Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst

Photograph Details: Nikon D7000 Focal length 45mm ISO-100 exp: 1/320 f5.6

I mentioned the origins of the name Scotney in this post, but what about the name Lamberhurst? Well it comes from the anglo-saxon Lambra hurst, which means the wooded hill where lambs are found. Easy! It is first recorded around the year 1100 as Lamburherste


After the Darrell family had owned the estate from 1411, the grounds of Scotney Castle passed to the Hussey family after Edward Hussey bought it in 1778. His grandson (Edward III) began building the new manor house after commissioning Anthony Salvin. It was build out of sandstone quarried from nearby. The quarry then subsequently formed the "quarry garden" where a 1 million year old iguanadon footprint can be seen. 


The new manor house was completed in 1843, and the older elements of the estate (the old castle) were left to create a feature of the garden. The Eastern wing was left for the bailiffs accommodation until 1905. Edward Hussey I committed suicide close by the old castle with a blunderbuss.


The grandson of Edward III was called Christopher Edward Clive Hussey and it was he who inherited the castle in 1952. Along with Elizabeth (his wife) he set about further improvements of the grounds to provide more colour year round. Upon Christopher's death in 1970, the house and estate passed to the National Trust although Betty lived in the house until her death in 2006. She was 99 years old.


See part I of my basic history of Scotney Castle here:



For many grete benefetis by hym done in dyverse wises to the same John Assheburnham



Useful links:
National Trust Website
Scotney Castle on the National Trust Website
Scotney Castle on Twitter
Scotney Castle on Facebook


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As ever, thanks for reading.

Some additional photos from Ightham Mote

Here are a few more photographs taken at Ightham Mote as requested by Gem from Ighthammote.co.uk who's "blog was conceived as a place to collect reliable and accurate information about the early history of Ightham Mote and its inhabitants, to revise some oft-repeated errors, and to offer new insights which could be shared for the benefit of anyone interested in the building, and in medieval history in general."


It's a great website, full of the history of Ightham Mote and is run by Gemma Minihan, a PhD student reading medieval history and archaeology at the University of Southampton. I'd highly recommend having a browse through the blog - it's great! You can also follow her on twitter (@IghthamMoteHist).

For many grete benefetis by hym done in dyverse wises to the same John Assheburnham

The Old Castle

Photograph Details: 

Nikon D7000 Focal length 24mm ISO-100 exp: 1/160 f11

Scotney Castle, near Lamberhurst, can refer to either the old castle or the new castle within the estate once owned by the De Scoteni family (hence the name). Scotney Castle is now owned and maintained by The National Trust

The Old Castle:

The Old Castle was reputedly built by a Mr Roger Ashburnham in about 1378. Roger was an important administrator of Sussex during the reign of Richard II who ruled from 1377 (at the tender age of 10) to 1399 when he was deposed. During his work for the King, Roger was able to gain 5 manors within the counties of Sussex and Kent.

The Prosperity of the Kentish Yeoman

Photograph Details: Nikon D7000 Focal length 18mm ISO-250 exp: 1/320 f22

Stoneacre is perhaps one of the best examples of a 15th Century Yeoman's house surviving in Britain today. It is owned and managed by the National Trust, and was once almost derelict. It was purchased in 1920 by a Mr Aymer Vallance who restored it by using bits of other period houses. His family made its fortunes in the brewing industry in nearby Sittingbourne.

Ightham Mote, Ivy Hatch

This was shot on a family day out to the wonderful Ightham Mote. This fantastic 14th Century moated manor mouse is situated in Ivy Hatch, just to the East of Sevenoaks in Kent and according to Pevsner, it is 'the most complete small medieval manor house in the country. Dating back to either around about 1320 or 1340 (the date is unclear), this fantastic building has been owned by "medieval knights, courtiers to Henry VIII and high society Victorians". and would have been built during the reign of either Edward II who was notable for a defeat in Scotland by Robert The Bruce and the Battle of Bannockburn (considered the worst defeat for the English since the Battle of Hastings in 1066) or Edward III who was notable for introducing significant legislation, including the Statute of Labourers of of 1351 which helped address the problem of a dire lack of workers as a result of the Black Death. In 1521, Sir Richard Clement bought the house for £400 (approx. £141,832 as of 2005).

£400 in the 1520s could have bought you: