Kent

Lore & Background

The name is of Celtic origin and is one of the oldest place names of the British Isles still in use today, being first recorded in a periplus in ancient Greek by Pytheas. The meaning has been explained as 'coastal district', 'corner-land' or 'land on the edge'. In Latin sources the area is called Cantium or Cantia, while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as Cent, Centlond or Centrice. The area was first occupied by early humans during the Palaeolithic, as attested by an early Neanderthal skull found at Swanscombe. The Medway megaliths were built during the Neolithic era. Julius Caesar described the area as Cantium, or the home of the Cantiaci, in 51 BC. Following the withdrawal of the Romans, large numbers of Germanic speakers settled in Kent, with the Jutes being the most prominent, and the area became a Jutish kingdom recorded as Cantia in about 730 and Cent in 835. In 597, Saint Augustine landed in the county to begin the conversion of England to Christianity and became the first archbishop of Canterbury; Canterbury Cathedral is now a World Heritage Site. Kent was traditionally partitioned into East and West Kent, and into lathes and hundreds. The traditional border of East and West Kent was the county's main river, the Medway. In the 11th century, the people of Kent adopted the motto Invicta, meaning 'undefeated' or 'unconquered', following the Norman Conquest. During the medieval and early modern period, Kent played a major role in several rebellions, including the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, Jack Cade's Kent rebellion of 1450, and Wyatt's rebellion of 1554. The Royal Navy first used the River Medway in 1547. By the 17th century, forts were built along the coast following the raid on the Medway in 1667. The first Ordnance Survey map ever drawn was a one-inch map of Kent, published in 1801. In 1889, the County of London was created and took over responsibility for parts of north-west Kent, including Greenwich, Woolwich, Plumstead, Deptford, Lee, Eltham, Charlton, and Kidbrooke. In 1900, Kent absorbed the district of Penge.

Reader's Guide

The north of Kent is a plain bordering the Thames Estuary. South of this is the North Downs, a chalk downland ridge which crosses the county from west to east and which forms dramatic chalk cliffs, including the White Cliffs of Dover, where it meets the English Channel. The south-west of the county contains part of the Greensand Ridge and the Weald. The south-east of the county contains the low-lying Romney Marsh. The North Downs and High Weald have been designated national landscapes. The geography of the county lends itself to the cultivation of fruit orchards, and it has been nicknamed 'the Garden of England'. In north-west Kent, industries include aggregate building material extraction, printing, and scientific research. Coal mining has also played its part in the county's industrial heritage.

Did You Know?

• Kent is one of the oldest place names in the British Isles still in use, first recorded by the Greek explorer Pytheas.
• The White Cliffs of Dover are part of the North Downs, a chalk ridge that crosses Kent from west to east.
• Kent's motto 'Invicta' means 'undefeated' or 'unconquered', adopted after the Norman Conquest.
• The first Ordnance Survey map ever drawn was a one-inch map of Kent, published in 1801.