Throwley
History
At the end of the civil wars of 1139-53, King Stephen's chief lieutenant William of Ypres gave the churches of Throwley and Chilham to the Abbey of Saint Bertin in Saint-Omer, France. Throwley Priory was built as a cell of that Benedictine house. It was dissolved as part of Henry IV's general suppression of alien priories in 1414 and granted to Thomas Beaufort, the half-brother of the king's father. Beaufort gave Throwley to Syon Abbey on 13 July 1424, a gift confirmed by Henry VI in 1443.
A Royal Flying Corps airfield was established in the Parish during the First World War to provide a landing ground for fighter biplanes defending London, the Thames Estuary and Kent. It was located near Bells Forstal.
Geography
Throwley lies on top of the Kent North Downs in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The landscape is mainly arable fields and woodland copses covering just over 5 square miles.
Demography
The population of around 130 households is scattered across a number of hamlets the largest of which is Throwley Forstal.
Landmarks
Within the parish is Belmont House and Gardens, an 18th-century house with a fine collection of clocks and beautiful gardens. The estate was owned by successive generations of the Harris family, it is now held in trust.
Religion
The Parish church is St Michaels and All Angels which is built of flint, inside are monuments to the Harris and Sondes families. The church tower has a ring of eight bells.
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ Edward Hasted (1798). Parishes: Throwley. Institute of Historical Research. pp. 445–461. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
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ignored (help) - ^ "Throwley Priory". English Heritage. 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ^ Page, Willam, ed. (1926). Alien houses: The priory of Throwley. Institute of Historical Research. pp. 239–240. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
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External links
Media related to Throwley at Wikimedia Commons