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Boxley

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"BOXLEY, a parish in the hundred of Maidstone, lathe of Aylesford, in the county of Kent, 2 miles to the N.E. of Maidstone, its post town. It is situated near Boxley Hills, commanding an extensive and beautiful prospect over the surrounding rich country, and includes part of Penenden Heath, and a large rabbit-warren. In the middle of the 12th century, William d'Ypres, Earl of Kent, founded here a Cistercian abbey, which was mitred, and received from Henry III. the grant of a market. Its abbot sat in parliament in the reign of Edward I. The abbey was celebrated for the possession of a curious rood, or automaton crucifix, and an image of St. Rumbold, both of which were burnt at the Reformation, at Paul's Cross. The revenue of the abbey amounted at the Dissolution to £219. The site was given in 1540 to Sir Thomas Wyatt. The manor of Boxley had been held by the monks under a grant of Richard I. There are hop-grounds in the parish, and many persons are employed in the paper manufacture, which is carried on here in two large and excellent mills, said to be some of the best in England. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury, of the value of £834, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Rochester. The church, an ancient building, is dedicated to All Saints, and contains some monuments of the Wyatt and other families. Attached to the western entrance is a large porch, supposed to be either a Galilee or mortuary chapel, the burial-place of the Whatman family. The parochial charities amount to £4 a year. The principal residences are Boxley Abbey, The Firs, Park House, Park Place, Boxley House, and Brooklyn."

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

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Description & Travel

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Gazetteers

"GROVE GREEN, a village in the parish of Boxley, hundred of Maidstone, lathe of Aylesford, county Kent, 1½ mile E. of Maidstone. Fuller's earth is obtained here, and Roman remains have been found."

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

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TQ777592 (Lat/Lon: 51.30418, 0.547862), Boxley which are provided by: