Langley is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in the
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest 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 centre of the town, linking it wi ...
District of
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. The parish is located on the
A274 road leading south from
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest 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 centre of the town, linking it wi ...
to
Headcorn
Headcorn is a village and civil parish in the borough of Maidstone in Kent, England. The parish is on the floodplain of the River Beult south east of Maidstone.
The village is 8 mi (13 km) southeast of Maidstone, on the A274 roa ...
.
History
Langley is a common English place-name, from the Old English ''lang leah'' or ‘long field or woodland’. This village first appears in the records in 814 as Longanleag.
The village church is dedicated to St Mary. Behind this church is a lake, which is possible place for the medieval judicial practice of
trial by cold water. When a jury couldn't decide on a person's innocence, it was left to God to decide. If the accused floated they were guilty because the water rejected them. If they sank, the water accepted them and thus were innocent. As is often thought it is not if they drowned, but the result was drowning in some cases. It had to be close to the church because the water would be holy.
Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery exhibits articles excavated from a site in Langley believed to have been a walled Roman cemetery.
Geography
The village is three miles (5km) from the county town.
Culture and Community
The village has two
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
s, The Potting Shed, and The Plough.
Its
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...
has been closed for over 10 years.
There is also 'Langley Heath', which by it, is a woods, called Abby Wood.
There is a village hall, on it is a playing field with room for 2 football pitches, and a small play area, and a basketball net.
References
External links
*http://www.langley-kent.org.uk
Langley church
{{authority control
Villages in Kent
Civil parishes in Kent