Hoo St Werbergh

"HOO ST. WERBURGH, a parish in the hundred of Hoo, lathe of Aylesford, county Kent, 5 miles from Rochester, its post town, and 3 N.E. of Chatham. It is situated on the river Medway, and formerly belonged to Earl Godwin and the bishops of Bayeux. The Earl of Jersey, to whom the parish belongs, takes hence the title of baron. There are salt marshes, intersected by creeks; also a quay for the landing of coals. There are tile-works, and a pottery. The union poorhouse is situated in this parish, which is the head of a Poor-law Union, comprising 7 parishes. The living is a vicarage in the dioc, of Rochester, value £395, in the patronage of the dean and chapter. The church, dedicated to St. Werburgh, is an ancient edifice, with a spired tower containing six bells. In the interior of the church are seven brasses of priests, bearing date from 1412. The parochial charities produce about £5 per annum. There is a National school for both sexes. "

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2010]