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as their
connection goes back for more than 100 years, with
photographic evidence as far back as 1910. It was in that
year that . of
became our President, a position he held until his death
in 1949, he was then succeeded by his wife Margaret, until her demise in 1957.

The families were owners of from 1625
until the 1950s. Many of the local residents were in their employ over the
centuries, and to this day we believe some of those families’ descendants still
reside in the area.

In 1625 (a wealthy man who made his fortune from his
‘famous’ pill which ‘cured’ scurvy & dropsy among other ailments), purchased
for his son Abraham. Gideon was the son of
William (Guillaume) was both, physician and cleric, a Huguenot refugee who
came to England in about 1572, after the St. Bartholomew's day massacre in
Paris. Gideon became an Apothecary to Queen Anne, consort of James 1 st..
In conjunction with Sir Theodore de Mayerne, (another Huguenot) he helped
in the planning of the Society of Apothecaries which was founded by Royal
Charter in 1617. He was twice Master of the Society. There is a bust of him
in the Apothecaries Hall, Blackfriars London. Gideon also had properties in
Virginia and the Bermudas. His Will showed that his estate was around £90,000,
which equates to about £13,000,000 today.

Through the centuries the De Launes and Faunces were prominent in Kent.
The Faunces, two Mayors of Rochester in the 17 century, and in recent years
th
the Headmaster of Kings School, Rochester can claim lineage, his mother
being a Faunce. who served as a
Midshipman on the ‘Hercules’ at the Battle of Jutland, lived out his days in
Wingham. There is a large branch of the Faunce family still living in Australia,
again many prominenti, military (including a General) and high ranking pubic
officials. These include Marcus de Laune Faunce, physician to five Prime
Ministers of Australia.

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