Axstane was a hundred in the county of Kent, England.[1] The Hundred of Axstane lay south-east of Dartford and Wilmington Hundred. It is called Achestan in Domesday Book,[2] but by the reign of Edward I it was called Axstane.
| Axstane | |
|---|---|
| Former subdivision of England | |
Map showing the parishes of the hundred of Axstane | |
| Area | |
| • Coordinates | 51°23′44″N 0°19′37″E / 51.395480°N 0.326980°E |
| History | |
| • Origin | Anglo-Saxon period |
| • Created | 10th century |
| • Abolished | 1894 |
| • Succeeded by | Dartford Rural District |
| Status | obsolete |
| Government | Hundred |
| Subdivisions | |
| • Type | Parishes (see text) |
| • Units | Parishes |
Its name has been interpreted as referring to an oak bearing stony land, or alternatively a reference to the personal name Acca.[3]
In the time of Edward I, the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury were then its lords paramount. In the 20th year of the reign of Edward III (1347, just before the Black Death) this hundred answered for a total of 14.725 knights' fees.
Alternative spellings: Achestan (as above), Axston, Axstone, Axtane, Axton[4]
The hundred included the parishes of
- Ash
- Darenth
- Eynsford
- Farningham
- Fawkham
- Hartley
- Horton Kirby
- Longfield
- Lullingstone
- Ridley
- Southfleet
- Stone
- Swanscombe
- Sutton-at-Hone
- Kingsdown
The Hundred of Dartford and Wilmington did not exist at the time of the Norman Conquest, and the parishes of Dartford and Wilmington were accounted as part of Axstane in Domesday Book.[5]
The importance of the hundred courts declined from the 17th century, and most of their powers were extinguished with the establishment of county courts in 1867. In 1894 the Hundred was succeeded by Dartford Rural District, which was then created out of the same parishes, with the addition of Wilmington and Crayford.[6]
Dartford Poor Law Union
editDartford Poor Law Union was formed on 19 May 1836, covering roughly the same area as the Hundred of Axstane. Its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians, 24 in number, representing the following 21 constituent parishes (figures in brackets indicate numbers of Guardians if more than one): Ash, Bexley (2), Crayford (2), Darenth, Dartford (2), Eynsford, Erith, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Horton Kirby, Kingsdown, Longfield, Lullingstone, Ridley, Southfleet, Stone, Sutton-at-Hone, Swanscombe, East Wickham, Wilmington.
The area was 34,139 acres (138 km2). Population in 1851: 9,869; Houses: 1,852.[4]
The population by parish was as follows:[7]
| Parish | Area (acres) |
Pop. 1851 |
Pop. 1891 |
Comments [8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash | 3,074 | 702 | 619 | Merged into Ash-cum-Ridley 1 April 1955 [9] |
| Darenth | 2,223 | 654 | 2801 | |
| Eynsford | 3,544 | 1,323 | 1,841 | |
| Farningham | 2,739 | 701 | 879 | |
| Fawkham | 1,198 | 249 | 232 | |
| Hartley | 1,211 | 227 | 272 | |
| Horton Kirby | 2,841 | 747 | 1,551 | |
| Kingsdown | 2,813 | 423 | 412 | Renamed West Kingsdown 1 August 1948 |
| Longfield | 605 | 162 | 498 | |
| Lullingstone | 1557 | 51 | 64 | Abolished 1 April 1955.[10] |
| Ridley | 834 | 91 | 86 | Abolished 1 April 1955[11] |
| Southfleet | 2,409 | 657 | 968 | |
| Stone | 3,009 | 829 | 3,773 | |
| Sutton at Hone | 3,625 | 1,290 | 3,847 | Swanley parish created 1 April 1955[12] |
| Swanscombe | 2,141 | 1,763 | 6,577 | |
| TOTAL | 33,823 | 9,869 | 24,420 |
The Hundred of Axstane belonged to the Lathe of Sutton at Hone.
Notes
edit- ^ "Axstane Hundred". Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- ^ The Domesday Book: Kent (Publisher: Phillimore & Co Ltd, 1 Nov 1983)The original text and translation
- ^ Dartford Country - The Story Of The Hundred Of Axstane by Geoff Porteus, 1985,ISBN 9780860232032 (page 13)
- ^ a b Hundred of Axton in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales,1870-72
- ^ See The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 1, author:Edward Hasted, publ. 1797
- ^ Dartford RD Kent through time | Local history overview for the Local Government District, Visionofbritain.org.uk.
- ^ Victoria County History of Kent Vol 3, p. 367, publ.1932, ed William Page, ISBN 9780712906081
- ^ See Dartford Registration District
- ^ Incorporated in the parish of Ash cum Ridley and, to a minor extent, West Kingsdown
- ^ Became part of the parish of Eynsford
- ^ Became part of the parish of Ash cum Ridley
- ^ Out of the parish of Sutton at Hone and minor parts of other parishes