Kenley
KENLEY, a parish, in the union of Atcham, hundred of Condover, S. division of Salop, 4 miles (W.
by N.) from Wenlock; containing 294 inhabitants. It
is situated two miles from the road between Wenlock
and Shrewsbury, and four from the river Severn; the
surface is hilly, the soil naturally wet, and in some parts
rocky and bad. The scenery is very picturesque; looking along a deep valley bounded on either side by woodland, the view is terminated by two hills, called the
Lawley and Carodock Hills, and in another direction is
seen the celebrated Wrekin, the pride of Shropshire.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Duke
of Cleveland: the tithes have been commuted for £143,
and the glebe comprises 29 acres.
Kenley-Bottom
KENLEY-BOTTOM, a hamlet, in the parish of
Bishop's-Lydeard, union of Taunton, W. division of
the hundred of Kingsbury and of the county of Somerset; containing 10 inhabitants.
Kenn (St. Andrew)
KENN (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of St.
Thomas, hundred of Exminster, Wonford and S. divisions of Devon, 4¼ miles (S.) from Exeter; containing
1078 inhabitants. The lord of the manor holds his
court at Kenneford, where a portreeve, two constables,
and a tythingman, are sworn in at Michaelmas. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£46. 13. 4., and in the gift of J. Henry Ley, Esq.: the
tithes have been commuted for £750, and the glebe
comprises 52 acres. The church has a stone font in the
early English style, and a good wooden screen.
Kenn
KENN, a parish, in the union of Bedminster, hundred of Winterstoke, E. division of Somerset, 10
miles (N.) from Axbridge; containing 322 inhabitants.
This place was for many generations the property of
the Ken family, of whose manorial residence, now modernised, the moat is still discernible. Thomas Ken,
their descendant, was created Bishop of Bath and Wells
by Charles II., and was one of the seven prelates sent to
the Tower by James II.; on the accession of William
and Mary, refusing to transfer his allegiance, he relinquished his preferments, and retired from public life.
The parish comprises by computation 1000 acres: the
Bristol and Exeter railway passes within three miles of
the village. The living is annexed to the vicarage of
Yatton: the vicarial tithes have been commuted for £90.
The church is a small ancient edifice, in the Norman and
early English styles, with a low massive tower, and contains some monuments to the Ken family.
Kennerleigh (St. John the Baptist)
KENNERLEIGH (St. John the Baptist), a parish,
in the union and hundred of Crediton, Crediton and
N. divisions of Devon, 5 miles (N. by W.) from Crediton; containing 118 inhabitants. This parish, which
is intersected by the road from Exeter to South-Molton,
comprises by measurement 640 acres, whereof 384 are
arable, 73 meadow, 70 moor and furze, 16 orchard, and
84 woodland; the soil is clay, and rather poor. The
living is a rectory, in the gift of the Governors of
the Crediton charity: the tithes have been commuted
for £95, and the glebe comprises 44 acres, situated in
the adjoining parish of Woolfardisworthy.
Kennett (St. Nicholas)
KENNETT (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of
Newmarket, hundred of Staploe, county of Cambridge, 5 miles (N. E.) from the town of Newmarket;
containing 228 inhabitants. In June, 1647, this place
was the head-quarters of the parliamentarian army. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£11. 10. 10., and in the gift of W. Godfrey, Esq.: the
tithes have been commuted for £194, and the glebe comprises 35 acres.
Kennett, East
KENNETT, EAST, a parish, in the union of Marlborough, hundred of Selkley, Marlborough and
Ramsbury, and N. divisions of Wilts, 4 miles (W. S. W.)
from Marlborough; containing 75 inhabitants. It comprises about 900 acres by computation. The soil is
light and chalky, and the surface undulated; the lower
grounds are watered by the river Kennet, which has
its source near the village, a retired spot among the
downs. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£57; patron and impropriator, Richard Mathews, Esq.
The tithes have been commuted for £58. 10.
Kennett, East and West
KENNETT, EAST and WEST, a tything, in the
parish of Avebury, union of Marlborough, hundred
of Selkley, Marlborough and Ramsbury, and N. divisions of Wilts, 5 miles (W.) from Marlborough; containing 108 inhabitants. This place, in Domesday book
called Chenete, was anciently a distinct parish, and was
held by the church of St. Mary at Winchester. The
village is pleasantly situated on the road to Bath, and is
noted for the celebrated Kennett ale, which is brewed
only here, not from the water of the river Kennet, as is
generally supposed, but from a fine limpid spring on the
premises, which is soft to the taste, and slightly impregnated with magnesia. The ale first came into repute in 1789, and many thousand barrels of it are sent
annually to different parts of the country. At a short
distance to the west of the village is Silbury Hill, the
largest barrow in the kingdom; near which the Kennet
has its source.
Kenninghall (St. Mary)
KENNINGHALL (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Guilt-Cross, W. division of Norfolk,
3 miles (E. by S.) from East Harling; containing 1389
inhabitants. The name is derived from the Saxon words
Cyning, king, and Halla, palace; the place having been
the residence of the kings of East Anglia. The demesne
was granted by the Conqueror to De Albini and his
heirs, to be held by the service of chief butler at the
coronation of the kings of England. On the site of the
royal palace a manorial residence was erected, which
was afterwards destroyed by Thomas, Duke of Norfolk,
who built a magnificent edifice to the north-east, with
two fronts; this was forfeited to the crown by the attainder of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, in the
reign of Henry VIII., and given to the Princess Mary,
who, as well as her successor, Queen Elizabeth, often
resided here. In the seventeenth century it was taken
down, and the materials were sold. The only remaining
traces are a few bricks in the walls of the houses in the
village, bearing the arms of Arundel and Howard. By
a charter confirmed in the reign of George II., the inhabitants are exempt from serving on juries out of the
manor, and from tolls at fairs throughout the kingdom.
A market for cattle and swine is held on Monday, and
there are fairs for cattle and sheep on the 18th of July
and September 30th. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 17. 1.; patron
and appropriator, the Bishop of Ely; net income, £250.
The church is an ancient structure, chiefly in the Norman style, with a massive square tower, and some later
additions. There are places of worship for Baptists and
Wesleyans. Some land, producing £60 per annum, was
allotted to the poor at the inclosure. The house for
Guilt-Cross union is in the parish; the union comprises 21 parishes or places, and contains a population
of 11,965.
Kennington
KENNINGTON, a chapelry, partly in the parish of
Radley, and partly in that of Sunningwell, union of
Abingdon, hundred of Hormer, county of Berks,
3 miles (N. E.) from Abingdon; containing 136 inhabitants. The tithes were commuted for land and a money
payment in 1802. The chapel, dedicated to St. Swithin,
fell down some years since, and was rebuilt in 1838.
Kennington (St. Mary)
KENNINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of East Ashford, hundred of Chart and Longbridge,
lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 2 miles (N. E.
by N.) from Ashford; containing 585 inhabitants. It
comprises 1380 acres, of which 24 are in wood. A fair
for pedlery is held on the 5th of July. The living is a
discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12;
patron and appropriator, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The great tithes have been commuted for £205, and the
vicarial for £197. 12.; there are 6½ acres of glebe appertaining to the vicarage, and 9 belonging to the archbishop: the glebe-house was built in 1837. The church
is principally in the early English style.
Kennington
KENNINGTON, a district, in the parish and union
of Lambeth, E. division of the hundred of Brixton,
county of Surrey, 2½ miles (S. S. W.) from London;
containing 31,289 inhabitants. The name is said to be
of Saxon origin, there having been a royal palace here
prior to the Conquest, whence the appellation Cynington,
from the Saxon Cyning, a king. Kennington is distinguished in history as the scene of the banquet, or marriage festival of a Danish nobleman, at which Hardicanute, the son of Canute the Great, became the victim
of his own intemperance, or, according to some writers,
was poisoned; in commemoration of his death, the
festival called Hocktide is supposed to have been instituted. The place was the favourite residence of the
Black Prince, and the occasional resort of Henry VIII.
and some of his predecessors; but the royal mansion
was at length superseded by the manor-house, which
was inhabited by Charles I. when Prince of Wales; and
the site, called Park Place, is now covered by modern
buildings. The village has several ranges of handsome
houses on the line of road leading from the metropolis
towards Clapham and Brixton, and has been greatly
increased by others branching from the main road
to the east and west. In the latter direction is Kennington Oval, an area about nine acres in extent, cultivated as market-gardens and nursery-grounds, and
surrounded with cottages and a few good houses. Kennington Common, an uninclosed tract of ground, belonging to the duchy of Cornwall, and on which, under
the control of two stewards appointed by the duchy
court, the inhabitants have the privilege of turning
horses and cattle to graze during part of the year, was
formerly the place of execution for criminals convicted
at the Surrey assizes; here, also, several of the adherents
of the Pretender underwent the sentence of the law as
traitors, in 1746. It is a polling-place for the eastern division of the county. The village is lighted with gas, and
supplied with water from the South London Water-works,
which are situated within the district. At the Horns
tavern is a spacious and elegant assembly-room, supported by subscription, in which assemblies and concerts
frequently take place, and public meetings are held.
Here are manufactories for oil of vitriol and wadding.
Kennington is within the limits of the Metropolitan
Police act. The living is a district incumbency; net
income, £700; patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The church, dedicated to St. Mark, is a noble edifice
with a Grecian-Doric portico, tower, and cupola, erected
in 1824, at an expense of £22,720, of which sum the
Parliamentary Commissioners gave £7651. There are
four episcopal chapels in the district, namely, Carlisle
chapel, built about 40 years ago, by the Rev. George
Gibson; Vauxhall chapel, Upper Kennington-lane;
Verulam chapel, Walcot-place; and St. James's, in
Clayton-place. The Independents have two places of
worship, and the Baptists and Wesleyans one each. In
Kennington-lane is a school under the patronage of the
Licensed Victuallers, forming a spacious and handsome
structure.
Kennythorpe
KENNYTHORPE, a township, in the parish of
Langton, union of Malton, wapentake of Buckrose,
E. riding of York, 4 miles (S. by E.) from Malton;
containing 72 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 532 acres, of which 26 are common or waste. The
tithes have been commuted for £81. 7., and there is a
glebe of 9 acres.
Kensington (St. Mary)
KENSINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, and the head
of a union, in the Kensington division of the hundred
of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex, 2 miles (W. by
S.) from London; containing, with the hamlet of
Brompton, 26,834 inhabitants. This place, which,
since the reign of William III., has been a royal residence, forms one of the most interesting, populous, and
extensive appendages to the metropolis. The salubrity
of the air, the pleasantness of its situation, the beauty of
the gardens belonging to the palace, and its proximity
to Hyde Park, render it highly desirable as a place of
residence. The village extends for a considerable distance on the great western road, and comprises several
ranges of handsome and well-built houses, with numerous streets branching off from the main road to the
north and south, and a number of tasteful detached
residences; among the more recent buildings are St.
Mary Abbot's terrace, Warwick-square, and some houses
on the Addison road leading to Notting Hill, on the
latter of which are some very elegant villas. The district is well paved, lighted with gas, and amply supplied
with water by the West Middlesex Company, who have
a capacious reservoir at Kensington Gravel Pits, elevated
more than 120 feet above the level of the Thames. A
creek from the Thames has been widened within the
last few years, and made navigable to Counter's bridge;
the Paddington canal runs through the northern extremity of the parish, near Kensal-Green, and the Great
Western railway passes in a slightly curved tunnel, 320
yards in length, through the same part of the parish.
In 1836 an act was procured for making a railway from
the basin of the Kensington canal, to join the London
and Birmingham and Great Western railways near
Holsden-Green, and to be called the Birmingham, Bristol, and Thames Junction, but which is now styled the
West London railway; it crosses the high road, passing
through Kensington Crescent, and is about three miles
in length. In 1846 an act was passed authorising the
extension of this railway to the Thames, thus increasing
the length from three miles to five. Kensington, with
the parishes of Hammersmith, Fulham, and others, was
formed into a police-court district, by an order in council, in 1841.
The palace, which stands within the parish of St.
Margaret, Westminster, originally built by Heneage
Finch, lord high chancellor, and afterwards Earl of
Nottingham, was purchased from his son, the second
earl, by William III., who made it his principal residence. It was subsequently inhabited by Queen Anne,
George I., and George II., whose queen, Caroline, made
many additions to it, and very much extended and
improved the gardens and pleasure-grounds, which,
under certain regulations, are open to the public, and
are frequented as the most fashionable and favourite
promenade in the environs of the metropolis. The
edifice comprises three quadrangles, neatly and substantially built of red brick, and ornamented with columns,
quoins, and cornices of stone; and though externally
wanting uniformity of design, and destitute of architectural interest, it contains a noble suite of apartments.
The gardens are beautifully laid out, the walks are spacious, and the grounds altogether more than three miles
in circuit. Detachments of the foot guards and of the
lancers are stationed here in barracks. Holland House,
originally built by Sir Walter Cope, and now the seat of
Lord Holland, though enlarged under the superintendence of Inigo Jones, retains much of its Elizabethan
character; and Campden House, erected by Baptist
Hicks, Viscount Campden, is a good specimen in the
same style of domestic architecture. Hale House, now
in a dilapidated state, is said to have been the residence
of Oliver Cromwell; and there are some other remains
of ancient buildings in various parts of the parish.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £18. 8. 4.; net income, £1242; patron, the Bishop of
London. The church is a large modern brick building;
in the window of the chancel are whole-length figures of
St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, and St. Andrew, in stained
glass, and on the south side of the altar is a monument
of Edward Henry Rich, Earl of Warwick and Holland,
who died in 1721, and whose statue in white marble is
finely sculptured. William Courten, a celebrated virtuoso, who died in 1702; Dr. Jortin, vicar of the parish,
and an eminent theological writer; the Rev. Martin
Madan, author of Thelypthora; George Colman, sen., a
dramatic writer; Dr. Richard Warren, an eminent physician; Samuel Pegge, F.S.A.; and James Elphinstone,
a writer on grammar and elocution, were all interred
here. A chapel was built at Brompton in 1769. The
district church in Addison road, dedicated to St. Barnabas, was erected in 1829, by subscription among the
inhabitants, aided by a grant of £5000 from the Parliamentary Commissioners, and is a handsome edifice of
Suffolk brick, in the later English style, with four campanile turrets: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the
gift of the Vicar; net income, £405. The church at
Brompton, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was erected at
the same time and by the same means as that of St.
Barnabas. A church, called St. John's, was commenced
in November, 1843, on a site given by All Souls' College, Oxford, at Kensal-Green; it was consecrated in
Aug. 1844, and is in the Norman style, with two towers
at the west end, each about 80 feet high: the cost of
erection was about £3000. St. John's church, in Kensington Park, consecrated in Jan. 1845, occupies an advantageous site, and is a handsome structure in the
early English style, in the form of a Latin cross, with a
lofty spire rising from the centre; the interior is of
singularly bold and simple design, and has accommodation for 1500 persons. St. James' church, Notting-Hill,
consecrated in July 1845, is a mixture of the Norman
and pointed styles, and contains 750 sittings. Of these
three churches, the Bishop presents to the two first, and
the Vicar to the last church. There are places of worship
for Baptists and Independents; and a Roman Catholic chapel. The Kensal-Green public cemetery, formed
by the General Cemetery Company, and consecrated
by the Bishop of London, in 1833, comprises 39 acres
of ground on the north of the Paddington canal, inclosed by a stone wall, and laid out in appropriate style;
and 15 acres on the south side of the canal, for the interment of dissenters, have been also inclosed. His
late Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex was interred
here, May 4th, 1843.
The national school was originally founded as a parochial free school, in 1645, by Roger Pimble, who endowed it with tenements in the parish, the rents of
which, augmented by subsequent benefactions, produce
an income of more than £250 per annum; the premises,
situated in High-street, are handsomely built of brick.
Lord and Lady Campden in 1635 bequeathed £200,
with which, including a benefaction of £45, supposed to
have been given by Oliver Cromwell, and called Cromwell's gift, an estate was purchased producing nearly
£200 per annum, one moiety of which was to be given
to the poor, and the other appropriated to the apprenticing of children. Six almshouses were built in 1652,
by William Methwold, who endowed them with sixteen
acres of land, for the support of aged women; and
there are numerous other gifts for the relief of the poor.
The union of Kensington consists of five parishes or
places, containing a population of 114,952. Here are
several chalybeate springs, which were formerly in
repute, though now little noticed. Charles Boyle, Earl
of Orrery, born in 1674; and Charles Pratt, Earl Camden, lord high chancellor; were natives of Kensington.
—See Brompton.
Kenswick
KENSWICK, formerly a chapelry, but now deemed
extra-parochial, locally in the parish of Knightwick,
union of Martley, Lower division of the hundred of
Oswaldslow, Worcester and W. divisions of the county
of Worcester, 4½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Worcester;
containing 27 inhabitants, and comprising 434 acres.
It is detached from the rest of the parish, and situated
on the road from Worcester to Tenbury. The chapel
was dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
Kensworth (St. Mary)
KENSWORTH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Luton, hundred of Dacorum, county of Hertford,
2½ miles (N. W.) from Market-Street; containing 842
inhabitants. The parish comprises by computation 2500
acres, of which the surface is very hilly, and the soil
various, but chiefly a strong red clay, alternated with
marl. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £9. 13. 4.; net income, £180; patrons, the
Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, London. The tithes
were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1798; the
glebe comprises 110 acres. The church has portions in
the early English style, with some of later date. The
capitals of the western pillars exhibit the fable of the
Wolf and the Crane on one side, and that of the Eagle
and the Hare on the other; the doorway within the
tower has capitals representing birds and human heads.
Both doorways are of Caen stone.
Kent
KENT, a maritime county, situated at the southeastern extremity of the kingdom, and bounded on the
north by the river Thames, which separates it from
Essex, and by the North Sea; on the east and southwest by the North Sea, the Straits of Dovor, and the
British Channel; on the south-west by Sussex; and on
the west by Surrey. It extends from 50° 55' to 51° 28'
(N. Lat.) and from 4' (W. Lon.) to 1° 25' (E. Lon.); and
contains 1537 square miles, or 983,680 acres. Within
the limits of the county are 95,482 houses inhabited,
5039 uninhabited, and 811 in course of erection; and
the population amounts to 548,337, of whom 272,532
are males, and 275,805 females.
The territory now forming the county of Kent is first
distinctly noticed under the name of Cantium, which is
probably a Latinization of the ancient British name; by
the Saxons it was at first styled Kant-wara-ryke, signifying "the Kentish men's country," and the present
name is an evident variation of the first word of the
Saxon compound. Its situation at that point of the
island which lies nearest to the European continent has
invested it with a degree of importance in the general
history of England nearly corresponding with the prominence of its geographical position, as forming a sort
of advanced post or vanguard of the English territory,
considered in relation to the continental states, more
particularly to France and the Netherlands, the ancient
Gaul and Belgium. From this proximity it sustained
the first attack made by Julius Cæsar upon the aboriginal inhabitants of the isle. In his first expedition,
the Kentish Britons immediately opposed him, and
forced him to an encounter upon landing in the vicinity
of Deal: they fought, even amidst the waves, with singular courage; and although Cæsar, observing his
troops to be dispirited, ordered up the vessels with his
artillery, and poured from their sides stones, arrows,
and other missiles, yet the natives sustained these unusual discharges with unshaken intrepidity, and the
invaders made no impression. At length, the standardbearer of the tenth legion rushed forward, exclaiming
"Follow me, unless you mean to betray your standard
to your enemies;" upon which the Roman legions were
incited to that desperate and closer battle which eventually forced back the Britons and secured a landing.
The inhabitants of the neighbourhood then sent a message of peace; but four days afterwards, the fleet being dispersed by a tempest, they again attacked the Romans.
In the ensuing summer Cæsar's invasion was more
formidable, that able commander being attended by five
well-appointed legions and 2000 cavalry, amounting to a
force of 30,000 of the best disciplined troops then known.
Terrified at the menacing approach of so powerful an
army, the inhabitants of the coast retired among the
hills, and Cæsar having effected a landing without opposition, and chosen a proper place for encampment, on
learning from some prisoners where the British forces
were posted, marched about midnight in quest of them,
leaving ten cohorts and 300 cavalry, under the command of Q. Atrius, to guard the ships. After a march
of about twelve miles, he discovered the Britons, who
being repulsed by the Roman cavalry, retired to a place
in the woods, which was fortified both by art and nature
in an extraordinary manner, but from which they were
driven by the soldiers of the seventh legion. When he
had divided his army into three bodies, Cæsar sent both
his horse and foot in pursuit; soon after which, before
their rear had got out of sight, some horsemen arrived
from Q. Atrius, to inform him that almost all his ships
had been shattered by a storm the previous night, and
cast on shore. Upon this, Cæsar, countermanding his
orders, returned to the fleet, and found that about forty
of the ships were entirely lost, and the rest so much
damaged as not to be refitted without much labour.
Having therefore chosen some workmen from among his
soldiers, and sent for others from the continent, he
wrote to Labienus, in Gaul, directing him to cause to
be erected as many ships as he could with those legions
that were left with him; he himself determining to have
his fleet hauled on shore, and inclosed with his camp
within the same fortification. This work being completed, Cæsar returned to the scene of conflict, where
the Britons had arrived in greater numbers from all
parts; on their march the Romans were briskly attacked
by the British horse and chariots, which they repulsed
with great slaughter, and drove into the woods. A
general engagement soon followed, and the Britons were
defeated and routed with considerable slaughter; their
auxiliaries left them, and they never afterwards engaged
the Romans with united forces. Cæsar then led his
army towards the territory of Cassivelaunus, the principal leader of the defeated Britons, who in the mean
time despatched messengers into Kent, which was then
governed by four petty princes, whom Cæsar styles
kings, commanding them to muster whatever forces they
could, and suddenly attack the camp in which the Roman ships lay: this they accordingly did, but they were
repulsed with great slaughter in a sally by the Romans,
who made prisoner one of the kings, named Cingetorix.
On the submission of Cassivelaunus, which followed
this defeat, Cæsar imposed an annual tribute on the
vanquished, received the hostages he demanded, and
then marched back through Kent to the sea-shore, from
which he shortly after took his last departure from
Britain.
In the course of the second invasion, the first effectual conquest, of Britain by the Romans, in the reign
of Claudius, their first descent appears to have been on
the south-western coast. But it is evident from the
account given by Dion Cassius, that Plautius, who commanded the expedition, waited for the promised assistance of the emperor on the southern, or Kentish, side of
the Thames; and it has been thought by many that the
place of his encampment was Keston Down, near Bromley, where are still some large remains of a Roman
camp, or intrenchment. In the division of Britain by
Constantine, Kent was included in Britannia Prima;
and after the Saxon pirates had begun to infest the
south-eastern coast, this was one of the maritime districts placed under the command of the officer called
Comes Littoris Saxonici, or Count of the Saxon Shore.
Subordinate to him, within the limits of this county,
according to the Notitia, were, the commander of the
Tungrian soldiers stationed at Dovor; the commander
of the detachment of soldiers of Tournay, at Limne; the
commander of the first cohort of Vetascians, at Reculver; the commander of the second legion, called Augusta, at Richborough; and the commander of the
detachment of the Albuci, at Anderida. The Romans
built several watch-towers, forts, and castles on the
coast, both to overawe the Britons and preserve a safe
intercourse with the continent, and to guard against the
assaults of the Saxon pirates. They also made three
public or consular ways in Kent, the principal of which
led from Dovor to London, forming part of the great
military way afterwards by the Saxons called Watlingstreet. The Isle of Thanet was the landing-place of the
Saxons, in whose attempts to obtain possession of
Britain numerous battles were fought within the limits
of the county, which was ultimately constituted one of
the kingdoms of the heptarchy. Ethelbert, King of
Kent, embraced Christianity, on the arrival of the Roman missionaries in Thanet, in 596; Kent now became
a Christian kingdom, and its metropolis, Canterbury,
acquired that ecclesiastical pre-eminence over the other
English cities which it retains to the present day.
Owing in a great measure to its narrow limits, and its
situation in an angle of the island, this was one of the
weaker powers of the heptarchy; and after first becoming tributary to the kingdom of Mercia, it was finally
annexed to that of Wessex, in 823.
The county until lately comprised the two dioceses
of Canterbury and Rochester, in the province of Canterbury, the former comprehending the eastern, and
the latter the western part of it: the diocese of Canterbury, which formed an archdeaconry, contained 282
parishes, and that of Rochester 132, making the total
number of parishes in the county 414. Under the ecclesiastical arrangements directed by the act of the 6th
and 7th of William IV., c. 77, the diocese of Canterbury
now consists of the county of Kent (except the city and
deanery of Rochester, and certain parishes in the diocese of London), and of the parishes of Croydon and
Addington, and the district of Lambeth Palace, in the
county of Surrey; while the diocese of Rochester consists of the city and deanery of Rochester, of the county
of Essex (except a few parishes in the diocese of London), and the whole county of Hertford. For the purposes of civil government the shire is divided into five
great districts, called the lathes of St. Augustine, Aylesford, Scray, Shepway, and Sutton-at-Hone, each of which
comprises several hundreds. It includes the cities of
Canterbury and Rochester; four of the cinque-ports,
viz., Dovor, Hythe, New Romney, and Sandwich; the
borough and market towns of Chatham, Greenwich, and
Maidstone; and the market-towns of Ashford, Bromley,
Cranbrooke, Dartford, Deal, Elham, Faversham, Folkestone, Gravesend, Lydd, Margate, Milton, Ramsgate,
Seven-Oaks, Sittingbourne, Smarden, Tenterden, Tonbridge, Westerham, Woolwich, and Wrotham. Of the
above, Deal, Dovor, Faversham, Folkestone, Margate,
Ramsgate, and Sandwich, are sea-ports; and there are
extensive dockyards for the royal navy at Chatham,
Woolwich, and Sheerness. The county is divided into
the Eastern and Western divisions, each sending two
representatives to parliament. Two citizens are returned
for each of the cities; two for each of the boroughs,
except Chatham, which sends only one; and one member for the cinque-port of Hythe. Kent is included in
the Home circuit; the assizes are held at Maidstone, at
which place are the county gaol and house of correction.
By long usage the county is divided into two great
districts, of nearly equal extent, commonly called East
Kent and West Kent: the former comprising the
lathes of St. Augustine and Shepway, and the Upper
division of the lathe of Scray; the latter, the lathes of
Sutton-at-Hone and Aylesford, and the Lower division
of the lathe of Scray: and it is usual for the justices of
the peace for the county to confine the exercise of their
authority, except upon extraordinary occasions, to the
division in which they respectively reside. The general
quarter-sessions are held four times in the year in each
of these divisions, twice originally, and twice by adjournment. They are held originally, for East Kent, at Canterbury, on the Tuesday after the Epiphany, and the
Tuesday after the Festival of St. Thomas à Becket; and
by adjournment for West Kent, at Maidstone, on the
Thursday next after each of those days. They are held
originally for West Kent, at Maidstone, on the Tuesday
after Easter and the Tuesday after Michaelmas; and by
adjournment, for East Kent, at Canterbury, on the Friday next after each of those days.
The Surface of the county is divided by two nearly
parallel chains of hills, called the Upper and the Lower,
or the Chalk and the Gravel hills, which extend across
the middle of it, from the neighbourhoods of Folkestone
and Hythe on the eastern, to the vicinity of Westerham
on the western, border. The northern range, and the
substratum of the entire north side of the county, are
composed chiefly of chalk and flints; and the southern
range, of iron and rag stone. Below the last-mentioned
hills lies the Weald of Kent, an extensive tract, occupying the whole southern side of the county, from the border of Surrey to the marshy tract at its south-eastern
extremity, of which Romney Marsh forms the principal
portion; the greater part of the Weald adjoining to
Sussex rises to a considerable elevation, being part of
what is well known as the Forest ridge.
East Kent includes two tracts of land, one open and
dry, lying between the city of Canterbury and the
towns of Dovor and Deal; and the other much sheltered
by woods and coppices, extending in length from Dovor,
by Elham and Ashford, to Rochester, and in breadth
from the Isle of Sheppy to Lenham, &c. All that portion of East Kent situated in the vicinity of Faversham,
Sandwich, and Deal, is very fertile, and for the most
part under tillage. The Isle of Thanet, at the northeastern extremity of the county, now only insulated by
a small sewer, communicating with the river Stour and
the sea, contains, including Stonar, nearly 41 square
miles, or about 27,000 acres, of which 3500 are excellent marsh land, and 23,000 arable; it is in a high
state of cultivation, having been long celebrated for its
fertility, which is much increased by the inexhaustible
supply of sea-weed constantly thrown on the shore. The
Isle of Sheppy lies eastward from the mouth of the Medway, and is separated from the rest of the county by an
arm of the sea, called the Swale, which is navigable for
ships of 200 tons' burthen. It is about eleven miles long,
and eight miles across, in the broadest part, and contains seven parishes; four-fifths of the land consist of
marsh (including a large tract of rich fattening land)
and upland pasture, a great part of which latter is very
poor, and used for breeding sheep. The Isle of Grain, a
low and marshy tract, 3½ miles long and 2½ broad, situated between the estuaries of the Medway and the Thames,
is no longer insulated; the channel which communicated with the two rivers, and separated it from the main
land, being now filled up.
West Kent comprises the Weald, a large part of the
ragstone shelf between the Weald and the chalk range,
together with all the tract lying between the towns of
Westerham, Deptford, Rochester, and Maidstone, and
their vicinities; and comprehends a variety of country,
having soils and features of various descriptions. The
Weald of Kent, anciently an extensive forest, has been
gradually stripped of a great part of its sylvan features,
and brought into cultivation, though it is yet more thinly
peopled than any other part of the county; when viewed
from the adjoining hills, it has the appearance of a vast
plain of great fertility and beauty. At its south-eastern
extremity is the Isle of Oxney, formed by the different
channels of the Rother (of which, however, the northernmost is now deserted by the waters of that river), and
about ten miles in circumference, having an upland
ridge running through the middle of it, and low fertile
marshes next the river. Romney Marsh is an extensive
tract of land lying on the southern coast between the
uplands and the sea-shore; this general name being
usually given to the whole level between Hythe and Rye,
comprehending the districts of Walland Marsh, Denge
Marsh with South Brooks, and Guilford Marsh. Romney
Marsh, properly so called, contains about 24,000 acres,
is ten miles in length from east to west, and four in
its greatest breadth. Walland Marsh lies to the west of
Romney Marsh, extending five miles from north to
south, and four from east to west, and consists of about
16,500 acres. Denge Marsh with South Brooks lies to
the south of Walland Marsh, and contains nearly 3000
acres. Guilford Marsh adjoins Walland Marsh on the
west, and contains about 3300 acres.
The soils of East Kent are principally chalk, loam,
strong cledge, hazel mould, and stiff clay; and the
various soils of West Kent are chalk, loam, clay, gravel,
sand, and hazel mould. The crops commonly cultivated are wheat, barley, beans, oats, peas, canary-seed,
radish-seed, turnips, and colewort. Some flax is grown;
also spinach seed, kidney-beans, cresses, and white mustard-seed, principally for the London seedsmen. Woad
for dyeing is much cultivated in the western part of the
county, on poor and stiff, and in some instances on
chalky, soils. The quantity of land in natural meadow
in the uplands of East Kent is comparatively small, and
the hay consumed in that district is principally brought
from the marshes. The Weald abounds with natural
grass-land, producing a vast quantity of hay of excellent
quality. The grass-land of the marshes is of very considerable extent, and is appropriated to the fattening of
cattle and sheep, or to the breeding of sheep; of the
latter, Kent has long been famous for a peculiar fine
breed, called Romney Marsh sheep. In the Isle of
Sheppy the horses are for the most part a sort that has
been in that district from time immemorial; elsewhere
they have been crossed with other breeds.
The chief hop plantations are situated in the vicinity
of Canterbury and Maidstone; those near the former,
called the City Grounds, surround it to the distance of
two or three miles, and comprise between 2000 and 3000
acres. The best portion of the plantations of East Kent
are upon a deep rich loamy soil, with a thick subsoil of
loamy brick-earth. The plantations near Maidstone
extend through the several parishes on the ragstone
shelf of land which lie below the hills bordering on the
Weald; the quality of the hops grown here is somewhat
inferior to that of the hops of Canterbury and East
Kent. In the central part of the county, the plantations
are so extensive as to require thrice the amount of the
labouring population of the district to gather the crops;
so that numbers of people are employed from other
places. In the neighbourhood of Gravesend and Deptford a large quantity of vegetables is raised for the
supply of the metropolis. Great quantities of fruit,
chiefly apples, cherries, and filberts, are grown in the
vicinity of Maidstone, the young trees being frequently
planted among the hops; and it is doubtful whether a
soil more adapted to the growth of corn, fruit, and hops,
conjointly, exists in the kingdom.
The Waste lands consist of about 20,000 acres, dispersed in various parts of the county, in commons,
heaths, &c.: the soil of some is a cold sterile loam, that
of others a wet stiff clay, but of most the soil is composed of gravel and sand. The principal Woodlands of
East Kent are scattered between the great road from
Rochester to Dovor and the range of chalk hills running
from Folkestone, by Charing, to Debtling; their chief
produce is hop-poles for the adjacent plantations, and
they also furnish piles for securing the sea-walls of the
marshes, and props to be used in the Newcastle coalmines. West Kent abounds with woods and coppices,
of which there are about 13,000 acres; some in the
Weald are still in their original forest state, and the
finest oak is grown there. The manufacture of silk has
been carried on to a great extent at Canterbury, but is
now giving way to that of cotton. At Dovor and Maidstone are extensive mills for the manufacture of all
kinds of paper, the white paper made at the latter place
having long been in high repute. There are salt-works
at Stonar near Sandwich, and in the Isle of Grain; at
Whitstable and Deptford are large copperas-works.
Gunpowder is made at Dartford, Tonbridge, and Faversham: at Crayford are extensive works for printing
calico and bleaching linen; and at Woolwich, Chatham,
and Sheerness, the building of vessels for the royal navy
is extensively carried on.
The two great rivers are the Thames and the Medway. The Thames forms the northern boundary of the
county, for upwards of forty miles, and in the whole of
its course is navigable for merchant vessels of the
largest burthen. The Medway, which falls into the
North Sea at the mouth of the Thames, between the
Isle of Grain and Sheerness, was made navigable for
barges as high as Tonbridge, under the provisions of an
act passed in 1740; up to Chatham it is navigable for
vessels of the largest burthen. The principal fishery of
the Medway is that of oysters, which is also carried on
in the numerous creeks formed immediately above its
influx into the sea: Rochester smelts are celebrated.
There are six smaller rivers; viz., the Greater Stour, the
Lesser Stour, the Rother, the Darent, the Cray, and the
Ravensbourne. The Darent becomes navigable at Dartford, where it assumes the name of Dartford Creek; and
falls into the Thames between two and three miles further
down, at Long Reach. The Ravensbourne falls into the
Thames at Deptford, where it receives the name of
Deptford Creek; and is navigable for small craft for the
distance of about one mile from its mouth. The Royal
Military canal, constructed as a defensive work during
the continental war, at the time of the threatened invasion from France, commences near Hythe, and quits this
county for Sussex, near Fairfield. In 1825, an act was
obtained for forming a Railroad from Whitstable to Canterbury, which passes under a tunnel, 822 yards long, a
little to the north of that city; the line is six miles and
a quarter in length. The South-Eastern railway branches
from the Brighton railway at Reigate, in Surrey, and
enters this county near Eden-bridge, whence the line is
continued to Tonbridge, and to Ashford, where it curves
towards the south-east, passing by Hythe and Folkestone to its terminus at Dovor. It has a short branch
to Tonbridge-Wells; a branch to Maidstone; and a
much longer branch to Canterbury, Ramsgate, and Margate. The county also contains a railway from Gravesend to Rochester, and a small part of the London and
Greenwich line.
Few remains of the Britons have been discovered
within the limits of the county: some brass celts and
other weapons have been dug up in places which were
probably the scenes of conflict between them and their
invaders; and there are a very few cromlechs, of which
the most remarkable, for its magnitude and good preservation, is that commonly called Kit's Coty House, both
from its name and situation conjectured to have been
erected over the grave of the British prince, Certigern,
who was slain in one of the battles with Hengist. The
Roman stations were, Anderida, supposed to have been
at Newenden; Dubris, Dovor; Durobrivæ, Rochester;
Durolevum, Judde Hill, Newington, or Sittingbourne;
Durovernum, Canterbury; Lemania, Lymne; Noviomagus, Keston, or Crayford; Regulbium, Reculver; Rutupium, Richborough; and Vagniacæ, Northfleet, or Southfleet. The principal remains of Roman buildings are at
Canterbury, Dovor, and Richborough; numerous relics,
such as weapons, domestic utensils, &c., have been dug
up in various parts of the county, on or near the sites of
the several stations. In this county was made the first
settlement in England of the four following Monastic
orders, viz., of Augustine canons at Canterbury in 605;
of Grey friars, or Franciscans, at the same place, in
1224; of Trinitarian friars at Mottenden, in the same
year; and of White or Carmelite friars at Aylesford, in
1240. The religious houses before the Reformation
were, of the Benedictine order, two abbeys, three priories, and five nunneries; of the Cluniac, one priory;
of the Cistercian, one abbey; of Secular canons, five
colleges; of Canons regular, four abbeys and five
priories; of Dominicans, one priory and one nunnery;
of Franciscans, two priories; of Trinitarians, one priory;
of Carmelites, three priories. The number of alien
priories was four; there were two commanderies of the
Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and fifteen hospitals,
besides several hermitages, chantries, and free chapels.
The remains are those of St. Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury, and the abbeys of Boxley, Bradsole or St. Rhadegund's, Monks-Horton, and West Malling.
Of ancient Castles, the most considerable are at Canterbury, Tonbridge, Rochester, and Dovor; besides
which there are interesting remains at Allington, Cooling,
Hever, Leeds, Chilham, Leybourne, Limne, Saltwood,
Stutfall, Sutton-Valence, Eynsford, the Mote at Ightham, Nettlestead, and Ostenhanger. The great hall of
the ancient royal palace at Eltham is, perhaps, the
noblest specimen remaining in the county of the domestic architecture of the middle ages. Besides the magnificent buildings of the naval hospital at Greenwich, with
its fine park, so long a favourite residence of the English
sovereigns, this pleasant and fertile county abounds
with elegant Mansions, fine parks, and thriving plantations. Among the most distinguished of the seats may
be noticed Knowle, Cobham, Eastwell, and Waldershare.
Penshurst Place is an example of the mansions of the
nobility from the era of Edward III. to that of James I.;
Charlton House and Summer Hill are excellent specimens of the domestic architecture of the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. In different parts of the county are
Springs, the water of which is chalybeate, but those of
Tonbridge-Wells are the most celebrated. At Sydenham, in the parish of Lewisham, are some springs of
medicinal purgative water, resembling those of Epsom,
and which, from their proximity to Dulwich, have received the name of Dulwich Wells. The custom of
Gavelkind, by which lands descend to all the sons equally,
prevails in Kent, and has produced a marked distinction
between it and almost every other county in England,
with regard to the occupation of land and the number of
freeholders, the latter being very numerous, so that the
Kentish yeomanry have long formed one of the strongest
and most independent divisions of that important class
of British subjects.
Kent-Church (St. Mary)
KENT-CHURCH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Dore, hundred of Webtree, county of Hereford,
13 miles (S. W. by S.) from Hereford; containing 295
inhabitants. The Abergavenny and Grosmont railway
intersects the north-west angle of this parish, which is
bounded on the east by the river Dore, and on the south
by the Munnow; the surface comprises 3246 acres.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£10. 12. 3½., and in the patronage of the Crown: the
tithes have been commuted for £348. 1., and the glebe
consists of 4 acres.
Kentford (St. Mary)
KENTFORD (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Mildenhall, partly in the hundred of Lackford, but
chiefly in that of Risbridge, W. division of Suffolk,
4½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Newmarket; containing
152 inhabitants, and comprising 798a. 2r. 38p. The
living is a rectory, united to the vicarage of Gazeley,
and valued in the king's books at £7. 3. 4.: the tithes
have been commuted for £172. 10., and there is a glebe
of about 2 acres.
Kentisbere (St. Mary)
KENTISBERE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Tiverton, hundred of Hayridge, Cullompton and
N. divisions of Devon, 3¾ miles (E. by N.) from Cullompton; containing 1184 inhabitants. It consists of
3600 acres, of which 338 are common or waste. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£27. 18. 11½., and in the gift of the family of Wyndham: the tithes have been commuted for £409. 10.,
and the glebe comprises 61 acres. The church has a
fine wooden screen and rood-loft.
Kentisbury
KENTISBURY, a parish, in the union of Barnstaple, hundred of Braunton, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 8 miles (E. by S.) from Ilfracombe;
containing 422 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2500
acres, of which 500 are common or waste: there are
numerous quarries of stone for rough building and the
roads. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £12. 10. 7½.; patron and incumbent, the Rev.
Charles Barter Sweet: the tithes have been commuted
for £260, and the glebe consists of 60 acres. The church
is a neat structure, with a handsome tower apparently
of earlier date than the nave and chancel.
Kentish-Town
KENTISH-TOWN, a chapelry, in the parish of St.
Pancras, Holborn division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex, 3 miles (N.) from London; containing 10,348 inhabitants. This is a pleasant
and populous village, situated between Camden-Town
and Highgate, and consisting of lines of building along
the road, and several good streets recently formed. To
the south passes the Paddington canal, on the banks of
which are coal-wharfs; there is a brewery, and the adjoining fields are chiefly occupied by cow-keepers. An
act was passed in 1843 for paving, lighting, and otherwise improving the hamlet and its vicinity. The living
is a perpetual curacy; net income, £200; patron, the
Vicar of St. Pancras. The chapel, erected in 1784, was
enlarged in 1816, and again in 1845; and now contains
1700 sittings. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.
Kentmere
KENTMERE, a chapelry, in the parish, union, and
ward of Kendal, county of Westmorland, 8 miles
(N. N. W.) from Kendal; containing 198 inhabitants.
This place derived its name from a mere or lake formed
by the river Kent, which has its source a little to the
north. The chapelry comprises by computation nearly
4000 acres, and includes a narrow vale abounding with
picturesque scenery; the lake was a broad expanse of
water about a mile in length, surrounded by lofty fells
which rendered it almost inaccessible, and though it has
been recently drained, the spot has a singularly romantic
appearance. The surface of the district is elevated, and
strikingly diversified with hills, of which Hill-Bell is
2700 feet above the level of the sea. Kentmere Hall,
the ancient residence of the Gilpins, and now occupied
as a farmhouse, is a lofty quadrangular tower, four
stories in height, built of rude ragstone, and having a
massive and venerable aspect. Edward Wilson, Esq.,
of Rigmaden Hall, and Francis Pearson, Esq., of Kirkby-Lonsdale, are joint lords of the manor. The game belongs to the lords of the fee, and so stringent are the
covenants contained in the ancient enfranchisement
deeds, that the tenants are thereby prohibited from
keeping any dogs except sheep and cur dogs. Blue
slate, and limestone of good quality, are extensively
quarried. The chapel was built by subscription, and
endowed with Queen Anne's Bounty: the living is a
perpetual curacy; net income, £70; patrons, the Landowners. Over the summit of Hill-Bell was a Roman
road, which may still be distinctly traced. Bernard
Gilpin, the divine, was born at the Hall in 1517.