Tonbridge

The ancient parish of Tonbridge comprised 15,378 acres, by far the largest in Kent. The labour involved in forest clearance, and the fact that local soils were heavy and infertile in comparison with other parts of Kent, meant the fields cut out of the woodland were small, all the land being enclosed from the beginning apart from some meadows beside the River Medway. Farms were typically 30 or 40 acres in size, with many smallholdings and fewer larger farms. The settled areas became more populated and, as raw wool and the fuel for dyeing were available, the region was a suitable site for the labour-intensive broadcloth industry. Its output was greatest in the later 16th century, the next hundred years seeing a long slow decline. The Weald was also one of the centres of the English iron industry. In the 1560s Tonbridge had three furnaces and two forges; four of these had ceased operations by 1650 but Barden furnace stayed in use until the later 18th century. Its strategic position made Tonbridge the market town for the surrounding agricultural district, with shopkeepers, craftsmen and a few professional people forming most of the working inhabitants. Yet, despite its diverse economy and vast area, the history of the parish between 1550 and 1740 is the story of a single community. Nearly everyone worshipped in the church in the town, and male adults were liable to serve as parish officers. All householders were affected by the administration of the poor laws as either ratepayers or paupers. In a town of one main street there was no physical, economic or social gulf separating the tradesmen from the farmers living outside the town. Many craftsmen still had close connections by blood with local yeomen and husbandmen. When, in the 1740s, the river became navigable up to Tonbridge so that more trade became waterborne, it was a turning point in the history of the parish. The study of Tonbridge in this period is the study of rural parishes and small towns generally, especially in south-east England.