Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The Manor of East Barming is mentioned in Domesday and was owned by the Clare family. The Barming moiety of the manor was given to the Benedictine nunnery of St. Helen's in London. A Norman Manor house was built west of the Church in Barming and the bridge across the River Medway, 450m to the south east, is also known as St. Helen's Bridge.

All buildings were cleared away by 1844, the eel house being the last to survive.

The manor site today is marked by a hollow where the cellars appear to have been, 18 yards or 16.46m from the churchyard wall. It has been incorporated into an extension of the graveyard. No evidence of building materials has been found in archaeological excavations or in grave cutting, although broken tile fragments are scattered on the surface.

Coins found at the Roman Villa site (TQ 75 SW 22) include a silver penny of Edward I.

Monument Types

• MANOR HOUSE (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 71995417] Manor House [NR] (Site of) [NAT] (1) The manor of East Barming is mentioned in Domesday and was owned by the Clare family. The manor was held as two moieties and that which comprised East Barming was given to the Benedictine nunnery of St. Helen's, London, whence it acquired the name of St. Helen's. It occurs in many different hands after the Dissolution. The ancient house and dovecote stood nearly at the foot of the hill near St. Helen's Bridge: both have been pulled down not many years since. (2) The Norman manor house stood at the NW corner of the field [shown at OS site on small sketch plan.] The site of it is a large hollow where the cellars appear to have been. The mansion apparently stood parallel with the church and opposite to it; the brink of the hollow is only 18 yards from the churchyard wall. Mr. Noble's MS mentions its repair in Elizabethan times. In excavations near the Roman villa [TQ 75 SW 22] some of the 'out-offices ' of the manor house may have been found '.. they ran somewhat parallel to the remains of the dovecot. ' Coins found at the villa-site include a silver penny of Edward I. All buildings are now cleared away - the last, an eel-house in 1844. (3) The site of the manor house falls within an extension to the graveyard of St. Margaret's Church. The ground lies under pasture and has not been dug for graves as yet. No traces of building material were seen here or in an adjoining freshly-ploughed field. (4) No evidence was found in recently cut graves but the general area has a good deal of broken tile fragments scattered about its surface. (5)

<1> OS 6" 1931-47 (OS Card Reference). SKE48329.

<2> History of Kent 4 1898 386 (Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44122.

<3> Collectanea Antiqua 1 1848 193 (Beale Post) (OS Card Reference). SKE39188.

<4> F1 ASP 28.05.59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42324.

<5> F2 CFW 11.02.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43219.

<6> Field report for monument TQ 75 SW 20 - May, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4006.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 75 SW 20 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4007.

Sources and further reading