England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Aldington St Martin

The Parish

The parish of Aldington sits in southern Kent close by the English Channel coast, and through a detached portion of the parish it forms a tiny portion of that coastline. Aldington is located about 5 miles west of the port of Hythe, it lies to the south the M20 & A20 roads and north of the B2067 road which runs from Tenterden eastwards towards Hythe and Folkestone. Aldington is largely built along a very straight stretch of lane running northwestwards from the B2067, this is the remains of a Roman road which linked the south coast to Ashford. Aldington is thus a largely linear village. The parish is a strange configuration with a detached portion as a result of the drainage and allocation of Romney Marshes which lie around 2 miles south, the village was allocated a detached parcel of the marshes. The consequences were a mixed agricultural format, the main portion being undulating mixed farmland, the marshes primarily grazing of sheep and cattle. Aldington sits at around 80 metres above sea level, on the edge of the first higher ground heading north from the marshes, a notable escarpment, which was at one time Kent's original coastline (a fossil cliff line). Land drops away steeply to the south, the Royal Military Road & accompanying canal making the base of the cliff line. With its allocation of the marshes Aldington was a large parish by southern standards, at over 3,500 acres. It supported a healthy population of over 700 parishioners. In Domesday times Aldington was held by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the parish held a stunningly high 94 ploughs as well as meadows, woodlands, fisheries and no fewer than 4 mills - a prosperous place indeed.

The Church

St Martin's church shuns the village centre, it lies almost a mile away from most of the buildings to the east of a northward running lane, the marking of the remnants of a palace on maps probably indicates why it was where it is. The church like many is a an amalgam of work done over the centuries. The most obvious feature, the fine western tower, has dating evidence to the early 16th century but other parts of the building show architectural styles which indicate an origin potentially as far back as around the Norman Conquest, albeit only in remaining doorways and windows. The work continued right into the 20th century when the battlements were added. The church itself is tucked away behind a farmhouse, access is via a lengthy path through an "L" shaped graveyard from a tiled lych gate facing Church Lane. The site has many mature conifers making for a rather limited set of photographic angles.