Саттон-Вэленс: История и достопримечательности кентской деревни

Sutton Valence (in the past also called Sudtone, Town Sutton and Sutton Hastings, see below) is a village about five miles (8 km) SE of Maidstone, Kent, England on the A274 road going south to Headcorn and Tenterden. It is on the Greensand Ridge overlooking the Vale of Kent and Weald. St Mary's Church is on the west side of the village on Chart Road, close to the junction of the High Street with the A274. Another landmark is Sutton Valence Castle on the east side of the village, of which only the ruins of the 12th century keep remain, under the ownership of English Heritage.

Iron Age and Roman artefacts have been found in the area. The Roman road from Maidstone to Ashford and Lympne passed through the village.

The earliest mention of a settlement at Sutton Valence was in 814, when Coenwulf mentioned Suinothe in a charter. Before the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the manor was owned by Leofwine Godwinson, brother of Harold who was to become King of England in 1066 and be defeated by William the Conqueror.

In 1401, the manor was one of those sold to provide a ransom for the release of Baron Grey of Ruthin who had been captured by Owain Glyndŵr the Welsh leader who rebelled against King Henry IV and is mentioned in the Shakespeare play of that name. In 1418 the manor passed to the Clifford family. In 1548 the manor was sold to the Filmer family, who retained ownership until the early 20th century. St Mary's Church. A William Lambe was baptised at St Mary's in the late 15th century and died in 1522. His will dated 1 July 1522 asked that his remains be placed in the church. In the SE corner of the church was a chapel dedicated to Saint Peter, which then became the Lambe Chapel. His grandson, also William, was a Citizen of the City of London and a member of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers. He was a gentleman of the chapel to King Henry VIII and reputed to be a friend of the King. He clearly had wealth because later, in 1578, at "his own proper costs and charges", he built a free grammar school in the village, allowing the Master £20 per year with "a good house and garden to reside in", and a person called "the Usher" was allowed £10 per year. Village Alms Houses. William Lambe also founded six alms houses in the village with an orchard and gardens for the poor of the parish. He allotted £10 to be divided among them yearly, and entrusted the Company of Clothworkers with the management of this charity. The inhabitants were usually appointed by the master of the school. The arms of the founder, a "fess between three cinquefoils", are carved in stone on the front of the alms houses.

The 100m contour (328 ft) passes E W along the N side of Chart Road, along the West part of the Village High Street and East to the remains of the Castle tower. The ground rises to the North and the School sports ground to the East of the A274 is 125 m (410 ft) AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level). The ground falls steeply to the South, and the part of the Village called The Harbour is about 40 m (131 ft) AMSL. At the South end of Sutton Valence CP at Bardingley and the River Beult, the altitude falls to 16 m (52 ft) AMSL.

Sutton Valence lies on the A274 road from Maidstone south to Headcorn and Tenterden and is linked by bus to each. The nearest railway station to the village is Headcorn, on the South Eastern Main Line to the Kent Coast and the Channel Tunnel via Ashford, and to London via Staplehurst, Paddock Wood and Tonbridge. Headcorn to London Bridge station takes about one hour and to Charing Cross, one hour and 10 minutes. In 1904 Colonel Holman Stephens proposed the construction of an extension of the Kent & East Sussex Railway line from Headcorn to Maidstone via Sutton Valence, but World War I intervened and it was never built.

The Sutton Valence Civil Parish (CP) has an area of 859 Hectares. Its width varies between 1 and 2 km from East to West, and is about 6 km from North to South. A diagram is on the left, and the exact boundary is shown by a dotted black line on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 map.

As well as the Village itself to the East of the A274, the CP includes, to the North, Warmlake and the S side of Five Wents; to the West, about 400m along Chart Road; to the East, the Castle and Stallance; to the South, Farthing Green, Babylon Lane and Bardingley down to the River Beult.

To the West is Chart Sutton CP; to the South, Headcorn CP; to the East, E Sutton CP; to the NE. Broomfield and Kingswood CP; and to the NW, Langley CP.

Sutton Valence School, a leading independent school, is located in the north west part of the village but also owns Art and Design Technology departments in the centre of the village. There is also Sutton Valence Primary School, which is nearby.

The school provides a venue for individual sporting activities. Sutton Valence Hockey Club play their home matches at Sutton Valence School. Sutton Valence Village is a local football club. There is also a golf club.

The site of the 13th century castle is on the east side of the modern village and the ruined keep can be visited today. See the separate Wiki entry for Sutton Valence Castle.