Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

One time site of a chapel and hermitage. The chapel was pulled down in 1543. The hermitage was extant in 1776. No physical evidence of these structures survives

Monument Types

• CHAPEL (CHAPEL, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1776 AD)
• HERMITAGE (RELIGIOUS) (HERMITAGE, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1776 AD)

Full description

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(TR 32805837) Hermitage (GT) (Site of) (1) Close to St Mary's Church (TR 35 NW 18), to the SW, there was a chapel dedicated to St James (St Jacob's). It was pulled down in 1543 and when Boys wrote there was no trace of it beyond a burial ground in occasional use. There was a hermitage at the West end of the burial ground which was sold in 1776. The last hermit was John Steward who, at the Reformation, became parson of St Mary's. (2,3) The site of the burial ground is now occupied by a playing field of the Sandwich Primary School. The headmaster recalls that burials have been discovered in the field from time to time. No evidence of the chapel or hermitage survives. (4)

<1> O.S. 25" 1956 (OS Card Reference). SKE47810.

<2> Historic Haven Sandwich 1954 p.168 (D Gardiner) (OS Card Reference). SKE44079.

<3> Hist. of Sandwich 1792. 328-9 (W Boys) (OS Card Reference). SKE44070.

<4> F1 FGA 18-JUN-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42938.

<5> Field report for monument TR 35 NW 13 - June, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6036.

Sources and further reading