Pigots 1840 - Kent

Romney (New) & Dymchurch

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New Romney is a market and cinque port town and parish, in the cinque port liberty of Romney – 68 miles SE by E from London, 34 SE from Maidstone, five N from Dungeness and two from the decayed town of Old Romney; situate on rising ground, nearly in the centre of Romney Marsh; in the absence of manufactures and trade; the grazing of large herds of cattle on this extensive tract is of material advantage to the inhabitants. In the Domesday Book survey Romney has an importance attached to it which aspect at the present time by no means denotes; it then had one hundred and fifty six burgesses, twelve wards, an hospital and five parish churches; but in the reign of Edward I, it was desolated by a dreadful tempest. The only church now remaining – a capacious, handsome and venerable edifice – is dedicated to St Nicholas; it consists of three aisles and three chancels, with a square tower at the western end; the benefice is a vicarage, in the gift of the warden and fellows of All Souls College, Oxford. The charities are a national school and almshouses. Romney is a borough by prescription; it was first incorporated by Edward III and received a new charter from Elizabeth by which the town is now governed; the corporate body is styled “the mayor, jurats & commonalty” and possesses the exclusive privileges of the cinque ports; and its barons are second in rank to bear the canopies over the king and queen at the coronation. The borough returned two members to Parliament from an early date, until the reform bill deprived it of the franchise. This town is one of the polling stations at the elections of members to represent East Kent. The market day is Saturday, and a large stock fair is held on the 21st August. The population of the parish at the last census, was 983.

 

About 4 miles NNE  from New Romney is Dymchurch, a village and parish in the liberty of Romney Marsh, hundred of Worth and lathe of Shepway; the village is situated on the road to Hythe; the parish lies wholly on the level of Romney Marsh, upon the shore of the straits of Dover, and is peculiarly distinguished by its strong artificial wall or embankment, constructed to resist the encroachments of the sea; this stupendous work is about three miles long, upwards of twenty feet high, and the width of the top permits the high road to run along it; it has three grand sluices for draining the marsh and the expense of drainage and keeping up the embankments amounts to £5,000 per annum, which is defrayed by payments levied on the whole district or liberty. The places of worship are the parish church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and two chapels for dissenters. According to the parliamentary returns, made in 1831, the population amounted to 521.

 

POST OFFICE – Romney, James VIGDEN, Postmaster. Letters from London arrive (by mail cart from Dover), every morning at nine, and are despatched every evening at six. Letters from Brighton, Cranbrooke, Tenterden, Hastings, Lewes &c arrive every evening at six and are despatched every morning at nine.

 

GENTRY & CLERGY

 

BRANN Mr John, New Romney

COATES Odiarne esq, New Romney

COATES Mr William, New Romney

COBB Mr Thomas, New Romney

DRAY Mr Thomas, Dymchurch

FINN Stephen esq, Dymchurch

HALLOWES Lieutenant Thomas (RN), Dymchurch

PULLEN Rev George, Dymchurch

RUSSELL Mr Edward, New Romney

RUSSELL John esq, New Romney

RUSSELL Rev Jn Clarke, New Romney

STRINGER Mr William, (attorney), New Romney

WALKER Bachelor esq, New Romney

WALKER John esq, New Romney

WIGHTWICK Norman esq, New Romney

 

ACADEMIES & SCHOOLS

 

COLEMAN Caroline (boarding & day), Dymchurch

National School, New Romney, Paul SHARP, master; Mary SHARP, mistress

SHERWOOD Sarah, (day), New Romney

WOOLLETT Thomas, (day), New Romney

 

BAKERS

 

CRUX Henry, New Romney

PARTON John, New Romney

SIMPSON James, Dymchurch

SIMPSON William, Dymchurch

TRITTON William, New Romney

WHORWELL Sarah, New Romney

 

BLACKSMITHS

 

ASHDOWN Thomas, Dymchurch

HAMBROOK John, Dymchurch

SMITH Henry, Ivy Church

WILES John, New Romney

 

BOOT & SHOE MAKERS

 

BOORMAN John, New Romney

DOWLE Edmund Hawkins, New Romney

DOWLES James, New Romney

GUTSOLE Robert, Dymchurch

LONG Robert, New Romney

PANKHURST William, New Romney

SACREE Joseph, Ivy Church

SHARELL James, New Romney

WADDELL John, Dymchurch

 

BRICKLAYERS

 

LORDEN William, Dymchurch

MASEY George, New Romney

STONE Charles, New Romney

TUNBRIDGE John, New Romney

 

BUTCHERS

 

BLAKE Thomas, Dymchurch

BRISSENDEN John, New Romney

BRISSENDEN Richard, New Romney

SMITH James, New Romney

SNOAD Charles, New Romney

WRAIGHT Jeremiah, New Romney

WRAIGHT Thomas, Dymchurch

 

CARPENTERS

 

BOORMAN William, New Romney

DITTON George, Ivychurch

GRAVETT John, New Romney

HUNT Leonard, Dymchurch

WILES John, New Romney

WRAIGHT Edward, Dymchurch

 

COAL MERCHANTS

 

BLAKE & HUNT, Dymchurch

HUMPHREY John, (& auctioneer), New Romney

MASEY George, New Romney

PAGE Mary, New Romney

 

GROCERS & DEALERS IN SUNDRIES

 

BUTLER John (& draper), New Romney

DRURY Thomas, Dymchurch

FINN Stephen, Dymchurch

FRYER John, New Romney

GODDEN John, Dymchurch

GRAVETT George, (& draper), New Romney

MITTELL Richard, New Romney

MORTLEY Ann, New Romney

TRITTON William, New Romney

 

INNS & PUBLIC HOUSES

 

New Inn, (posting house & excise office), Edward SINDEN, New Romney

Ship, William HOLMES, Dymchurch

Ship Inn, Jno PREBBLE, New Romney

 

MILLERS

 

PARTON John, (& maltster), New Romney

SINGLETON George, Dymchurch

 

MILLINERS & STRAW HAT MAKERS

 

LAURENCE Caroline, New Romney

PORTWINE Ann, New Romney

 

PAINTERS & GLAZIERS

 

LAURENCE David, New Romney

LAURENCE Jane, New Romney

LORDEN William, Dymchurch

 

SURGEONS

 

ROBERTS Thomas, New Romney

WOOD Benjamin, (& registrar of births & deaths), New Romney

 

TAILORS

 

COLEMAN Isaac, New Romney

MITTELL Richard, New Romney

VIGDEN James, (& draper), New Romney

 

WHEELWRIGHTS

 

BOURN William, New Romney

DITTON George, Ivy Church

 

MISCELLANEOUS – in New Romney

 

BOURN Sarah, clothes dealer

BRIDGE William, cabinetmaker & upholsterer

COWEN Francis, fellmonger

DADD John, druggist

Gaol – John HUTCHINS, keeper

GILBERT Jeffrey, watch & clock maker

HAISELL Thomas, gardener

HARRISS William, clerk to the Romney Marsh Union

JOHNSON James, saddler &c.

JONES William, tin plate worker

MITTELL Edward, sub distributer of stamps & fire office agent

MORTLEY Ann, shopkeeper

PANE Richard, hairdresser

SHARVEL William, parish clerk

STONE Charles, stonemason

Union Workhouse, Joseph APINAL Governor; Eliza APINAL, matron

 

COACHES

 

To Hastings, the Union, (from Margate), calls at the Ship Inn, Dymchurch every afternoon (Sunday excepted), at half past one, and at the New Inn, New Romney at two.

 

To Margate, the Union, (from Hastings), calls at the New Inn, New Romney every day, (Sunday excepted), at twelve and at the Ship Inn, Dymchurch at half past twelve.

 

VANS – for passengers & goods

 

To Ashford, a Van, (from Lydd), calls at the New Inn, New Romney every morning, (Sunday excepted), at nine.

 

To Lydd, a Van, (from Ashford), calls at the New Inn, New Romney every afternoon, (Sunday excepted), at five.

 

CARRIERS

 

To Dover, Hythe, Folkestone &c. Daniel CATT from Romney, every Tuesday & Friday & Thomas HEDGCOCK & Thomas WOOD, (from Lydd), every Monday & Thursday; all go through Dymchurch.

 

To Lydd, Thomas HEDGCOCK & Thomas WOOD, pass through Dymchurch and Romney every Tuesday & Friday.

 

To Rye, William GOODWIN, from New Romney twice a week.

 

To Tenterden, John MILLS, from the Ship Inn, New Romney every Monday & Friday.

 

This page was last updated on 06-Mar-2021.

Copyright © 2008 Janet & Richard Mason.