 LINCOLN 115 LIPTON 206 LITTLEWOOD 185 LLOYD 73 LOWRY 247
Sections     A  01-50     B  51-96     C  97-223     D  224-272
MANLEY 58 MANLY 29 MANSFIELD 32 MAPLESDEN 176 MARSH 131 MARTIN 206, 216, 271 MASON 2 MATTHEWS 54, 252 MAYOR 164 MERCER 149 MEYRICK 104 MIDDLETON 125 MILES 156 MILLER 250 MILTON 69 MOFFAT 24, 51 MOORE 32 MORPHETT 18 MORSE 33 MOULDEN 13, 163	NARRACOTT 226 NICHOLSON 67 NIGHTINGALE 54 NOAKES 192 NORRIS 236 O’BRIEN 86 OLIVER 164 PAINE 229 PARKINSON 272 PARRETT 121 PATTEN 53 PAYNE 229 PEARSON 155 PERCY 40 PETMAN 197 PHILLIPS 78 POLLARD 133 POPE 173	PORTLOCK 56 POWNEY 56 PULMAN 183 READ 126 REAVELY 198 ROBERTS 49, 260 ROBSON 116 ROBINSON 116 RODNEY 217 ROE 213 ROOTS 228 ROSINGROVE 109 RUSH 36 RYBOT 65 RYE 22, 55
Sections     A  01-50     B  51-96     C  97-223     D  224-272
SALMON 184 SAUNDERS 27, 28, 67 SAWYERS 79 SAYER 30 SCOTT 148 SCRIMES 113 SEAGER 136 SEYMOUR 107 SHERWOOD 105 SIBURN 172 SIBURNE 175 SIDDEN 73 SIMMONS 251 SINCLAIR 12 SMALLMAN 94 SMITH 53, 68, 76, 77, 202 SNATT 120 SOUTHERDEN 81 SPARROW 104 SPENCE 150 SPONG 98, 99, 100 STARKE 99 STEDMAN 111 STIGANT 31 STROUD 218 SWAYNE 8, 25 SYMES 17	THACKRAY 210 THOMPSON 140 THURTLE 223 TILLMAN 165 TOMKINSON 205 TOMLIN 139 TOMLYN 38 TORKINGTON 60 TREGO 237 TROWTEN 97 TROY 16 TUFF 191 TUMBRIDGE 171 TWOPENNY 95 USBORNE 193 VAIL 223 VASLER 83 VERRIER 72	WADDUP 54, 102 WALKER 266 WALKINS 233 WALLER 84 WARD 6, 11, 106, 143 WATHERSTONE 96 WAVLER 84 WEBB 1 WELLER 141 WELLS 109 WHEATLEY 21 WHITE 30 WICKHAM 75 WILKINS 34, 224 WILLIAMS 146, 166 WINCH 70 WINTER 222 WINTOUR 66 WOOD 14 WOOLLEY 20 WOOLNOUGH 265 WOOLSEY 189 WRIGHT 188, 208 YEO 64 YOUNGE 217

Sections     A  01-50     B  51-96     C  97-223     D  224-272

Locate the name you are interested in and note the numbers following. Using the links above, jump to the Section containing the number. Click on Edit at the top left of your screen, and from the drop down menu, click on Find on this page  (if Edit is not showing press CTL + F together) and type in the name. The cursor will jump straight to the name, highlighting it. Be sure to click on Next at the top, in case the name occurs again.
   Be sure to use the same method to search for any other names that you are interested in not listed above, that may perhaps occur amongst the many wills.
   Happy ancestor hunting.