Rye Castle Museum

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Still Standing on the Marsh 

Fourteen medieval churches still stand on the Marsh. There were more but these have either vanished or fallen into disrepair. Examples of these are Blackmanstone Church, which appears in the Domesday Book, but has since disappeared, Orgarswick which is now a mound and the church at Broomhill which is now merely a heap of stones. Eastridge, Hope and Midley churches are in ruins but the rest are still standing even though many are in danger unless remedial work is done.

These churches are a vivid reminder of the wool trade that prospered on the Romney Marsh and enabled these churches to be built. The Romney Marsh is often used as generic term for what is in fact three main areas, the Romney Marsh itself, in the east, Walland Marsh in the west and Denge Marsh in the south. See the section on the history and development of Romney Marsh.

  

Brenzett

This church is dedicated to St. Easwyth, a Saxon princess who established a nunnery in Folkestone The church was heavily restored in 1876 and in 1902 the chancel and bell turret had to be re-built. However, a thirteenth century priest’s door remains in the chancel as well as some Norman masonry

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Brookland

The church is famous for its separate wooden bell tower. The tower is conical in shape and octagonal.   One of the bells dates from before the ReformationInside, the nave arcades and outer walls lean outwards. This is because of subsidence and this is still continuing. In 1964, a wall painting of St. Thomas a Becket was discovered on the south wall.The nave is unrestored and there is still a Georgian pulpit and box pews. The font is circular and made of lead, and is the most important of its kind in the country. It has the signs of the zodiac depicted upon it. 

  

 

Burmarsh

This church has Norman origins, yet there is only one fifteenth century window, near the porch. The rest of the windows are eighteenth century. The Georgian interior was removed when restoration work was done in 1876. The tower was re-built in the fourteenth century and had buttresses added to stop subsidence.
 

 

 

 

 Dymchurch 

The church is a Norman building, enlarged in 1821 by the remova1 of the north wall in order to widen the nave. At this time the tower was demolished. The legendary Dr. Syn, the Marsh smuggler, would have used this church.

 

 

 

 

East Guldeford

The church was built in 1505 by Sir Richard Guldeford. It is made of brick and has two pitched roofs, with a bell-cote sitting between them. It is a simple open design inside, and was much restored in the early nineteenth century. There are box pews and also a frieze depicting the seraphim with musical instruments.
 

 

Fairfield

 The church is dedicated to St. Thomas à Becket and the village of Fairfield no longer exists. A causeway was built in 1913, and until then the church was more often than not surrounded by water during the winter and spring. In 1912 the fabric was in a very poor state and a complete rebuilding within the timber framework took place.   However, the inside of the church was, fortunately, left untouched. It is Georgian, with a three decker pulpit, box pews and texts boards. The hepews are still painted white with black linings.

 

 

Ivychurch

This is a large church built between 1360 and 1370. During the thirteenth century there was a Priory on the site, which might account for the church being so big. The church has three parallel aisles, running the full length of the building, a total of 133 ft. The Chinese Chippendale screens are reputed to have come from Old Romney. The tall tower and fifteenth century chancel stalls are unusual for a village church. Some of the old glass survives in the western window of the north aisle and the eastern window of the south aisle. 

 

Lydd

Lydd is a small town on the Denge Marsh, which became a corporate member of the Cinque Ports Confederation in 1290. The church is the largest in Kent and the tower is 132 ft. high and was built in the fifteenth century. The original church was a Saxon basilica, parts of which can still be seen in the north aisleThe blocked window and the arches are the oldest parts of the building, and are indeed the oldest remaining church building on the Marsh. No Norman building work remains. The church was rebuilt and enlarged from the thirteenth century onwards. The east end was destroyed by bombs in 1940, but has been well restored. There are sixteenth and seventeenth century brasses.
 

Newchurch

The church was originally built in the thirteenth century with aisles being added later.

The tower suffered subsidence during its construction and for some time work stopped, It was later completed, correcting the tilt brought on by the subsidence, and this gives the tower its apparent ”kink”. The pulpit is Jacobean.
 

 

  

New Romney

The prefix ”New” was not used until the fifteenth century (see entry for Old Romney) and the town is one of the origina1 Cinque Ports. The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas, and is the only one to survive from the four churches that existed in the Middle Ages.

The building dates from the twelfth century and the tall tower is about 100 ft high. Originally there was a spire which acted as a landmark for shipping. This was taken away in the eighteenth century. The west doorway is Norman and the floor level is below the street.

This arises from the great storms of the late thirteenth century, which diverted the river Rother from flowing into the sea at Romney, to entering the sea at Rye. During these storms silt was built up outside the church. In the fourteenth century the church gained a Decorated east end chancel arch, two three bay arcades and three large East windows.

The church hs recently been reopened after extensive restoration work.

 

 

 Old Romney

”Old” is not really correct. It has become known as this because the town was originally all one, until the part nearest the sea became larger and the inland part declined until it was just a few houses and the church. The church of St, Clement was built in the twelfth century and later enlarged. The nave has massive moulded tie beams and crown posts. It has an unusual thirteenth century font of Purbeck marble and Caen stone supports. The Georgian minstral Gallery survives and it has been used in many films.
 

 

 St Mary in the Marsh

The Norman church tower, with its later shingled spire, is all that is left of the original church. Two of the bells are from before the Reformation. In the thirteenth century the church was enlarged and two narrow aisles were added.

The high Georgian box pews were removed, but the 1ow box pews seen today, could be the previous pews cut down. Quarry tiles make up the floor and the ones in yellow and green are from the fourteenth century.

The rest are from the late eighteenth century. E. Nesbit, the writer, is buried in the churchyard.

 Snargate

The church has a thirteenth century nave and aisles, with a fourteenth century chancel. The tower is early perpendicular.

In 1964 a terracotta coloured painting of a ship was discovered on the north wall. Because the church is in an isolated position, it was used by smugglers as a ‘hide’.

The eastern part of the north aisle was blocked off from the inside and entrance could only be gained from the outside.

 

 

 Snave

This church is dedicated to St. Augustine and is very remote. Most of the building is thirteenth century with the exception of the upper part of the tower. Many buttresses surround the building in order to avoid subsidence. Restoration took place in 1873. The church is now in the care of the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust

 

 

The work of the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust is acknowledged and more information about the Trust and its work can be obtained from:- The Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust, C/o Mrs E Marshall, Lansdell House, Rolvenden, Kent. TN17 4LW (01580 241529)