Stalisfield is a village in the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of Swale 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, located on a secondary road about 1½ miles (2.4 km) north of

Charing Charing is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, in south-east England. It includes the settlements of Charing Heath and Westwell Leacon. It is located at the foot of the North Downs and reaches up to the escarpment. T ...

and 5 miles south west of

Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient Briti ...

. The parish includes the hamlet of Stalisfield Green. Stalisfield Green lies high on 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 ...

(a designated

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...

), some 650 feet above sea level, and close to the escarpment above

History

It was once anciently called 'Starchfield'. It is called in the Domesday survey 'Stanefelle', which means Stonefield. At the time of the Domesday survey the village belonged to Odo, Earl of Kent, (as the

Bishop of Bayeux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and i ...

). After Odo's trial for fraud the village was passed to Adam de Port. Then it passed (along with Oare) to Arnulf Kade, who gave it to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

s. In 1545 it passed to Sir Anthony St. Leger. It was then sold in 1551 to Sir Anthony Aucher (the father of Anthony Aucher). In 1567 it was sold to Sir Nicholas Salter. In 1699 it was sold to Mr Richard Webbe, of Eleham. In 1711 it passed to dame Sarah Barrett, widow of Sir Paul Barrett,(

serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are wri ...

). Sarah was married to

Sir Richard Head, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Head, 1st Baronet (ca. 1609 – 18 September 1689) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1667 to 1679. Head was the son of Richard Head, of Rochester, and his wife Anne Hartridge, daughter of William Hartridge ...

's son Francis Head. Her grandson, Sir Francis Head, then inherited the manor. His brother, Sir John Head, inherited after his death in 1768. Sir John died in 1769, and his widow Lady Jane Head took control. In 1780 she died and it passed to William Lynch (her great-grandson). It then carried on in his family. Also in the parish is Darbies Court. In 1445 John Darbie, who was alderman of London, and sheriff, was the owner. In 1399 Sir Ralph St. Leger, of Otterden (Sir Anthony St. Leger), became the owner. In 1798 the Right Hon. Lewis Thomas Watson, 2nd Baron Sondes, was the owner. The house still exists as Derbies Court, a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

building. The church of Ore was anciently recorded as the chapel to the parish, but it has been long since separated, and has become a distinct church independent of it. In the 13th century the church of St Mary was built, in the diocese of Canterbury, and deanery of

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 r ...

. It is Grade II* listed.

Present day

The village is notable for its

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 ...

, 'the Plough Inn, Stalisfield'. Built between 1350 and 1450, it is a fine example of a Wealden

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples w ...

and is Grade II listed. The pub serves only

ish beers and ciders from traditional hand pumps; it regularly featuring ales from Hopdaemon (from Syndale Vinyard Newnham), Gadds (

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to the Census, there was a populati ...

) and Goachers (

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 ...

). In 2009, it was awarded 'Kent's best pub' by 'Produced in Kent' and in 2018 was a finalist in the national Freehold Pub of the Year. It is the only true local pub in Kent with 2 AA rosettes for excellence in food. In October 2014 a new village hall was opened adjacent to the village green, replacing the old wooden WW1 Officer's Mess Hut which was relocated to the village from Throwley Airfield after the end of the war. New hall edit

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent