Barling's Manor

Philpott ¹ refers to the Manor of BARMELING at Egerton: "Egerton, in the Hundred of Calehill, hath two places that verge on the remarkable; The first is Barmeling, which was the seat of a family of that surname; Robert de Bermeling, was in old dateless deeds called Sir Robert de Bermeling, held it at his decease which was in he fifty third year of Henry the Third (1269), and left issue William de Bermeling, who also in the enjoyment of it at his death, which was inthe twenty second of Edward the First (1294), and so did Robert de Bermeling, who made his exit the thirty first year of Edward the First (1303), and here in this family hath the property by an undivided track of succession been so fixed and permanent, that it is as ye the unseparated inheritance of the name of Bermeling".

Hasted's states: "Barling's at Egerton, is a manor in this parish, which has had from the earliest times possessors of the same name, who have constantly resided at it. At length, after they have remained there for many generations, Mr John Barling, gent, leaving an only daughter and heir, she carried it in marriage to Mr William Sharpe of this parish whose son Mr Barling Sharpe sold it to Mr John Ashbee, of Little Chart, the present owner of it." ²

The last Barling to own this manor, the above Mr John Barling, was buried at Egerton on January 19 1730 aged 63. His daughter Mary Barling (1720-1780) is buried in the North east corner of Westwell Church the incription reads:

Here lies the body of
MARY SHARPE, of Gig Nash, wife of
WILLIAM SHARPE, Gent. and Daughter of
JOHN BARLING of Egerton, who departed this
life the 10 of May 1780 aged 60. Left issue one
son BARLING.

An Inquisition into the holdings, worth and heirs of one Sir Robert de Barmeling of Kent was tested at Windsor on the seventeenth of April in the fifty-third year of the reign of Henry III (1269). On 28 April 1269, in response to the above Inquisition, a panel of twelve jurors, one of them being Stephen de Barling, attested that the said Robert de Barmeling, lately deceased, was in possession of the Manor of Barmling (Maidstone), consisting of 100 acres, in Pimpe there were 50 acres of land and at Egerdinton (Egerton) he held of the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, 20 acres of land. Robert's son and heir was attested to be Sir William de Barmeling, Knight, who was thirty years of age and upwards.³

A picture of Barling Manor courtesy of Maris Sloan (43k jpeg)

1. Philipotts, Villare Cantianum or Kent Surveyed and Illustrated, 2nd Edit., 1776

2. History of Kent, Edward Hasted, Vol. 7, 2nd Edit., Page 452

3. Archaelogia Cantiana, Vol. V (1862-3)