William Goodwin found hanging in Hever Kent

In November 1822 The Rector of Hever received a Coroner's Warrant to bury the remains of an unknown male found hanging in a wood in the parish of Hever Kent. Reverend John Claus de Passow buried the remains on 6 November and took care to record the subsequent identification of the badly decayed body.
The Coroner's Jury recorded a verdict of "found hanging" and a farmer called Chalker from Lingfield reported that after a lengthy period of employment as a day labourer at Lingfield William Goodwin had suddenly quit the farm on 12 June 1822.
William Goodwin was believed to have been a farmer in Suffolk but little more was reported of his arrival at Lingfield and no one knew of his subsequent whereabouts.
"The corpse found in the wood was so much gone to decay that the features were not distinguishable;but the shoes on the feet,an handkerchief ,the hat and a small snuff box in the jacket pocket are all known to have belonged to this William Goodwin" records Reverend de Passow in the detailed burial entry.
Reverend John Claus de Passow  was one of the Alumni of Trinity College Oxford who earned his MA in 1796 and BA in 1799 when he became Rector of Hever. He remained there until his death on 23 February 1850.
Of the Rector we have in the 1905 account of Church Warden John Eastman Historic Hever The Church that he was a friend to travellers and would "waive his fee if he could have the first kiss from the bride" in accounts given by creditable witnesses. He was also absent from the parish due in this account to "monetary difficulties". The Maidstone Journal reported in 1838 that part of his living had been sequestrated but his name was allowed to remain on the voter's list. Ecclesiastical sequestration satisfied a debtor since the Bishop's appointment of a sequestrator ensures that the civil debt is being repaid and enables the Rector to continue in office and avoid bankruptcy.

This colourful figure was known on more than one occasion in winter to say to the small congragation "My Friends. Old Harry's warm ale will no doubt suit you far better than my cold prayers; We will I think adjourn." See 1905 booklet Historic Hever the Church

Image Julian P Guffog reuse under Creative Commons Licence
My transcript of the Hever burial register for Hever Saint Peter 1813-1904 deposited at Kent Library and Archives at Maidstone reference P184/1/E/2  is now online at Kent Online Parish Clerks Hever Parish page or here..

Henry Mantell
Downe and Farnborough Online Parish Clerk
Kent Online Parish Clerks