Rolvenden 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 Ashford 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 village is centred on the A28 Ashford to Hastings road, south-west of

Tenterden Tenterden is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the remnant forest the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother. It was a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation. Its riverside today is not ...

. The settlement of Rolvenden Layne, south of Rolvenden, is also part of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

and shares in its shops and amenities.

History

The village of Rolvenden dates from Anglo-Saxon times. The name 'Rolvenden' may originate from a chieftain ''Hroþwulf'' (Hrothwulf), and would refer to the "denn or pasture of Hroþwulf's people." Den is the jutish word for swine pastures coming to connote the same but with associated

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

or isolated farmsteads as well as in many instances

cultivated land Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. Rolvenden is listed 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 manus ...

of 1086 as "Rovindene". In the reign of Edward III this was changed to Riolvinden, and then changed again to Rounden in the late 17th century. Rolvenden village originally had its sole population centre as a short

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical re ...

, the Street, along part of what is now the A28 Ashford to Hastings road. This was almost entirely burned down in 1665 during the

Great Plague The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

(except for the church and pub). This caused the villagers to abandon the Street and move a mile down the hill to the common land of the Layne during the 1660s. Already there was the Tudor house, where John Wesley later preached in the 18th century. The villagers later returned to rebuild the Street, resulting in the two small neighbourhoods: the Streyte and the younger, smaller and quieter Layne that can be seen today. The population declined between 1830 and 1850, when many people left during and after the Swing Riots. This was caused by the public

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

system of Rolvenden parish making the conscious decision to provide the poor with a single payment for assisted passages to the

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

, as opposed to large ongoing payments for parish relief. Rolvenden parish is now approximately ten square miles in area, consisting largely of farming and rural activities, with an increasing number of professional, craft and tourist services. Rolvenden is in the

High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is in south-east England. Covering an area of , it takes up parts of Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, and West Sussex. It is the fourth largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in England ...

Landmarks

The parish church was commissioned and supervised by monks from

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a 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. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

in around 1220, has remained largely unchanged since 1480 and is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. The 14th-century font has the arms of the Culpeper family on it, before their later prominence in the early administration of

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestow ...

. The war memorial in the churchyard was designed by Edwin Lutyens. An oddity of the church is the Squire's pew, a room upstairs furnished with a table and Chippendale chairs, built for the Gibbons family from Hole Park for separately looking down on the main congregation.

The Reverend John Frankesh of Rolvenden became one of the Kent

Marian Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queenslan ...

Martyrs when he was burned at the stake in Canterbury on 12 July 1555 - he is named among the 41 martyrs inscribed on the Martyrs' Memorial, near Wincheap Street,

and in

Foxe's Book of Martyrs The ''Actes and Monuments'' (full title: ''Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church''), popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, is a work of Protestant history and martyrology by Protestant Engli ...

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (published in 1885–1886), '' A Little ...

rented Great Maytham Hall, down from the higher land towards Rolvenden Layne, in 1898 and a blocked-up door in the old walled garden inspired her to write the well known children's novel ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in '' The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels an ...

''. After her departure in 1907 the mansion was rebuilt in 1910 by Edwin Lutyens for the Rt Hon H.J. Tennant. The estate dates from Saxon times and at least four Norman lords had manors here. The

Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...

hall has since been divided into privately owned apartments. The gardens are not open to the public.. The grade II listed Rolvenden War Memorial, erected in 1922, was designed by Lutyens at Tennant's instigation. Hole Park on the Benenden Road opens its gardens to the public under the

National Gardens Scheme The National Garden Scheme opens privately owned gardens in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands on selected dates for charity. It was founded in 1927 with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to th ...

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, '' The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is ...

lived there and wrote a bestseller, ''

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'' is a six-volume work by the English historian Edward Gibbon. It traces Western civilization (as well as the Islamic and Mongolian conquests) from the height of the Roman Empire to th ...

'', which was published between 1776 and 1788.

Rolvenden Windmill Rolvenden Windmill is a grade II* listed Post mill on the B2086 road west of Rolvenden in southeast England. It is maintained as a memorial to a local resident killed in a road accident in 1955. History There is evidence of a windmill in Rolvend ...

is also on the Benenden Road. This restored post mill, first mentioned c.1580 and of a type now rare in Kent, is now probably the best surviving example in the county. Its restoration was carried out in 1956 as a memorial to John Nicholas Barham who, according to the inscription, "lived his short life within sight of it" and died in August 1955, just before his eighteenth birthday. The mill, which is privately owned and does not open to the public, stands on a little hill and was featured in the

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...

film ''

Half a Sixpence ''Half a Sixpence'' is a 1963 musical comedy based on the 1905 novel ''Kipps'' by H. G. Wells, with music and lyrics by David Heneker and a book by Beverley Cross. It was written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele. Background ...

''.

Economy, shops and amenities

Korker Sausages started as small butchers in October 1954, now produces over 15 tonnes of sausages a week.Korker Sausages Website The

Kent and East Sussex Railway The Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) refers to both a historical private railway company in Kent and East Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company. Historical company ...

has its workshops near Rolvenden station. A collection of historic vehicles is housed on Rolvenden High Street in an antiques outlet. It specializes in Morgan three-wheeler motor cars with other vintage cars, motorcycles, bicycles, displays of toy and model cars. There is a small shop situated in the heart of the village. There are two public houses, The Bull Inn which also serves as a restaurant and The Star. There is another public house in Rolvenden Layne called The Ewe and Lamb. Rolvenden has its own village hall which is available to hire.

Transport

The

is on the parish eastern border. The A28 between Canterbury and Hastings forms the main high street of Rolvenden. Other roads are either single track country lanes of small subsidiary roads. A bus service from Hastings to Ashford runs through the village.

Gallery

File:The High Weald Landscape Trail crosses Rolvenden High Street - geograph.org.uk - 1711066.jpg, Rolvenden Church File:Rolvenden Mill 3.JPG, Rolvenden Windmill File:Motor Museum, Rolvenden - geograph.org.uk - 2764.jpg, High Street historic motor vehicle antiques outlet collection File:Hole Park (geograph 4156820).jpg, Hole Park File:Great Maytham Hall - geograph.org.uk - 228926.jpg, Great Maytham Hall as rebuilt by Lutyens File:Barn at Lambsland Farm - geograph.org.uk - 85435.jpg, Barn at Lambsland Farm File:Forsham Farm near Rolvenden - geograph.org.uk - 85428.jpg, Forsham Farm near Rolvenden File:A steam roller at Rolvenden - geograph.org.uk - 85426.jpg, Steam roller at Rolvenden

References

External links

Statistical civil parish overview - map

Rolvenden Parish Council Events and Amenities

Rolvenden (Church of England) Church

Hole Park Garden

C.M.Booth Motor Museum

'Parishes: Rolvenden', ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 7'' (1798), pp. 183-200.
{{authority control Villages in Kent Villages in the Borough of Ashford Civil parishes in Ashford, Kent