Bredgar
| Bredgar | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Bredgar Location within Kent | |
| Population | 659 (2011 Census)[1] |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Sittingbourne |
| Postcode district | ME9 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
Bredgar is a village and civil parish in the borough of Swale in Kent, England. The village lies some 4 miles (6.4 km) to the southwest of Sittingbourne on the road between Tunstall and Hollingbourne. The hamlet of Bexon is included in the parish.
A hoard of 34 Roman coins including 15 gold aurei was discovered in the parish in 1957. It is thought to be related to the Claudian invasion, possibly buried by a soldier before the Battle of the Medway.[2][3]
In 1800 Edward Hasted, notes that it was once called Bradgare. Also the parish had around 1300 acres of land, of which one hundred acres are covered by wood. With Tunstall and Bobbing, it was controlled by the Manor of Milton.[4]
In the reign of King Henry III (12th century), Robert de Bredgar, resided here and his name appears in an ancient roll of the benefactors to the monastery of Davington (in Faversham). The village was then named after this family.[4]
The parish includes Swanton Court, (a Grade II listed house)[5] and Mann's Place (also Grade II listed),[6] All listed in Hasted's survey of Kent.[4]
The parish also has its own church, St John The Baptist Church, which is in the diocese of Canterbury, and the deanery of Sittingbourne.[4] It is grade I listed.[7] King Henry III gave out alms from this church to the leprous women of the hospital of St. James, (alias St. Jacob), near Thanington, near Canterbury.[4]
Bredgar is home to the privately owned Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway, a half-mile long, 2 ft gauge, steam railway with a fine collection of locomotives and rolling stock, and extensive workshops. The B&W opens to the public occasionally during the summer months to raise money for charity,
The M2 motorway crosses the parish. Junction 5 is approximately 3 miles (5 km) west of the village.
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ^ "Hoards and hoarding". Current Archaeology. 2010-10-01. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "Coin - Unique ID: ESS-F8A767". Portable Antiquities Scheme. 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ a b c d e Hasted, Edward (1798). "Parishes". The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent. 6. Institute of Historical Research: 98–106. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ "Swanton Court, Bredgar". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ "Mann's Place, Bredgar". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ "Church of St John the Baptist, Bredgar". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
External links
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