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Harbledown, Kent

Historical Description

Harbledown, a village and a parish in Kent. The village stands about 1½ mile from Canterbury station on the S.E.R., and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Canterbury. It grew around a lazar-honse, founded in 1084 by Archbishop Lanfranc; and it is " the little town " of Chaucer, " which that ycleped is Bob up and down, Under the Blee, in Canterbury way." The parish includes also the hamlet of Bough Common. Acreage, 1620; population of the civil parish, 842; of the ecclesiastical, 734. The lazar-house adjacent to the village was for lepers, and consisted originally of several wooden structures; was re-founded by Edward VI. for the residence and maintenance of 26 poor men and women; was rebuilt, with the exception of its church, in the time of James I.; consists now of a range of cottages and gardens, with central large common hall; bears the name of St Nicholas' hospital, and has an endowed income of £223. An excellent spring adjacent to it bears the name of the Black Prince's well, from a tradition that the water of it was sent to the Black Prince during a severe illness, and it may have occasioned the selection of the site for the hospital on account of its reputed virtues. The upper leather of a shoe of Thomas a Becket with a crystal set in it was possessed by the hospital before the Eeformation, and when pilgrims to Canterbury were passing by this was usually brought forth by one 'of the inmates to the steps leading down to the road, and presented with much reverence to the better class of pilgrims to be devoutly loosed as a sacred relic. A ludicrous account of the performance is given by Erasmus in his " Peregrinatio." A maple bowl, figured with Gay of Warwick's killing the dragon, and set with a large crystal, is preserved in a chest in the common hall, and the crystal on it is supposed to be that which was formerly on Becket's shoe. The church of the hospital is partly Nonnan, partly Early English, consists of nave, aides, and chancel, with western ivy-clad tower, and contains a curious ancient stone font and some remains of ancient frescoes. A farm on which the hospital stands, together with the hospital itself, is exempt from the jurisdiction of the parish, and belongs to Canterbury. The parochial living is a rectory in the diocese of Canterbury; value, £330 with residence. Patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church of St Michael was almost wholly rebuilt in 1881, and is in the Early English style. Hall Place is a very fine seat in the neighbourhood.

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 parishHarbledown St. Michael 
HundredWestgate 
LatheSt. Augustine 
Poor Law unionBridge 

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


Church Records

Findmypast have the following online for Harbledown, St Michael & All Angels: burials 1813-1841

Findmypast have the following online for Harbledown, St Nicholas's Hospital: burials 1814-1841


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Harbledown from the following:


Maps

Online maps of Harbledown 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.

DistrictCanterbury
CountyKent
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Postal districtCT2
Post TownCanterbury

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