Brabourne.

Location: About three miles South East of Ashord, to the North side of the A20.

This place is a little confusing because there is actually Brabourne and about a mile to the South, lies Brabourne Lees which now just about adjoins Smeeth. The Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Brabourne was once well known for having in it's churchyard, up until 200 years ago, one of the largest and oldest yew trees in England. The tree was reputed to be 3,000 years old and was measured in 1663 as being 59ft. in circumference. Another thing which is special about this Church is that the North Window is completely Norman, dating from the 12th Century and believed to be the only one of its kind in England.

However, one of the most important connections with Brabourne is with the Scott or Scot family. This family once had as its ancestral home, Scot Hall, which has long since been demolished. However, there is still an area outside of Brabourne Lees known as Scott's Plantation. The association of this family with this area and with the Church goes back centuries. The Church once housed many brasses to the Scot family but whether these are still there I am not sure and it is something I shall have to look into the next time I am in the area. Another unique item in the Church and also connected with the family is a heart shrine. The Shrine, actually a slab of Bethesden Marble, has a hollow in which there would once have been placed a casket containing a heart. The heart is supposed to have been that of John de Baliol, the original found of Baliol College, Oxford and Lord of Galloway. He died in 1269 and his wife Devorgilla had his heart embalmed and carried it everywhere with her. After being buried with her at the time of her death, it was eventually brought to this little Church at Brabourne, probably by one of her sons, John Baliol le Scot. John Baliol le Scot was elected King of Scotland in 1292 but was subsequently defeated by Edward I which is probably when the heart arrived at the Church. John, when he was eventually exiled by Edward I passed on custody of the heart to his brothers, Alexander Baliol, who was Lord of Chilham Castle, and Sir William Baliol le Scot, the original ancestor of the Scotts of Scott Hall. In the same way in which the ancestral home has disappeared with the passing of the years so has the heart and its casket.

A later member of this Scott family was Sir Thomas Scott who, having received orders from the Privy Council at the time of the Armada, raised a force of 4,000 men and met with other forces of the Men of Kent at Northbourne. His Grandfather, Sir Thomas, had rebuilt Scott Hall to make it one of the most splendid houses in Kent. According to a poem about Sir Thomas written by Reginald Scot, he died at the age of "nyne and fifty yeare" and had seventeen children and "his first wief bore them every one". He actually had three wives by the names of Baker, Heyman and Beere.

Reginald Scot, the Great, Grandson of Sir Thomas wrote two very famous books on very different subjects. One of these books was the first written on hop farming, a most important subject in Kent. It was written in 1573 and entitled "The Perfect Platform of a Hop-Garden, and necessary instructions for the making and maintaining thereof, with Notes and Rules for Reformation of all Abuses". The other, also on a most unusual subject, was "Discourie of Witchcraft". It apparently tried to end the frequent persecution of elderly single or widowed women that was common in those days that were accused of witchcraft. It is said that he gained much of his knowledge for the book from the people around him in the corner of Kent. It is known that he seldom travelled far from his home. The book, it is said, really upset James I who actually ordered all copies of the text to be destroyed.

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