Appledore and water, any connection?

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A short drive northish of Rye brings us to the historic village of Appledore, with its main street of attractive houses, overlooked by the tower of the church of St. Peter and St. Paul. The village name is probably derived from the Saxon word Apuldre, or apple tree, and is first recorded in the 10th century. It could also have a water connection. This is an interesting point, because the village once had a small harbour, although its exact location is unknown.

We know that during the winter of 892-3, a large part of the Danish army was encamped there – some 5,000 men and nearly 300 ships. They took and destroyed the local castle, traditionally said to have been built by King Arthur. When winter was over, they moved west and were soundly defeated by the son of King Alfred at Farnham.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1085-1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror as a record of his new kingdom, tells us that Appledore had both a church and a manor, owned by the monks of Christ Church cathedral in Canterbury since 1032. The population was about 300. The village was a bustling centre of commerce. By the 13th century there was a Saturday market and a fair on August 1 every year. The earliest surviving charter granting the right to hold a market is dated 1358. By 1279 there was a shop beside the church, four market stalls and four other shops. By 1279 this had increased to five stalls and seven shops. Between 1321 and 1347, Christ Church was earning 12 shillings a year in commercial rents. This changed with the arrival of the black death in 1349, when the manorial record shows that, “nine shillings received from the shops in town and no more because all the holders who used to be there are dead.” Worse was to shortly follow.

In 1380, a French fleet sailed up the River Rother and attacked Appledore. Much of the village was burned down. The church was so badly damaged that the only parts left standing were the west tower and north chapel. There are still burn marks visible on the arch of the tower inside the church. The manor barn and other building were destroyed. Rebuilding and repairing cost £55, 14 shillings and 11 pence. Repairing the thatched roof of the cheesemaker’s house was done with rushes. They cost two shillings and sixpence, with their scything and collection costing five shillings and 10 pence. These were days when an unskilled working man might earn £2 a year, a carpenter or mason as much as £5 and a thatcher £6. After the attack 15 new market stalls were built and all the damaged ones repaired.

New Romney Morris Dancers at Appledore church

Just outside the village, at Horne’s Manor, is a rare survival from the Middle Ages. This is a private chapel, on the site of land granted to the Horne family in 1276. The first wooden chapel was built in 1291. In 1366, William Horse was licenced to have mass said at his chapel for just one year, rather than attending the parish church. The records show, perhaps oddly, that the chapel was moved to a slightly different site in 1378. This must have been a wooden building, so we know that the existing stone building (used as a barn in the 19th century) must date from after this move.

The Peasant’s Revolt of 1381, the result of a number of issues, such as low incomes and high taxation, affected Horne’s Place. The records show that rebels in Kent broke into the house, stole goods worth £10 and badly damaged the building. The owner, William Horne, was a justice of the peace, and one of the men charged with crushing the rebellion. Its leader, Wat Tyler, who had advanced on London from Canterbury, died after being stabbed through the throat. Men from Appledore also joined in with Jack Cade’s rebellion in 1450.

Appledore has always had a water connection

The Rhee Wall, an artificial channel, was created between the village and the port at New Romney around about 1250. The intention was to manage the flow of water in both directions, and flush out silt from New Romney. This seems not to have worked particularly well because about 100 years later, during the middle years of the 14th century, the Knelle Dam was constructed across the Rother, to ensure that Wealden water would pass the north end of the Isle of Oxney, down to Appledore. From there it continued to Rye. At this period Appledore was able to control shipping as far upstream as Bodiam. This led to two hundred years of prosperity, with tolls charged on shipping and goods brought in and out to benefit trade.

By 1561 that prosperity was in decline. In that year a commentator wrote that: “Appledore, which has been a goodly town, is now decayed by reason that the water is gone from it.” The water was clearly an important part of the local economy. As late as the last quarter of the 18th century, Edward Hasted, a Kent antiquarian, wrote that Appledore, “was formerly a maritime town to which the sea flowed up and large fleets frequently navigated and it has for ages past been left high and dry and destitute.”

Appledore station

The modern world came to Appledore in 1851, when the railway station was built. In 1881 a further line was built to connect with Lydd and New Romney. That line closed to passenger traffic in 1967, although it is still available for trains transporting goods to and from Dungeness nuclear power station. The station is on the Marshlink line and train services are currently supplied by Southern. Appledore station, (now listed Grade II) isn’t actually in Appledore. Rather, it is almost two miles away in Kenardington.

Now, in the 21st century, Appledore seems to have regained the prosperity it had lost by the late 18th century, with a good pub, tea shop and antique business. Tourists visit for the 1066 walk and the walks along the Royal Military Canal.

Image Credits: Nick Forman , Simon Carey .

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