Holding of Ickham in Kent

[tlaporte]

Would anyone be able to help me locate the site of some places in Kent from their 13th century names?

I am trying to locate the 'field of teague', Cnoldane (Knoldane), Stokedune and Burnes.

I have the following description from a Quitclaim in the Canterbury Cathedral Archives:

"in the field of Teaghe lying between the demesne of Cnoldane and the king's highway which goes from 'Burnes' to Adisham with Stokedune to the west and the land of Simon Bole to east"

Another grant mentions "Knoldane of the holding of Ickham".

Adisham is easy enough but I'm not having much luck with the rest.

My interest lies chiefly with Simon Bole and later descendants.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Tom

[Geoffers]

I don't know the area, which means that this isn't a definitive reply. However, the first element of the place name Cnoldane - Cnol, means a hillock.

A little to the east of Adisham is a village called Knowlton and the Knowl bit is clearly from the same root. I would tentatively suggest that this might be your Cnoldane.

Stoke just means an outlying farmstead and it was presumably on a hill (dune). This could have been renamed over the centuries.

Burnes may be Bishopbourne

Have you tried comparing the places mentioned against locations recorded in Domesday?

Field names sometimes stay the same or similar over many generations. A large scale map with field names between Adisham and Knowlton might show something which hints at the location of the field.

[Rubina]

I had a feeling that "dane" was a way of naming a town but I can't find references to prove my memory is correct. However, if this was the case, Geoffers suggestion of Knowlton (Ton being a foreshortening of Town) sounds right. (A town on a hill?)

Don, Den, Dean and Dene is Old English for Valley. A place on a hill in a valley? Just throwing it in!

Rubina

[Thomasin]

This seems to be a few miles to the east of Canterbury. Adisham is on the same road as Patrixbourne and Bekesbourne (and Bishopsbourne is not far away), while Ickham is directly north of Adisham. There is also Knowlton to the east of Adisham. Stokedune at the moment has me stumped, and there is as yet no sign of Simon Bole.

Thomasin

[Rubina]

I am rubbish at reading the whole thing before flying off into research - ham is Old English for farm, homestead or settlement.

[Thomasin]

There is also Littlebourne, just west of Ickham. All these places are in a very small area. Need a larger scale map, but I can't get to it without waking the household!

Thomasin

[Rubina]

If you google demesne you will find a definative explanation of this term as used in the feudal system.

[Thomasin]

A tributary of the River Stour runs round this little area, and I wonder whether Stokedune can possibly have anything to do with this. Probably clutching at straws!

Thomasin

[tlaporte]

I like my little sub-title "New to the group so an unknown at this point". I should introduce myself, I'm Tom LaPorte, resident in Central Canada with a foot of new snow on the ground and have a wife, two girls 20 and 22, three dogs and 17 years of family history experience but new to this period is correct. I publish a web site with about 700 pages now dedicated to the single surname Bowles which started in Canada but now covers Ireland and England. I'm now trying to uncover the earliest possible roots for the Bowles name and this looks like the right area. Simon Bole who is also Simon son of Osbert in other records is very close to where we knew some 1400's Bolles lived at Chartham who later moved on to Chatham and into modern history from there. I'm looking up every little clue I can to identify Simon's landholding as well as anything about Osbert. I already know that Osbert's four sons divided up his estate of 165 acres which seems like a pretty decent sized holding.

Happy to see so many responses already and hopefully there will be more when your side of the world wakes up in the morning. This seems like a great forum.

I'll just go over your responses and see if I can make some further conclusions.

Thanks
Tom

[Rubina]

There is also Littlebourne, just west of Ickham. All these places are in a very small area. Need a larger scale map, but I can't get to it without waking the household!

Thomasin

Sounds good - Bourne is Old English for brook/stream!

[tlaporte]

I'm very glad that Geoffers suggested Knowlton and I hope others agree. That was my thought but I didn't want to lead anyone. Just SE of Knowlton near Tilmanstone is a place called Dane Court. I thought Knoldane could be in the general Knowlton/Dane Court area. Both had manors and Cnowlton demesne implies there would be a manor. I'm hoping someone may actually know the reference for sure.

I wonder if Stokedune could actually be Stokedane and possibly be in the same area.

On the 'bourne' theme, there is a Northbourne just to the east of Tilmanstone so that implies other bournes at some time or maybe just a simple Bourne originally.

There is a road that goes from Northbourne to Adisham passing Knowlton on the way so if that's an old one it would be perfect for "the field of Teaghe lying between the demesne of Cnoldane and the king's highway which goes from 'Burnes' to Adisham". Would anyone know how to find out if that particular road was a king's highway going back to 1250?

I have not compared these town names to the Doomsday book but I don't have access to a copy that I know of. Is it online with full text somewhere?

All my thoughts for now.
Tom

[tlaporte]

The title of the last message 'very hepful' should have been 'very helpful'.

[Geoffers]

Just SE of Knowlton near Tilmanstone is a place called Dane Court. I thought Knoldane could be in the general Knowlton/Dane Court area.

It depends on how recently Dane Court became so named. If it is an historic name, then there is a chance of some relation. But the 'dane' part could be derived from 'dun' - a hill (but cnoldun - hill hillock would seem unlikely), it might be derived from 'denu' - a wooded valley and so refer to the valle below the hillock. Or it could simply be 'The Dane's hillock'.


Both had manors and Cnowlton demesne implies there would be a manor. I'm hoping someone may actually know the reference for sure.

Sorry I don't know the area, but if you search Access to Archives (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/)there are other references to Cnoldane, hinting at the parish it was in and giving other clues that may help to narrow down its location.


I wonder if Stokedune could actually be Stokedane and possibly be in the same area.

Whilst possible the simple description Stokedune - the outlying farmstead on a hill is a compelling description.


On the 'bourne' theme, there is a Northbourne just to the east of Tilmanstone so that implies other bournes at some time or maybe just a simple Bourne originally

Bourne is a very common word and so it is difficult to draw too much from it.

There is a road that goes from Northbourne to Adisham passing Knowlton on the way so if that's an old one it would be perfect for "the field of Teaghe lying between the demesne of Cnoldane and the king's highway which goes from 'Burnes' to Adisham". Would anyone know how to find out if that particular road was a king's highway going back to 1250?


I have not compared these town names to the Doomsday book but I don't have access to a copy that I know of. Is it online with full text somewhere?

This research guide gives some information on Domesday (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=266)

Type Domesdaybook into a search engine and you should find a copy online.

The Phillimore copies of Domesday may be available via your local library.

Searching TNA's catalogue came up witha few hits for 'bole AND kent' (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/searchresults.asp?SearchInit=0&txtsearchterm=bole+AND+kent&txtfirstdate=&txtlastdate=&txtrestriction=&hdnsorttype=Reference&image1.x=47&image1.y=21)
comes up with a few hits. None seem t relate to Simon Bole, but possibly there is a connection with the same family and the palce names mentioned in the above link may so be connected to the entry in which you are interested.


The title of the last message 'very hepful' should have been 'very helpful'.

Don't worry, I use two thumbs and finger myself and often have rpoblems wiht tpying

[Thomasin]

I now have the Ordance Survey map, and the tributary to the River Stour is the Little Stour. However, higher upstream where it flows around the area in question, it is the Nail Bourne, and it goes through Bishopsbourne, Patrixbourne, Bekesbourne and Littlebourne. Ickham is very near to this stream. (Your Northbourne is, I would say, a bit too far out of this rather concentrated area.) At Knowlton there is Knowlton Court and Knowlton Park, which is probably the demesne referred to.

The very nearest I can see to Stokedune is Snowdown, which is indeed to the west ...

I believe that any of these minor roads could be termed the king's highway, as what can be merely a footpath now was often the major thoroughfare between villages.

However, the name of Simon Bole doesn't seem to be reflected in any of the placenames, but I shall keep my eyes open for it.

Thomasin

[Thomasin]

Just a thought - the letters B and P sometimes prove to be interchangeable, and there is a Poulton Farm directly to the north of Knowlton, near Ash. Much nearer to Knowlton, and also to the north, are, forming a triangle, Rowling House, Rowling Court and Lower Rowling Farm which just might be a misreading of names on an older map, which is something I have seen frequently. Or they may have nothing to do with it!

Thomasin

[Marie C..]

Have you tried Britishistoryonline?
It has a wealth of stuff on it? M

[Geoffers]

Just a thought - the letters B and P sometimes prove to be interchangeable, and there is a Poulton Farm

Poulton - farmstead by the pool - But it would depend on how long the farm had been known by that name, it could equally have originally been named after its owner.

Bole is mentioned in Stratmann's Middle English Dictionary with its root Bule - meaning a bull. So on the face of it, I would not dismiss the idea that this was a nickname adopted by the family, possibly as a means of self-publicity indicating their strength?


Much nearer to Knowlton, and also to the north, are, forming a triangle, Rowling House, Rowling Court and Lower Rowling Farm which just might be a misreading of names on an older map, which is something I have seen frequently.

It would depend on early references to this place, it sounds like this may initially have been a manor and so stands a chance of being mentioned in Domesday. I would expect Rowling (depending on the etymology of the second part of the name) to be descriptive of an area of rough (OE ruh) land.

But these are guesses from someone who does not know Kent and so may be incorrect.

[busyglen]

I have Bagshaw's History & Gazateer & Directory of Kent 1847 (available from Parish Chest) which has quite a lot of history of the various Kent villages. I've had a quick look around Ickham etc. but can't spot anything at the moment, and have run out of time. I will try and have another look when I have chance, just in case. ;)

Glenys

[tlaporte]

Lots of ideas from people. I'll spend sometime today with the Domesday book idea and check out some other suggestions.

Yes, I have catalogued about 150 references from the Canterbury Cathedral Archives online catalogue starting with Bole and then also searching for any place name associated with them. That tells a pretty detailed story which I'm just putting together now. I've also reviewed and largely catalogued the 1300 references to Bole/Boles in the National Archives online catalogue. I uncovered several records there which show a very likely connection between London Boles and Ickham parish Boles based on both of them being connected to Reginald de Cornhill. He was their land holder at the field of Teaghe in Ickham and also on Broad Street in Cornhill ward in London. Also the given names fit but that is the 1300's, I'm focussing on the late 1100's and the 1200's now.

More later. I'm actually in work-for-salary hours now.

Thanks everyone.

Tom

[tlaporte]

Thanks Thomasin
When you can next check your OS map, could you have a look for other 'dane' names around Danes Court just west of Tilmanstone. Thanks

Thanks busyglen
These places are commonly referred to as in the parish of Ickham but I also sometimes see them described as in the parish of Adisham. I suppose the issue may be civil vs. church parish boundaries? I also know they were largely in the Hundred of Eastry if that helps.

The online version of The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent published on British History Online is an excellent resource for quite a bit of this but it doesn't cover medieval place names very well.

Tom

[Davran]

There may be some older place names on an old map - try Old-Maps website. This can be referenced back to present-day Streetmap maps.

[Thomasin]

Hallo Tom

Dane names - there aren't many. You have noticed Dane Court near Tilmanstone. Then there is Hazling Dane which looks like a small village about 3 miles S. of Knowlton and a Denne Court about 2 miles N.E. of Knowlton. These are approximate, and as the crow flies (crosscountry, not by road).

Back in the area we were investigating yesterday, there is Dane Farm about 4 miles S.W. of Bishopsbourne, Denne Hill about 3 miles S. of Adisham and Dene Farm about 2 miles N.E. of Adisham.

Oh, and there is another Poulton Farm, near Dover!

Thomasin

[deanC]

hi Tom ,some extra clues , maybe!!!
i looked thro the kent section of the doomsday book, apart from adisham called edesham ,
none of the other place name's showed up, however ,Knoldane is on the 'kent lay subsidy roll 1334/5 (ref kent archaeology)this comes under the 'hundred of hamme(ham)
this might be a route to pursue ?
the main land owners or managers for this area/period appear to be the adisham priory which was run by the monks of christchurch ,canterbury, it might be worth trying the priory records .
2 other notes ,that might shed some light , knoldene was a manor ,their was a richard de knoldene ,perhaps a known person to the 'bole's .
if you have not contacted them already,try the kent arch society they have done a lot of work around canterbury.

dean

[busyglen]

Just to say that I looked further into the history on the CD I have, but apart from that which you already have, there's nothing to connect to the Boles, that I could find. Sorry.

Glenys

[tlaporte]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to sort through all the hints and info over the weekend and see where I should look next. I'm still sorting through a lot of information. Who knew that period was so well documented? Having these archive catalogues online is absolutely amazing. I imagine the original documents would help that much more than the summaries do. I may have to plan a research trip over!

Sould be back on Monday. Thanks again.

Tom

[tlaporte]

Further regarding the implications of that name. Simon Boles land was adjacent to the field of teaghe. Teaghe is uncommonly a given name so it could be just Teagh's field. Teaghe could also be based on the Old English tege which means a 'close' or enclosure. So it could just mean a field known locally as the Enclosed Field.

I can only find one other similar name. Boleteghe would be a good name for the teaghe field next to a Bole property which we pretty much believe was east of Canterbury but no, it's mentioned in 4 grants as being in the meadows west of Canterbury (Westgate parish).

One of those grants for land in Boleteghe mentions a "watermill called 'Bolengieresmelle'".

Bolengieresmelle could be 'Bole something Mill' if anyone knows what the middle part could mean. My first thought though was that it was Boulanger's Mill based on the French for baker. Would a baker have his own mill though? Still the Bole at the front of the name of the mill considering it is in a field with Bole at the front of it's name could well be a reference to a Bole. A William le Bole had land in Westgate although I'm not sure when. It also could refer to a bull. If so, Boleteghe could mean 'bull enclosure' but what could 'bolengieresmelle' mean? If giere meant keeper that would be ideal but I can't make up history and I can't find any indication of that.

Speculation is okay.

Thanks
Tom

[Geoffers]

Simon Boles land was adjacent to the field of teaghe. Teaghe is uncommonly a given name so it could be just Teagh's field. Teaghe could also be based on the Old English tege which means a 'close' or enclosure. So it could just mean a field known locally as the Enclosed Field.

Teag, tege etc - could also mean a chain or tie as wel as enclosure or paddick.

Referring to the field of Teaghe could just be the Norman French lack of understanding of the native language


no, it's mentioned in 4 grants as being in the meadows west of Canterbury (Westgate parish).

Do these grants relate to the same land?


My first thought though was that it was Boulanger's Mill based on the French for baker. Would a baker have his own mill though?

I like the idea, but I don't think you should assume that the baker possessed the mill. It may equally be that this was the mill that only provided flour to the baker. Remember the closely guarded rights of the time.

[Thomasin]

Hallo Tom

If you go to www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Maps/NON/02.htm you will find information about the Kentish tithe maps. I know this is about 600 years too late for you, but these may be useful. For instance, I would think that the parish of Nonington would cover some of the area you were initially researching, and in this parish you have a mill and also Tygh Wood, Tygh Wood Field and Tygh Close. Rather similar to Teaghe? The word could also have something to do with tithes.

My son has just presented me with a map of 1801, and it is interesting to note that the triangle of places I mentioned earlier, Rowling etc. are on this map shown as Bowling, Bowling St. and Bowling Court.

I think you should keep to the east of Canterbury!

Thomasin

[tlaporte]

for Geoffers: How would chain or tie as a meaning for the word teag apply to a field? Field of the Chain? I saw all the possible definitions but I thought close or enclosure made the most sense when applied to land. I just did a little searching for 'tege' and discovered that one of the Cathedral Archives catalogue entries for an unrelated grant has an archivist comment stating 'close' in brackets after the word 'tege'. Yes, all 4 grants have good descriptions of the land and all relate to the same land. The spellings are Boleteghe, Boleteie and Boleteya. I also like the Baker's Mill suggestion if no-one has any better suggestion for Bolengieresmelle. In my conclusion I just want to present any likely meanings of the name.

for Thomasin: Great lead regarding Tigh as a possible location for Teaghe. I will check the out. Yes, I'm quite confident that the Field of Teaghe will end up being to the east of Canterbury. I'm not looking at Boleteghe as Bole land just because of the four letters at the start. I also have Boles west of Canterbury by the late 1300's including one grant which refers to a close that they had right outside the west gate of the city. By the 1400's they have a Great House called Bolle Hall in Chartham. So it's just worth while looking at both areas where the name Bole appears. I follow up all angles as you never know where they will lead and all of this is interesting anyway whether it ends up being family history or not!

Thanks
Tom

[Geoffers]

for Geoffers: How would chain or tie as a meaning for the
word teag apply to a field? Field of the Chain? I saw all the possible definitions but I thought close or enclosure made the most sense when applied to land.

There are, as you're aware several ways to translate the word into modern English. Whilst enclosure or paddock make most sense in relation to it, as the catalogue entry referring to the document doesn't mention the 'teaghe' but rather the 'field of teaghe', it is as well to keep an open mind as to the original intent. Yes, 'field of chain' doesn't make sense - unless 'teaghe' was a nickname of the owner? Unlikely, but it must be considered. Without consulting the original document, the pecise context could not be accurately ascertained.


The spellings are Boleteghe, Boleteie and Boleteya. I also like the Baker's Mill suggestion if no-one has any better suggestion for Bolengieresmelle.

There's something nagging me about the word 'Bole' I have a feeling that somewhere I've seen it used in another context - I keep thinking of some documents I worked on and translated - slightly earlier than yours - but I cannot for the life of me think what it was offhand. I'll have a few more cuppas and it might come back to me.

[Davran]

Could this have anything to do with the old measurement of a 'chain'? I can't remember how long a chain was, but there were rods, poles and perches and, of course, furlongs.

[Geoffers]

Could this have anything to do with the old measurement of a 'chain'? I can't remember how long a chain was, but there were rods, poles and perches and, of course, furlongs.

Chain = 22 yards (length of a cricket pitch)

100 links = 1 Chain (so a link was 7.92 inches)

4 Rods, Poles or Perches to a Chain - so each was 5 1/2 yards.

[tlaporte]

Hello Geoffers

Have you recalled where the name Bole came up previously by any chance?

Thanks

Tom