Description
Dartford, a town and a parish in Kent. The town stands in a narrow valley, between two steep hills, on Watling Street, and the river Darent, and has a station on the S.E.R., 16 miles from London. It was known to the Saxons as Darentford, and at Domesday as Tarentford, and it got its name from a ford or ferry-passage on the Darent, which was a great thoroughfare till the building of a bridge at it in the time of Henry VI. Isabella, the sister of Henry III., was married in the parish church in 1235 to theEmperor Frederick. Edward III. held a tournament here in 1331, and founded an Augustinian nunnery here in 1355. Wat Tyier commenced his insurrection here in 1381, by beating out the brains of the poll-tax collector. Henry V., the conqueror of Agincourt, was brought here after his death. The body was met at the porch of the parish church by the Bishop of Exeter.
Dartford consists chiefly of one spacious, well-built, picturesque street. The nunnery, founded by Edward III., stood at the west end, became the retreat of a daughter of Edward IV. and many noble ladies, was converted after the dissolution into a royal palace, passed for a time to Anne of Cloves, was inhabited two days in 1573 by Queen Elizabeth, passed by barter to Sir Robert Cecil, was held on life-lease by Sir Edward Darcy, and got then the name of Place House. The edifice appears to have been very extensive, and a small part of it, not .earlier than the time of Henry VII., still stands, and is now used as a farmhouse. A chantry chapel, dedicated to St Edmund the Martyr, and situated in a cemetery of its own on the opposite side of the town, belonged to the nunnery, and was in such great repute by pilgrims to Canterbury that the reach of Watling Street leading to it often took the name of " St Edmund's Way," but it has entirely disappeared. The pilgrims resorted chiefly to St Thomas a Becket's chapel at the north aisle of the parish church, which was used for that purpose until the time of Henry VIII. There is an interesting room which was formerly used as an armoury after the dissolution of the chantry. This is situated over the vestry. The parish church is a spacious ancient edifice with a Norman tower, was repaired or much altered in 1793, and thoroughly restored in 1877. It has remains of a decorated screen, a mural monument to Sir John Spielman, Queen Elizabeth's jeweller, and some interesting brasses and effigies. There are two mission churches and four chapels for dissenters. The Martyrs' Memorial Hall is an edifice of brick erected in 1890, and contains a library, reading-room, refreshment-room, and gymnasium. A Conservative club was opened in 1894. There are some large charities. The London Pauper Lunatic Asylum is a large erection, with a lofty central tower, and forms a prominent object for a considerable distance. There are also a workhouse, an endowed grammar school, and alms-houses. The town has a head post office, two banks, two chief inns, and is a seat of petty sessions. Markets are held on Saturdays, and a fair on 2 Aug. A large export trade is carried on in country produce, chalk, lime, and manufactures; and an import trade in coal and timber, the Darent, under the name of Dartford Creek, affording good navigation hither to the Thames, and there are powder and paper mills of great extent. One of the earliest paper mills was built by Sir John Spielman.
The parish comprises 4251 acres of land and 198 of water; population, 11,962. The manor belonged to the Crown, and was given by James I. to the Whitmores. Part of the area adjoining the river is marshy, and part above is chalk down. Numerous remarkable ancient excavations exist in the chalk, and fine views are had from the heath, a mile south-west of the town. Eichard Plantagenet encamped on the heath in 1452, and Fairfax in 1648. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; value, £540 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Worcester.
Dartford Parliamentary Division, or North West Kent was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, and. returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 79,853. The division includes the following:-Dartford-' Ash-next-Ridley, Crayford, Darenth, Dartford, Erith, Eyns-ford, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Horton Kirby, Kings-down, Longfield, Lullingstone, Ridley, Southfleet, Stone (near Dartford), Sutton-at-Hone, Swanscombe, Wickham (East), Wilmington; Bromley (part of)-Orpington, St Paul's Cray, Foots Cray, St Mary Cray, North Cray; Greenwich, parliamentary borough ; Woolwich, parliamentary borough.
