Aldington
Statistics
Population:	981 [1]
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	TR063365
Administration
Parish:	Aldington
Borough:	Ashford
Shire county:	Kent
Region:	South East England
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Kent
Historic county:	Kent
Services
Police force:	Kent Police
Ambulance service:	South East Coast
Post office and telephone
Post town:	TONBRIDGE
Postal district:	TN25
Dialling code:	01233
Politics
UK Parliament:	Ashford
European Parliament:	South East England

Aldington is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is eight miles (12.8km) south-east of the town of Ashford. Set on a hill top above Romney Marsh, the village offers breathtaking views over the marsh out towards Lympne and Dungeness. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 11 KB) Summary Description: A blank map of the United Kingdom, with country outline and coastline; contact the author for help with modifications or add-ons Source: Reference map provided by Demis Mapper 6 Date: 2006-21-06 Author: User... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... In England a civil parish (usually just parish) is the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... Ashford Borough Councils Coat of Arms Ashford is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. ... Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... Constituent country is an official term used to describe three of the four principal component parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK): England; Scotland; Wales. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... The Ceremonial counties of England are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... There are a number of policing agencies in the United Kingdom. ... Kent Police is the police force covering Kent in England, including the unitary authority of Medway. ... This is a list of ambulance services in the United Kingdom: Ambulance services in England, after July 1, 2006 are A few deviations from the above have been made for operational reasons. ... As of 1st July the NHS Ambulance Services Trusts of Kent, Surrey and Sussex are being joined together to form a new South East Coast Ambulance Service . ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... Statistics Population: 31,600 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TQ591468 Administration District: Tonbridge & Malling Shire county: Kent Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Kent Historic county: Kent Services Police force: Kent Police Ambulance service: South East Coast Post office and telephone... UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ... The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which replaced the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) in 2003. ... The United Kingdom House of Commons is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). ... Ashford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The inside of the Strasbourg building The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European Parliamentary... South East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... In England a civil parish (usually just parish) is the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ... Ashford Borough Councils Coat of Arms Ashford is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... The Romney Marsh is a sparsely-populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. ... Lympne (pronounced limm) village is situated on the once sea cliffs above the Romney Marsh in Kent. ... Dungeness is the headland of a shingle beach on the Romney Marsh in Kent, England. ...

The parish

The parish is bounded to the north by the M20 motorway and the rail links that include the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. To the south it drops to the Romney Marsh (about 10% of the parish lies there) to the north bank of the Royal Military Canal. It covers 3,400 acres (1376ha) and has a population of 981. The parish, part of the North Downs), is considered an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and a large area is also part of the Old Romney Shoreline Special Landscape Area. The main road across the parish follows the path of a Roman road. The M20 motorway is a major road in England. ... A Eurostar train on the CTRL, near Ashford Model showing the current redevelopment of the Kings Cross area with the new extension to the barrel-vaulted St Pancras Station on the left. ... The first sod of the Royal Military Canal was dug at Seabrook, near Hythe in Kent on 30th October 1804. ... The North Downs in England are a ridge of chalk hills that stretch about 100 mi (160 km) from Hampshire through Surrey and Kent. ... Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a United Kingdom. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ...

St Martin's church

The parish church dates from the 12th century: its 16th-century tower became a landmark for seamen. It is built in Perpendicular style. Perpendicular is a geometric term that may be used as a noun or adjective. ...

History

The charming village of Aldington is steeped in history and there are more than 50 buildings of historical or architectural interest in the wider parish. Here was the site of one of the Archbishop of Canterbury's palaces, of which only ruins remain. Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...

The Aldington Gang

After the Napoleonic Wars, Aldington was the stronghold of The Aldington Gang, an infamous band of smugglers that roamed the marshes and shores of Kent plying their trade. The gang's prolific leaders, Cephas Quested and George Ransley, natives of Aldington, made the local inn (The Walnut Tree) their headquarters and drop for their contraband. High up on the southern side of the inn is a small window through which the gang would shine a signal light to their confederates up on Aldington Knoll. Combatants Allies: • Great Britain (until 1801)/United Kingdom(from 1801) • Prussia • Austria • Sweden • Russia • Portugal • Spain • and others • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list The Napoleonic Wars comprised a series of global conflicts fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France (1799 - 1815). ... Aldington was the stronghold of The Aldington Gang, a band of smugglers roaming the Romney Marshes and shores of Kent. ... These lollipops, above, were found to contain heroin when inspected by the DEA. Smuggling is illegal transport, in particular across a border. ... For notes on some individual UK pubs, see Notable United Kingdom public houses. ...

Famous Inhabitants

• In 1511 Erasmus of Rotterdam, the theologian and scholar, was appointed rector of Aldington by Archbishop Warham. Erasmus spoke Latin and Dutch but no English. He could therefore not preach to the English congregation and resigned one year later after a kidney complaint, which he blamed on the local beer.

• Elizabeth Barton born in the village in 1519, became a maid to one of the local families, but claimed she had visions. She was provided a place in the convent at Canterbury, and through some manipulation by Bishop John Fisher and Sir Thomas More she prophesied that King Henry VIII would die a villain's death if he divorced Catherine of Aragon.

Many famous literary figures have made their home here including 1511 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with the Erasmus, the theologian. ... Walliam Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1527 (Louvre Museum) William Warham (c. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Elizabeth Barton (known as The Nun of Kent, The Holy Maid of London or The Holy Maid of Kent; 1506? – April 20, 1534) was executed for prophesying that if King Henry VIII of England married Anne Boleyn against the wishes of the Pope, he would die within six months. ... Statistics Population: 42,258 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TR145575 Administration District: City of Canterbury Shire county: Kent Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Kent Historic county: Kent Services Police force: Kent Police Ambulance service: South East Coast Post office and... Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 — 6 July 1535) was an English lawyer, author, statesman, and a Catholic martyr. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

• Joseph Conrad (December 3, 1857 - August 3, 1924), a Polish-born novelist.
• Ford Madox Ford (December 17, 1873 - June 26, 1939) was a novelist and publisher.
• Sir Noel Coward (December 16, 1899 – March 26, 1973) was an actor, playwright, and composer of popular music.

More recently it has been home to Noel Redding, bass player with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, as well as comedians Vic Reeves and Paul O'Grady (Lily Savage) and the most recent being Julian Clary. Joseph Conrad. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: none (see Unofficial mottos of Poland) Anthem(s): Polish: Mazurek DÄ…browskiego (Translation: DÄ…browskis Mazurek) Capital Warsaw Largest city Warsaw Official language(s) Polish[1] Government Republic  - President Lech KaczyÅ„ski  - Prime minister JarosÅ‚aw KaczyÅ„ski Formation    - Unification 10th century   - Christianisation Date[2] 966   - Redeclared November... Ford Madox Ford (December 17, 1873 - June 26, 1939) was an English novelist and publisher. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sir Noel Peirce Coward (spelling his forename Noël with the diaeresis was an affectation of later life) (16 December 1899 – 26 March 1973) was an English actor, playwright, and composer of popular music. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Noel Redding Noel Redding (25 December 1945 – 11 May 2003) was a rock & roll guitarist but best known as the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience. ... Jimi Hendrix James Marshall Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer who is widely considered to be the most important electric guitarist in the history of popular music. ... Vic Reeves in the mid 90s Vic Reeves (born James Jim Roderick Moir January 24, 1959) is an English comedian, best known through his double act with Bob Mortimer. ... Paul OGrady presenting his Channel 4 series, The New Paul OGrady Show Paul James OGrady (b. ... Julian Clary Julian Clary (25 May 1959) is an English comedian known for his camp style. ...

Amenities

• Primary school
• Two pubs (The Walnut Tree & The Good Intent, both with restaurants). Jimi Hendrix, while visiting Nioel Redding, often visited the Walnut Tree.
• Post office/village store
• Butcher/bakery
• Village hall
• Recreation ground including a tennis court and children's play area.

External links

• Notes on the parish
• Ashford.gov.uk Notes on the parish
• VillageNet
• St Martin's church

References

• Aldington: A Village History by John Wood and Christine Rayner

1. ^ Ashford Borough Council Census 2001