England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Goodnestone by Wingham Holy Cross

The Parish

The parish of Goodnestone (there being 2 in Kent the qualifier is to separate this from the other near to Faversham) lies in the far east of Kent not too far from its eastern coastline. Goodnestone is located roughly 8 miles east of the city of Canterbury and sits about 1 mile east of the B2046 road which connects the large village of Wingham through to the A2 (London to Dover) road. Goodnestone is a small and rather compact village built largely upon a dead-end lane that becomes a footpath beyond the church, a crossroads of lanes at the northeastern corner forming the notional village centre. Goodnestone would largely have been a farming village, here the chalk sits almost horizontally in its formation so the area lacks the dramatic downs of much further west, despite the rather thin soils the area would have been largely arable. The porous geology results in little surface drainage in the village's vicinity, a stream emerges from the dry valley closer to Wingham and joins the River Little Stour to emerge into the nearby North Sea through the port of Sandwich. Goodnestone is sited at around 40 metres above the sea in gently rolling countryside where local heights reach just over 70 metres to the south within a mile or so. Goodnestone parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering close to 1,900 acres it would have supported a population of a little over 400 parishioners. Goodnestone is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

Holy Cross church sits at the southwestern end of The Street just prior to it becoming a footpath to pass through the estate of Goodnestone Park. Whilst the church appears to be early medieval this is an artifact of the careful rebuild that took place between 1838 & 1841. Utilising the style of the Early English Gothic the main body of the church was completely rebuilt, the knapped flint & Caen stone setting off that style admirably. Remaining from the medieval are two significant remnants; the northern aisle and chapel retain their medieval lancets whilst the elaborate western tower is a Perpendicular styled replacement for what had been a 12th century original, Pevsner neglects to estimate a date for the tower. The Street widens slightly outside the churchyard enabling careful parking for a car or two. The churchyard sits above road height banked by a local stone wall and with a short flight of steps rising to arched metal gates. There are screening trees hiding the church from the road but once within there are few obstacles for the photographer.