| Cranbrook |
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| The town of Cranbrook is situated on the western side of the parish, on the road leading from Maidstone by Stylebridge towards Hawkhurst and Sussex, at the 52d mile-stone, and consists of one large wide street, of about a mile in length, having the church nearly in the centre of it. There is but a very small part of it paved, from the market-place eastward, which was begun in 1654, being done through mere necessity; the deepness and mire of the soil before, being not only a great hindrance to the standing of the market people, but to the passing of all travellers in general. The market is still held on a Saturday, for corn and hops, and is a very plentiful one for meat and other provisions. It was obtained by Archbishop Peckham, anno 18 Edward I. And there are two fairs held yearly, on May 30, and Sept. 29, for horned cattle, horses, linen drapery, toys, &c. but the latter is the largest, at which there is a great deal of business done in the hop trade. Here was the centre of the cloathing trade, one of the pillars of the kingdom, which formerly flourished in these parts, and greatly enriched not only this county, but the nation in general. The occupation of it was formerly of considerables consequences and estimation, and was exercised by persons who possessed most of the landed property in the Weald, insomuch that almost all the antient families of these parts, now of large estates, and genteel rank in life, and some of them ennobled by titles, are sprung from, and owe their fortunes to ancestors who have used this great staple manufacture, now almost unknown here. Among others, the Bathursts, Ongleys, Courthopes. Maplesdens, Gibbons's, Westons, Plumers, Austens, Dunkes, and Stringers. They were usually called, from their dress, the grey coats of Kent, and were a body so numerous and united, that at county elections, whoever had their votes and interest was almost certain of being elected. It was first introduced here by king Edward III who, in his 10th year, invited some of the Flemings into England, by promises of large rewards, and grants of several immunities, to teach the English the cloth manufacture; but this trade, after flourishing here for so many centuries, is now almost disused in these parts, there being only two houses of it remaining in this parish; but there is yet some little of the woolstapling business carried on. The inhabitants throughout the parish, who are in general wealthy and substantial, are computed to be about 3000, of which a great part are dissenters from the Church of England, for whose use there are four meeting-houses in the town, one for Presbyterians, the second for Methodistical Baptists, the third for Cavinistical Baptists, and the fourth for Independants. The Presbyterians formerly were the most numerous sect throughout this county; but they are greatly diminished of late years, and the Methodistical Baptists are the prevailing sect, and greatly increasing every year, through every part of it. Besides these there is a meeting-house for the Quakers, with a burying ground, but I beleive there is not one of this sect in the parish, though they yet hold an annual meeting here. extract from Hasted's History of Kent published in 1798 | |||
| Parish & other records | Before 1500 |
1500 to 1550 |
1550 to 1600 |
1600 to 1650 |
1650 to 1700 |
1700 to 1725 |
1725 to 1750 |
1750 to 1775 |
1775 to 1800 |
1800 to 1825 |
1825 to 1850 |
1850 to 1875 |
1875 to 1900 |
1900 to 1925 |
1925 to 1950 |
1950 to 1975 |
1975 to 2000 |
After 2000 |
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| 4207 | Births | 1 | 2 | 86 | 119 | 77 | 76 | 111 | 114 | 163 | 549 | 811 | 1461 | 630 | 6 | 1 | ||||
| 1090 | Christenings | 79 | 115 | 75 | 72 | 111 | 111 | 123 | 207 | 116 | 71 | 10 | ||||||||
| 314 | Marriages | 1 | 24 | 37 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 36 | 56 | 55 | 21 | 3 | |||||||
| 273 | Deaths | 1 | 19 | 41 | 21 | 18 | 26 | 31 | 17 | 10 | 22 | 27 | 23 | 17 | ||||||
| 238 | Burials | 21 | 41 | 20 | 18 | 26 | 31 | 17 | 8 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 12 | |||||||
| Books and other documents | |
| Published | Title, author and references |
| 1797 | The Tunbridge Wells Guide by J. Sprange ⇒ p. 263 |
| 1798 | The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent - Volume VII by Edward Hasted ⇒ p. 90 |
| 1814 | An Historical, Topographical and Descriptive Account of the Weald of Kent by T. D. W. Dearn ⇒ p. 73 |
| 1839 | Directory of Kent, Surrey & Sussex ⇒ entry |
| 1840 | New Guide for Tunbridge Wells by John Colbran and edited by James Phippen ⇒ p. 223 |
| 1860 | The Great Rebellion in Kent of 1381 Illustrated from the Public Records by W. E. Flaherty ⇒ p. 80 |
| 1866 | An Historical Account of Dence's School & Schoolmasters from 1568 to 1865 by William Tarbutt ⇒ p. 1 |
| 1868 | School Inquiry Commision Vol XI South-East Division by C. I. Elton and H. A. Giffard ⇒ p. 41 |
| 1871 | A History of The Weald of Kent with an outline of the Early History of the County, Volume I. by Robert Furley, F.S.A. ⇒ Cranbrook Hundred p. 315; Cranbrook Hundred p. 318; origin of the name p. 385 |
| 1874 | A History of The Weald of Kent with an outline of the History of the County to the present time, Volume II by Robert Furley, F.S.A. ⇒ p. 10; p. 13; p. 124; p. 124; p. 164; p. 230; p. 255; Settlement of foreign cloth-workers p. 325; p. 335; p. 369; p. 482; Queen Elizabeth's visit p. 495; p. 556; p. 664; p. 668; p. 707; p. 707; Cranbrook colony p. 747; p. 838 |
| 1882 | Kelly's Directory of Kent by E. R. Kelly, M.A., F.S.S. ⇒ entry |
| 1896 | A Glimpse at Cranbrook - The Town of the Weald by W. Stanley Martin ⇒ p. 2 |
| 1912 | Boyd Alexander's Last Journey with a Memoir by Herbert Alexander by Boyd Alexander ⇒ p. 5 |
| 1914 | Highways and Byways in Kent by Walter Jerrold with Illustrations by Hugh Thomson ⇒ p. 245 |
| 1923 | Medieval & Tudor Kent P.C.C. Wills Books 49 & 50 Cranbrook by Leland L. Duncan ⇒ Kent Archaeological Society |
| 1923 | Early History of Cranbrook School by Leland L. Duncan ⇒ p. 127 |
| 1926 | Notes on the life of Sir John Baker of Sissinghurst by Rev. F.V. Baker ⇒ p. 5 |
| 1995 | How the 19th c. Cranbrook Colony were influenced in style and subject matter by the 17th c. Dutch Genre Masters by Hamish J. Lemmens ⇒ Book p. i |
| 2008 | A History of Cranbrook from the earliest times to 1914 by Peter Allen ⇒ Book |
| Pictures | more pictures | ||||||
 Letters Patent, Free and Perpetual Grammar School - 1574 |  Cranbrook Church - 14th June 1760 |  Milkhouse Chapel - 1798 |  Cranbrook - 1813 |  Angley House - 1814 |  Market Cross - c 1850 |  White Lion Inn - c 1850 | |
 Thomas Webster - c 1865 |  The Old White Lion - c 1880 |  Thomas Webster at Webster House - 1884 |  George Inn - c 1890 |  Grammar School Lodge - 1896 |  J. Wilmshurst, Family Butcher, Stone Street - 1896 |  T.S. Stokes & Sons, Outfitters - 1896 | |
| Places and properties in Cranbrook - a directory of homes, farms, churches, schools, inns, and other places of interest that existed prior to 1900 has been compiled from Post Office directories, Kelly's directories, Trade directories, Census data, Ordnance survey maps and books of the period |
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The Weald is at Database version 14.05 which has ongoing updates to the 395,000 people; 9,000 places; 613 maps; 3,308 pictures, engravings and photographs; and 248 books loaded in the previous version
