Kenardington Kent - (Danes destroy Saxon Fort)


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51°03'N
0°48'E

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Kenardington
(Danes destroy Saxon Fort)

Origin of Village Name

The name Kenardington , also known as Kenardton, is of Anglo-Saxon origin, it is derived from the personal name Cyneward, or Cyneard.

The suffix "ing" refers to the family, and ton is a homestead or a farm. Kenardington therefore translates as "The home of the Kinard family". When the first Cyneard lived is not known, but the adding of "ing" and "ton" started around the late 7th century, and was common in the 8th and 9th centuries.

General Details

Kenardington may be found standing on what was once the 'Ancient Saxon' shoreline, but is nowadays the edge of the Romney Marsh .

St Marys church stands on the site of what was believed to be a small saxon fort. The fort was 600ft long on the eastern side, and 550ft long on the northern side. Unfortunately most of its earthworks have been ploughed away over the years.

The fort may have been built to repel the Danish invasion, however it was only half finished when the Danes attacked in 892AD. The Danes encamped here before moving on to establish themselves at Appledore .

A Saxon church at Kenardington dedicated to St Mary, is recorded in the Domesday Book. At this time an annual fee of 12d (5p) was paid to the monks of Christchurch Canterbury. This indicates that it is likely the monks were the original founders of the church.

The original church may have been wooden, then after the Norman Conquest of 1066 was replaced by a stone building. The tower dates from 1170AD and is a square structure without buttresses. To the north side it has an unusual round tower, which carries the staircase to the belfrey at the top of the main tower.

The church is another one a long way away from the village, which implies quarantine at the time of the Black Death .

In the 14th century, it is believed that the church was sacked by the French during the Hundred Years War , but there is no remaining evidence. In 1559 the church was struck by lightning, and which started a fire causing the collapse of the nave, chancel and the north aisle.

Services

Kenardington is a very small village with very limited services, the nearest shops are in Hamstreet .

The main large shopping centre is in Ashford with its large number of shops, and Tenterden for small town shopping.

The nearest trains also run from Ashford , with the main line to London passing through, together with the Ashford Terminal of Eurostar.

Views

If you travel up to the church, and walk round the churchyard, the area is very deserted, and you can imagine the Danes attacking the Saxons in the fort nearby.

Also from the church, the valley to the north east would have been flooded by the sea in Saxon times, although now it is many miles inland.

Page Last Updated: 09:08 - 20/07/2010
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