Sutton at Hone | |
---|---|
Former subdivision of England | |
Area | |
• Coordinates | 51°23′44″N0°19′37″E / 51.395480°N 0.326980°E Coordinates: 51°23′44″N0°19′37″E / 51.395480°N 0.326980°E |
History | |
• Origin | Jutish Kent |
• Created | 6th century |
• Abolished | 1894 (obsolete) |
• Succeeded by | diverse authorities |
Status | obsolete |
Government | Lathe |
Subdivisions | |
• Type | Hundreds |
• Units | Blackheath, Bromley and Beckenham, Ruxley, Little and Lesnes, Dartford and Wilmington, Axstane, Codsheath, Wistram (later Westerham and Edenbridge), Somerden |
The Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone historically included a large part of Kent: the present-day boroughs of Dartford, Bexley, Greenwich, Bromley, Lewisham, Sevenoaks District and small parts of the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling and Borough of Tunbridge Wells.
It was named after the village and parish of Sutton at Hone in the Darent valley.
The lathe was an ancient administrative division of Kent and originated, probably in the 6th century AD, during the Jutish colonisation of the county. [1] It was not unusual for the Anglo-Saxons to establish their juridical and administrative centres a short distance from more populous towns. In this case Sutton at Hone is about two miles from Dartford, one of only four royal manors in Kent at the time of the Domesday Book. [2]
At that time, Sutton was ranked as a "Half Lathe", as was Milton, to which it was not connected. Alongside these two Half Lathes were five (full) Lathes: Aylesford, Borough, Eastry, Lympne (later renamed Shepway) and Wye. By 1295 Sutton had been promoted to a full lathe, while alongside it were only four other lathes. This was because Borough and Eastry had merged into the Lathe of Saint Augustine, while Milton and Wye had merged to form the Lathe of Scray. [3]
The Lathe continued to be an important administrative, judicial and taxation unit for 600 years after the Domesday Book. The functions of Lathe and hundreds were somewhat similar, with a Lathe covering a much wider area. Although never formally abolished, it has had no administrative functions since the end of the 19th century. [4] The Sheriff toured the county twice yearly, visiting each lathe: in the case of Sutton, possibly at Shire Hall. The lathe was responsible for raising of aids and subsidies for the Militia. However the Lathe court became anomalous as it fell between the hundred courts below and the Justices of the County (in petty and quarter sessions) above [5]
The Lathe of Sutton was mentioned in The London Gazette as late as 1899. [6]
According to Hasted, [7] the Lathe of Sutton at Hone consisted of the following Hundreds:
The lathe was the most westerly of the lathes into which Kent was divided. The first four hundreds in the above list now collectively form the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley except Penge which was not originally in the county of Kent.
Dartford and Wilmington Hundred is now in the borough of Dartford. Axstane hundred is now divided between the districts of Dartford and Sevenoaks, while the last three hundreds form the remainder of Sevenoaks District, except that Somerden and therefore the Lathe of Sutton included part of the parish of Speldhurst, which is now in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Thus the boundary of the Lathe with the rest of Kent is still in existence, with minor deviations, as the boundaries Dartford and Sevenoaks local authorities have the rest of Kent. [8]
The Lathe of Sutton had an area of 173,440 acres (271 sq. miles or 702 km2). [9]
Folkestone and Hythe is a local government district in Kent, England, in the south-east of the county. Its council is based in the town of Folkestone. The authority was renamed from Shepway in April 2018, and therefore has the same name as the Folkestone and Hythe parliamentary constituency, although a somewhat narrower area is covered by the district.
A lathe formed an administrative country subdivision of the county of Kent, in England, from the Anglo-Saxon period until it fell out of use in the early twentieth century.
Kent is a traditional county in South East England with long-established human occupation.
Hartley is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located 7 miles south west of Gravesend and the same distance south east of Dartford.
Dartford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Gareth Johnson of the Conservative Party. The constituency is currently the longest-valid 'bellwether' constituency in the country as the party of the winning candidate has gone on to form the government at every UK general election since 1964. Candidates for the largest two parties nationally have polled first and second since 1923 in Dartford.
The London Traffic Area was established by the London Traffic Act 1924 to regulate the increasing amount of motor traffic in the London area. The LTA was abolished in 1965 on the establishment of the Greater London Council.
Blackheath was an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England. Its area has been entirely absorbed by the growth of Greater London; the name "Blackheath" now refers to a locality of SE London. Its former area now corresponds to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the London Borough of Lewisham and part of the London Borough of Bromley.
Ruxley is a small settlement in southeast London, England, with no present formal boundaries. It is located 21 km (13 mi) southeast by east of Charing Cross, in the northeast corner of the London Borough of Bromley on the borough boundary with the southeast corner of the London Borough of Bexley, and is also adjacent to the Greater London border with Kent, overlapping into the Sevenoaks District and Borough of Dartford in Kent. Ruxley lies east of Sidcup and west of Swanley, on green belt land, where two main roads pass through east-west connecting London to the coast. Ruxley was a parish prior to 1557 and had its own thirteenth century church, St Botolph's. Ruxley's central location on the main road made it an important meeting place for the Hundred of Ruxley, which was named after it. Today still a major transport route, Ruxley's location on green belt land is on the edge of London's urban sprawl, industrial and residential areas are found on the west side, but to the east this quickly turns into more rural woodland and farmland. Ruxley Gravel Pits is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest located on the west side of Ruxley. Today the area is known for Ruxley Manor, a large site with a garden centre and other retailers and services.
Ruxley was an ancient hundred, a land division in the north west of the county of Kent, England. Its area has been mostly absorbed by the growth of London; with its name currently referring to the Ruxley district. Its former area now corresponds to a majority of the London Borough of Bromley, a large part of the London Borough of Bexley and a small part of the Kent District of Sevenoaks. The hundred was within the Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, in the west division of Kent.
Sutton-at-Hone is a village in the civil parish of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England. It is located 3.5 miles south of Dartford & 3.6 miles north east of Swanley.
Waldershare is a village near Dover in Kent, England. In 1086, the village was in the hundred of Eastry in the ancient Lathe of Eastry. By 1295 the ancient lathe had been merged into the Lathe of St. Augustine. In the 18th century, the noble family of Waldershare were lords of a manor in the Parish of Shebbertswell. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Shepherdswell with Coldred.
Ridley is a place and former civil parish in the county of Kent, England. It lies between Sevenoaks and Chatham, and is within the Sevenoaks local government district. It is part of the Ash-cum-Ridley civil parish.
Axstane was a hundred in the county of Kent, England. The Hundred of Axstane lay south-east of Dartford and Wilmington Hundred. It is called Achestan in Domesday Book, but by the reign of Edward I it was called Axstane.
The Lathe of Scray is an historic division of the county of Kent, England, encompassing the present-day Districts of Swale, Ashford, and the eastern part of Tunbridge Wells The Lathes of Kent were ancient administration divisions originating, probably, in the 6th century, during the Jutish colonisation of the county.
The Latheof St Augustine is an historic division of the county of Kent, England, encompassing the present-day Districts of Canterbury, Dover and Thanet The Lathes of Kent were ancient administration divisions originating, probably, in the 6th century, during the Jutish colonisation of the county.
Codsheath was a hundred, a historical land division, in the county of Kent, England. It occupied the eastern part of the Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, within in the west division of Kent. Codsheath was also recorded as "Codsede" in ancient records. Today the area that was the Codsheath Hundred is part of the Sevenoaks District of Kent that includes the town of Sevenoaks and surrounding area. The Hundred of Codsheath was included in the Domesday Book of 1086, that records it as having 203 houses, 44 in Sundridge and 159 in Otford. The River Darent flowed through the Codsheath Hundred, generally in a northeast direction. Several watermills were constructed on the river within the hundred, in the villages of Sundridge, Otford, Shoreham and Chevening.
Little and Lesnes was a hundred, a historical land division, in the county of Kent, England. It occupied the northern part of the Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, within in the west division of Kent. Little and Lesnes was the northernmost hundred in the whole county of Kent. The hundred existed since ancient times, before the Domesday Book of 1086, until it was made obsolete with the creation of new districts at the end of the nineteenth century.