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Tenterden,
Kent
The town of
Tenterden, known as "the Jewel of the Weald" is located
in the hundre of the same name (and in the lathe of Scray) on a
peninsula of high land between the Rother Levels and the River Beult
valley – 54 miles SE by E from London, 19 miles SE by S from
Maidstone and 26miles SSW from Canterbury.
During the Roman
occupation of Britain, a number of roads were built thru the densely
forested weald, to carry iron ore from the Sussex mines to East
Kent. The first permanent settlements in the area were by the Saxons
and Jutes in the 8th century. The new settlers began to claim areas
in the Wealden forest. In Old English "Tenet Waraden" described
a den or clearing in the forest belonging to the men of Thanet,
and the town's name is derived from this ancient identification.
In earlier times it was known as 'Tenet-ware-den', meaning, 'pig-pasture
of the men of Thanet'. Another theory as to the meaning is that
it is derived from Theinwarden or Thanes-ward meaning "a guard
in the valley".
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pigs might have given the town its name, sheep made it prosperous.
Tenterden first rose to affluence as a centre for the wool
trade in the 13th Century. In 1331 Edward III prohibited the
export of raw wool and brought weavers and dyers from Flanders
to teach the English to manufacture finished cloth, and in
the subsequent decades Tenterden's prosperity grew. Despite
this relative affluence, a number of townsfolk supported the
Peasant's Revolt and joined Wat Tyler's march on Canterbury
and London in 1381. The town, unlike other wool centres in
the Weald, has the advantage of access to the sea. The port
was initially established to ship timber out of the Wealden
forest, but began to make use of the timber for building ships.
When the
Cinque Port of Rye found itself unable to fulfill its obligations
as a Cinque Port to supply its quota of ships and men for
the Crown's use , it |
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turned to Tenterden
for help. In 1449 King Henry VI
granted to the Town and Hundred of Tenterden its charter of incorporation
as a limb or member of Rye in the Confederation of the Cinque Ports.
As a Cinque Port, Tenterden enjoyed virtual
self-government, was exempt from national taxation had representation
at court and entitled to be present at the coronation of the monarch.
The new Corporation was given the right to elect a Bailiff every year,
and in 1600 Queen Elizabeth granted the town a new charter under which
the title of Bailiff was changed to that of Mayor.
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In
the 15th and 16th centuries the Romney Marsh harbours silted
up and Tenterden slowly lost its maritime trade - indeed Tenterden
lost all access to the sea, and today is some ten miles from
the coast. This brought about a decline in the influence of
both Tenterden and the Cinque Ports. In the 18th century,
access to the rich grazing lands of the Marsh and the cultivation
of fruit and hops on the higher land continued to bring wealth
to the landowners of Tenterden, which developed into an important
market and service centre for the surrounding district.
The 1840
Pigots Directory noted that Tenterden was "a
flourishing and very respectable little market town and parish"...
with a market "which is a good one for corn,
is held on Friday; and there is a fair on the first Monday
in May, for stock, pedlery and pleasure, which is well attended."
The coming
of the railway to Ashford and Headcorn in 1842 brought London
goods to the Tenterden shops and encouraged its growth as
a shopping centre. Under the Municipal Corporations Act of
1835 the Mayor and |
Jurats were replaced
by a reformed Borough Council of Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors and
in 1974 the Town and Hundred of Tenterden became a "Successor Parish",
with a Town Mayor and Councillors.
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