Tenterden - St. Mildred's Church

St. Mildred's Church from the Southeast © P.E. Blanche 2000

---

The East end of the Church © PE Blanche 2000

The Whitfield Memorial © P.E. Blanche 2000

This is a large Church in a Town which was a centre of the weaving industry for many years and consequently in the fifteen century became a very prosperous area. However, the origins of this Church and the possibility of there being an earlier Church on this site date back to shortly after the death of St. Mildred, the daughter of Ermenburga, the Great Grand Daughter of King Ethelbert of Kent and Merewald, the third son of King Penda of Mercia. Mildred died about 720 and there is some written evidence to suggest that there was a Church built and dedicated to her as early as 730.

The earliest part of the Church is the Chancel which is pictured (top left). At the top of this picture, you can just see the two blocked-in 13th Century windows. The roof of the Chancel was raised to it's present height in the 14th Century and further alterations, mainly because of other additions to the Church were made in the 15th and 16th Centuries.

One of the Victorian Vicars of this Church, the Rev. Philip Ward, married Horatia Nelson, the daughter of Lord Nelson. Four of their eight children were born in the Vicarage here and the Rev. Ward is buried in the churchyard although Horatia moved to Pinner before her death and is buried there. It would seem that by the mid 1800's the Church had become quite dilapidated and subsequent to the death of the Rev. Ward in 1859 a considerable amount of restoration was completed in the Church.

The Whitfield Memorial (shown bottom left) is located in the Lady Chapel on the Northeast corner of the Church. It was erected over the gravestone of Martha Whitfield, who died in 1614, to commerate both her and her husband Herbert Whitfield, died 1623, by their son, Ralph.

The Nave has a magnificent carved wooden ceiling supported by tall posts rising from huge tie beams which span the width of the Nave. Unfortunately, at the time I visited the Church the flash I had on my camera was inadequate to give enough light to take a half decent picture. Hopefully, in the near future I shall be able to return to the Church and obtain some additional pictures for this page which will include this carved roof.