Eastry
Encyclopedia
Eastry is a civil parish and remote, yet historically significant village four kilometres SW of Sandwich
, in Kent
, that was voted "Kent Village of the Year 2005".
and the murder of his cousins within the palace walls. According to the legend, the royal residence was passed to the priory of Christchurch in Canterbury
as penance for the crime. The site of this ancient palace is believed to now be occupied by Eastry Court, close besides the church.
Another traditional story is that Thomas Becket
hid in Eastry's caves whilst escaping from England in 1164. Those same caves are associated with other stories that may or may not be true.
Locally however it is said these tunnels were made in the first world war.
measure given in 1792.
was opened to freight traffic in 1911 and passenger traffic in 1916. Its purpose was to serve the new coal mines which were being opened up in the area. Among the stations opened were Eastry and Eastry South.It was one of Colonel Stephens' lines,but was nationalized in 1948 becoming part of British Railways,Southern Region.Both the colliery and the line failed and the section north of Eythorne
completely closed by 1951.
map, one of which, the Upper Mill
, has been converted into a house.
Sandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
, in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, that was voted "Kent Village of the Year 2005".
Etymology
Its name is derived from East and rige meaning province (cp Surrey: southern province) .Historical legends
It was here that a royal palace of the Saxon kings of Kent stood. One of Kent's oldest legends concerns King Ecgberht of KentEcgberht of Kent
Ecgberht was a King of Kent who ruled from 664 to 673, succeeding his father Eorcenberht s:Ecclesiastical History of the English People/Book 4#1....
and the murder of his cousins within the palace walls. According to the legend, the royal residence was passed to the priory of Christchurch in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
as penance for the crime. The site of this ancient palace is believed to now be occupied by Eastry Court, close besides the church.
Another traditional story is that Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
hid in Eastry's caves whilst escaping from England in 1164. Those same caves are associated with other stories that may or may not be true.
Locally however it is said these tunnels were made in the first world war.
Parish church
Eastry parish church is dedicated to St Mary. Within the church is a brass standard bushelBushel
A bushel is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 4 pecks or 8 gallons. It is used for volumes of dry commodities , most often in agriculture...
measure given in 1792.
East Kent Light Railway
The East Kent Light RailwayEast Kent Light Railway
The East Kent Light Railway was part of the Colonel Stephens group of cheaply built rural light railways in England. Holman Fred Stephens was engineer from its inception, subsequently becoming director and manager...
was opened to freight traffic in 1911 and passenger traffic in 1916. Its purpose was to serve the new coal mines which were being opened up in the area. Among the stations opened were Eastry and Eastry South.It was one of Colonel Stephens' lines,but was nationalized in 1948 becoming part of British Railways,Southern Region.Both the colliery and the line failed and the section north of Eythorne
Eythorne
Eythorne is a civil parish and small village of about 1000 homes, located 7.3 miles NNW of Dover in Kent. There are currently about 2500 residents. Eythorne holds many historical attributes. Situated a few miles away from Dover beach, it offers many articles of evidence of the war...
completely closed by 1951.
Mills
Eastry has had a number of windmills over the centuries. There were four mills marked on the 1819 - 1843 Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map, one of which, the Upper Mill
Upper Mill, Eastry
Upper Mill is a Grade II listed house converted smock mill in Eastry, Kent, England. It was built in the mid eighteenth century.-History:Upper Mill was built in the mid eighteenth century. A mill was marked on Symonson's map of 1596, Robert Morden's map of 1695 and Emanuel Bowen's map of 1736....
, has been converted into a house.