Penenden Heath
Penenden Heath | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | Maidstone | |
Postcode district | ME14 | |
Dialling code | 01622 | |
Police | Kent | |
Fire | Kent | |
Ambulance | South East Coast | |
UK Parliament | ||
Penenden Heath is a suburb in the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. As the name suggests it is nucleated around a former
History
Before the expansion of Maidstone, the heath was often used as a venue for a site for
The heath was used for local administrative meetings and executions for several hundred years as well as a site for large gatherings of the
Executions took place at the site from the
It is reported that, in 1652 at Penenden Heath:
Anne Ashby, alias Cobler, Anne Martyn, Mary Browne, Anne Wilson, and Mildred Wright of
burnt to Ashes; alledging that it was a received opinion among many, that the body of a witch being burnt, her bloud is prevented thereby from becoming hereditary to her Progeny in the same evill.[8]
In 1798 Edward Hasted described the heath as follows:
[T]hat noted plain Pinnenden, now usually called Pickenden heath, a place made famous in early times; the western part is in Maidstone parish, the remainder in this of Boxley. From its situation almost in the middle of the county or shire of Kent, this heath has been time out of mind used for all county meetings, and for the general business of it, the county house for this purpose, a poor low shed, is situated on the north side of it, where the sheriff continues to hold his county court monthly, and where he takes the poll for the members of the county, and for the coroners, the former of which, after a few suffrages is usually adjourned to Maidstone; on a conspicuous hill on the opposite side of the heath, though in Maidstone parish, is the gallows, for the public execution of criminals condemned at the assizes.[10]
During the 18th and 19th centuries the heath remained a common site for the execution of criminals (by hanging).[11] The Rev. James Coigly a United Irishman, was arrested en route to France. Upon his arrest, English authorities discovered a letter by the United Britons addressed to the French Revolutionary Government calling for an invasion of England, hidden in Coigly's garments. He was hanged at Penenden Heath, Maidstone on 7 June 1798. The last public execution on the heath took place in 1830, when John Dyke from the nearby village of
In 1828 the heath was again recorded as the site of a large gathering to debate
However during this time the heath was also used for recreation and was the venue for at least two early examples of county level cricket matches. Between 31 August and 2 September 1795, a team from Kent played England on the heath with England winning by five wickets.[16] Later, on 20 July 1807, "All England" again played Kent at Penenden, with the county winning by 162 runs.[17]
During the 19th century the heath was slowly enveloped by the growth of the town of Maidstone, becoming a residential area at the junction of the main routes to
Penenden trial
Lanfranc demanded that the matter should be settled by the nobles of Kent and William I ordered that an assembly be formed at Penenden Heath for the purpose.[19]
Various prominent figures in the country at the time were called including
Precisely when the inquiry was held is unclear although many historians have determined it to be between 1075 and 1077.[20] The trial itself lasted three days and ended in the partial recovery of properties for the church from Odo and others.[3]
20th century
Today a residential suburb of Maidstone, Penenden Heath is situated between arterial roadways at junction 6 of the
Toponymy
The heath has been recorded under several names. First appearing in the Domesday Book as Pinnedenna, it has also been recorded as Pinnenden, Pickenden, Pinenden and Pennenden.
Environment
Certain remnants of the heathland and its environment remain. Mature
Heath Wood, which lies just beyond the suburb boundary, is a privately owned chestnut
References
- ^ A Report on the Penenden Trial by W. Levison, The English Historical Review, Vol. 27, No. 108 (Oct. 1912), pp. 717–720
- ^ Consuetudines Kanciae: A History of Gavelkind, and Other Remarkable Customs by Charles Sandys at page 304 (Google Books)
- ^ a b England's Topographer Or A New and Complete History of the County of Kent by William Henry Ireland
- ^ A Short History of the County of Kent Kent Online Parish Clerks
- ^ Wyatt's Rebellion[unreliable source] at TudorPlace.com.ar
- Alfred Tennyson
- ^ 1648: The Second Civil War:Kent and Essex, British Civil Wars and Commonwealth website by David Plant 2001–2007
- ^ a b The Witch-Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology by Margaret Alice Murray (Oxford) Clarendon Press 1921
- ^ Maidstone Witches part of a "HiddenMedway" blog entry dated 17 June 2007 describing the execution of 7 witches in 1652
- ^ a b Parishes: Boxley The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, Volume 4 by Edward Hasted (1798), pp. 324–353. Date accessed: 6 December 2007
- ^ The early days of Policing in Kent Archived 7 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine by Roy Ingleton
- ^ John Dyke described at Bearsted village notes Archived 9 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine from Historic-Kent.co.uk
- ^ Photograph of John Dyke's grave
- ^ The Lonely Planet: Guide to Maidstone
- ^ Sketches of the Irish Bar by Richard Lalor Sheil and Robert Shelton Mackenzie at Google Books
- ^ Scorecard at CricketArchive.co.uk
- New York Times25 July 1880
- ^ Penenden Recreation Ground Archived 18 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine at GardenHistory.org.uk
- ^ The Conquest and its Aftermath by Dr Mike Ibeji at BBC History
- ^ Feudal Empires: Norman and Plantagenet by John Le Patourel at Google Books
- ^ A Handbook for Travellers in Kent and Sussex by John Murray (1858) at Google Books, p.87
- ^ a b Maidstone Green Spaces Strategy: Penenden Heath Archived 20 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine dated March 2006