In 1472, the Abbey of Boxley sought control of the vicarage at Eastchurch to increase their income. Permission for appropriation was granted by Pope Sixtus IV in 1472, but the license from the Archbishop of Canterbury was not received until 1512. The transfer was completed in 1515 when the Abbey of Boxley gained the rights of the rectory and advowson. During this period, the church had only a Curate selected from the monks, and no Vicar.
