General Notes

[2125344.ged]

Margaret HEVER - b. about 1477, Cranbrook, Kent; d. before 1538, Northiam, Sussex.

Daughter and heiress of John HEVER of Cranbrook, Kent. John HEVER was a descendant of the Hevers of Kingsdown in Kent and the founders of Hever Castle. His line of descent is desired, but it is known that an early ancestor was Walter De HEVER, first owner of Hever Castle. William De HEVER, Sheriff in the reign of Edward I, became owner of Hever Castle in 1270, the year the Gatehouse was constructed. Ownership then passed to Thomas De HEVER in 1300, William De HEVER in 1340, and in 1360 to Joan De HEVER, who married Sir Reginald De COBHAM. Passing through eight more proprietors, in 1505 Hever Castle became the home of Sir Thomas BULLEN, and of daughter Anne BOLEYN - the second wife of Henry VIII. Upon the death of Sir Thomas BULLEN, Hever Castle reverted to the Crown, and Henry granted ownership to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, as part of the divorce settlement in 1540. Magnificantly restored by William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor of Hever, a double moat, gardens and a Tudor Village surround Hever Castle today.