ago, broke up their settlement round the church and migrated to "New Street". Otherwise why New Street? If we are correct in this assumption, we can believe that New Street has been the centre of Ridley’s population during all the six centuries since the Black Death.
   Neither did the Black Death spare the families of the feudal nobility, including that of the de Leybournes who had possessed the overlordship and advowsons of Ridley for a very long period. The last of that family was the great heiress Juliana, who died childless, and in 1377 King Edward III made Ridley over to the Abbey of St. Mary Grace, which stood on Tower Hill where are now the buildings of the Royal Mint. This was the last great Cistercian Abbey to be founded in England and, after Richard II had confirmed the gift of his predecessor, the overlordship of Ridley Manor and its advowson remained with that Abbey until its dissolution under Henry VIII.
   We have the names of two Roman Catholic "fathers" who officiated in Ridley Church, and presumably lived in the Old Rectory viz. Geoffrey de Rainham 1353, and John Harewold? in 1354.
   We know surprisingly little about Ridley during the 200 years following the Black Death, but it appears a Cobham acquired the Manor in 1382. That family could not have held it for long, however, since we know that in1438 it was transferred from William Idele (Idley?) and his wife Rose, to William Rikhill and his heirs for 100 mares.
   This William Rikhill was presumably the grandson of a famous Rikhill, Justice of the Common Pleas, who figures largely in the troublous time of Richard ll and Henry lV. William Rickhill the Younger married an heiress, Katherine Coventry, in 1421, became a prominent man in Kent and died soon after 1441, in which year he seems to have become dispossessed of Ridley. His coat of arms is still preserved in Nettlestead Church. The family of Fitz then held it until the dissolution of the monasteries.
   And so, under the beneficial overlordship of the Abbot of St. Mary Grace, life at Ridley was probably peaceful, and contentment reigned until Henry VIII brought about the overthrow of all monastic institutions. Ruthless destruction of venerable buildings and or organisations which kept the life of the country flowing with a great degree of smoothness were the forerunners of a period of distress such as the least fortunate of

Englishmen have never suffered in all our long history. Snoopers invaded the countryside and we have a record, which Thomas Averill, then Churchwarden of Ridley, had to sign in 1552, of the inventory of Church goods: -
      One old vestment of thread and twine of 
         little worth – very worn.
      Six bad alter cloths of linen.
      One bell.
      One paten – gilt.
   New lords and masters acquired possession of the Manor, and the land and advowson of Ridley in the persons of that ancient family of Sedley of Scadbury (or Scotbury) Park in Southfleet. We find that William Sedley was Patron when Henry Denton was instituted as Rector of Ridley on 1st April 1544. This parson Denton of the reformed faith was witness to the Will of Thomas Averill, Churchwarden in 1556. The Averills seem to have been a leading family of the Parish in those days, and Thomas may well have been the occupant of a Tudor Ridley Court, where he was perhaps the agent of the Sedleys in their newly acquired properties.
   It must have been the reigning Sedley who presented Thomas Maxwell D.D. to the living in Ridley at the close of the 16th century, when he was also the Rector of Ash. That Rev. Thomas Maxwell has his virtues immortalized on his ornate tombstone in the Church of Ash, and it must be under that Parish that further reference to him is most appropriate.
   It is known that it was a Sedley who presented Henry Stacey to Ridley living in 1604 – he has left his name in a property referred to as "Staceys" in the Court Rolls of the 19th century. It was likewise the Sedleys who presented John Lambe, Rector here from 1719 to 1740 and who is buried in Ridley Chancel. He was succeeded by his son David Lambe, who died as Rector in 1771.
   The Sedleys of Southfleet reigned over Ridley for about 230 years when, in 1769, Sir Charles Sedley moved out of Kent and sold the manor of Ridley with suit rent amounting to £3.14.7 per annum, the Manor House (Ridley Court) and about 413 acres of land in Ridley, Ash and Meopham, and also the Ridley advowson to William Glanville Evelyn of St. Clere in Ightham for £10,300. This