Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Listed as a Deserted Medieval Village but it should be noted that virtually no deserted villages can be proved in Kent. Kent is largely a county of isolated manors and farms and very few medieval parishes have nucleated villages within them. Consequently, virtually no groups of earthworks of now deserted nucleated villages are known.

Monument Types

• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (DESERTED VILLAGE, Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)

Full description

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TR 123372. Westenhanger. Listed as a Deserted Medieval Village in Kent. (1) Maurice Beresford and John G. Hurst eds. Deserted Medieval Villages, 1971, list 69 places for Kent in their County Gazetteers of Deserted Medival Villages. In most cases there is nothing to prove that there was a village at the sites in question. A deserted church site or isolated church certainly does not prove the existence of a deserted village. (2) A.M. Everitt has pointed out that virtually no deserted villages can be proved in Kent. Kent is largely a county of isolated manors and farms and very few medieval parishes have nucleated villages within them. Consequently, virtually no groups of earthworks of now desertednucleated villages are known. (3)

Additional Info(4)

<1> DMV's 1971 (ed M Beresford & J G Hurst) 192 (J Sheail) (OS Card Reference). SKE39762.

<2> Arch Cant 92 1976 10-11 (A M Everitt) (OS Card Reference). SKE36069.

<3> Med Vill Res Grp 25 1977 9 (T Tatton-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE46824.

<4> Archaeology South-East, 1998, Desk-Based Assessment and Walk-over of a site at Folkestone Racescourse, Westhanger (Unpublished document). SKE7403.

Sources and further reading