Near Hythe, in Kent, Westenhanger is a fortified quadrangular manor whose Tudor history crosses two of the great stakes of Elizabeth I's reign: the threat of a Spanish invasion and the nascent colonial adventure. A former holding come under the Crown, it was the reward of a man of the royal finances.
The domain of a servant of the finances
A medieval quadrangular manor with towers, Westenhanger passed under the Crown then was held by Thomas 'Customer' Smythe — so nicknamed because he was the farmer of Elizabeth I's customs, one of the great financiers of the reign. He received this domain as a reward for his services: an illustration of the new role played, under the Tudors, by these men of money in the service of the state, enriched and ennobled by their mastery of the royal finances. Around the manor survive remarkable medieval barns.
From the Armada to Jamestown
Two episodes attach Westenhanger to the great history. In 1588, during the crisis of the Spanish Armada, the region of the castle served as a base for the gathering of the Kent militias, mobilised against the threat of invasion. And the son of the 'Customer', Sir Thomas Smythe, was one of the chief drivers of the Virginia Company and of the expedition that founded Jamestown in 1607 — the first lasting English colony in America. A replica of the ship Discovery, one of the three vessels of Jamestown, was given to the castle in 2008 to recall this link. To see: the medieval barns, the structure of the quadrangular manor and the replica of the Discovery.
Did you know?
From one Kent manor run two threads of English history: the defence against the Armada of 1588, and the birth of English America. The master of Westenhanger collected the queen's customs; his son Sir Thomas Smythe financed the voyage that founded Jamestown in 1607 — the first Virginia owes much to this Kent family.
Notes
Westenhanger Castle lies near Hythe, Kent; castle and barns privately owned, open for events and visits — enquire about dates.
Quiz
- Why was Thomas Smythe nicknamed 'Customer'?
- He was the farmer of Elizabeth I's customs
- He kept an inn
- He was a sailor
- To which 1588 crisis is Westenhanger linked?
- The defence against the Spanish Armada
- The Rising of the North
- The Gunpowder Plot
- Which colony did the 'Customer's' son help found?
- Jamestown, in Virginia (1607)
- Quebec
- The Cape