Edward Hasted 1799
The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent
Vol IV.
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NORTHBORNE COURT,
usually called Norborne Abbey from its having belonged to the Abbey of St. Augustine, was the ancient court lodge of the manor, before they separated by different grants from the Crown, after the suppression of the monastery. This court lodge, with the demesne lands of the manor, remained but a very short time in the hands of the Crown, after the reconveyance
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of it by the Archbishop, in the 3d year of Q. Elizabeth, as has been mentioned above; for it was almost immediately afterwards granted by the Queen, for life, to Edward Sanders, gent. her foster brother (z); on whose death, about the middle of that reign, the possession of it reverted to the Crown (a), where it remained, till K. James I, soon after his accession, granted it it in fee to Sir Edwin Sandys, knt. on whom he conferred the honour of knighthood, and had given his estate, for his firm attachment to him at the time. He rebuilt this mansion, and kept his shrievalty for the county at it, in the 14th year of K. James I, and dying in the year 1629, was buried in the vault which he had made in this church for himself and his posterity, and in which most of his direct descendants were afterwards deposited (b).
Sir Edwin Sandys, though he had four wives, left male issue only by his last wife. From Edwyn, their second son, descended the Sandys's, of Norbone Court; and from Richard, the third son, those of Canterbury, still remaining there.
On Sir Edwin Sandys's death, in 1629, his eldest son, Henry Sandys, esq; succeeded to this estate; and on his death, without issue, his next brother, Colonel Edwin Sandys, who dying at Norborne Court of the wound he had received in 1642, at the battle of Worcester, his eldest son, Sir Richard Sandys, knt. became possessed of it, and resided here. He married Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Heyman, of Selling, bart. and was killed by his fowling-piece in passing a hedge in 1663 [the accident actually occurred in 1669 see parish burial register]. He left issue, Richard and Benedictus, who were twins. Benedictus died in 1700, without issue. Sir Richard, the eldest was created a baronet on Dec. 15, 1684, obiit 1726; having been married first, to Mary, daughter and coheir of Dame Priscilla Rolle, of Devonshire, in 1698, who died in 1709; and 2dly, to Susanna-Catherine, daughter of . . . . . . whom he left surviving. By his first wife he left issue only four daughters and his coheirs, viz. Priscilla, the eldest, married to Henry Sandys, esq; (grandson of Henry Sandys of Downe, esq; the son of Colonel Richard Sandys, the younger brother of Colonel Edwin Sandys, the great grand-father of Priscilla, above-mentioned.) Mary, the second daughter and coheir, married William Roberts, of Harbledowne,
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esq; Elizabeth, the third daughter, died unmarried soon after her father's death; and Anne, the fourth and youngest daughter, married in 1731, Charles Pyott, of Canterbury, esq; and they respectively, in right of their wives, became possessed of this, among the rest of his estates, in undivided shares, by the entail made in Sir Richard Sandys's will.
Henry Sandys left issue, by his wife Priscilla, Richard his eldest son, and Henry, who died unmarried. Richard was of Canterbury, esq; and succeeded to a third part of this estate; of which he died possessed in 1763, leaving by Susan, daughter of James Taylor (e), whom he married in 1746, seven sons and one daughter, Susan, married to Henry Godfrey Faussett, esq; of Heppington, who died in 1789, leaving three sons and five daughters.
Of the sons, Richard, the eldest, was of Canterbury, esq; and afterwards entered into holy orders. He died in 1782, having been twice married; first, in 1770, to Catharina, daughter of William Hougham, of Barton Court, near Canterbury, esq; by whom he had one son, Richard-Edwin, born in 1772, and a daughter Catharina; secondly, in 1781, he married Lady Frances-Alicia (f), sister of Charles, Earl of Tankerville and widow of Richard Aslong, esq; by whom he had one daughter, Alicia-Arabella.
Henry Sandys was the second son, William the third son, died in 1773. Edwin-Humphry, the fourth son, is now of Canterbury, gent. and has been twice married; first to Sarah, younger daughter of the late Sir William Fagg, of Mystole in this county, bart. who died without issue and 2dly, to the only daughter, and at length sole heir of Edward Lord Chick, of Westham in the co. of Essex, esq; by whom he has issue several children. Charles Sandys, esq; the fifth son is a Captain in the Royal Navy. Herbert the sixth son, was an Officer in the Army, and died unmarried in 1773; and James, the seventh son, died in August 1795, in the West Indies, a Captain in the 41st regiment of foot. These sons, together with their sister Susan, shared their father's third part of this estate.
William Roberts, of Harbledowne, esq; left issue by his second wife, Mary Sandys, above-mentioned, an only son of the same name, to whom his third part of this estate descended. he died unmarried in 1746, and by his will devised it to his half-sister Mary, wife of Thomas Fisher esq; the daughter of his father by his first wife, daughter of Solomon Hougham esq. She died in 1774, without issue by her second husband, Mr. Fisher; but by her first husband, Edward Wollet, she had an only daughter Mary, who became entitled to her third part of this estate, which she carried in marriage to Sir Robert Mead Wilmot, of Chaddesden in the co. of Derby, bart. on whose death it vested in his widow, and eldest son Sir Robert Wilmot, bart (ff).
The remaining third part of this estate, which was carried in marriage by Anne, the youngest daughter of Sir Richard Sandys, to Charles Pyott, esq; of Canterbury, continued in his possession till his death, in 1789 (g), when it came to their only daughter and heir Anne, the wife of Robert Thomas Pyott, late of Hull in the co. of York, but now of Canterbury, esq.
In 1795, all the parties interested in this estate joined in conveying their respective shares to the several purchasers undermentioned, viz. to James Tillard, of Street-End Place, near Canterbury, esq; Northbourne Court lodge, farm, and lands - to Robert-Thomas Pyott, esq; Stoneheap farm [in the 2nd edition of Hasted's History Vol IX (1800) p.438 he says 'Mr Pyott has lately sold Stoneheap farm to Mr. Leonard Woodward, of Ashley Borough'] - to William Wyborn, the site of the late mansion-house, gardens, and Long-Dane-farm - to Mr. John Parker, Cold-Harbour-farm - and to several other persons, the remaining small detached parts of the estate. The whole purchase-monies amounting to nearly 30,000l. (h)
The mansion of Norborne Court, the residence of the Sandys's, appears to have been a large and stately building. It was pulled down in 1750, and the materials sold; and the walls are all that now remain of it, forming a very considerable ruin. Near the house was a handsome chapel, formerly used by the Abbat and Convent of St. Augustine, when they visited this mansion, and afterwards by the Sandys family. It is at this time nearly entire, excepting the roof, which has been long since taken off (i).
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(z) Philipott, p. 254. He afterwards resided at Northborne Court, having married Anne, daughter and coheir of Francis, son of Milo, Pendrath of Norborne, by Elizabeth, one of the heirs of Thomas Lewin, and nurse to Q. Elizabeth, which Edward Sanders was brother of Bartholomew Sanders, of Minster in Thanet, who married Mary, daughter of Henry Oxenden, of Wingham, esq; whose father Amias Sanders, was of Chilton in Ash, where his ancestors had resided for some generations; but were originally descended from Minster, in Thanet. Edward Sanders had issue two sons; Francis, of Monckton, who, by Frances, daughter of Sir Adam Spracklyn, knt. had issue Frances, born in 1712, and Edward, and three daughters; Elizabeth married first to Richard Hougham, of Weddington, in Ash, gent. and secondly, to Thomas Halkes; Jane married Edward Boys of Goodnestone; and Anne to Christopher Tilghman, of Sellinge. They bore for their arms - Or, on a chevron gules, 3 mullets argent, between 3 elephant's heads erased, of the 2nd. There is a pedigree of them in the Heraldic Visitation of the co. of Kent, anno 1619.
(a) It appears, that in the 40th year of Q. Elizabeth, anno 1596, Sir Roger Manwood, Chief Baron, was possessed of part of the demesne lands of this manor, which lands, Thomas Parker, of Norborne, then held by lease of him. - See Will of Parker, proved in Prerog. office, Canterbury, that year.
(b) Sir Edwin Sandys was second son of Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York, by Cecily, his second wife, daughter of Thomas Wilsford, of Cranbrook, esq; obiit 1610. The Archbishop's eldest son was Samuel, who was of the co. of Worcester, knt. from whom descended the Lords Sandys, late of Ombersley in that county. His younger sons were Miles Sandys, of the co. of Worcester, and George, the noted traveller. Sir Edwin above-mentioned, the second son, of Norborne, had four wives; first Margaret, daughter of John Eveleigh, of the co. of Devon, by whom he had Elizabeth, married to Sir Thomas Wilsford, of Ilden, knt. secondly, Anne, daughter of Thomas Southcote; thirdly, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Nevinson, of Eastry, gent. by whom he had Anne, married to Thomas Engeham, of Goodneston; and fourthly, Catherine, daughter of Sir Richard Bulkley, of Anglesey, knt. afterwards Lord Bulkley, by whom he had seven sons and five daughters. Of the former, Henry, born 1606, married Margaret, daughter of Sir William Hammond of St. Albans, knt. and died without issue. Edwyn, the second son, was a noted rebel Colonel, under Oliver Cromwell, well known for his depredations and insolent cruelties to the loyalists, who received a mortal wound at the battle of Worcester, in 1642, after which, retiring to Norborne, he died, and was buried there; having married Catherine, daughter of Richard Champneis, of Bexley, esq; by whom he had Sir Richard Sandys, knt. as above-mentioned, two other sons, Edwin and Henry, and two daughters, Catherine and . . . . . . . married to Rowe, of Shakelwell, Middlesex. Richard, the third son, was a Colonel likewise in the army, who married Hester, daughter of Edwin Aucher, of Wilsborough, gent. by whome he had several children; the eldest of whom was, Henry Sandys, of Downe, esq; who, by Cathrine, daughter of Sir William St. Quintin knt. (widow of Sir John Kaye, bart.) had Jordan Sandys, of Downe, Captain of a man of war, whose son, Henry Sandys, esq; married in 1719, at Cudham, Priscilla, eldest of the three daughter and coheirs of Sir Richard Sandys, of Norborne, bart. as will be mentioned below, by whom he inherited part of the Norborne estate, and was father of Richard Sandys, of Canterbury, esq. The fourth son of Sir Edwin Sandys, was Robert, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Jones, Lord Ranelagh, whose descendants settled in Ireland. William was the fifth. Thomas was knighted; and Francis was the seventh son. Of the daughters, Catherine married to Robert Scrimshaw, of the co. of Stafford; Mary to Richard Spencer, of Orpington; Frances; Elizabeth to Francis Langston, Sergeant-at-Arms, of the co. of Worcester; Penelope to Nicholas Lechmere, of Haniey, Baron of the Exchequer. They bore of their arms - Or, a fess dancette, between 3 cross crossets-fitchee, gules. There is a pedigree of this family in the heraldic Visitation of the co. of Kent, anno 1619.
[NB. Hasted seems to have omitted footnotes (c) and (d) altogether.]
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(e) By his wife Susan, daughter of Edward Crayford, of Canterbury, esq.
(f) She since married, in 1783, Edward Beckingham Benson, Cl. Rector of Deal, who died on July 10, 1795, by whom she has issue 3 sons; Edward, Henry, and Thomas.
(ff) See more of the Roberts's and Wilmots, under Harbledowne, vol. iii, of this history, p575, 576.
(g) She died in 1753, and he married secondly Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Hales, bart. and widow of Benjamin Letbieullier, of Sheen in the co. of Surry, esq; by whom he had no issue. She died in 1778. They lie buried in St. Martin's church, in Canterbury. The Pyotts bear for their arms - Azure, on a fess or, a lion passant sable, in chief 3 bezants.
(h) The whole estate contained near 1100 acres, all tythe-free, except about 40 acres.
(i) This chapel is mentioned in the endowment of the vicarage of Norborne, dated anno 1278, and probably was the same building; the ruins of which remain at present. It is situated adjoining to the ruins of the house, on the south side.