Aldington 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Ashford District of
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, England. The village centre is south-east of the town of Ashford. As with the village centre, set on a steep
escarpment above agricultural
Romney Marsh and the upper
Stour is Aldington Knoll, which was used as a
Roman burial barrow and later beacon, it has a
panorama
A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...
towards the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
and of low land such as
Dungeness. At the
2021 Census the population included
Bonnington.
Geography
The parish is bounded to the north by the
M20 motorway and the straight rail links that include
High Speed 1. To the south, it drops to the Romney Marsh (about 10% of the parish lies there) to the north bank of the
Royal Military Canal. It covers and has a population of 1573. The parish, part of 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 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...
, is considered an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...
, and a large area is also part of the Old Romney Shoreline Special Landscape Area. The main road across the parish follows the path of a
Roman road, the eastern part of which is utilised by the modern day B2067 from
Hythe to
Hamstreet.
Aldington Frith is difficult to separate from the village proper and forms a
salient to the west along the village's main street.
St Martin's Church
The area's church (the ecclesiastical parish having approximately the same boundaries as the civil parish) dates from the 12th century. Its 16th-century tower became a landmark for seamen. It is built in
Perpendicular
In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', � ...
style.
History
More than 50 buildings of historical or architectural interest are in the civil parish. Beside the church was one of the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
's palaces, of which only ruins remain. Court Lodge Farmhouse was its manor house and hunting lodge, particularly favoured and improved by Archbishops
Morton (1486–1500) and
Warham (1508–1532), both of whom also embellished the adjacent parish Church of St Martin. The house, park and
chase (1000 acres) were bought and extended by
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
in 1540, the whole complex said to have 5 kitchens, 6 stables and 8 dovecotes.
After the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, Aldington was the stronghold of
The Aldington Gang, an infamous band of
smugglers
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
who roamed the marshes and shores of Kent plying their trade. The gang's leaders, Cephas Quested and George Ransley, natives of Aldington, made the Walnut Tree Inn their headquarters and drop for their contraband. High up on the southern side of the inn is a small window through which the gang would shine a signal light to their confederates on Aldington Knoll.
Aldington Knoll was one of a chain of viewpoints used for the
Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) linking the
Royal Greenwich Observatory with the
Paris Observatory. This ground-breaking example of early international scientific co-operation was led in England by General
William Roy.
Aldington Knoll itself is the subject of local and wider legend. Traditionally, it is said to be the burial site of a giant and his sword and is protected by murderous ghouls who will kill anyone attempting to flatten the area.
Ford Madox Ford
Ford Madox Ford (né Joseph Leopold Ford Hermann Madox Hueffer ( ); 17 December 1873 – 26 June 1939) was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals ''The English Review'' and ''The Transatlantic Review (1924), The Transatlant ...
's poem ''Aldington Knoll'' is inspired by this legend. Others, including
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
, on account of its lush wooded slopes, have suggested that it is the entrance to a fairyland.
In 1511,
Erasmus of Rotterdam, the theologian and scholar, was appointed rector of Aldington by
Archbishop Warham. He lived at the rectory next to the church in what is now called Parsonage Farm. Erasmus spoke
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and
Dutch but no
English. He could, therefore, not preach to the English congregation. He resigned one year later after a kidney complaint, which he blamed on the local beer.
Elizabeth Barton, the 'Holy Maid of Kent', was born in the village in 1506. She became a maid to one of the local families but claimed that she had visions. She was provided a place in the convent at
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
and became a nun. Through some manipulation by Bishop
John Fisher and
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VII ...
, she prophesied that King
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
would die a villain's death if he divorced
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine,
historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
. She was beheaded in 1534.
In August 1926, a
Blériot 155 of
Air Union crashed at College Farm, Hurst (in Aldington parish) killing three of the 15 passengers and crew.
Notable inhabitants
Many famous literary figures have made their home here, including
*
Ford Madox Ford
Ford Madox Ford (né Joseph Leopold Ford Hermann Madox Hueffer ( ); 17 December 1873 – 26 June 1939) was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals ''The English Review'' and ''The Transatlantic Review (1924), The Transatlant ...
(17 December 1873 – 26 June 1939) the novelist and publisher.
* Sir
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(16 December 1899 – 26 March 1973) the actor, playwright, and composer of popular music. Coward lived at
Goldenhurst Farm from 1926 to 1956 and wrote ''
Cavalcade'' at the farm in 1931.
*
Bill Deedes, writer and politician.
More recently, it has been home to
Noel Redding, bass player with the
Jimi Hendrix Experience, comedians
Vic Reeves,
Paul O'Grady (Lily Savage), and
Julian Clary. Clary lived in part of Noël Coward's old home,
Goldenhurst Farm between 2006 and 2018.
In June 1365, the poet
John Gower
John Gower (; c. 1330 – October 1408) was an English poet, a contemporary of William Langland and the Pearl Poet, and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is remembered primarily for three major works—the ''Mirour de l'Omme'', ''Vox ...
acquired the manor of Aldington from William Sepvanus. In September 1373, he sold a half interest in the manor to Sir J. Cobham.
There is no evidence that Gower ever lived there.
It has been suggested that
Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...
was a vicar at Aldington for one year from 1511, particularly claimed by
Richard Kilburne in his
topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
of Kent.
Arthur Mee also claims that
Thomas Linacre worked as a rector in St Martin's.
Elizabeth Barton was born in Aldington in 1506.
References
External links
Aldington & Bonnington Parish CouncilVillageNet*
{{authority control
Villages in Kent
Villages in the Borough of Ashford
Civil parishes in Ashford, Kent