From the North to Kent: The Selbys and Ightham Mote, 1591-1641

This article discusses the Selby family’s role in the events of the reigns of Elizabeth I and James VI & I and the significance of the county of Kent and their manor at Ightham Mote. This subject was explored the ‘Selby Spies’ exhibition at Ightham Mote in 2024, in which the author was co-curator.

The author is a Senior Collections & House Officer for the National Trust, based at Ightham Mote, near Sevenoaks, Kent. He has drawn on several sources including Archaeologia Cantiana, Kent Archives, Calendars of State, Foreign, Border and Cecil Papers; and other materials form the National Archives. The Selbys of Northumberland held important administrative, political and military influence from the North and this is traced into their settlement in Kent.