Hamstreet lies in the parish of Orlestone and is located on the A2070 Rye to Ashford road, about 7 miles from Ashford just on the edge of the Romney Marshes . The name Hamstreet is from the Saxon ham meaning enclosure and street meaning road hence the enclosure on the road, and was probably a hamlet away from the main saxon settlement at Orlestone . It is felt that much of the propulation moved away from Orlestone after the great plague in 1352 , although the fresh water springs at Hamstreet could well have been the actual reason for the shift in emphasis. William the Conqueror gave the Lordship of Orlaveston to Hugh de Montfort after the Conquest in 1066 . It is believed that the De Montforts were relatives of Simon de Montfort who defeated Henry III at the battle of Lewes .The church at Orlestone was probably built by the De Montforts in the 1100's and extended in the 1300's. Hamstreet features on a set of four stamps issued by the Royal Mail in 1991 to celebrate the 200 years of the Ordnance Survey. In 1784, French and British Astronomers had an argument over the longitute of the Greenwich and Paris observatories. The argument was settled by measuring the positions by triangulation from the two observatories, and Hamstreet lies very close to one of the triangulation points. In 1804 Napoleon was getting ready to invade England, the government decided to try to stop a French invasion via the Romney Marshes and they built the Royal Military Canal as part of the nations defenses. It was re-fortified in the 1940's by installing gun emplacements and pill boxes to try to delay a German invasion via the Marshes, the canal runs through Hamstreet .

Services

The village is on the Ashford to Hastings railway which runs across the Romney Marshes via Appledore and Rye . There is a bus service through the village providing a regular service. A Primary school and a number of local shops are available for shopping, however the main shopping centre is in nearby Ashford .

Views

The best views in Hamstreet are from the top of the hill near to the church at Orlestone across the vast expanse of the Romney Marshes. The old church again at Orlestone is a very attractive and peaceful place. Hamstreet village has a nice high street, with weatherboarded houses, and there are some good views across the marshes from the southern edge of the village.