The Church of St. Nicholas at Wade is a good building. Between the nave and the south aisle are three beautiful Saxon arches.  Of the monuments we select the following:

A fine monument to Mary, daughter of Thos. Cullen, Gent. and wife of Moses Napleton, Gent. of this parish, who died Oct. 9th, 1669, aged 32; and others of this family.

Near this another to Thos. Gillow, Esq. who died 16th Sept. 1824, aged 68; also Elizabeth his wife, daughter of the late Edw. Bridges, Esq. of this parish, who died 6th Nov. 1831, aged 70; and Edward their son, who died 8th Aug. 1821, aged 19.

And a small tablet to other members of the Gillow family.

A table to Thos. Bridges, Esq.   In the south aisle, on the south wall, a fine monument to Edw. Hannis, Esq. late of this parish, son of Chas. Hannis, of St. Andrew's Holbourn, in the County of Middx. Gent. who died 23d Mar. 1750, aged 55;  he married Eliz. daughter of Michael Terry of Ospringe, Gent. who died 2d June, 1756, aged 49;  they had issue five sons, Esq., Charles, John, James, Charles;  and three daughters, Eliz. Mary, and Maria, who are interred in the same vault.

The north chancel with St. Nicholas at Wade Church belongs to Frosts Farm, and what is the oldest monument therein?  A brass in memory, not of a Paramore, but of Valentyne Edvarod and his two wives and their respective children in two groups.  He died in 1559 and his widow Joan (an heiress of Haslehurst) married as her second husband Thomas Paramore [see below at bottom of page].  The monumental brass of Valentine Edvarod occupies the place of honour on the floor of Frosts's chancel, and there can be little doubt that Edvarod occupied Frosts Farm.  Probably an Everard had married a Frost heiress.  There is a similar brass of Thomas Parramore, second husband to the sayde [sic] Joan:  the dresses are of the time of the Comonwealth, and of Charles the Second.

A monument to Stephen Jessard, late of this parish, who died 3d Sept. 1768, aged 80; also Mary his wife, daughter of Mary and Henry Collard, of Chislett, who died 10th July, 1761, aged 69; also Henry Jessard, grandson of the above, who died Oct. 18th, 1805, aged 53; and Mary Jessard, sister of the above Henry Jessard, who died 1st Feb. 1821, aged 66.

A fine monument to Thos. Bridges, Esq. who died 16th Dec. 1777, aged 62; also Anne his second wife, who died 16th May, 1758.

A table to Thos. Everden, of Bartletts, in this parish, who died 20th June, 1820, aged 70; also Mary his wife, who died 19th Jan. 1825, aged 76.

An old monument to Margaret, daughter of William Willoughby, and wife of Thos. Paramore, 1627.

A fine monument to John Bridges, of St. Nicholas Court, Esq. who died 7th Apl. 1823, aged 63; also two sons of the above; Eliz. his wife, daughter of Thos. Denne, of Monkton Court, Esq. caused this monument to be erected.

Upon the north wall (not on the floor) are two monuments commemorative of the Paramores.  One of them records the fact that Thomas Paramore (who married the widow Edvarod) "lived in this parish xxxiii yeres and dyed the ix day of October 1593 and in the 67th yere of his age."  This very unusual record makes it quite certain that Thomas Paramore did not come to reside in St. Nicholas Parish until he was in the 34th year of his age.  The date of his arrival was probably October 1560.  Comparing this date with the death of Valentine Edvarod in February, 1569-70, we may safely infer that Thomas Paramore came to reside in St. Nicholas at Wade because he had married as his third wife, or was about to marry, the widowed heiress of John Edvarod, who survived until 1574, and bore him his first children, Henry and Joan.  With this inference, that the Paramores were not settled at Frost's or in St. Nicholas before 1560, agrees with the grant of arms made to them.  Not until the year 1585 did Cooke, Clarenceux King of Arms, grant to Paramore of St. Nicholas his coat:--

Azure, a fess embattled between three estoiles or.

Crest: --

A cubit arm, vested Azure, cuffed argent, the hand proper, holding an estoile of six points wavy or.

Thomas Paramore married a fourth wife after the death of John in 1574. His son by the fourth wife was named Thomas.

Sources:

^1.  C. Greenwood, comp.  Epitome of County History, vol. 1, County of Kent.  (London, England: privately printed, 1838).

^2.  Archaeologia Cantiana, vol. xii.  (London, England:  Mitchell & Hughes, Wardour Street, Oxford Street, 1878.)

^3.  The beauties of England and Wales:  or, Delineations Topographical, Historical and Descriptive, vol. VIII, pt. 2.  Brayley, Edward Wedlake.  (London: Thomas Maiden, Sherbourn-Lane, for Vernor, Hood and Sharpe; Longman, Hurst, Reed and Orme, et al, 1808.)