Stalisfield is a village in the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

of Swale in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England, located on a secondary road about 1½ miles (2.4 km) north of

Charing Charing () is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, in south-east England. It includes the settlements of Charing Heath and Westwell Leacon. It is located at the foot of the North Downs and reaches up to the escarpment ...

and 5 miles south west of

Faversham Faversham () is a market town in Kent, England, from Sittingbourne, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2 road (Great ...

. The parish includes the hamlet of Stalisfield Green. Stalisfield Green lies high on the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...

(a designated

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

), some 650 feet above sea level, and close to the escarpment above

History

It was once anciently called 'Starchfield'. It is called in the

Domesday survey Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'Stanefelle', which means Stonefield. At the time of the Domesday survey the village belonged to

Odo, Earl of Kent Odo of Bayeux (died 1097) was a Norman nobleman who was a bishop of Bayeux in Normandy and was made Earl of Kent in England following the Norman Conquest. He was the maternal half-brother of duke, and later king, William the Conqueror, and w ...

, (as the

Bishop of Bayeux The Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is a ...

). After Odo's trial for fraud the village was passed to Adam de Port. Then it passed (along with Oare) to Arnulf Kade, who gave it to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

s. In 1545 it passed to Sir Anthony St. Leger. It was then sold in 1551 to Sir Anthony Aucher (the father of Anthony Aucher). In 1567 it was sold to Sir Nicholas Salter. In 1699 it was sold to Mr Richard Webbe, of Eleham. In 1711 it passed to dame Sarah Barrett, widow of Sir Paul Barrett,( serjeant-at-law). Sarah was married to Sir Richard Head, 1st Baronet's son Francis Head. Her grandson, Sir Francis Head, then inherited the manor. His brother, Sir John Head, inherited after his death in 1768. Sir John died in 1769, and his widow Lady Jane Head took control. In 1780 she died and it passed to William Lynch (her great-grandson). It then carried on in his family. Also in the parish is Darbies Court. In 1445 John Darbie, who was alderman of London, and sheriff, was the owner. In 1399 Sir Ralph St. Leger, of Otterden (Sir Anthony St. Leger), became the owner. In 1798 the Right Hon. Lewis Thomas Watson, 2nd Baron Sondes, was the owner. The house still exists as Derbies Court, a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building. The church of

Ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

was anciently recorded as the chapel to the parish, but it has been long since separated, and has become a distinct church independent of it. In the 13th century the church of St Mary was built, in the diocese of Canterbury, and deanery of

Ospringe Ospringe is a village and area of Faversham in the English county of Kent. It is also the name of a civil parish, which since 1935 has not included the village of Ospringe. The village lies on the Roman road Watling Street (nowadays the A2 ...

. It is Grade II* listed.

Present day

The village is notable for its

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, the Plough Inn. Built between 1350 and 1450, it is a fine example of a Wealden

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

and is Grade II listed. The pub serves only

ish beers and ciders from traditional hand pumps; it regularly featuring ales from Hopdaemon (from Syndale Vineyard Newnham), Gadds (

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...

) and Goachers (

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

). In 2009, it was awarded 'Kent's best pub' by 'Produced in Kent' and in 2018 was a finalist in the national Freehold Pub of the Year. It is the only true local pub in Kent with 2 AA rosettes for excellence in food. In October 2014 a new village hall was opened adjacent to the village green, replacing the old wooden First World War officers’ mess hut, which was relocated to the village from Throwley Airfield after the end of the war. New hall edit

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent