Page:Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey.djvu/87

Rh was formerly a mill for manufacturing plates for armour. (Harris.)—In this parish are numerous deep pits in the chalk, presumed to have been excavated by the aboriginal inhabitants.—A.D. 457 Crayford was the scene of an engagement between the Britons, and the Angles under Hengest and his son Æsca, in which the former, were defeated with the loss of four of their leaders (or 4000 men according to Florence of Worcester), and they, flying in consternation to London, ceded Kent. (Gibs. Chron. Sax., 13.)

89. .—The church contains a "memorial" (brass?) of John Spratt, rector, 1466. Many, supposed, Roman remains were discovered in this parish in 1703. (Harris.)

90. .—Brass: Alys, wife of Water Walys, 1503. (Reg. Ron .)

91. .—The (Text. Roff. 106) records a grant of this place, with other lands, to the priory of Rochester, from King Ethelwolf, son of King Egbert, A.D. 880, wherein the church is specially named: "In illo loco que (sic) dicitur Cucolanstan, atque ecclesiam Sanctæ (sic) Michaelis Archangeli." It is however to be noted, that this deed (which is printed in Cod. Dipl. ii, 109) is by Mr. Kemble considered spurious.

92. .—This church is partly late Norm., partly E.E., partly of later date. The Norm, portion has some singular little ornaments in the heads of the windows. In the walls are many Roman bricks, which had been previously used. Mr. Bloxam however deems at least the chancel of Darent church to be early Norm. (Goth. Archit. 118, 121, ed. 1846.) The east end of the chancel is vaulted with stone, and above the vaulting is a small chamber. For another remarkable example of a second story in the chancel see the account of Compton, Surrey. The font is curious, containing scenes and figures in eight compartments under semicircular arches. (Bloxam, ut sup. 133.)

For the notice of Hilles Chapelry, now part of this parish, see the Note on St. Margaret's, Darent.—It is stated (Cust. Roff.) that formerly a chapel existed also at South Darent, now comprised in the parish of Horton Kirby; but the quotation from (Reg. Roff.), describing St. Margaret's chapel, may suggest a suspicion that the latter and South Darent might be only two names for the same edifice. This, as the Note will show, seems to have been the opinion of Hasted. However, in the list of churches extracted from (Text. Roff.), and given below under Rochester, "Suthderente" is mentioned separately from "Derente," to which latter also "Helle" is attached as a chapelry.