Church Micro 868 Great Mongeham - St Martin's
St Martin’s church in Great Mongeham can easily be missed as you drive through the village to or from Deal, hidden away from the road as it is. Mongeham village, along with Northbourne, was on land given to St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury in AD618 by King Eadbald of Kent. Then called Mundelingeham. The names means "settlement of Mundel's people". By 1195 it was written as Munigeham. It had become Mongeham by 1610.
There are claims that a building of worship has been on this site since AD470, although the current church dates into the 13th century. Like many other churches in the 17th century, St Martin’s was recorded as being in a state of disrepair. The church was restored by the timely intervention of a wealthy benefactor, the Rev Edward Penny, who in 1851 commissioned William Butterfield to restore his church. Much of the present interior is Butterfield`s work – the pulpit, north and south chancel walls, choir stalls, altar rails and tiles. However, more present day alterations seem underway as Butterfield’s chancel screen has already disappeared, together with its highly-praised wrought iron gates. The Rev. F.B. Blogg (1893-1915) had the tower and belfry restored, the bells re-hung and a sixth bell added to the peal.
One memorial of note can be seen, just, on the outer wall of the tower. It is a memorial to Captain Robert Maynard Royal Navy. Maynard was a First Lieutenant on HMS Pearl when on 22nd November 1718 he hunted down and killed Edward Teach, known more infamously as Blackbeard the pirate, off the coast of North Carolina. Surprisingly the monument does not mention what was undoubtedly his greatest hour – modest to the last?
The cache, which is outside the churchyard, contains a logbook and pencil. There are also BONUS co-ords for GC1Y1XH LENNY'S LEA. Please ensure the laminated co-ords are left in the church micro.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
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