Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for CHARING

CHARING, a village and a parish in West Ashford district, Kent. The village stands on the ancient road called the Pilgrims' way, near the source of the Len, 5 miles N by E of Pluckley r. station, and 5½ NW of Ashford. It is an ancient place, known at Domesday as Cheringes; and it has a post office‡ under Ashford, an inn, and fair s on 29 April, and 29 Oct. The parish comprises 4,551 acres. Real property, £7,610. Pop., 1,285. Houses, 265. The property is divided among a few. The manor belonged early to the see of Canterbury; was held some time but the Saxon kings; reverted to the Archbishops; was given up by Cranmer to Henry VIII.; and passed to the Whelers of Otterden. A palace of the Archbishops stood here; was rebuilt in the 14th century; and gave entertainment to Henry VII. and Henry VIII. The edifice was in the early decorated style, and badly executed; and considerable ruins of it still exist. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury. Value, £475.* Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's. The church was chiefly rebuilt after a destruction of it by fire in 1590, but retains portions in early English and perpendicular; and it contains monuments of the Brents, the Sayers, the Honeywoods, and Mrs. Ludwell. A school, founded by Mrs. Ludwell, who died in 1765, has £88 a year from endowment, and two exhibitions at Oriel college.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a village and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Charing CP/AP       West Ashford RegD/PLU       Kent AncC
Place names: CHARING     |     CHERINGES
Place: Charing

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