Copyright Kent Past 2010
Kent Past
The History of Kent
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History of Horsmonden
Horsmonden comes from the Old English 'hors' meaning 'horse', and ‘bune’ as a ‘reed’,
with ‘burna’ for a 'stream' together with the Kentish word ‘denn’ translating as
a ‘wooded pasture’. Therefore, either ‘woodland-
Horsmonden parish Church is a Grade: I listed building, dedicated to Saint Margaret.
Its construction did not commence until the early 14th century, with additions and
extensions in the following 100 years. In 1703, the rector, Stephen Bate completed
a restoration and the installation of a candelabrum in the nave. There is a record
of 5 bells early in the 18th century, which Samuel Knight cast into a ring of six
in 1737. In 1798, Edward Hasted described St Margaret’s church as a ‘handsome building’.
In 1867, the architect Thomas Henry Wyatt completed a major restoration, in which
he rebuilt the entire north aisle, added a vestry and covered all roofs in slate.
In 1955, John Taylor hung two treble bells -
Early in the 17th Century, John Browne started a forge and foundry in Horsmonden
making guns for the Army and Navy. Browne had the monopoly on production of royal
guns, and in 1625, his foundry, after the outbreak of the Spanish War, made five
hundred guns for British ships. In 1638, King Charles I visited the foundry to watch
a bronze four-