Boughton Aluph

"BOUGHTON ALUPH, a parish in the hundred of Wye, lathe of Scray, in the county of Kent, 4 miles to the N.E. of Ashford, its post town. It is situated on the west bank of the river Stour. The South-Eastern railway runs through the parish. Part of the land is laid out in hop-grounds. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury, value £216, in the patronage of the trustees of Dr. Breton. The church is a large ancient building of flint and ashlar, in the form of a cross, with a low tower at the centre. It is dedicated to All Saints, and has some remains of ancient stained windows, a piscina, and several monuments. In this parish are the manors of Seaton and Wilmington, which were anciently held by tenures of a singular character:-the former, by the service of following the king when he went to Gascony, leading a leash of hounds till shoes, worth a great, were worn out; the latter, by the service of providing a pothook for the king's meat. The charitable endowments of the parish produce £8 a year. A pleasure fair is held at Lees on the 24th June."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2010]