Harrietsham BusinessThe village
Location
Facilities
History
Churches
Harrietsham enjoys picturesque old buildings and many attractive walks in the surrounding area but is also a modern, bustling village with all today's modern conveniences. It has learned to move with the times and provides all its residents, of whatever age, with a vast array of facilities, sporting clubs and social activities.
Location
The village of Harrietsham is situated between historic Maidstone (6 miles) and Ashford (12 miles) offering the beauty of the Kent Downs and all that country life has to offer, matching Kent's description as the "Garden of England". The village is just 2 miles from Leeds Castle and is within 30 minutes drive of the Channel Tunnel.
Immediately to the North of the village is the Pilgrims Way running along the slopes of the North Downs and one can still walk the path taken by the pilgrims of old.
Facilities
There is a primary school in the village,and a secondary school. (Swadelands) at nearby Lenham
The village is well served by public transport, both bus and rail. Just over 60 Minutes to get to central London. The Channel Tunnel terminal at Cheriton is just 30 minutes away by car.
There are also regular bus services to Maidstone and Ashford.
History
There are signs that people have lived in the area since the Bronze Age. Important archaeological finds have been made from the Bronze Age, Iron Age. A Roman dwelling lies partly under the Rectory garden and nearby Harrison Drive. Saxon burial urns have been found on the Glebe Field and in the churchyard.
Development during the middle ages moved to the West of these original sites which were abandoned, just leaving the Parish Church in situ.
Mentioned in the Domesday Book · Marley, Polhill, Fairbourne (East and West) and Harrietsham itself, . The waterways running through the parish were sufficient to operate grinding mills at Fairbourne (·fair stream·), Selesburne (·holy stream·) and at Polhill
THIS PLACE was given immediately after the fatal battle of Hastings, among other great possessions, by William the Conqueror, to his half brother Odo, bishop of Baieux and Earl of Kent, under the general title of whose lands it is thus entered in the general survey of Domesday: In Aihorde hundred, Hugh, the grandson of Herbert. holds of the bishop (of Baieux) Hariardesham. It was taxed at two sulings. The arable land is six carucates, In demesne . . . . eighteen villeins, with ten borderers having four carucates. There is a church, and eleven servants, and two mills of eleven shillings and six-pence, and seven acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of fifteen hogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, it was worth ten pounds, when he received it eight pounds, now ten pounds. Osuuard held it of king Edward. The same Hugh holds of the bishop, Fereburne. It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is two carucates. In demesne . . . . four villeins, with one carucate and an half, and two mills of forty pence. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, it was worth four pounds, afterwards, and now, three pounds. Aluuin held it of earl Godwin. The same Hugh holds of the bishop one yoke of free land in Selesburne, and there he has half a carucate, with one borderer, and five servants, and one acre of meadow and an half. It is and was worth, separately, twenty shillings. Aluuin held it of earl Godwin. The above-described estates, comprehended the manor of Harrietsham, and were, about four years after taking the above survey, on the disgrace of the bishop of Baieux, confiscated to the crown. Subsequently given to Robert de Crevecouer by Duke William.
The nearby Pilgrims way was a major route for travellers visiting the Cathedral City of Canterbury. The village was an important stopping point with ample freshwater and a number of hostelries.
In the 1880's the London to Ashford railway line was built, further determining the east-west layout of the community. In the 1930's West Street was by-passed by an improvement to the A20 running south of the main street and main village. The A20 remained a very important trunk road to the Channel ports until the extension of the M20 from Hollingbourne to The Coast was completed in the 1990's, the. Most recently the final addition, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link has been added to the collection of routes through the village
Churches
The village church, of Saxon origin, is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The village also includes a church dedicated to St Peter, a Roman Catholic church and several nonconformist churches.