Stowting is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

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 ...

. It is east of Ashford, north-west of

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

and south of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

History

The place name Stowting is Anglo-Saxon, meaning a 'place characterized by a mound.' It was known in the time of the

Domesday Book 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 ...

as ''Stotinges'' and ''Estotinges,'' and in later records it was called ''Stutinges'' and ''Stowling''. The Manor of Stowting was given by Egelric Bigge, to Christ Church, in Canterbury in the year 1044. The parish church is 13th century with many later additions and alterations. It is dedicated to St Mary and is built from flint with stone dressings with a flint tower. It is a

Grade II listed building 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 ...

. To the west of the church are the remains of a castle mound which are considered to be a particularly fine example of a Norman

Motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

. In 1947, a Douglas C-47A crashed on the hillside above the village, killing eight of the 16 people on board.

The modern village

The scattered village stands at the southern foot of a chalk hill, part of 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 ...

and is located beside a chalk spring. To the north of the village centre the hamlets of Stowting Common and Lymbridge Green are both part of the parish. The Roman Road of Stone Street runs to the east of the village whilst the

Pilgrim's Way A pilgrims' way or pilgrim way is a standard route that pilgrims take when they go on a pilgrimage in order to reach their destination – usually a holy site or place of worship. These sites may be towns or cities of special significance such ...

and

North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in South East England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, through the Surrey Hills National Lan ...

footpath runs through the village itself. Stowting has a Church of England primary school adjacent to the church. It has one pub, currently named The Tiger Inn, which dates to the 1600s and that displays a Mackesons Hythe Ales front fascia sign, depicting its earlier brewery ownership. Stowting Cricket Club was established in 1895 and plays at Dawes Field near the school and church. The hamlet of Stowting Common is home to Jacksons Fencing Headquarters, a leading fencing manufacturer that employs over 280 people.Jacksons Fencing https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/about-us/our-history

Photo gallery

File:Stowting school - geograph.org.uk - 340412.jpg, Stowting, old school building. File:Stowting church and new school - geograph.org.uk - 340851.jpg, Stowting, new school building with church tower beyond. File:Stowting Hill, looking NW - geograph.org.uk - 340409.jpg, Stowting hill, looking north west. File:Stowting Hill, looking NE - geograph.org.uk - 340841.jpg, Stowting Hill, looking north east. File:House and pond at the bottom of Stowting Hill - geograph.org.uk - 340844.jpg, Stowting, cottage. File:The old part of Stowting school - geograph.org.uk - 340853.jpg, Old school building entrance.

References

External links

Villages in Kent Borough of Ashford Aviation accidents and incidents locations in England {{Kent-geo-stub