FROM THE OLD ENGLISH OXENA DENN : OXENA, MEANING OXEN (CATTLE) AND DENN, MEANING A WOODLAND PASTURE OR CLEARING. DENNE HILL NEAR WOMENSWOLD HAS A SIMILAR ORIGIN. THE OXENDENS, FOR MANY YEARS A PROMINENT EAST KENT FAMILY, ARE SAID TO HAVE ORIGINALLY TAKEN THEIR NAME FROM THE MANOR OF OXENDEN, ORIGINALLY PART OF THE MANOR AND CHAPELRY OF WINGHAM .

"A SURVEY OF ARCHBISHOP PECHAM’S KENTISH MANORS 1283-85", PUBLISHED BY THE KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY IN 2000’ RECORDS THE FOLLOWING ABOUT THE MANOR OF OXINDEN

THOMAS RAUS AND RICHARDS RAUS HOLD 19 ACRES AND 3 VIRGATES AND 8 ACRES WHICH ARE LIABLE TO PETHAMLODE.

THOMAS DE OXENDEN HOLDS 19 ACRES 3 VIRGATES. FOR THESE 47 ½ ACRES THEY PROVIDE 2 BOON-WORKERS, 2 CARTS, AND 2 HARROWERS, UNDERTAKE 1 AVERAGIUM, MAKE 1 SEAM OF MALT AND PERFORM PETHAMLODE.

THE WIDOW OF NICHOLAS OF OXENDEN HOLDS 16 ½ ACRES ½ VIRGATE, EILNOTH SON OF MALGER AND RICHARD SON OF MALGER HOLD 16 ½ ACRES ½ VIRGATE. FOR THESE 33 ACRES 1 VIRGATE THEY PROVIDE 2 STACKERS, 2 BOON-WORKERS AND 2 HARROWERS, MAKE 1 SEAM OF MALT UNDERTAKE 1 AVERAGIUM AND PERFORM PETHAMLODE.

EILNOTH SON OF THOMAS AND JOHN HIS BROTHER HOLD 38 ACRES FOR WHICH THEY PROVIDE 2 BOON-WORKERS, 2 STACKERS, AND 2 HARROWERS, UNDERTAKE 1 AVERAGIUM, MAKE 1 SEAM OF MALT AND PERFORM PETHAMLODE.

SIMON OF WARIN HOLDS 6 ACRES, RICHARD KNOTE HOLDS 6 ACRES FROM THE LAND OF VINCENT AND 7 ACRES FROM THAT OF GODWIN. FROM THE LAND OF OSMUND, THOMAS OF OXENDEN HOLDS 3 ½ ACRES ½ VIRGATE AND ALEXANDER OF OXENDEN AND SIMON LE HELER HOLD 3 ½ ACRES ½ VIRGATE. STEPHEN BARATE HOLDS 7 ½ ACRES FROM THE LAND OF ADAM PETTE. FOR THESE 33 ACRES THEY PROVIDE 2 BOON-WORKERS, 2 STACKERS, AND 2 HARROWERS, UNDERTAKE 1 AVERAGIUM, MAKE 1 SEAM OF MALT AND PERFORM PETHAMLODE.

STEPHEN GOLDSMITH HOLDS FROM THE LAND OF EILNOTH 8 ACRES 1 VIRGATE, RICHARD MALGER HOLDS FROM THE LANDS OF COBBE 8 ACRES 1 VIRGATE. GEOFFREY OF OXENDEN HOLDS 16 ½ ACRES. FOR THESE 33 ACRES THEY PROVIDE 2 BOON-WORKERS, 2 STACKERS AND 2 HARROWERS, UNDERTAKE 1 AVERAGIUM, MAKE 1 SEAM OF MALT AND PERFORM PETHAMLODE.

THIS HAMLET CONTAINS 129 ACRES OF GAVEL-LAND AND 53 ½ ACRES OF INLAND. IT PROVIDES 12 BOON-WORKERS, 10 STACKERS, 10 HARROWERS, 2 CARTS, UNDERTAKE 5 AVERAGIA, MAKE 5 SEAMS OF MALT AND PROVIDE 4 CARTS OF PETHAMLODE.

THOMAS OF OXENDEN, 1 HEN. EILNOTH OF OXENDEN & JOHN HIS BROTHER, 1 HEN. HEIRS OF NICHOLAS OF OXENDEN & PARTNERS, 1 HEN. EILNOTH LAGER & ASSOCIATES, 1 HEN. RICHARD, SON OF MALGER FROM THE LANDS OF COBBE, 1 HEN. BALDWIN OSMUND, 1 HEN. RICHARD KNOTE & PARTNERS, 1 HEN. FROM THE SAME FROM THE LAND OF GODWIN, 1 HEN. IN TOTAL 9 HENS.

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PETHAMLODE, REFERRED TO ABOVE, WAS A FEUDAL DUTY TO DELIVER CART LOADS OF WOOD TO THE OVER-LORD AT A SPECIFIED PLACE AND COULD ONLY BE CARRIED OUT IN HEAVILY WOODED AREAS. IN THE CASE OF WINGHAM MANOR THESE AREAS LOCALLY WERE CURLESWOOD, NOW PARTIALLY COVERED BY AYLESHAM, WHERE WOODLAND COVERED SOME 244 ACRES, OXENDEN, WOMENSWOLD AND WOOLLEGE, WHERE EXTENSIVE WOODLANDS EXISTED WELL INTO THE 20^TH CENTURY. WOODLAND CONSISTED LARGELY OF ASH AND OAK, ALTHOUGH LIME AND ELM WERE ALSO USED IN LARGE QUANTITIES, AND COPPICED AT REGULAR INTERVALS ON A ROTATING SYSTEM TO PROVIDE A REGULAR SUPPLY OF TIMBER FOR BUILDING, FENCING AND A MULTITUDE OF OTHER PURPOSES. OAK WAS OFTEN CUT WHEN A FOOT OR SO IN DIAMETER TO BE SQUARED OFF TO MAKE THE BEAMS USED IN THE FRAMES OF BUILDINGS WITH LARGER TREES USED FOR BOARDS. MEDIEVAL KENT HAD FEW PERMANENT HEDGES, FIELDS WERE DIVIDED AND CROPS PROTECTED BY TEMPORARY FENCES MADE FROM STAKES WITH LATHES WOVEN IN BETWEEN OR MOVABLE WATTLES SUCH AS SHARN WATTLES, LARGE CATTLE WATTLES SOME 9’ X 5 ½ FEET IN DIMENSION, WHICH WERE REMOVED AFTER THE HARVEST TO ALLOW ANIMALS TO GRAZE THE STUBBLE.

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ARCH. CANT. VOL XXXI PAGE 169. VISITATIONS: RECORDS IN 1290-1300. THOS. DE OXENDENE AS HOLDING OXENDEN MANOR FROM THE ARCHBISHOP’S MANOR, LATER CHAPEL, OF WINGHAM.

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AN 1626 BOYS FAMILY MARRIAGE SETTLEMENT REFERS TO A HOUSE, BUILDINGS AND THREE ACRES OF PASTURE LAND OCCUPIED BY JOHN MUNDAIE AS BEING NEAR TO ROWBERRIES (RUBERRIES), WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE PRESENT OXNEY WOOD. THIS WOULD APPEAR TO BE THE MANOR OR, BY THEN, FARM BUILDINGS OF THE OLD OXENDEN MANOR, NO OBVIOUS REMAINS ARE NOW VISIBLE AS THESE WOULD NOW BE COVERED BY PART OF THE PRESENT OXNEY WOOD. THE SIBERTSWOLD (SHEPHERDSWELL) PARISH REGISTER RECORDS ON OCTOBER 4^TH 1667 THE WEDDING OF RICHARD FFRYER AND ELIZABETH SAYERS OF OXNEY INDICATING THAT THERE WERE STILL PEOPLE LIVING THERE AND THAT OXENDEN HAD EVOLVED INTO OXNEY EARLIER IN THE 17TH CENTURY, POSSIBLY VIA OXEN LEY (O.E., LEAH, A CLEARING OR GLADE), THE OXENS’ CLEARING OR GLADE BEING VERY SIMILAR IN MEANING TO OXINDENS ORIGINAL MEANING.

THE APPEARANCE OF THE NAMES OXNEY FORSTAL AND OXNEY BARN FIELD ON THE 1839 TITHE MAP PROVIDES SOME EVIDENCE AS TO THE PROBABLE CENTRE OF THE MANOR OF OXENDEN AS ‘FORSTAL’ IS THE NAME GIVE TO THE LAND AT THE FRONT OF A MANOR OR FARM HOUSE AND THE USE OF BARN IN A PLACE NAME WOULD APPEAR TO INDICATE A SUBSTANTIAL BUILDING EXISTING UNTIL SOME FAIRLY RECENT TIME, POSSIBLY ONE OR MORE OF THE BUILDINGS DESCRIBED IN THE 1626 BOYS DOCUMENT. THE 1839 MAP SHOWS THE AREA AS STILL EXTENSIVELY WOODED AND DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL COMPOSITE WOODS. THE ANCIENT WOODLANDS OF OXNEY HAVE EMBANKMENTS AND DITCHES INDICATING EARLY ENCLOSURE AND SETTLEMENT.