Allington, Kent
Historical Description
Allington, a parish in Kent, on the river Medway, 2 miles from Aylesford station on the S.E.R., and 1½ mile from Maidstone, which is the post town. Acreage, 608; population, 157. The manor was granted to William de Warrene at the Conquest; passed to the family of Allington, to Sir Stephen de Penchester, to the Cobhams, the Brents, and the Wyatts; was the birthplace of Sir Thomas Wyatt the poet, and of his son, Sir Thomas, who headed the insurrection against Queen Mary; was given, at the confiscation of manors, to Sir John Astley; and passed in 1720 to the Earl of Romney. A castle was built on it by Warrene, rebuilt by Penchester, extended by the Wyatts, and abandoned to ruin by Astley. A considerable part of the structure still stands, and presents interesting features. The exterior is a long parallelogram, with projecting circular towers, and the interior is divided by a range of low buildings, with archway, into two distinct courts. A wide moat, fed from the Medway, nearly encircles the pile, and a farmhouse, of picturesque character, built out of fallen parts of the castle, stands adjacent. Gentle hills, mostly covered with wood, rise in the vicinity, and irregular mounds, which probably were ornamental features in the once-noble park, lie between the castle and the river. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Canterbury; value, £154. Patron, the Earl of Romney. The church is Decorated English, in very good condition.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Kent | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Allington St. Lawrence | |
| Hundred | Larkfield | |
| Lathe | Aylesford | |
| Poor Law union | Malling |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The registers date from the year 1630.
Findmypast have the following online for Allington, St Lawrence/St Nicholas: baptisms 1630-1876, marriages 1604-1919, burials 1633-1961
Findmypast have the following online for Allington, St Nicholas: baptisms 1813-1908, marriages 1769-1919, burials 1813-1922
Churches
Church of England
St. Laurence (parish church)
The church of St. Laurence is an edifice of Kentish ragstone, in the Early English style, but of Anglo-Saxon foundation. It has a 14th century tower, with spire, containing one bell, and was enlarged, decorated and restored in 1898, at a considerable outlay, the decorative work, including a triptych above the communion table, being executed by Mr. Godfrey Gray, of Cambridge. In the porch is a complete list of the rectors of Allington from 1132. The chalice and paten, still in use, are respectively Elizabethan and Jacobean. The font of semi-classical design, dates from the time of James I.: the church affords 80 sittings.
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 Allington from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Allington (St. Lawrence))
Maps
Online maps of Allington are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Kent newspapers online:
- Kent & Sussex Courier
- Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
- Dover Express
- Kentish Gazette
- Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald
- Kentish Chronicle
- Maidstone Telegraph
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Kent, 1619 is available on the Heraldry page, as is also The Visitation of Kent, 1663-68.