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Cranbrook, Kent

Historical Description

Cranbrook, a small town and a parish in Kent. The town stands in the Weald, on the river Crane, 6 miles S by W of Staplehurst, 14 S by E of Maidstone, and 48 from London. It has a station on the Paddock Wood and Hawkhurst branch of the S.E.R. It consists chiefly of one long street, is a seat of petty sessions, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office (S.O.), a bank, two chief inns, a market-house, a parish church, four dissenting chapels, a free grammar-school, a workhouse, and the Cramp Institute for lads and young men. Acreage of the civil parish, 10,374; population, 4046; of the ecclesiastical, 2971. The church is chiefly Decorated and Perpendicular English, has a western square embattled tower, was partly rebuilt in 1722, and contains monuments of the Robertses of Glassenbury and the Bakers of Sissinghurst. It was restored in 1879, and again in 1893. There is a handsome font of Gaen stone, and in the south aisle likewise a baptistery for immersion, a thing of very rare occurrence, there being supposed to be only one more in the kingdom. The grammar-school was founded in 1574 by Sir Simon Lynch, and has £135 from endowment. The building was enlarged and very much improved in 1885. Markets are held on alternate Wednesdays, and fairs on 30 May and 29 Sep. A broadcloth manufactory was introduced in the time of Edward III., flourished for ages so greatly as to give its masters and patrons high influence in county affairs, ceased about the beginning of the 19th century, and has left traces of itself in picturesque remains of old factories. The parish includes also the hamlet of Milkhouse Street, commonly called Sissing-burst Street. The surface presents all the characteristics of the Weald. Sissinghurst Castle was a stately mansion of the time of Edward VI. belonging to the Bakers, became toward the end of the 18th century a place of confinement for French prisoners, and now survives only in some picturesque fragments. There are mineral springs. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; value, £270 with residence. Patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The vicarage of Sissinghurst is a separate benefice. Sir R. Baker, the author of the " English Chronicle," was a native.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyKent 
Ecclesiastical parishCranbrooke St. Dunstan 
HundredCranbrooke 
LatheScray 
Poor Law unionCranbrooke 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Church Records

The parish register of baptisms and marriages dates from the year 1559: burials from 1553.

Findmypast have the following online for Cranbrook, Baptist: burials 1813-1837

Findmypast have the following online for Cranbrook, St Dunstan: baptisms 1559-1919, marriages 1559-1919, burials 1559-1920


Churches

Church of England

St. Dunstan (parish church)

The church of St. Dunstan is of sandstone, in the Perpendicular atyle, and has a tower containing a clock and 8 bells: there are helmets and banners of the family of Roberts, of Glassenbury, with monumental memorials, several brasses, two altar tombs, various monuments, some ancient stained glass and ten memorial windows: on the south side of the nave is a rectangular baptistery of stone, constructed in 1725, for the purpose of immersion: the church was restored in 1879 and 1893-94: the church plate, of silver gilt, is plain and massive and dates from 1730: there are 1,000 sittings.

Baptist

Cranbrook Baptist Chapel

Congregational

Cranbrook Congregational Chapel

The Congregational chapel, founded in 1710, will seat 300 persons

Methodist

Cranbrook Methodist Chapel

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Cranbrook from the following:


Maps

Online maps of Cranbrook are available from a number of sites:


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Kent newspapers online:


Visitations Heraldic

The Visitation of Kent, 1619 is available on the Heraldry page, as is also The Visitation of Kent, 1663-68.

DistrictTunbridge Wells
CountyKent
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Postal districtTN17
Post TownCranbrook

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