TBearsted Green & Alfred Mynn
Bearsted Village and The Green
The village was historically concentrated around Church Lane and The Green which includes The Street.[5] The village is on the north bank of the River Len, a tributary of the River Medway at the foot of the North Downs. A stream, the Lilk, flows south into the river Len through Bearsted.
Although part of the growing conurbation of Maidstone, the centre of Bearsted retains a traditional village look with 59 listed properties, many surrounding the village green, flanked by two pubs.
The parish of Bearsted has a population of 8010[2] (2001 figure) and is broadly divided into two areas of development. The traditional village of Bearsted with modern development around its conservation areas lies north of the A20 Ashford Road and the Madginford neighbourhood, largely constructed in the 1960s, lies south of the Ashford Road. The area includes a small supermarket and shopping centre, a park and ride facility and primary school. The parish also incorporates part of tudor Mote Park on its western boundary. Parts of Madginford were formerly part of the parish of Otham but to avoid division have been appropriated as part of Bearsted.
Notable People include:
- John Litchfield O.B.E. (politician) (1903–1993), Naval Captain and politician, lived at Snowfield from the 40s till the time of his death.
- Jenny Agutter O.B.E, actress, briefly lived in the village in her teens when her family moved back to Britain from Cyprus, and wrote an open letter in 2009 supporting the "Stop KIG" (Kent International Gateway) protest group to help protect the character of the village.
- Paul Ashbee (1918–2009), a leading British archaeologist born in Bearsted.[32]
- Robert Clifford (1752–1811), cricketer, lived in Bearsted.
- William Clifford (chr. 1811 – 1841), cricketer, was christened in Bearsted church.
- Nigel Donn (b 1962), football player, resides in Bearsted.
- Geoffrey Dummer (1909–2002), electronics engineer, resided in Bearsted at the time of his death.
- Robert Fludd (1574–1637), philosopher, was born in Bearsted.
- Sir Thomas Fludd (1545–1607), of Milgate House, treasurer for Queen Elizabeth I's forces in the Netherlands, for which he was Knighted.
- Alfred Percy ("Tich") Freeman (1888–1965), Kent leg spin bowler and the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season. He lived at a house called Dunbowlin.
- Richard Hearne (1908–79), actor, resided in Bearsted.
- Thomas Mun (c. 1645 – 1692), politician, is buried in Bearsted churchyard.
- Alfred Mynn (1807–61), cricketer
- Baroness Orczy (1865–1947), creator of the Scarlet Pimpernel
- Edward Thomas (1878–1917) poet
- Keith Walker Football League and FIFA referee was based in Bearsted from 1967 to 1972
Alfred Mynn (19 January 1807 – 1 November 1861) was an English cricketer during the game's "Roundarm Era". He was a genuine all-rounder, being both an attacking right-handed batsman and a formidable right arm fast bowler. The noted cricket writer John Woodcock ranked him as the fourth greatest cricketer of all time.[1] Simon Wilde wrote of him: "The speed at which Mynn bowled... and his life-size personality captured the imagination of the public in a way no cricketer had before."[2]
Mynn was born at Twisden, near Goudhurst in Kent, the fourth son of a gentleman farmer. He was a hop farmer, and was married to Sarah, in 1828. They had many children, five of his daughters survived to adulthood and Sarah Mynn outlived her husband by twenty years.
He was a very large man by any standard, bearing comparison with WG Grace. He was well over six feet tall and weighed more than 21 stones (294 lbs). He was known as "the Lion of Kent"[3] and it was for Kent that most of his greatest feats occurred, though he also played a substantial number of matches for Sussex, MCC and the All-England Eleven (AEE). His brother, Walter Parker Mynn, was also an early cricketer with the Kent team.[4]
Alfred Mynn's "first-class" career, which excludes most of his AEE appearances, was from 1832 to 1859. He played in 213 first-class matches.
As a batsman he had 395 innings including 26 which were not out. He scored 4,955 runs at 13.42 with a highest score of 125*. He made only one century, scored for South v North at Leicester in 1836. As a bowler he was fast with a round arm action. With his arm never getting above shoulder height he was obliged to bowl around the wicket. William Caffyn described the field Mynn would bowl to. The wicket keeper would be stood up, as was the custom. There would be a long stop on the boundary behind him. There would two slips, one close in and one a fly slip. Point was slightly forward and cover point almost behind him. There would be a short leg and a long leg. Mid off and mid on were level with the bowlers wicket and no one was behind them, an indicator of Mynn's great pace.
This cache has been placed in a position from where many a person, whether past or to the present day, have and will still view this beautiful and historic green that is the focal point and central to the Bearsted community. This is a potentially high muggle area so please be thoughtful when looking for this cache and no spoilers please.