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Boxley, Bearstead, Debtling, Leeds, Otham, Thornham and neighbourhoods Boxley is a neat village, 2 miles from Maidstone and 36 from London. The parish is chiefly noted for the manufacture of paper of a superior quality. The church is dedicated to All Saints, is of stone, and has a low square tower; it contains a curious monument of the WHYATT family, recording a tyrannical act of Richard III, towards one if its members, suspected of high treason. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the crown and the dean and chapter of Rochester alternately. A small rivulet, which rises just below the church and runs through the village, is stated to possess the property of petrifying wood (for population see after Thornham.) Bearsted is a small parish and village, two miles and a half from Maidstone and 11 from Rochester. A pleasure fair is held here on the third Tuesday in July and a monthly meeting of the magistrates of the east division of Aylesford takes place at the “Royal Oak” for the transaction of local public business. The parish church is dedicated to the Holy Cross; the living is a discharged vicarage; in the patronage of the dean and chapter of Rochester. Debtling is a small village, two and a half miles from Maidstone, consisting of a few scattered houses and a church; the latter dedicated to St Martin is a low building of stone with a square tower. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the archbishop of Canterbury. Leeds is a village, in a very small parish, five miles from Maidstone; a clear stream of water runs through the village, which gives it a clean and wholesome appearance. The church dedicated to St Nicholas, is very ancient, furnished with a large low square tower, and a peal of bells; it stands on a hill, overlooking the village, which lies principally in a village. The living is a perpetual curacy united to that of Broomfield, in the patronage of the See of Canterbury. Leeds is celebrated for its castle, formerly the residence of the family of FAIRFAX and is one of the most stately edifices of the kind in the kingdom; George III and his royal consort were entertained here with great splendour on their excursion to Coxheath camp, in 1779. Otham about two and a half miles from Maidstone, is a small parish, containing a few houses, but nothing like a regular village. The church which is dedicated to St Nicholas is small but neat structure, and the spire lofty. Thornham is a small village, but the parish is large and almost surrounding that of Bearstead. The church dedicated to St Mary, is very ancient, small and convenient, with a low square tower. The walls of Thornham or Godards castle still exist on the brow of a hill; they are thirteen feet high and three feet thick and inclose an area of about a quarter of an acre. The localities and population of the foregoing places are as follows: Boxley and Debtling are in the Aylesford lathe, and Maidstone hundred; the former contained by the last census 1391 inhabitants and the latter 372. The other parishes are in the same lathe, but in the Eythorne hundred; population of Bearstead by the aforesaid census, 594; Leeds 613; Otham 344; and Thornham 571. POST OFFICE – Bearstead, George WILSON, postmaster. Letters from Maidstone arrive every morning at six, and are despatched every night at eight. The letters from Leeds are left at the Park gate public house, on the Ashford road, and are taken up by the Ashford and Maidstone mails every morning and evening. POST – Thornham. Letters arrive from and are despatched daily to Bearstead daily. POST – Boxley, Debtling & Otham. These villages are within the delivery area of Maidstone post office. NOBILITY, GENTRY & CLERGY ASHBOURN Rev. John, Linton BEST Col. Park house, Boxley BISHOP Mr Robert, Leeds CLARKE Redburn esq, Bearstead CLAYTON Rev Simeon, Otham COBB Rev William, Debtling COOK Mr George N, Debtling CROFT Sir John, Millgate park DOWSE Mr Thomas, Debtling EVERSFIELD Mr Thomas, Boxley FINCH Lady Maria, Boxley abbey FOWLE Mr William, Boxley GOLDING Mr John, Bearstead GRIFFITH Rev Dr, Boxley HILLS Mr George, Boxley HILLS Mr Thomas, Thornham LINTON Capt. (RN), Bearstead LOMAS Rev, Thomas, Leeds MARSHAM Viscount, Boxley house SHIRLEY Mr William, Debtling WAYTH Major, Bearstead WHATMAN James esq, Winters BAKERS KNIGHT Stephen, Debtling PEARCE Edward, Leeds BLACKSMITHS BETTS James, Otham CLIFFORD Katurah, Frances & Rowena, Boxley COX John, Leeds DADD Elizabeth, Sandling JENNER John, Bearstead BOOT & SHOE MAKERS DUDDINGS Finnis, Otham HATCHER William, Leeds LACY William, Bearstead LEDGER John, Leeds LOGAN Thomas, Sandling MASTERS Richard, Leeds MOORCROFT William, Boxley STEDMAN Stephen, Debtling BRICKLAYERS CROSS John, Leeds HADLER William, Bearstead SPARKS Henry, Boxley SPARKS Sander, Boxley BUTCHERS BETTS Thomas, Bearstead DAWSON John, Debtling CARPENTERS CALLAWAY William, Debtling CHEESMAN John, Leeds GIMSON John, Otham ROOTS James, Boxley WILES Charles, Otham GROCERS & DEALERS IN SUNDRIES BUDDS John, Bearstead COCKER Mary, Thornham COLBROOK James, Leeds MARTIN John, Boxley MASTERS Mary, Leeds PARKER James, Debtling INNS & PUBLIC HOUSES Artichoke, Michael FIELD, Ashford road Bell, George NELSON, Thornham Black Horse, John ASHFIELD, Thornham Blue Boar, James CLAPSTONE, Otham Bull, George LAVENDER, Pennenden heath Cock, Edward KNIGHT, Debtling George, Thomas POOLEY, Leeds Gibraltar, Frances PEARCE, Sandling Huntsman, George STYLES, Boxley Kentish Yeoman, Michael STOKES, Bearstead Kings Arms, John MARTIN, Boxley Red Lion, Thomas ONGLEY, Sandling Rose, Thomas PINE, Bearstead Royal Oak, George WILSON, Bearstead Running Horse, William GROVER, Sandling Ten Bells, DANIELS, Leeds White Horse, Robert CLIFFORD, Bearstead White Horse, James WHITE, Bearstead MALTSTERS CLEMENTS Matthew, Boxley FILMER Thomas, Boxley WISE Biddingfield, (& brick & tile maker), Thornham MILLERS BLINKHORN John, Thornham BLINKHORN Thomas, Sandling FOWLE William, Boxley TUDDENHAM Thomas, Bearstead PLUMBERS & GLAZIERS KNOWLES John, Bearstead RUSSELL George, Boxley SADDLERS CRUMP George, Leeds JOY Jesse (& rope maker), Bearstead TAILORS BOTTLE Benjamin, Leeds JENNEY William, Debtling WHEELWRIGHTS ALLMAN George, Bearstead JOHNSON Samuel, Bearstead MILLINER John, Otham MURRELL William, Boxley ONGLEY Thomas, Sandling REYNOLDS Thomas, Debtling MISCELLANEOUS CHARLES Wm, blanket manufacturer, Sandling HUNT Wm, paper manufacturer, Sandling NORTON William, clock maker, Leeds PARKER Mary, dress maker, Leeds ROOTS Abraham, parish clerk, Boxley STREATFIELD Wm, boarding & day school, & registrar of births and deaths, Bearstead SWEETLOVE John, millwright, Leeds WELLER William, parish clerk, Debtling CARRIERS To Maidstone, John COPPING and Edward EATON from Bearstead, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
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