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

The Parish

The parish of Detling lies in northern Kent roughly 3 miles northeast of the administrative capital of Maidstone. Detling sits immediately south of the A249 road which links Maidstone with the Isle of Sheppey. Detling sits at the foot of the North Downs, its northern edge bounded by the ancient Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury, the village extends downhill from there to the parish church sitting at a prominent fork. Detling is a parish which is extended across the various land-forms of the area, the upper areas sit on chalk and where a mixture of arable and sheep-run, the lower areas were the home of typical Kentish crops, fruit and hops. The parish takes in a short stretch of North Downs Way National Trail which follows the crest of the chalk Downs above the village. Modern developments have come aplenty to the parish, the high speed railway line between London & the Channel Tunnel passes through the parish, as does the modern M20 motorway and even the former modest A249 has been upgraded to fast dual-carriageway highway. Detling is drained southwards by infant feeders that merge to become the River Medway, after passing through Maidstone the Medway turns back northwards to breach the North Downs and pass the port of Chatham into the outer Thames Estuary and thus to the North Sea. Detling sits on rising ground, its lowest properties at 80 metres with the Pilgrim's Way standing at 120, the crest of the North Downs summits at 198 metres to the northeast as the highest ground around. Detling parish was typically sized for the area covering just under 1,600 acres and supporting a population of close to 350 parishioners. Detling is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book. 

The Church

St Martin's church stands on the western side of The Street which turns sharply around the churchyard whilst descending from the north. Until the Reformation St Martin was merely a chapelry of Maidstone before becoming a parish in its own right. The church has masonry back to the earliest times as the nave and chancel were first constructed in the early Norman period of the 12th century and in the Romanesque style. Quoins at two corners of the nave and a third corner of the chancel indicate the earliest masonry. The 13th century saw the expansion of the church with the construction of the 2-bay northern arcade in the Early English Gothic style. Matter rested until the 15th century when various Perpendicular modifications were made, the western tower is the main fabric of that period albeit its top stage and the shingled spire are Victorian additions from 1861, the northern chapel and chancel's east window also date from the Perpendicular period. Besides the work of 1861 which completed the tower, a further Victorian intervention of 1887 widened the northern aisle reusing both windows and doorway from the Perpendicular changes. The church sits on a tight bend with reduced visibility at the entrance, it is best to find parking away from the immediate vicinity. The pathway to the church from the gates passes between clumps of tall conifers before a slight opening out which allows a selection of views for the photographer.