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Reculver, Kent

Historical Description

Reculver, a village and a parish in Kent. The village stands on the coast, 3 miles E by N of Herne Bay station on the L.C. & D.R., takes its name from the Roman station Regulbium, and was once a market-town. Post town, Herne Bay, under Canterbury. Acreage of the civil parish, 1221; population, 244; of the ecclesiastical, 603. The manor belongs to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Part of the land in the E and the NE is marsh. The coast is partly bluff cliff, partly marsh, protected by a sea-wall, and has suffered much encroachment by the sea. The Roman station of Regulbium was on a cliff overhanging the Thames estuary; guarded a strait dividing the Isle of Thanet from the mainland, and formerly navigable; was garrisoned by the first cohort of the Vetasii-Belgians from Brabant; occupied about 8 acres; is still represented by the S and the E walls, originally about 12 feet thick, and now much shattered and covered with ivy and brushwood; and has yielded many coins, utensils, and other relics. A palace was built on the station by Ethelbert, king of Kent, and is traditionally but incorrectly said to have-been his burial-place. A monastery also was founded herein the 7th century, and was annexed to Christchurch, Canterbury. Coastguard stations are at Reculver and Bishopstone. The living is a vicarage, united with the perpetual curacy of Hoath, in the diocese of Canterbury; net value, £165 with residence. Patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The old church included some Roman masonry; was partly Norman, partly Early English; suffered much damage by erosion of the sea; was mainly taken down in 1809; and is now represented only by two towers, called the Sisters, and serving as landmarks to mariners, and by a small part of the walls. The church of St Mary, situated at Hillborough, is a building of flint in the Early English style.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyKent 
Ecclesiastical parishReculver St. Mary 
HundredBleangate 
LatheSt. Augustine 
Poor Law unionBlean 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Reculver from the following:


Maps

Online maps of Reculver are available from a number of sites:


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Kent newspapers online:


Visitations Heraldic

The Visitation of Kent, 1619 is available on the Heraldry page, as is also The Visitation of Kent, 1663-68.

DistrictCanterbury
CountyKent
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Postal districtCT6
Post TownHerne Bay

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