Brenchley
Brenchley is a village in the civil parish of Brenchley and Matfield, in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. All Saints Church is located in the village, and is a Grade I listed building.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Country — England • Official Name — Brenchley • Population — 2715 • Population Ref — (Parish) 2,863 (2011 Census) • Shire District — Tunbridge Wells • Civil Parish — Brenchley and Matfield • Shire County — Kent • Region — South East England • Constituency Westminster — Tunbridge Wells • Post Town — Tonbridge • Postcode District — TN12 • Postcode Area — TN • Dial Code — 01892 • Os Grid Reference — TQ675415
History
History
The name is historically derived from Branca's Leigh. The village is located 8 mi east of Royal Tunbridge Wells, and 3 mi south of Paddock Wood, and includes the neighbouring village of Matfield. Brenchley & Matfield CoE primary school is located in Brenchley. The village earns some historical fame by being one of the villages that was closely involved in post medieval iron making. The site of the furnace lies within the parish of Horsmonden now. A Market formerly held in the churchyard at Brenchley was granted in 1230 to Hamo de Crevecoeur, to be held on his own land, and the day moved from Sunday to Wednesday. In 1233 this was readjusted to Saturday. By 1296 it belonged to Gilbert de Clare, who in 1312 claimed that his ancestors had held it 'from time out of mind'.
Notable people
Notable people
• George (b. 1600) and John Lewis (b. 1606), early colonists of the Massachusetts Bay Colony arriving aboard the Hercules of Sandwich, England in 1634/5. • John Browne, (d1651), the second holder of the office of King's Gunfounder. • Hamo de Crevecoeur (d 1263), Norman nobleman who possessed Brenchley and established a market. • Gordon Giltrap (b 1948), musician, was born in Brenchley. • Edward Martin (1814–69), English cricketer who was born in Brenchley. • Richard Philpott (1813–88), English cricketer who resided in Brenchley at the time of his death. • Sophie Rhys-Jones (b 1965), wife of Prince Edward, lived in Brenchley. • Thomas Thornycroft (1815–85), sculptor, lived in Brenchley at the time of his death. • Wat Tyler (1341–1381), leader of the Peasants' Revolt, is reputed to have been born in Brenchley. • Siegfried Sassoon. • Dr. Samuel Cox Hooker. (1864-1935) was a chemist whose chief hobby was conjuring.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Brenchley, revision 1363415352 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.National Statistics Census 2001
- 2.Office for National Statistics. Civil Parish population 2011. Neighbourhood Statistics.
- 3.Mapit. Brenchley and Matfield.
- 4.Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Change of Name of Brenchley Parish Council.
- 5.PARISH CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS, Brenchley and Matfield - 1249609 Historic England. historicengland.org.uk.
- 6.Calendar of Close Rolls, Henry III: 1227-1232 p. 340; 1231-1234, pp. 233-34.
- 7.ngs.org.uk. Marle Place.
- 8.Cited in the source article.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- F C Clark. Kentish Fire. Adams & Son. 1947.
Makers, houses and production
Knowledge graph
Makers, houses and production
The people, houses and objects recorded in connection with this place.
Died at
1- Thomas ThornycroftArtist
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 September 2026.
Elsewhere in General
22,760 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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