Newenden

Newenden is a small village and civil parish in area and population in the Ashford District of Kent, England, just north of the boundary with East Sussex.

Newenden
The White Hart and St Peter's Church
Newenden Location within Kent
Area	4.23 km2 (1.63 sq mi)
Population	223 (Civil Parish 2011)[1]
• Density	53/km2 (140/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TQ835275
Civil parish	Newenden
District	Ashford
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CRANBROOK
Postcode district	TN18
Dialling code	01797
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Weald of Kent[2]
Website	Newenden Parish Council
List of places UK England Kent 51.0174°N 0.6172°E / 51.0174; 0.6172

Geography

The village is clustered together along the south slope and at the foot of the end of a tall escarpment by the River Rother, six miles (6.4 km) south-west of Tenterden on the A28. Newenden is located immediately north of the Rother which forms the county boundary with East Sussex. As the land at the very edge of the parish and lowest points is marshy, the narrow hill escarpment itself is known locally as Frogs Hill.

History

The village was known as Notitia Provinciarum in Roman Britain, when the Rother was a more navigable river than modern times.^[3]

Lossenham Friary was established northeast of the village in around 1242 but it was burnt down in 1275 and no remains are visible.

In March 1300, wardrobe accounts of King Edward I of England include a reference to a game called "creag" being played at Newenden by Prince Edward, then aged 15.^[4] It has been suggested that creag was an early form of cricket.^[5]

Newenden Bridge was constructed in 1706, providing a fixed link across the Rother to East Sussex. It is Grade II* listed and a scheduled monument.^[6]

Amenities

The ancient parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter; it was restored in 1859. A large pub is marked in maps next to the river.