Faversham is a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England, from London and from
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
, next to
the Swale
The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent. It is also ...
, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derived ...
in the
Thames Estuary
The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain.
Limits
An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
. It is close to the
A2, which follows an ancient British trackway which was used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons, and known as
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
. The name is of
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
origin, meaning "the metal-worker's village".
There has been a settlement at Faversham since pre-Roman times, next to the ancient sea port on Faversham Creek. It was inhabited by the Saxons and mentioned in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086 as ''Favreshant''. The town was favoured by
King Stephen who established
Faversham Abbey
Faversham Abbey was a Cluniac style monastery immediately to the north-east of the town of Faversham, in north Kent, England.
History
It was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda of Boulogne in 1148. A party of monks from Bermondsey Ab ...
, which survived until the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. Subsequently, the town became an important seaport and established itself as a centre for
brewing
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...
, and the
Shepherd Neame Brewery
Shepherd Neame is an English independent brewery which has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent, for over 300 years. While 1698 is the brewery's official established date, town records show that commercial brewing has occurred on the ...
, founded in 1698, remains a significant major employer.
The town was also the centre of the
explosives industry between the 17th and early 20th century, before a decline following an accident in 1916 which killed over 100 workers. This coincided with a revival of the shipping industry in the town. Faversham has a number of landmarks, with several historic churches including St Mary of Charity,
Faversham Parish Church
St Mary of Charity, Faversham Parish Church is the Church of England parish church of the town of Faversham in Kent, England. The church spire dominates the town's skyline and is visible from some distance.
History and description
The church ...
, the
Maison Dieu and Faversham Recreation Ground. Faversham Market has been established for over 900 years and is still based in the town centre. There are good road and rail links, including a
Southeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
service to the
High Speed 1
High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe; ...
line at
Ebbsfleet International
Ebbsfleet International railway station is in Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent, east of London, England, near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. The station, part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration pr ...
and London.
Name
The name ''Faversham'', first attested in 811 as ''Fefresham'', derives from
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
. The second element is the Old English word ''hām'' ('settlement'), which is common in place-names. The first element, however, is unique. It has been inferred to derive from an otherwise lost Old English word *''fæfere'' ('smith'), which in turn derived from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''faber'' ('craftsman, smith'). Thus the name once meant 'smith's homestead'. Given its Latin derivation, however, the name may have referred specifically to Roman smiths.
History
Early history
Faversham was established as a settlement before the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
conquest. The Romans established several towns in Kent including Faversham, with traffic through the
Saxon Shore
The Saxon Shore ( la, litus Saxonicum) was a military command of the late Roman Empire, consisting of a series of fortifications on both sides of the Channel. It was established in the late 3rd century and was led by the "Count of the Saxon Shor ...
ports of
Reculver
Reculver is a village and coastal resort about east of Herne Bay on the north coast of Kent in south-east England.
It is in the ward of the same name, in the City of Canterbury district of Kent.
Reculver once occupied a strategic location ...
,
Richborough
Richborough () is a settlement north of Sandwich on the east coast of the county of Kent, England. Richborough lies close to the Isle of Thanet. The population of the settlement is included in the civil parish of Ash.
Although now some dist ...
,
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
and
Lympne
Lympne (), formerly also Lymne, is a village on the former shallow-gradient sea cliffs above the expansive agricultural plain of Romney Marsh in Kent. The settlement forms an L shape stretching from Port Lympne Zoo via Lympne Castle facing Lympne ...
converging on Canterbury before heading up
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
to London. The town was less than from Canterbury, and consequently Faversham had become established on this road network by 50 AD following the initial conquest by
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...
in 43 AD. Numerous remains of Roman buildings have been discovered in and around Faversham, including under St Mary of Charity Church where coins and urns were discovered during reconstruction of the western tower in 1794. In 2013, the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman theatre, able to accommodate some 12,000 people, were discovered at a hillside near the town. The cockpit-style outdoor auditorium, the first of its kind found in Britain, was a style the Romans used elsewhere in their empire on the Continent.
There is archaeological evidence to suggest that Faversham was a summer capital for the Saxon
kings of Kent
This is a list of the kings of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent.
The regnal dates for the earlier kings are known only from Bede. Some kings are known mainly from charters, of which several are forgeries, while others have been subjected to tam ...
. It was held in
royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
demesne
A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...
in 811, and is further cited in a charter granted by
Coenwulf, the King of Mercia. Coenwulf described the town as 'the King's little town of Fefresham', while it was recorded in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
as ''Favreshant''. The town had established itself as a seaport by the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, and became part of the Confederation of the
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports () is a historic group of coastal towns in south-east England – predominantly in Kent and Sussex, with one outlier (Brightlingsea) in Essex. The name is Old French, meaning "five harbours", and alludes to th ...
in the 13th century, providing a vessel to
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
. The
Gough Map
The Gough Map or Bodleian Map is a Late Medieval map of the island of Great Britain. Its precise dates of production and authorship are unknown. It is named after Richard Gough, who bequeathed the map to the Bodleian Library in 1809. He acquired ...
of Britain, printed in 1360, shows
the Swale
The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent. It is also ...
as an important shipping channel for trade.
Middle Ages
![Ruins Of Faversham Abbey, Stukeley, 1722](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Ruins_Of_Faversham_Abbey%2C_Stukeley%2C_1722.jpg)
The
manor was recorded as ''Terra Regis'', meaning it was part of the ancient royal estates.
King Stephen gave it to his chief lieutenant,
William of Ypres
William of Ypres ( nl, Willem van Yper; 1090 – 24 January 116524 January 1164 O.S., 1165 N.S.) was a Flemish nobleman and one of the first mercenary captains of the Middle Ages. Following two unsuccessful bids for the County of Flanders, ...
, but soon made him swap it with Lillechurch (now
Higham) so that the manor of Faversham could form part of the endowment of
Faversham Abbey
Faversham Abbey was a Cluniac style monastery immediately to the north-east of the town of Faversham, in north Kent, England.
History
It was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda of Boulogne in 1148. A party of monks from Bermondsey Ab ...
. Stephen established the abbey in 1148, and is buried there with his consort
Matilda of Boulogne
Matilda (c.1105 – 3 May 1152) was Countess of Boulogne in her own right from 1125 and Queen of England from the accession of her husband, Stephen, in 1136 until her death in 1152. She supported Stephen in his struggle for the English throne ...
, and his son,
Eustace, the Earl of Boulogne.
Stephen favoured the town because of the abbey, and so it was historically important during his reign.
King John tried to give the church to
Simon of Wells
Simon of Wells (died 1207) was a medieval Bishop of Chichester.
Life
Simon was the son of Robert and was in the household of Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1194.Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 7: Bath and We ...
in 1201, but it was owned by the monks of
St Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent ...
at Canterbury, who appealed to Rome and denied the request. Abbey Street was constructed around this time in order to provide an appropriate approach to the abbey from the town. It still houses timber-framed buildings and has been described as "the finest medieval street in southeast England".
Thomas Culpeper
Thomas Culpeper ( – 10 December 1541) was an English courtier and close friend of Henry VIII, and related to two of his queens, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. He is known to have had many private meetings with Catherine after her mar ...
was granted Faversham Abbey by
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
during the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. Most of the abbey was demolished, and the remains of Stephen were rumoured to have been thrown into Faversham Creek. An excavation of the abbey in 1964 uncovered the empty graves.
The entrance gates survived the demolition and lasted until the mid-18th century, but otherwise only a small section of outer wall survived. The abbey's masonry was taken to
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
to reinforce defence of the town, then in British possession, against the French army. In 1539, the ground upon which the abbey had stood, along with nearby land, passed to Sir
Thomas Cheney
Sir Thomas Cheney (or Cheyne) Order of the Garter, KG (c. 1485 – 16 December 1558) of the Blackfriars, City of London and Shurland, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, was an English administrator and diplomat, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in South ...
,
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title was Keeper of the Coast, but may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of the Cinqu ...
.
Among the few surviving buildings of Faversham Abbey are the two barns at Abbey Farm. Minor Barn was built around 1425, its construction was overseen by the Right Honourable George Wall, a member of the notable Wall Family; Major Barn, the larger of the two, dates from 1476. Next to the barns is the Abbey Farmhouse, part of which dates from the 14th century. The Abbey Guest house, on the east side of the Abbey's Outer Gateway, has survived as Arden's House. This house, now a private residence in Abbey Street, was the location of the murder of
Thomas Arden
Thomas Arden (1508–1550) was Mayor of Faversham, Kent, England.
He was murdered by his wife, Alice, and her lover, Richard Moseby. This would inspire the Elizabethan play, ''Arden of Faversham'', which in turn was the basis of the opera '' A ...
in 1551. The
Faversham Almshouses
Faversham Almshouses are Grade II listed Almshouses in Faversham, Kent.
History
Almshouses for six widows were founded and endowed by Thomas Mendfield in 1614.
In 1721 Thomas Napleton founded and endowed houses for six men.
In 1840, Henry W ...
were founded and endowed by Thomas Manfield in 1614, with additional houses being built by Henry Wright in 1823.
Due to the poor quality of roads in the Middle Ages, travel by sea was an important transport corridor.
Richard Tylman
Richard Tylman of Faversham was an English food commodity dealer and exporter. He served as Mayor of Faversham in 1580 during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, at an ancient sea port established before the Roman conquest.
Around 1580, when Ty ...
(or Tillman), mayor in 1581, expanded the port at Faversham, building two wharfs. He became a key figure in exporting corn, wheat and malt to London from the town.
Several notable people in the Middle Ages had origins in Faversham.
Haymo of Faversham
Haymo of Faversham, O.F.M. ( ) was an English Franciscan scholar. His scholastic epithet was ' (Latin for "Most Aristotelian among the Aristotelians"), referring to his stature among the Scholastics during the Recovery of Aristotle amid the 12 ...
was born in Faversham and later moved to Paris to join the
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
s, becoming the "Aristotelian of Aristotelians".
Simon of Faversham
Simon of Faversham (also Simon Favershamensis, Simon de Faverisham, Simon von Faversham, or Simon Anglicus; c.1260–1306) was an England, English medieval scholastic philosopher and later a university Chancellor (university), chancellor.
Simon of ...
was born in the town around the middle of the 13th century and later became
Chancellor of the University of Oxford
This is a list of chancellors of the University of Oxford in England by year of appointment.
__TOC__
Chronological list
See also
*List of vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford
*List of University of Oxford people
* List of chancello ...
in 1304. The notorious
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
Jack Ward
John Ward or Birdy ( 1553 – 1622), also known as Jack Ward or later as Yusuf Reis, was an English- Ottoman pirate who later became a Barbary Corsair for the Ottoman Empire operating out of Tunis during the early 17th century.
According ...
is believed to have been born in Faversham around 1553.
John Wilson,
lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...
nist and teacher was born in Faversham in 1595 who was the principal
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
for the
King's Men and a professor of music at Oxford. There is now a plaque at the site of the house in Abbey Street where he was born.
Explosives industry
A
gunpowder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
plant had been established around 1573 in Faversham. The town had a stream which could be dammed at intervals to provide power for watermills.
[ It became known as the Home Works in the 18th century and was nationalised in 1759. By the 19th century, the site stretched for around a mile along the waterfront.][ A second explosive works was established at Oare to the northwest of town in the late 17th century, with the Marsh Works following in 1786.][ Towards the end of the 19th century, two new factories were built alongside the Swale to manage production of ]TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
and cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom since 1889 to replace black powder as a military propellant. Like modern gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burni ...
. Faversham developed six explosive factories, and from 1874 to 1919, the town was the centre of the explosives industry in the UK.
The first production of guncotton
Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...
took place in the Marsh Works in 1847. Due to a lack of experience with production methods, an explosion took place soon after work started, with several fatalities. On Sunday 2 April 1916, an explosion occurred at one of the Swale factories in Uplees after sparks from a chimney ignited the works containing around 150 tonnes of high explosives. The incident killed over 100 people, which led to decline of the explosives industry in the town.[ Later accounts suggested that had the incident not happened on a Sunday, there would have been many more casualties.][
All three gunpowder factories closed in 1934 due to the impending threat of ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Production was moved to Ardeer in Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...
, Scotland, and the munition industry around Faversham is now extinct. The town is now a harbour and market community; old sail-powered Thames barges are repaired, rebuilt and moored along the creekside.
Industrial Revolution and beyond
Kent is the centre of hop-growing in England, being centred on nearby Canterbury and Faversham has been the home of several breweries. The Shepherd Neame Brewery
Shepherd Neame is an English independent brewery which has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent, for over 300 years. While 1698 is the brewery's official established date, town records show that commercial brewing has occurred on the ...
was officially founded in 1698, though brewing activities in Faversham pre-date this. The brewery claims to be the oldest in Britain and continues to be family-owned. The Rigden brewery was founded in the early 18th century by Edward Rigden. It subsequently merged with the Canterbury-based George Beer in 1922 to become George Beer & Rigden before being purchased by the Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
based Fremlin's. Whitbread
Whitbread plc is a multinational British hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England.
The business was founded as a brewery in 1742, and had become the largest brewery in the world by the 1780s.
Its largest division ...
bought out Fremlin's in 1967, and closed the Faversham brewery in 1990. The site is now a Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
superstore. Shepherd Neame remains a significant regional brewer despite a decline in consumption of traditional bitter beer, producing around 230,000 barrels a year. It now also makes India Pale Ale under licence. Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Sir Philip Neame, recipient of the Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, was born in Faversham and a memorial to him was placed in the town centre in 2014.
A shipyard was established in Faversham by James Pollock & Sons (Shipbuilders) in 1916 at the request of Lord Fisher, the First Lord of The Admiralty, for manufacturing barge
Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
s for landing craft
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...
. Faversham already had a tradition of shipbuilding, and it soon became a major contributor to markets throughout the world, producing vessels such as the Molliette and the Violette, both constructed of concrete. Over 1200 ships were built and launched from Faversham between 1916 and 1969.
Faversham Market is still held in the town centre. It is now the oldest street market in Kent, dating back over 900 years. Monthly markets are also held in Preston Street and Court Street.
Having been an important thoroughfare since the 12th century, Abbey Street went into decline around the start of the 20th.[ Some buildings on the street adjoining Quay Lane were demolished in 1892 and much of the entire street was intended for demolition as recently as the 1950s, until intervention from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Local people began a determined fight to restore and preserve the area.][
]
Archaeology
In May 2019, the Kent Archaeological Field School uncovered a 150 ft-long by 50 ft-wide Roman building at Abbey Farm. According to Dr Paul Wilkinson, the building contained broken stone walls covering huge amounts of box flue tiles, which were used to direct hot air up the indoor walls, glazed terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
floors, an untouched underfloor with hypocaust
A hypocaust ( la, hypocaustum) is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm th ...
heating, and tons of ceramic roof tiles. Although the plaster painted from these walls was mostly white, plaster walls coloured with green, red and yellow panels were found in the hot sauna room on the north side of the building.
In 2009 Faversham Community Archaeology Research Group uncovered evidence of the town's medieval tannery in the back gardens of Tanner Street. Evidence of Anglo-Saxon occupation was discovered during the Hunt the Saxons project between 2005 and 2007 and a high-status rubbish pit excavated in the "Searching for the Kings Manor" project in 2017-2019.
Government
A charter was granted to the Mayor of Faversham
The following were among the mayors of Faversham, Kent, England:
Pre 21st Century
*1438 Simonis Orwell
*1465 Willelmus Norton
*1480 Edward Thomasson hompson*1535 Richard Colwell
*1550: Thomas Arden, who was murdered by his wife, Alice Arde ...
, Jurats and Freemen of the Town of Faversham in 1546, and regranted 1685; the town council was established under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will 4 c 76), sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales. The legisl ...
. The parliamentary constituency of Faversham was created for the 1885 general election and replaced by the new constituencies of Sittingbourne and Sheppey and Faversham and Mid Kent at the 1997 general election. The town has been represented by a Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
from the Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
other than between 1945 and 1970. Since 2015, the constituency's MP has been Conservative Helen Whately
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (''née'' Lightwood; born 23 June 1976) is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Social Care since October 2022, and previously from 2020 to 2021. She also served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treas ...
.
Faversham is within the Swale
Swale or Swales may refer to:
Topography
* Swale (landform), a low tract of land
** Bioswale, landform designed to remove silt and pollution
** Swales, found in the formation of Hummocky cross-stratification
Geography
* River Swale, in North ...
local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
. The town contains the four electoral wards
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
of Abbey, Davington Priory, St Ann's and Watling.[
Faversham was a large ancient parish, which included rural areas and surrounding villages. It became a civil parish in 1866, but in 1894 was divided into Faversham Within and Faversham Without. In 1935 the civil parish of Faversham was recreated and absorbed the civil parishes of Faversham Within, Davington, Preston Within, North Preston Without and South Preston Without, and parts of the civil parishes of Faversham Without, Luddenham and ]Ospringe
Ospringe is a village and area of Faversham in the English county of Kent. It is also the name of a civil parish, which since 1935 has not included the village of Ospringe.
The village lies on the Roman road Watling Street (nowadays the A2 ro ...
(including the village of Ospringe).
The Arms of Faversham Town Council, which holds its meetings at Faversham Guildhall
Faversham Guildhall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Faversham, Kent, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Faversham Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The first guildhall in Faversham was a ...
, is based on the Royal Arms of England
The royal arms of England are the Coat of arms, arms first adopted in a fixed form at the start of the age of heraldry (circa 1200) as Armorial of the House of Plantagenet, personal arms by the House of Plantagenet, Plantagenet kings who ruled ...
, alluding to the town's regal history.
Geography
Faversham is roughly equidistant between Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town in Kent, south-east England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separa ...
and Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
. It lies south east of London, east of Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
, and north from Ashford. Nearby villages include Oare across Oare Creek to the north, Luddenham, Mockbeggar and Ospringe
Ospringe is a village and area of Faversham in the English county of Kent. It is also the name of a civil parish, which since 1935 has not included the village of Ospringe.
The village lies on the Roman road Watling Street (nowadays the A2 ro ...
.
Geographically, Faversham sits at a boundary between marshland
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
to the north and a mixture of brick earth
Brickearth is a term originally used to describe superficial windblown deposits found in southern England. The term has been employed in English-speaking regions to describe similar deposits.
Brickearths are periglacial loess, a wind-blow ...
, gravel and chalk to the south which leads into the North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills and ...
. Faversham Creek connects the town to the Swale
The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent. It is also ...
that separates mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derived ...
. The surrounding area is part of the South Swale Nature Reserve, popular with wildfowl and wading birds. The coastline around Faversham is a by-product of the changes to sea level around Britain since the end of the last ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
. During Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...
and into the first millennium, the Faversham coast was a large estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
with Oare and Graveney being peninsulas. Land reclamation during the Middle Ages, which closed the River Wantsum
The River Wantsum is a tributary of the River Stour, Kent, River Stour, in Kent, England. Formerly, the River Wantsum and the River Stour together formed the Wantsum Channel, which separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland of Kent. Now the R ...
and connected the Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island.
Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in anc ...
to mainland Kent, resulted in less tidal waters reaching Faversham. This led to the gradual silting up of estuaries; Faversham Creek and its tributaries have been reduced from to . To stop the creek silting up completely and making navigation impossible, a number of sluice
Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...
s have been installed since the 16th century.
Faversham formerly held the weather record for the highest ever UK temperature (in 2003) at . This was the first time the recorded temperature had ever exceeded reliably in the UK. This record had stood for nearly 16 years, but was beaten by 0.2 °C (0.4 °F) with a temperature of recorded in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden
The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located in Cambridge, England, associated with the university Department of Plant Sciences (formerly Botany School). It lies between Trumpington Road to the west, Bateman Street to ...
on 25 July 2019. Faversham still holds the record for the highest maximum temperature in the UK for August with the previous record in 2003.
The absolute minimum temperature of was set in January 1966.
At the 2011 UK census
A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...
, Faversham had a population of 19,316, an increase of 1,606 from the 2001 census. The population figures were split into Abbey (6,084), Davington Priory (2,593), St Ann's (5,268) and Watling (5,371).[ 9,770 people were employed within the town, split into retail (1,416), education (1,239), health and social work (1,200), construction (836) and manufacturing (692). 17,868 of the town's residents were born in England.
]
Culture
'' Arden of Feversham'' is a play about the murder of Thomas Arden written around 1590, possibly by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
or Canterbury-born Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...
. It gives its name to the modern Arden Theatre in the town, Local theatre groups perform in the theatre as part of the Canterbury Festival
The Canterbury Festival is Kent's international festival of the arts. It takes place in Canterbury (England) and surrounding towns and villages (including Faversham, Whitstable and Margate) each October/November and includes performances of a vari ...
each autumn.
The Royal Cinema is based near the town square. It opened in 1936 and is now Grade II listed. It is one of only two mock Tudor
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
cinemas to survive in the UK.
The Faversham Society was established in 1962, and is one of the oldest civic societies in the UK. It owns and manages the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre as its headquarters. The Centre hosts a large museum depicting the town's history and culture and hosts the town's Visitor Information Centre, including a bookshop.
The Maison Dieu ('House of God'), located on the A2 to the southwest of the town centre, is a hospital, monastery, hostel, retirement home and Royal lodge commissioned by Henry III in 1234 and now in the care of English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
. It is now managed by the Maison Dieu Trust and closely associated to the Faversham Society as a museum of Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
artefacts from the surrounding area.
Davington Priory
Davington Priory was a priory on the north Kent coast of England. It sits on Davington Hill, now a northern suburb of Faversham but then an isolated rural location.
History
A Benedictine nunnery was built at Davington in 1153. It managed to av ...
lies to the northwest of the town centre and was founded in the mid 12th century. It is currently owned and occupied by musician and activist Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter, and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as lead singer of the Rock music in Ireland, Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved ...
.
Brogdale
Brogdale is a hamlet in Kent, England, immediately south of the M2 motorway (Great Britain), M2 motorway, south of Faversham. It is one of several hamlets making up the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Ospringe and is in the Borough o ...
Farm, to the south of the town centre, has hosted the DEFRA DEFRA may refer to:
* Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, United States law
* Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom government department
{{Disambiguation ...
National Fruit Collection since 1954. It has over 2,040 varieties of apple, 502 of pear, 350 of plum, 322 of cherry and smaller collections of bush fruits, nuts and grapes, all grown in of orchards. The farm hosts a number of fruit festivals throughout the year, guided tours and activities for schools. It also hosts the 9-inch Faversham miniature railway which runs through the orchards.
In 2011 it was discovered that the town owns an original version of Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
, potentially worth about £20m, rather than a copy worth only £10,000. In 2015, the copy went on display to the public at the town's Alexander Centre – the first time it had been on display for 715 years.
The 2021 Tamil Film ''Jagame Thandhiram
''Jagame Thandhiram'' () is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by YNOT Studios and Reliance Entertainment. The film stars Dhanush, James Cosmo, Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi ...
'' starring Dhanush
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
was partly filmed in Faversham, including the Iron Wharf.
Community facilities
Faversham Recreation Ground (locally known as Faversham Rec, or simply The Rec) is to the east of the town centre. It was established in 1860 by a local solicitor, Henry Wreight, who bequeathed his £70,000 estate, including two almshouse
An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...
s housing 70 people, to the town in order that locals would have an area to enjoy.[ The rec has been preserved and is now run by the town's Municipal Charities. A bandstand was added towards the end of the 19th century, and sporting events began to be held on the rec. A week-long party was held to celebrate the ]Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
in 1953, which drew praise from Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia, Princess Andrei of Russia, then living near Faversham. A 50-year extension on the lease, signed in 2010, confirmed its continued use by the public.
The Oare Gunpowder Works, scene of the 1916 explosion, is now a country park and nature reserve open to the public free of charge. The Oare Marshes are an important reserve for birds. There is an information centre near the site of the former Harty ferry over the Swale to the Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derived ...
. Remains of the process houses and other mill leats have been conserved, and various trails are signposted. An early 20th century electric-powered gunpowder mill which was transferred to Ardeer in 1934 has been repatriated to the country park and is on display. The 18th-century works bell has also been repatriated and is on display at Faversham's Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre. Stonebridge Pond, on the site of the original Chart Mills, was donated to Swale Borough Council in the early 1980s. It is now a haven for wading birds.
Landmarks
Faversham Stone Chapel (in Norton, Buckland and Stone) is the remains of the Church of Our Lady of Elwarton, an ancient monument managed by The Faversham Society. It was originally used for pagan rituals in pre-Roman Britain, and is the only remaining evidence in Britain of a church incorporating a pagan shrine. The building was converted into a church around AD601 when Pope Gregory I encouraged pagan buildings to be converted rather than destroyed. The church has not seen service since the 16th century and was reported as "being in a state of disrepair" and unused since the Reformation.
Although Faversham Abbey
Faversham Abbey was a Cluniac style monastery immediately to the north-east of the town of Faversham, in north Kent, England.
History
It was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda of Boulogne in 1148. A party of monks from Bermondsey Ab ...
was dissolved by Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
the nearby St Mary of Charity, Faversham Parish Church
St Mary of Charity, Faversham Parish Church is the Church of England parish church of the town of Faversham in Kent, England. The church spire dominates the town's skyline and is visible from some distance.
History and description
The church ...
remains, and has been a Grade I listed building since 1950. The church was established in 1147 by King Stephen and Queen Matilda, with a distinctive spire added around 1794 – 97 that can be easily seen from many places around the town. The interior was Victorian restoration, restored in the mid-19th century by the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, who redesigned the nave and transepts and added a stone encasing to the spire.[ The church reputedly contains the remains of King Stephen, which were recovered from Faversham Creek after the dissolution of the abbey. The church holds an altar dedicated to Saints Crispin, Crispin and Crispinian, who reportedly fled to Faversham in the 3rd century.
St Catherine's Church, Preston-next-Faversham, St Catherine's Church dates from the Norman period and was extensively Victorian restoration, restored in the 1860s. The nearby Ospringe Church, to the southwest of town, dates from Norman Britain, aside from a replacement tower built in 1866. The National Shrine of Saint Jude (England), National Shrine of Saint Jude is a Roman Catholic shrine in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It was established in 1955 and regularly attracts Catholic pilgrims.
The Grade II listed St John the Evangelist church on Upper Brents was built in 1881 by Kirk and Son of Sleaford, It was founded by Mrs Hall of Syndale House, Faversham, the widow of a gunpowder manufacturer.
The historic central area, especially the part-pedestrian parts between the station and the creek, attracts visitors, who can learn about the town's history and features at the Fleur-de-Lis centre, which provides tourist information and houses a museum. There is still a regular market several days each week in the market square where the Guildhall stands.] Nearby streets feature old pubs, almshouses, shops and a growing collection of art galleries and restaurants.
Faversham Cottage Hospital opened in 1887. It was extended in 1922 and included a World War I memorial, which was unveiled by Vice Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas. The memorial was later adapted to commemorate World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
casualties. In 2014, the memorial became Grade II listed.
Faversham Cemetery opened in 1898. The chapel was designed by Edwin Pover. 73 victims of the 1916 gunpowder explosion are buried in the cemetery, where they are commemorated by the Grade II* listed Faversham Munitions Explosion Memorial. Also interred at the cemetery is the Irish novelist Kate O'Brien (novelist), Kate O'Brien.
Transport
Faversham is close to the A2 road (Great Britain), A2 road, a historically important route from London to Canterbury and the Channel ports. The route began as an ancient trackway which the Romans later paved and marked as ' (Second Route) on the Antonine Itinerary. The Anglo-Saxons named it ''Wæcelinga Stræt'' (Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
) and it was marked as such by Matthew Paris in his ''Schema Britannie'' in 1250. The road continued to be an important thoroughfare, and is shown next to Faversham on Philip Symonson's map of Kent published in 1596.
The A2 road still carries traffic between Sittingbourne and Canterbury, though London bound traffic now takes the M2 motorway (Great Britain), M2 motorway. The A299 road, A299 Thanet Way provides access to the Isle of Thanet and the A251 Ashford Road is a local road to Ashford. The Mall is one of the main roads to the town centre from the A2. It was built in the late 18th century as a dignified approach road, and attracted development of villas along its length.
Faversham railway station opened in 1858. It was completely rebuilt in 1898 and is listed Grade II. A former goods shed built as part of the original railway works is also Grade II listed. Southeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
services travel to London, terminating at either London Victoria railway station, Victoria or St Pancras railway station, St Pancras. In the other direction, trains travel either to Dover Priory railway station, Dover Priory (via Canterbury East railway station, Canterbury East) or to Ramsgate railway station, Ramsgate (via Margate railway station, Margate). Since 2009 services via High Speed 1
High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe; ...
services have linked Faversham to Ebbsfleet International
Ebbsfleet International railway station is in Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent, east of London, England, near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. The station, part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration pr ...
, Stratford International railway station, Stratford International and London St Pancras.
The town is served by a number of buses. Arriva Southern Counties runs service 333 to Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town in Kent, south-east England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separa ...
and Stagecoach in East Kent operates routes 3,3X,3A,3B to Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
, and route 666 to Ashford. Regent also runs service 638 to Whitstable and 660 to Stalisfield Green and Graveney. National Cycle Route 1 passes through the town, en route from Whitstable to Sittingbourne. Swale Borough Council have expressed concern over the lack of bus and cycle facilities in the town, when compared to road and rail, and there is a particular lack of public transport to nearby rural areas.
Education
There has been a school in Faversham since the twelfth century. Archival evidence has shown this had become a grammar school by 1420. In 1526, John Cole, chaplain to Henry VII and Henry VIII and Warden of All Souls College, Oxford, established a new grammar school on the estate of Ewell Farm. The property fell into disuse after the dissolution of the abbey, and a replacement grammar school was not established until 1587. The Wreights School, a commercial school, was founded in 1856, while a corresponding girls' school, The Gibbs School was established in 1883. The two boys' schools were amalgamated in 1920, forming Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School. The current school dates from 1967, when the boys and girls schools were merged, forming the first co-educational grammar school in Kent.
The Abbey School, Faversham, The Abbey School is a Business and Enterprise Academy formed in September 1983 by the amalgamation of the Ethelbert Road Boys School and Lady Capel School for Girls. It has over 1000 pupils and is located in the south of the town, beside the A2 London Road.
Sport
Faversham Town F.C. were formed in 1884 and compete in Division One South of the Isthmian League. They have a 2000-capacity stadium to the south of the town and are the only team besides the England national football team to wear the 3 lions badge. The King George V playing fields are all that remain of the Mount Field (cricket ground), Mount Field, which in 1876 hosted a first-class cricket, first-class match between Kent County Cricket Club, Kent and Hampshire County Cricket Club.
Cultural references
Author Russell Hoban repurposes Faversham as "Fathers Ham" in his 1980, post apocalyptic novel ''Riddley Walker''.
See also
* Buckland-by-Faversham, a parish to the south-west of Faversham.
* Hazebrouck, a French town town twinning, twinned with Faversham.
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*''The Great Explosion at Faversham'' by Arthur Percival
:*Also reprinted in
*''The Faversham Gunpowder Industry and its Development'', by Arthur Percival (Faversham Papers No 4)
*''Oare Gunpowder Works'', by Wayne Cocroft (Faversham Papers No 39)
*''Gunpowder Manufacture at Faversham: Oare and Marsh Factories'', by Edward Patterson (Faversham Papers No 42)
*''Faversham Gunpowder Personnel Register 1573–1840'', by Raymond Godfrey & Arthur Percival (Faversham Papers No 84)
*''Faversham Explosives Personnel Register 1841–1934'', by John Breeze (2008)
External links
*
Faversham Town Council website
The Faversham Website
The Faversham Society
Civic Society website with information about the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre, Chart Gunpowder Mill and Maison Dieu
{{Authority control
Faversham,
Cinque ports
Borough of Swale
Market towns in Kent
Towns in Kent
Civil parishes in Kent