Warden is a small settlement on the northeast coast of 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 districts of England, local government district of Borough ...

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 ...

, United Kingdom. The largest residential part of Warden is generally called Warden Bay. The place where the beach becomes inaccessible and the cliffs become prominent is generally referred to as Warden Point.

History

It was once called ''Warne''. At the time of the

Domesday Survey 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, the parish and manor of Warden was controlled by the Manor of Milton. In King

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

's reign (1272 to 1307), it was owned by the Savage family. In 1295, John le Savage obtained a charter of

free warren A free warren—often simply warren—is a type of Exclusive franchise or Privilege (legal ethics), privilege conveyed by a sovereign in medieval England to an English subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game (hunting), g ...

for his lands in the manor. In 1376, Sir Richard at Leese MP became owner of the manor; he was High Sheriff of Kent in 1367. When he died in 1394, the manor passed to his widow Dionisia. In 1727, it was sold to Sir Thomas Stevens (who was a

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

in 1726). After he died it passed to Thomas West (Sir Thomas's son), and then to James West (husband of Thomas West's sister Sarah). James was the son of Thomas West. He was recorder of St. Alban's, Secretary to the Treasury, and a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

Cliff erosion

The clay cliffs stretching from Warden Bay towards Warden Point have been eroding for decades with residents from the

warning of risks to property

In December 2017, Conservative MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Gordon Henderson, raised the issue of cliff erosion on Sheppey affecting Warden and the nearby village of

Eastchurch Eastchurch is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster, Swale, Minster. The village website claims the area has "a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers". Aviation ...

. In her reply, Dr. Thérèse Coffey stated that "that 1,000 caravans and 124 buildings will be at risk over the next 100 years"

In July 2020, the topic of cliff erosion hit the national new

when residents experienced their homes collapsing due to the on-going coastal erosion and called on the local government and Environment Agency for help and better funding to protect homes.

References

Villages in Kent Populated coastal places in Kent Beaches of Kent Isle of Sheppey Civil parishes in Kent {{kent-geo-stub

History

Cliff erosion

See also

References