MRP: Barham Downs
Barham Downs
Barham Downs featured in the lives of the Oxindens of both Deane and Barham. A number of letters printed by D.K. Gardiner or available in manuscript at the British Library make reference to the Downs.
The landscape of the Downs has changed significantly since the early part of the seventeenth century, as intensive agriculture has encroached on the chalk grasslands.
Nineteenth century descriptions
Hasted, 1800:358-60 was not enamoured of the downs, which abutt the parish of Denton:
The parish of Denton is situated at the beginning of a very wild, dreary, and montainous country, the hills here rising on each side the valley pretty sudden and high. The soil of it is very poor, consisting either of chalk, or an unfertile red earth, mixed with quantities of sharp stones. It is but small, the village called Denton.street, lies in the valley at the northern boundary of the parish, not far from Brome, that of Barham extending quite up to it. The high road from Canterbury over Barham downs leads through the street, at the north end of which, though in Barham parish, is the seat of Maydeacon, and at the south end Denton-court and the church; hence the hill rises to the hamlet of Selsted, part only of which is in this parish, and thence the road continues over Swinfield Minnis to the town of Folkestone; in the southern part there is a great deal of woodland
In the 1830s Barham Downs were still described as a rather desolate feature of the landscape:
The ride over Barham Downs, except in the finest weather, is black and dreary. This tract, however, forms a good race-course, and is a fine open space for the review of troops. The races take place here annually, in the month of August, and there is also a spring meetîng on Easter Tuesday. Both are in high repute, and attract visitors from all parts of the county of Kent, and even from London. (Brady, 1837:118)
An amateur botanist described the wide range of flora to be seen on and at the edge of Barham Downs in the 1860s (Pamplin, 1863:18-21)
Field sports on the downs
The principal field sports in East Kent in the early seventeenth century were hare coursing and fox hunting. Stags were rare in this part of the country, as a writer commented in Sporting Magazine, 20th March 1804: 296 when reporting the release and hunting of a fine stag in St. Alban's Downs. A selection of dogs from the East Kent pack, together with one hundred and fifty horsemen, made a course "across the country towards Folkestone." A further stag was due to be released on Adisham Downs the following day.
Whyte, 1840:255-56 described a well established two day horse racing event on Barham Downs towards the end of August each year. By the late 1830s the races on the Downs were a significant event, with a "commodious stand," the theatre open in nearby Canterbury, together with "balls and other gaieties." However, Whyte gives no prior history to the event, and it seems unlikely that it had been established prior to the eighteenth century, when there was rapid growth in horse racing throughout England (CHECK ACCURACY AND NEED A REFERENCE)
Sources
Primary
Brady, John Henry, The Dover road sketch book; or, Traveller's pocket guide, between London and Dover (?London, 1837)
Gardiner, Dorothy, The Oxinden letters 1607-1642. Being the correspondence of Henry Oxinden of Barham and his circle (London, 1933)
Hasted, Edward, The History and topographical survey of the county of Kent, vol. 9 (London, 1800)
Pamplin, William, The Phytologist: a botanical journal, vol. 6 (?London, 1863)
The sporting magazine for March 1804, vol. 25 (sic) (London, 1804)
Whyte, James Christie, History of the British turf: from the earliest period to the present day, vol. 1 (London, 1840)
Secondary
Image credits
Photograph of detail of engraving of Hundreds of Wingham and Kinghamford, XXXX, XXXX. Photograph is copyright of Colin Greenstreet, 2011
