Axstane was a hundred in the county of Kent, England. The Hundred of Axstane lay south-east of Dartford and Wilmington Hundred. It is called Achestan in the Domesday Book of 1086,The Domesday Book: Kent (Publisher: Phillimore & Co Ltd, 1 Nov 1983)The original text and translation but by the reign of Edward I it was called Axstane.
Its name has been interpreted as referring to an oak-bearing stony land, or alternatively a reference to the personal name Acca.Dartford Country - The Story Of The Hundred Of Axstane by Geoff Porteus, 1985, (page 13)
In the time of Edward I, the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury were then its lords paramount. In the 20th year of the reign of Edward III (1347, just before the Black Death) this hundred answered for a total of 14.725 knights' fees.
Alternative spellings: Achestan (as above), Axston, Axstone, Axtane, AxtonHundred of Axton in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales,1870-72
The hundred included the parishes of Ash Darenth Eynsford Farningham Fawkham Hartley Horton Kirby Longfield Lullingstone Ridley Southfleet Stone Swanscombe Sutton-at-Hone Kingsdown
The Hundred of Dartford and Wilmington did not exist at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, and the parishes of Dartford and Wilmington were accounted as part of Axstane in the Domesday Book of 1086.See The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 1, author:Edward Hasted, publ. 1797
The importance of the hundred courts declined from the 17th century, and most of their powers were extinguished with the establishment of county courts in 1867. In 1894 the Hundred was succeeded by Dartford Rural District, which was then created out of the same parishes, with the addition of Wilmington and Crayford.Dartford RD Kent through time | Local history overview for the Local Government District, Visionofbritain.org.uk.
Dartford Poor Law Union Dartford Poor Law Union was formed on 19 May 1836, covering roughly the same area as the Hundred of Axstane. Its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians, 24 in number, representing the following 21 constituent parishes (figures in brackets indicate numbers of Guardians if more than one): Ash, Bexley (2), Crayford (2), Darenth, Dartford (2), Eynsford, Erith, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Horton Kirby, Kingsdown, Longfield, Lullingstone, Ridley, Southfleet, Stone, Sutton-at-Hone, Swanscombe, East Wickham, Wilmington.
The area was 34,139 acres (138 km2). Population in 1851: 9,869; Houses: 1,852.
The population by parish was as follows:Victoria County History of Kent Vol 3, p. 367, publ.1932, ed William Page,
Parish Area (acres) Pop. 1851 Pop. 1891 Comments See Dartford Registration District Ash 3,074 702 619 Merged into Ash-cum-Ridley 1 April 1955 Incorporated in the parish of Ash cum Ridley and, to
a minor extent, West Kingsdown Darenth 2,223 654 2801 Eynsford 3,544 1,323 1,841 Farningham 2,739 701 879 Fawkham 1,198 249 232 Hartley 1,211 227 272 Horton Kirby 2,841 747 1,551 Kingsdown 2,813 423 412 Renamed West Kingsdown 1 August 1948 Longfield 605 162 498 Lullingstone 1557 51 64 Abolished 1 April 1955.Became part of the parish of Eynsford Ridley 834 91 86 Abolished 1 April 1955Became part of the parish of Ash cum Ridley Southfleet 2,409 657 968 Stone 3,009 829 3,773 Sutton at Hone 3,625 1,290 3,847 Swanley parish created 1 April 1955 Out of the parish of Sutton at Hone and minor parts of other parishes Swanscombe 2,141 1,763 6,577 TOTAL 33,823 9,869 24,420
The Hundred of Axstane belonged to the Lathe of Sutton at Hone.
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