Ospringe, Kent

Historical Description

Ospringe, a village and a parish in Kent. The village stands three-quarters of a mile W of Faversham station on the L.C. & D.R. It has a post and money order office under Faversham; telegraph office, Faversham. The parish includes part of Faversham borough, and comprises 2873 acres; population of the civil parish, 1123; of the ecclesiastical, 1233. There is a parish council consisting of nine members. There are several mansions and other good residences. A Maison Dieu or hospital was founded here in 1235 by Henry III., was held by the Knights Templars, had a " Camera Regis" for the king's use when going to France by way of Dover, and was given at the dissolution of monasteries to St John's College, Cambridge. Many Roman relics have been found, and are supposed by some antiquarians to indicate Ospringe as the site of the Roman Durolevum. A very fine view is obtained from the railway, at its emergence from a cutting through Beacon Hill. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; gross value, £290 with residence. Patron, St John's College, Cambridge. The church is ancient, in good condition; is built of flint, groined with stone; and consists of nave, aisles, and chancel.

Administration

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

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

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Ospringe from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Ospringe-Liberty (St. Peter and St. Paul))

Maps

Online maps of Ospringe 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.