Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1066 to 1539, Site of a medieval quintain

Monument Types

• TILTYARD (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TQ 65 NE 5 :
[TQ 65735727] The Quintain [GT] (1) On Offham Green there stands a quintin [sic]. It stands opposite a dwelling-house which is bound to keep it up.(2) [The house to the north is called Quintain House on O.S. 6" 1909, TQ 65 NE 30] (2) Described as of Tudor period. Still standing at time of writing. (3) Ref. to the quintain being 'reinstated' after the 1939-45 war, on 11th August, 1945. (4) The quintain is mounted on a wooden post of later date. It is kept in good repair - GP/AO/59/56/3 from SE. Upon a stone nearby is the inscription: "Here stands an original Quintain, a relic of the Middle Ages. The pastime - a Roman exercise - was for the youth on horseback to run at it as fast as possible and hit the broad part in his career with much force. He that by chance hit it not at all was treated with loud peals of derision and he who did hit it made the best use of his swiftness, lest he should have a sound blow on his neck from the bag of sand which instantly swung round from the other end of the quintain. The great design of this sport was to try the agility of both horse and man and to break the board, which whoever did, he was accounted chief of the day's sport". Antiquity Model Survey correct. (5) Checked and correct. (6) TQ6457-6557 OFFHAM C.P. TESTON ROAD (south side) 8/9 1.8.52 Quintain (formerly Listed as the Quintain on the village green) II Tilting pole. Probably originally medieval, much restored since. Concreted pedestal, to wooden stock 9 feet high. Asymmetrical cross-bar on swivel. 1 shorter flat arm with small depressions in it, 1 larger arm carrying chain with weight on end. Listed for its historical interest. (7) Quintain, or tilting pole stands on the village green of Offham. (8)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ6457-6557 OFFHAM C.P. TESTON ROAD 8/9 (south side) 1.8.52 Quintain (formerly Listed as the Quintain on the village green)
II
Tilting pole. Probably originally medieval, much restored since. Concreted pedestal, to wooden stock 9 feet high. Asymmetrical cross-bar on swivel. 1 shorter flat arm with small depressions in it, 1 larger arm carrying chain with weight on end. Listed for its historical interest. Listing NGR: TQ6571157311 (12)

Extract
Festival of Britain
"Mr Wilkinson reported that there had been some delay in obtaining the stone on which the history of the Quintain was to be carved but that this stone was now ready and that the whole job could be completed by the 15th September. He also reported that the latest estimate was slightly under £35 against the original estimate of £25 due to the necessity of using stone instead of a bronze plaque and to the increased cost of cutting.

The meeting decided that the unveiling of the stone take place on Saturday, 15th September (1951) and then adjourned to the site to decide on the exact location." (11)

From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Quintain, 36m south-east of Quintain House.

Reasons for Designation
A quintain is an object supported by a crosspiece on a post, used by knights as a target in tilting. It was used as a form of military training and/or recreation in Roman camps and later became a popular activity in the medieval period and subsequent centuries. The term probably derives from the Latin name for the street between the fifth and sixth maniples of a camp, where warlike exercises took place. The quintain was a lance exercise, often carried out on horse back, in which a competitor would attempt to strike an object or target set upon a pole. They had to hit the target at speed and with precision whilst avoiding the weight on the other end of the swing arm, which would otherwise hit them on the back of the head.

Despite restoration in the past, the quintain 36m south-east of Quintain House is a rare and perhaps unique monument which survives well. The site is likely to contain below-ground archaeological information relating to the construction and use of the quintain.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 17 December 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a quintain or tilting pole situated on the village green at the centre of Offham.

The quintain has an upright timber post about 2.7m high set in a concrete base or pedestal about 0.5m high. On top of the upright post is a crossbar or swing arm on an iron swivel. The shorter arm of the crossbar has an aiming board decorated with recessed circles about 2.5cm wide, arranged in 5 rows of 12. The longer arm carries a chain with an iron weight at its end.

Near the quintain is a rectangular stone set up in 1951 (not included in the monument) with an inscription providing an explanation of the history and use of the quintain.

Although this type of structure dates to the medieval period, this example is thought to date to the Tudor period. It is recorded in 1798, at which time the weight on the crossbar was a bag of sand, and is shown on 19th century Ordnance Survey maps. The quintain is likely to have been restored on several occasions. It was taken down during the Second World War and re-erected in the presence of Lord Cornwallis, Lord Lieutenant of Kent on 11th August 1945.

It is Grade II listed.(12)

<1> OS 25" 1936 (OS Card Reference). SKE48262.

<2> Hist of Kent 4 1798 533 ff (Hasted) illustn (OS Card Reference). SKE43975.

<3> Memorials of Malling 1893 65 (CH Fielding) (OS Card Reference). SKE46880.

<4> Arch Cant 59 1946 p.xxxvii (OS Card Reference). SKE35302.

<5> F1 ASP 06-JUN-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE41962.

<6> F2 FGA 09-FEB-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43318.

<7> DOE (HHR) Dist of Tonbridge & Malling Kent 1984 9 (OS Card Reference). SKE40383.

<8> Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 1980 441 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37895.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 65 NE 5 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3289.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 65 NE 5 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3290.

<11> Michael D Rowe, 1951, A special meeting of the Offham Parish Council (Miscellaneous Material). SKE15730.

<12> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading