ASH-NEXT-SANDWICH

 When I was a teenager, we used to go to a coffee bar in Sandwich called The Trapezium. It was a real biker halt. Our route from Canterbury there, took us through the little village of Ash, with its' pretty buildings and narrow main road through the middle.

Between then and now, the A257 was moved to by-pass Ash, and it is now a quiet sleepy backwater.

I had intended just to visit the church but the walk from the public car park up hill to the church showed me that there is probably a lot more of Ash to be discovered. Indeed, my research may encourage me to make a second visit at a later date.

However, we will start with St. Nicholas church, which is very interesting and full of surprises.

It has a light and airy entrance porch, with glass doors into the nave which are engraved with doves.

This is the fourteenth century effigy of a knight  - Sir John Leverick.

Sir John’s family’s estate was Hills Court just outside Ash, marked by a road name today. It is possible that Sir John was the same John Loverick who was mayor of Sandwich in 1346. The Leverick and Septvans familes were connected, with Sir John marrying Joan daughter of John Septvans, of Milton.

The material is probably Totternhoe a type of chalk.

This image shows the 14th-century monument to Sir John Goshall 

 and two excellent alabaster memorials to Sir Thomas Harfleet (d 1612) and Christopher Toldervy (d 1618).

Mrs Toldervy appears twice in the church for she accompanies her husband on his memorial and may also be seen as a `weeper` on her parents` memorial! On that she is one of two survivors of what was once a group of seven daughters - all her weeping brothers have long since disappeared.

John de Septvans, who died in 1458, and his wife, their effigies of alabaster. He wears a livery collar of Esses, denoting his Lancastrian allegiance, elaborate armour and, very unusually, is shown with markedly receding hair. 

the following pictures have yet to be researched...................

two sets of Royal Arms – Charles II and George III – the former discovered hidden behind the latter in recent years

Richard Horsman Solly – Geologist and botanist, contributed toward inventing a better microscope.

This is a brass memorial plaque dedicated to George Montagu Jull, who died in 1890 at age 66. The inscription indicates he was married to Christine G. Jull for 30 years and mentions the dedication of a window in his memory.

George Montagu Jull (c. 1824–1890) was a 19th-century English solicitor and legal clerk based in Westminster, London. He is primarily documented through legal archives, property trusts, and official gazette notices from the Victorian era.

Sgt. Herbert Baily Kelsey, Royal East Kent Yeomanry.  Boer War, Second (1899-1902) Died in South Africa in 1901 of a fever.

This is a Victorian-era brass memorial plaque dedicated to Agnes Catherine Godfrey, who died in 1891, and her brother, Captain Arthur Ingram Stewart Godfrey of the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment, who died in 1895.
The plaque commemorates their lives as the children of Colonel Albert Godfrey and Olivia Charlotte Godfrey.

"The Captain, who had several soldiers with him, was out shooting, and seeing a lion in the distance he immediately fired at it, hitting it well but not giving it a fatal stroke. The lion immediately charged, and Capt. Godfrey was enabled to send another bullet through the heart. The fierce feline, however, came forward with a plunge and caught the European by the centre of the body in his huge jaws and carried him away. The soldiers, who were alongside the Capt. when he was caught, commenced striking the lion on the head with the butt ends of their rifles, as they were afraid to shoot, fearing they might hit their officer. Dropping the Capt. out of his mouth the lion jumped upon one of the native soldiers and mauled him, when one of his comrades fired, shooting the fierce animal through the brain. It was then found that Capt. Godfrey was beyond hope, as the infuriated beast had crunched through his vitals at the first bite.' F. McCartney - O.C. Troops, Fort Smith. Buried at Fort Smith Dec. 1899"

This ledger slab commemorates Mr. John Bushell, who died on June 6, 1756, at the age of 80.
The inscription notes he was born in Minster in the Isle of Thanet and resided in Nonington for many years.

Captain Joseph Westbeech was an officer in the British Royal Navy who lived from approximately 1758 to 1811. He is primarily known through historical records and his family lineage as a career naval officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras. 

He was the grandfather of George Copp Westbeech (born 1844), a noted 19th-century trader and elephant hunter in early Rhodesia and Zambia (often referred to as the "White Induna"). 

He is buried in the vault.

"To the Glory of God and in loving memory of Harriett Gardner of Guilton Rectory in this parish who died Febry. 24th. 1901, aged 85. This window is dedicated by her children and grandchildren."

 

Memorial to members of the Tomlin family

15th-century monumental brass commemorating Jane Keriell, wife of S. Keriell.
Date: Circa 1455.

Great parish chest

This white marble memorial tablet commemorates Thomas Coleman, his wife Elizabeth, and their son Thomas, who resided at Goss Hall in the parish of Ash-next-Sandwich, Kent.
The elder Thomas Coleman died on February 2, 1856, at the age of 67, while his wife Elizabeth passed away on September 20, 1865.
The tablet was erected by their surviving sons and daughters in affectionate remembrance.
Their eldest son, Thomas Coleman, died on February 14, 1895, at the age of 78.

This is a 18th-century ledger stone honoring Gervasius Cartwright (Gervas Cartwright), who died on April 6, 1721. 
Inscription Translation: The text begins with "H.S.E." (Hic Sepultus Est), meaning "Here is buried".
Gervas was the son of Mrs. Eliz. Cartwright and left money to endow a charity school in the parish. 

This is a white marble memorial plaque dedicated to Arthur William Godfrey.
Godfrey served as a Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade during the Crimean War, specifically participating in battles at Alma, Balaklava, and Inkermann.
He died of cholera in camp before Sebastopol on November 27, 1854.

When Arthur William Godfrey was born on 19 January 1829, in Saint Helier's Church, Saint Helier, Jersey, his father, John Jull later Godfrey, was 39 and his mother, Augusta Isabella Ingram, was 26. He died on 27 November 1854, in Sevastopol, Ukraine, at the age of 25

The East window - all those little fleurs-de-Lys!

a memorial brass for Christopher Septvans (also known as Harflete) and his wife Mercy Hendley,
The brass dates back to the late 16th century, specifically between 1575 and 1602.
It is a funeral brass set into a dark stone slab on the church floor, featuring engraved figures of a man in armour and a woman in period dress.

This is the ledger stone of Dame Elizabeth Peke.
The inscription identifies her as the relict (widow) of Sir Edward Peke and the daughter of Sir George Wentworth.
She was the sister of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, and passed away on February 25th. 

This commemorates a woman named Alice, widow of William Gylberd, dated 1395.

This is an 17th-century ledger stone honouring Thomas Peke of Hills Court in Ash.
The inscription indicates he died on August 7, 1701, at the age of 29.
It records his marriage to Elizabeth, daughter of Anthony Ball of Bromley, and lists their six children. 

This is a brass memorial plaque commemorating John Sladden, a doctor who served in the parish for 30 years, and his wife Elizabeth.
The plaque is inscribed with their birth and death dates, noting John was born in 1812 and died in 1870, while Elizabeth died in 1903.
It indicates the memorial was erected by their five surviving children. 

This is the "Life and Growth" stained glass window of 2007 by John Corley in a north aisle window.

This marble tablet commemorates Sidney Bourne, who was born on April 15, 1861, and passed away in Cairo on April 14, 1900.

This plaque is a Benefaction Board located in a church, detailing a charitable gift from 1865.
It records a donation of £500 by Mary Wood, intended to fund the maintenance of her family monument and provide warm clothing for poor women.
The gift was structured so that the interest generated by the money would be distributed annually in the month of December. 

and so to the rest of the village........

Provision House really is in the heart of the village, being directly opposite the church. It dates back over 300 years and has always been an important focus in the village. In its time it has been the main village store amongst many other uses, including a wig makers, a fine shoe makers, candle maker and carpenters.

A bit further along the road towards Canterbury, is a charming little garden with seats all around it - and this plaque on the wall by the entrance.

Guilton airfield lay to the west of Ash, between what is now the A256 Ash By-pass and Durlock Road. It was little more than a grass runway landing ground, and only operational for a year towards the end of World War I. 

Sopwith Camels of No 50 Squadron had Guilton available to them as a Home Defence landing ground instead of Broad Salts towards the end of World War One. The unit changed equipment again at the Armistice of November 1918 to subsequently operate Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a fighters.

Built during the reign of Richard II in the year 1383, the inn known as the Chequer began life as a standard Hall-House with detached kitchen, in the Manor of Chequer and Chilton, Ash next Sandwich. For many years it served as the manor house of these estates.

The property was owned by John de Septvans, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer—from which the house later derived its name. The Septvans family (sometimes known as the Harflets) held the property for almost a century and a half.

The building has evolved and expanded over the centuries. In 1576 the property was held by Nicholas Haines, a wool merchant of Canterbury, formerly of Chartham.

By 1603, ownership passed to William Leggatt, a property owner of Canterbury who also held estates at Sandwich, Eastry and Dover.

In 1674, the property was purchased by Thomas Roberts, hop grower and brewer of Canterbury. Roberts was granted a licence at Dover in May 1674 to supply ales and ciders to the parish of Ash. The Chequer's long tenure as a public house had begun.

In 1676, a three-bay stable block was added to the property to serve the growing trade.

In 1708, The house was purchased by Richard Hollingbury, brewer of the borough of Staplegate within the walls of Canterbury. In July of that year a joint licence was issued to Hollingbury and his wife Elizabeth, and they carried on business together.

In the 1780s, at the height of the coaching era, The Chequer became an established Post House where mail was collected and sorted. Two post boys were employed at the inn for a period of thirty years.

After more than 340 years of continuous service, The Chequer faced an uncertain future when it closed in 2014. But locals rallied together to save their pub from conversion to housing, reopening the doors in 2019.

The building was Grade II listed in 1952.