Early Life
William Brockman was born c. March 1695 and baptised on the 23
rd at
Lyminge in Kent. He was the son of
Henry Brockman of
Newington in Kent and
Helena Sawkins.
Career
From
Burke's1:
Sir William Brockman, knt. of Beachborough. This gentleman, amongst the most devoted adherents of King CHARLES I, distinguished himself by a courageous defence of the town of Maidstone against Fairfax and a considerable body of the parliament's forces. He was appointed in the eighteenth of his majesty's reign, by the king, then in arms at Oxford, sheriff of Kent but was superseded in his office by the parliament, and Sir John Honeywood constituted sheriff in his stead.
The defence of Maidstone occurred in 1648, when Fairfax, with the elite of his division, marched upon that place, at the time garrisoned by probably a thousand royalist horse and foot under the command of Sir John Mayney. The republican general passing the river at Farleigh Bridge, which had been but feebly guarded, attacked the town with a corps of ten thousand men at least; carrying without difficulty some slight fortifications which were thrown up at the entrance. The assault, about seven o' clock in the evening, became general, and the fighting fierce and sanguinary in every street, which with the houses were lined by the royalists, whose strength had been augmented by Sir William Brockman, who brought in a reinforcement of eight hundred men during the preliminary skirmishing.
The resistance of the townsmen was so determined and galant, that Fairfax had literally to contend for every inch of ground; the conflict had already been prolonged to midnight, when the royalists, overpowered by numbers, were driven into the church-yard, and thence taking shelter in the church, continued to resist with unabated ardour, until eventually reduced to surrender upon conditions securing their personal safety.
Few actions displayed more of that chivalric courage and devoted resolve which characterised the adherents of the king during the civil war than this. Lord Clarendon terms it "a sharp encounter very bravely fought with the general's whole strength."
From
The Dover Express2, in a piece on the history of Newington:
The history of Newington parish and its Manors is on record from the opening of the Norman period...in the reign of James I. the manor was sold to Henry Brockman of Newington, whose descendants have continued to hold it until the present time.
Long prior to the acquirement by Henry Brockman of the whole of the Manor, the Brockmans were at Newington, for according to the rolls of the augmentation office. “King Henry VIII. in his 37th year demised to Henry Brockman and John Harvye, yeomen, the scite and capital messuage called the manor place of the manor of Newington Belhouse, with its appurts and barns and edifices, &c., and certain crofts of land therein mentioned, containing 82 acres of land and upwards, and the water mill called Bavemill, all lying in Newington and Hythe, and parcel of the demesne lands of Newington Belhouse, and Newington Bartram in this parish, and lately purchased bv the King from Thomas, Earl of Essex, to hold for 21 years, at the yearly rent of £9 7s. 3d.”
There were other subordinate manors in Newington parish, namely, Bertarms, Beechborough (anciently written Pilcheborough), Sene, Blackwose, alias Canon's Court, and Coombe. On the separate historv of these it is not necessary to dwell. From having separate owners for many centuries they all eventually came into the Brockman family except Canon’s Court, which having been a cell of a Priory in Buckinghamshire, was taken possession of by the Abbot of St. Radigunds, who removed the monks to St. Radigunds. retaining the property until it was seized by the King. Henrv VIII. at the Reformation, after which it was granted to the Honywoods. of Elmsted.
Beachborough House
This ancient mansion, formerly called Pilcheborough, is in the north-west of the parish, close to the foot of the hill, which has the conspicuous summer house on the top. This, in the early Norman times, belonged to the family of Valoigns, but, by lack of male issue, in the reign of Edward III., it became, by inheritance, the property of Sir Francis Fogg, who was buried in the chancel of Cheriton Church. The family of Fogg continued in possession until the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when George Fogg, of Brabourne, sold it to Mr. Henry Brockman, who rebuilt the seat.
The first record of this family in Kent is in the rolls in the Tower, in the reign of Richard II. In the year 1390 John Brockman had a grant of the manor of Pirrie, extending into Old Romney and other lands in Stowting and Crundal. The Brockmans afterwards resided at Witham in Essex. John Brockman, who died there in the year 1500, had two sons. Thomas and Henry. Henry settled at Newington in the reign of Henry VIII.. and either he, or more probably his son of the same name, purchased Beechborough as above mentioned. He made it his residence, and dying there in the year 1573, was buried in Newington Church.
The next heir of Beachborough was William Brockman, who died in 1605. and the next Henry, who died in 1630, both buried in Newington Church. Of those nothing special is recorded, but the next of the line, Sir William Brockman, of Beachborough, was Sheriff of Kent in 1638 and ten years later he was in command of the Royalist forces defending Maidstone when it was stormed by the Parliamentary forces under Fairfax. Overwhelmed by superior forces, the defence had to yield, but it was one of the sharpest conflicts during the war. This notable man had two sons, but the eldest died before him. and his only surrviving son, James, was of Beachborough. died 1741. at the age of 83. He had three sons, but they all lived bachelors, the last, James Brockman of Beachborough, died in 1767, aged 71. and was buried at Newington. He left his mansion at Beachborough and all his estates to the Rev. Ralph Drake who married Caroline Brockman of Cheriton, and by Act of Parliament assumed the name of Brockman. He made great improvements at Beachborough, almost entirely rebuilding the mansion, bringing some of the materials from Brockhull at Saltwood. and laying out extensive park-like grounds, making it one of the pleasantest country seats on the coast. It commands a fine view of the sea, and from the octagon summer house on the top of the hill there is an extensive prospect of the surrounding country and the coast of France. It is still the residence of the Brockman family. F D Brockman. Esq., being the present Lord of the Manor.
Family Life
William married
Anne Bunce, daughter and heiress of
Simon Bunce on the 28
th of May 1616 at
Newington-next-Hythe in Kent. They had the following children:
- Helen/Ellen, b. 1619; she married Roger Gipps of Newington and died in 1660 aged just 42
- James
Death
William died on the 6
th of December 1654 and his will (dated 20
th October 1654, was proved on the 5
th of May 1655. It mentions:
- £5 to the poor of Newington
- His wife Anne [Bunce]
- His daughter Ellen Gippes [nee Brockman]
- His son James Brockman
Per
FAG2:
Venerandae et indelebili Parentûm Memeoriae Gulielmi Brockman (Hen. Brockman de Beachborough Arm. Filij) tam Dei quam Regis verè Militis aurati, et Annae Conjugis (Sun. Bunce de Otterinden, Juris consulti, Filiae Dominae, Caelo et Terrâ amabilissimae. Quorum Ossa, certâ Spe Resurrectionis, hic substrata, reponuntur. Pietas Filialis Jacobi Brockman, Armigeri hanc tennem, Appendicem, summâ cum Reverentiâ dedicavit, Anno. Dom. 1665.
W.B. obijt Dec. 6 1654
A.B. obijt Nov. 29 1660
Which translates roughly as
In memory of the venerable and unforgettable parent William Brockman (son of Henry Brockman of Beachborough) a man of God and a true knight; and of his wife Anne (daughter of Simon Bunce of Otterinden, Sheriff), loved equally on Earth as in Heaven. Their bones are stored here in hope of a certain Resurrection. Their dutiful son James Brockman wrote this dedication with the greatest reverence, AD 1665
W[illiam] B[rockman] died 6 Dec 1654
A[nne] B[rockman] died 29 November 1660
Footnotes
[1]
A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank, but uninvested with Heritable Honours, by John Burke; London (1835); Brockman of Beachborough, pages 367-370
[2]
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176483036/anne-brockman
Abt 1595 - 1654 (~ 59 years)
[3] 
