Lowey of Tonbridge

The Lowey of Tonbridge [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=4OgqAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA319&lpg=PA319&dq=lowey+of+tunbridge&source=web&ots=PHUomP0rxE&sig=om9GxVYp5cuSZ_DEemrAplUNf-w Reference to title, Lambarde] ] is the name given to the large tract of land given to Richard Fitz Gilbert (1024-1090) in West Kent, England by William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings as a reward for his assistance in winning the battle. Richard was a cousin of William's with both being descended from Richard "The Fearless" the first Duke of Normandy. The Lowey (also known as Lowry) which simply means "Freedom" or "Liberty" gave Richard huge powers over the region and he used this power to extract taxes from the local population to finance the building of Tonbridge Castle which became the main de Clare family residence for the next 250 years.

Richard used his influence and power to expand the Lowey so by the time of the Doomsday Book it included much of Surrey as well as Kent. This contious expansion of the estate put the de Clare family into dispute with the Archbishops of Canterbury and the King was asked to intervene twice to decide how large it should actually be.

When the de Clare family got on the wrong side of the crown the castle and its Lowey was the first thing the King seized back from them often by force and this happened in William II, John I and Henry III reign. The castle and Lowey always being returned to the family once the dispute had been resolved.

After the death of Gilbert de Clare the 4th Earl of Gloucester at Bannockburn in 1314 aged only 23 with out an heir Hugh the younger de Spencer who had married the earls oldest sister could not wait for King Edward II to decide on how his estate should be divided seized the Lowey and Castle with out permission. His tenure was quite short lived as he was executed by Queen Isobella Edward II wife.

The Lowey had two large deer hunting parks known as the South Frith and North Frith whose names still survive today.

The Lowey survived well into the 19th century in the fact Tonbridge was one of Englands largest parishes.