WYE

 I can remember when Wye was a town, resplendent with mayor and town council. Now it has been reduced to a village, under the umbrella of Ashford Borough Council. The name comes from the Old English word, meaning 'shrine' or 'idol'. 

Wye was settled as early as the Roman period. In the Saxon era, Wye was a royal manor and site of a royal court. It was later owned by Battle Abbey and supplied the abbey with tiles from a workshop here. 

Wye has held a lot of history, from Anglo-Saxon times right through to today. I won't cover any of it in depth, until I can supply the relevant photographs. However, the periods that are of most interest to me, are the Civil War era, and the history of Wye College. 

A 1648 Civil War skirmish involving roundheads and cavaliers took place at the entrance to Wye Court on Olantigh Road. Accounts identify four casualties of the encounter being buried at Wye, and three others killed. 

There is also a familial connection to Sir Richard Grevile, (also known as Grenville,) If you're not familiar with the Grevile family saga, it is well-documented in history books and on Wikipedia. However, if you prefer your history in novel format, may I recommend  Daphne du Maurier's book 'The King's General' ,very loosely based on the story of Richard Grevile, and a rollicking piece of literature!

Wye college has a long history. It was founded in 1447 as a chantry by Cardinal Kempe. From 1627, a grammar and charity school operated from the premises. In 1894 the buildings re-opened as the South Eastern Agricultural College, offering University of London degrees from 1898, and in 1948 incorporated as Wye College. It merged with Imperial College in 2000 but the campus was progressively closed between 2005 and 2009.

 Hop varieties including Wye Challenger were bred at Wye College and named for the village.

Wye's church, the Grade I listed church of St. Gregory & St. Martin, stands within its' churchyard, in the middle of the village. A church was established at Wye before the Norman Conquest, dedicated to St Gregory. In 1200 the manor was granted to Battle Abbey, and the second dedication to St Martin added. In the middle of the 15th century the church, by then ancient, was completely rebuilt by Archbishop Kempe, a native of Wye.

On the wall of the churchyard, I found this blue plaque. 

In 1548, the Reformation dictated images of the saints be removed, and following 1549's introduction of the Anglican prayer book, newly redundant silverware was sold.

Five years later, Catholic Queen Mary (1553–8) reinstated ornamentation and the lighting of candles, but papist resurgence did not stop there. Richard Thornden, Bishop of Dover and Nicholas Harpsfield, Archdeacon of Canterbury committed 10 Protestants to be burnt. Two of them, John Philpot of Tenterden, and Thomas Stephens of Biddenden were consumed by fire at Wye Church gate in January 1557. The next year however, cautiously Anglican Queen Elizabeth I was crowned and Protestant communion restored. 

I've not discovered why these two men were executed here, as neither were residents of Wye, and most heretics were burnt at Martyr's Field, in Wincheap, just outside the city walls of Canterbury, but from the notes in Foxe's 'Book of Martyrs', (page shown here), I feel they were burnt at Wye rather than Canterbury, as a warning to others in the area, and then two more at Ashford. This would make sense, as both Wye and Ashford were major market towns at the time.

However, the evidence is supported by the discovery  in 1958 of charred human bones when water pipes were being laid just outside the church gates. The churchwarden's accounts for the period, record the ominous purchase of 100 faggots of wood (although there is no official record of the reason)

Having finally gained access to the church of Ss. Gregory & Martin, I must admit to being a little underwhelmed. For a town with such a rich and varied history, I didn't expect the church to be so, well, ordinary.

In the middle of the 15th century, the Norman building was completely overhauled by John Kempe, Archbishop of Canterbury and a native of Wye.Kempe's long career in the church led to him being in turn Bishop of Rochester, Chichester, and London. For 26 years he was Archbishop of York, until he was made a Cardinal and finally, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is buried in Canterbury Cathedral. The Kempe arms of three wheatsheaves can be seen in several locations around the church.

The chancel was rebuilt around 1706, in a rather lovely Stuart style, with pastel colours that contrast with the late medieval nave. It is the contrast between Archbishop Kempe's medieval nave and the Queen Anne neo-classical chancel that give Wye church its unusual charm.

In 1572, the steeple was struck by lightning and burned, melting the lead cladding of the spire. Extensive repairs were finally paid for by 1579, but the structure was reported to be in much ruin and decay again by 1581. That may have been caused by the 1580 Dover Straits earthquake. In any event, further repairs to the steeple were carried out in 1582 and 1584.

The five great bells had been damaged by the 1572 fire and were finally, satisfactorily recast in 1593, though once raised back into place their weight would have added considerably to stresses on the steeple. In 1628, the wooden spire was replaced once again, but concerns about the state of the chancel, and risk of the steeple falling were not addressed.

On 22 March 1686, the steeple tower collapsed. Almost all the transepts; most of the chancel, and part of the nave were destroyed. The gilded and painted glass windows were gone, as were grand tombs of Cardinal Kempe and his father Thomas. Between 1700 and 1711 the church was reconstructed in its present, smaller form. Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea, as holder of the tithes, was required to rebuild the chancel and the parish had to pay the remainder. While the new chancel was finely crafted, work on the much reduced tower prioritised strength and economy. The new church was barely half the size of its predecessor. More destruction followed in World War II when a bomb blew out most of the medieval glass in the church. The large west window, with its stained-glass depiction of Archbishop Kempe, was inserted in the 1950s.

Among the most intriguing memorials in the church is a tablet to Lady Joanna Thornhill in the chancel. Lady Thornhill (1635-1708) was well known for her generosity and established a school for the poor of the parish. She was the great-granddaughter of Sir Richard Grenvile, and widow of Richard Thornhill, a Royalist cavalier.
Widowed at 22, she became a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II. When her brother was created Earl of Bath she gained the title 'Lady' and lived at Olantigh until her death. She left money in her will to provide schooling for those poor children not able to attend Kempe's college. Lady Thornhill's new school eventually became Wye's primary school.

Also there is a late 18th-century wall monument to Agnes and Mary Johnson, with an inscription reading:
'Their days were imbittered [sic] by various evils. Their conduct proves that true Christian resignation may palliate the heaviest afflictions.'
Curious words...........................

There is a set of memorial brasses to members of the Palmer family. These brasses are set into a modern panel immediately beside the south door. They commemorate Alice Palmer (d. 1467) with her two husbands Thomas Palmer and John Andrew, her 8 daughters and 3 sons.

Both husbands are dressed as merchants, with long tunics and short-cropped hair. Alice Palmer wears a distinctive late 15th-century horned headdress. The rather amusing inscription below the brasses translates as:
John Andrew the just and Thomas Palmer the good looking,
Going out into the world, were laid in hard marble,
and their wife Alice suffered a similar fate.
It is requested that you will not forget that they may live in Christ.

Pretty wall hangings in the nave...

As yet, I haven't identified the above arms.

This one shews the arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Memorial slab of Katherine Macham. 

"For Virtue, Piety and Good Works Religion was her Care and Heaven her Aim. 

Reader, go imitate her and be happy"

This last plaque, I demurred whether to include it or not. From this, one would infer that he was a remarkable man.

The truth isn't all it seems............................

I'm not going to include any details here, partly because I don't wish to waste my time unnecessarily. I will wait until the full facts are disclosed, if ever. Until then, if you want to discover the reason for my trepidation, here is a link to what is going on

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/serious-safeguarding-allegations-made-against-deceased-pries-309925/

Is says the plaque is to be taken down. It hasn 't as of today (17/08/2024), but given that this only became apparent a month ago, that's not surprising.

Olantigh

The house stands down a long drive, out of sight of the road, so all I could see was the fancifull gates and the alabaster pots.

The igh in the latter part of the name Olantigh often refers to islands, possibly a reference to the original dwelling being in the vicinity of an isle set in the River Stour. Alternatively, it has been proposed "Olentege" is Old English for "Holy Mount".

During Julius Caesar's 54 BC invasion of England he established a camp on the River Stour near to the present Olantigh. His forces faced several skirmishes with British forces attacking from their stronghold at Challock Wood.

The first known holder of the manor of Olantigh was Sir Norman Kempe (c. 1235–1295). Notable Kempes to live at Olantigh included John Kemp (1380–1454), Archbishop of Canterbury, and his nephew Thomas Kempe (died 1489), Bishop of London. Sir Thomas Kemp rebuilt the house in 1508.

When Sir Thomas Kempe died c1607 without a son, Olantigh was sold to Sir Timothy Thornhill. Royalist Colonel Richard Thornhill, the grandson of Timothy Thornhill, and husband of Lady Joanna Thornhill was described as chief agent in Kent of the 1655 Sealed Knot Penruddock uprising. As a result of his resistance to the Commonwealth, in 1706 (?) he was fined as a Delinquent by Parliament and allegedly became hopelessly involved in drinking and gambling. Eventually, and after much obstruction on his part, he obtained Parliamentary permission to appoint trustees that would sell the 600 acres (240 ha) estate and pay his debts.

Following the Stuart Restoration Lady Thornhill joined her brother in Whitehall Palace and became a Woman of the Bedchamber to Catherine of Braganza.

Olantigh was purchased in 1720 by Jacob Sawbridge, a director of the South Sea Company though his position was subsequently reduced by its crash. He was expelled from the parliamentary pocket borough of Cricklade with his property forfeit by Parliament to compensate victims of his schemes. Nevertheless he held on to his home at Olantigh until death in 1748.

Jacob's son John built his finances through two marriages to wealthy brides and refaced the front of the 1508 building.

John's son John Sawbridge again increased the family's fortunes through advantageous marriages, and substantially extended the Olantigh mansion. His additions included the massive Georgian stone portico and pediment. He became Lord Mayor of London in 1773.

According to Hasted, by 1798 Sawbrige's Olantigh estate encompassed half of the [Wye] parish including Wye Court, Harville, Coldharbour, Fanns Wood, Wye Downs and Naccolt. 

The estate passed down to John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge, (1800–1887) on his father's death in 1851. The son was Member of Parliament for Wareham 1841–57, 1859–65 and 1868–80 without a single statement recorded in Hansard.

On 1 May 1827 he married Jane Frances Erle-Drax Grosvenor at St George's Church, Hanover Square, London. After the 1828 death of her brother, his wife's fortune included Charborough House and Ellerton Abbey estates, as well as sugar plantations in Barbados and Jamaica. Sawbridge then appended his wife's family name of Erle-Drax to his own though commonly referred to by the much shorter nickname The Mad Major, or less kindly as The Wicked Squire.

Following the abolition of slavery, Erle-Drax received £4,293 12s 6d compensation in 1836 for the 189 slaves he had to free.

Erle-Drax's passion was building. Additions included picture galleries and Venetian towers, one of which is extant on the stable block. To reflect this new grandeur the extended house was renamed Olantigh Towers. Its north side facing the River Stour grew to 200 feet (61 m) wide. Galleries were laden with Italian Renaissance paintings, and other works.

Landscape works included widening a canalised branch taken off the river to form an ornamental lake with island, and to the east of Olantigh Road extensive parkland and a 3 hectares (7.4 acres) circular walled kitchen garden.

By 1878, Olantigh was particularly noted for its statuary. Erle-Drax had an equestrian statue of himself erected in front of the house's grand portico. and stags, the Erle-Drax mascots, were placed prominently. He purchased the Hubert Fountain 

In December 1903, Olantigh was owned by The Mad Major's nephew, Wanley Elias Sawbridge Erle-Drax, vicar of Almer, Dorset, when fire gutted the Georgian mansion. He only escaped by climbing down ivy on the exterior walls clutching his wife's portrait and jewellery.

The cause had been a chimney fire in the dining room. A fire engine was summoned by bicycle and Ashford's horse drawn steam pumper responded, drawing water from the ornamental lake, but much of the house was devastated; the roof collapsed. Many priceless objects including paintings, sculpture and carvings were lost, including a malachite vase which Queen Victoria once wished to purchase. Fortunately the picture gallery was saved by an iron door and the family's archives survived.

The household temporarily moved to nearby Withersdane Hall which had been added to Olantigh's estate in 1867.

In 1910, Erle-Drax commissioned architects  to design a new house incorporating the original stone portico. The footprint was moved, with the portico 70 feet (21 m) from its original position, and the smaller scale, red-brick mansion was finished in 1911. 

In 1912, an ornate cast iron fountain and pair of large stag statues at Olantigh were sold to Ashford Urban District Council Chairman, George Harper and removed to Ashford's municipal Victoria Park. The stags were salvaged for scrap in World War II but as of 2022, the Hubert Fountain survives and is Grade II* listed.

It had originally been displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1862, one of a pair at the entrance to the Royal Horticultural Society's 22 acres (8.9 hectares) gardens at South Kensington. John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge Erle-Drax bought the fountain for £3,000 and moved it to Olantigh.

The other fountain of the pair was acquired by Daniel Ross; transported to Edinburgh, and now stands on Princes Street as the Ross Fountain.

Tragically Harper committed suicide, three weeks after donating the fountain, placing his head on a railway track by Ashford Warren ahead of an express train.

In 1912, the house was let to John Hope Loudon, who redeveloped the gardens and partially filled in the ornamental lake to form water and bog gardens. His son, Francis William Hope Loudon, purchased Olantigh in 1935. The Erle-Drax family sold by auction some of the furniture they had left there. After World War II, the dwelling proved too large, and the, former picture gallery, west wing which provided two-thirds of the accommodation was demolished in the mid-1950s, leaving a house today only a fifth as large as pre 1903 fire.

From 1964 to 1977, Olantigh hosted Alfred Deller's intimate salon, Stour Music Festival. 

Alex Loudon (born 1980), from Olantigh, has played cricket for Kent and Warwickshire.