Teynham
Encyclopedia
Teynham is a large village, and civil parish
in Kent
, England
, in the district of Swale
. The parish lies to the north of the A2
some three miles west of Faversham
, and includes the hamlet of Conyer
, on an inlet of the Swale
, a channel that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey
. Barrow Green
is also part of the village as are the areas (hamlets) of Deerton Street, Green Street, Frognal, New Gardens, Sandown and Teynham Street. The village is served by Teynham railway station
.
The historian JK Wallenberg suggests an Anglo-Saxon root, tynan, to enclose, followed by the Anglo-Saxon word “Hamm", a land drained by dykes. Another historian, Eilert Ekwall, suggests an early owner named Teona, whose name is found in Teonanhyll in Berkshire.
J Harris, in his History of Kent (1719) calls it the “place of ten houses” (hams) but there must have been hundreds of places with 10 houses in Anglo-Saxon times.
It is also possibly "homestead of a man called Tena" or "homestead near the stream called Tene". Several other etymologies have been suggested but this one appears to be the most correct.
The "y" in "Teynham" was apparently added by the Roper family, who have been Barons of Teynham
from 1616.
. The southern part of the parish is mainly devoted to agriculture, the principal crops being corn
and hop
s with the produce of some famous orchards. Near The Swale
is a large tract of land known as the Teynham Levels. This is devoted solely to the raising of sheep and cattle. At one time these marshes were not properly drained, and malaria
was prevalent within the parish. So many residents got the disease, that Teynham became known as an unhealthy place. Since the draining of the marshes, which was carried out under the direction of a Commission formed for the purpose (and who have powers to levy a scot) the village has become quite healthy since.
, who reigned between the years 794 and 819, gave the place to Christ Church, Canterbury, and afterwards a palace was built in the village or town as it was known then. Which no longer exists. Archbishop Baldwin of Forde (1184–91), Hubert Walter
(1193–1207), Stephen Langton
(1207–29), and Raynold (1313–28) all in turn lived at Teynham. Archbishop John de Stratford
in 1345, entertained King Edward III at Teynham.
Later King Henry III granted the town the right to hold a market and fair.
Richard Harrys (or Harris - in some accounts) who also lived at Teynham, and was a fruiter to King Henry VIII. Was instructed to plant 105 acres of land with cherries and apples that he had obtained from abroad, and thus the village is one of the earliest in which the cherry was grown in Kent and England.
By 1848, Teynham had a population of 845 people. It was part of the Hundred (county subdivision) of Teynham. An Upper division of the Lathe (county subdivision) of Scray.
Most of the village income was made from cherry growing, but also from Hops
. Its patron was still the Archdeacon of Canterbury.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in the district of Swale
Swale
Swale is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its council is based in Sittingbourne. The borough is named after the narrow channel called The Swale, a channel that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey, and which occupies the central part of the...
. The parish lies to the north of the A2
A2 road (Great Britain)
The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between the British capital of London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe...
some three miles west of Faversham
Faversham
Faversham is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.-History:...
, and includes the hamlet of Conyer
Conyer
Conyer is a riverside hamlet of Teynham in the borough of Swale in Kent, England. Located at the apex of Conyer Creek, near the junction with The Swale...
, on an inlet of the Swale
The Swale
The name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.- History :The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water"....
, a channel that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
. Barrow Green
Barrow Green
Barrow Green is a part of the village of Teynham, in Kent, England. It is located to the north of the main village, beyond the main North Kent railway line....
is also part of the village as are the areas (hamlets) of Deerton Street, Green Street, Frognal, New Gardens, Sandown and Teynham Street. The village is served by Teynham railway station
Teynham railway station
Teynham railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in north Kent, England, and serves the village of Teynham. Train services are provided by Southeastern...
.
Origin of name
Charters of 798 to 801 and Domesday Monachorum — a series of Domesday-related texts kept at Canterbury Cathedral — mention it as Teneham, Taenham, Tenaham and Tenham, and it is still pronounced "ten-am" with an accent on the first syllable. In Domesday Book the name occurs as “Therham” (probably a clerical error).The historian JK Wallenberg suggests an Anglo-Saxon root, tynan, to enclose, followed by the Anglo-Saxon word “Hamm", a land drained by dykes. Another historian, Eilert Ekwall, suggests an early owner named Teona, whose name is found in Teonanhyll in Berkshire.
J Harris, in his History of Kent (1719) calls it the “place of ten houses” (hams) but there must have been hundreds of places with 10 houses in Anglo-Saxon times.
It is also possibly "homestead of a man called Tena" or "homestead near the stream called Tene". Several other etymologies have been suggested but this one appears to be the most correct.
The "y" in "Teynham" was apparently added by the Roper family, who have been Barons of Teynham
Baron Teynham
Baron Teynham, of Teynham in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1616 for Sir John Roper. His great-great-grandson, the fifth Baron, served as Lord Lieutenant of Kent. The latter's third son, the eighth Baron, married, as his second wife, Anne...
from 1616.
Geography
It is an agricultural parish situated three miles east of SittingbourneSittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
. The southern part of the parish is mainly devoted to agriculture, the principal crops being corn
Corn
Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
and hop
Hop
Hop or hops may refer to:* Hop, a kind of small jump, usually using only one leg* Hop , a genus of climbing flowering plants* Hops, the female flower clusters of one species of hop, used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer...
s with the produce of some famous orchards. Near The Swale
The Swale
The name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.- History :The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water"....
is a large tract of land known as the Teynham Levels. This is devoted solely to the raising of sheep and cattle. At one time these marshes were not properly drained, and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
was prevalent within the parish. So many residents got the disease, that Teynham became known as an unhealthy place. Since the draining of the marshes, which was carried out under the direction of a Commission formed for the purpose (and who have powers to levy a scot) the village has become quite healthy since.
History
The town is a very ancient place, and it is mentioned as having been the town in which Archbishops resided in early times. Kenulf, Coenwulf of MerciaCoenwulf of Mercia
Coenwulf was King of Mercia from December 796 to 821. He was a descendant of a brother of King Penda, who had ruled Mercia in the middle of the 7th century. He succeeded Ecgfrith, the son of Offa; Ecgfrith only reigned for five months, with Coenwulf coming to the throne in the same year that Offa...
, who reigned between the years 794 and 819, gave the place to Christ Church, Canterbury, and afterwards a palace was built in the village or town as it was known then. Which no longer exists. Archbishop Baldwin of Forde (1184–91), Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the...
(1193–1207), Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1207 and his death in 1228 and was a central figure in the dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III, which ultimately led to the issuing of Magna Carta in 1215...
(1207–29), and Raynold (1313–28) all in turn lived at Teynham. Archbishop John de Stratford
John de Stratford
John de Stratford was Archbishop of Canterbury and Treasurer and Chancellor of England.-Life:John was born at Stratford-on-Avon and educated at Merton College, Oxford, afterwards entering the service of Edward II....
in 1345, entertained King Edward III at Teynham.
Later King Henry III granted the town the right to hold a market and fair.
Richard Harrys (or Harris - in some accounts) who also lived at Teynham, and was a fruiter to King Henry VIII. Was instructed to plant 105 acres of land with cherries and apples that he had obtained from abroad, and thus the village is one of the earliest in which the cherry was grown in Kent and England.
By 1848, Teynham had a population of 845 people. It was part of the Hundred (county subdivision) of Teynham. An Upper division of the Lathe (county subdivision) of Scray.
Most of the village income was made from cherry growing, but also from Hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
. Its patron was still the Archdeacon of Canterbury.
Sources
- Wallenberg, J K, Place-Names of Kent, Lundequistska Bokhandein, Uppsala, 1934.
- Ekwall, Eilert, Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names, fourth edition (Oxford, 1960)
- Harris, J, History of Kent (1719)