Appledore is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh, 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Ashford town. The northerly part of this village is Appledore Heath.
Etymology
Appledore is first recorded within the Doomsday Book as apuldre (meaning apple tree in Old English). Alternatively, a Brythonic origin of "dwr/dor" has been proposed, which means water and would refer to the village’s connection to the River Rother as a historic port.
History
Middle ages
In 2015, two fragmented ancient roman pottery shards dating between 75 AD to 150 AD were identified in during archeological monitoring In 892 AD, coming from Boulogne, a danish fleet of 250 ships and 5000 men docked along the River Limen (River Rother). The danish men built fortification in Appledore for the winter and launched an incursion into Wessex the following Spring. In 1997, A hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins were found near Appledore by metal detectors within ceramic pottery, many of the coins had a ‘Expanding Cross’ symbol. Over 34 mints were represented, of which half were Canterbury and contained the first known coin types from Sandwich and Romney Marsh. The hoard was likely buried between 1051 to 1052.
In 1086, the village was be recorded in the Doomsday Book. A church is recorded, but no stonework of the period can identify it to St Peter and St Paul. The village held a population of roughly 300: 78 households, 37 villagers and 41 smallholders. 6 fisheries described. There were 8 plough lands with 3 plough teams of oxen. Around 2 acres of meadows recorded, and a woodland that supported around 6 swine. In total, the land brought a value of 16 pounds 17 shillings and 5 pence to its lord. Violent storms hit Appledore. The first documented storm struck in 1236 and caused coastal flooding. In October 1250, a second hit. ‘Very violent and extraordinary in nature’ described by chroniclers.
The storms caused a breach in the shingle barrier and the River Rother to gradually slit. The breaches in the shingle beach enlarged and by 1258 the River Rother reached as far Appledore. The Rhee Canal was dug up 12.07 kilometres (7.5 miles) between Appledore to New Romney. The storm of 1287 swept shingle across the mouth of the channel at Romney and cause flood. The overflow to the River Rother changed the course from Appledore to just a few miles east of Rye.
Dated to the 13th century, a lead seal matrix of 22.86 millimetres (0.9 inches) in diameter was found in 1981. Inscribed upon it is S'PhILIRIChAIVN (Seal of Philip Richaiun) Between 1314 and 1316, Appledore had around 55 shops, with stalls beside them. The manorial income from renting these spaces was 18 shillings. Land behind the stalls became derelict by 1335. In 1349, the black death hit. ‘Nine shillings received from the shops in the town and no more because all the holders who used to be there are dead’
King Edward III grant the village a weekly market and annual fair in 1359, which was held until the end of the 14th century. During the Hundreds’ Year War, in 1380, the French army sailed upriver and pillaged Appledore. The following year, many inhabitants joined the Peasants Revolt and were led by Wat Tyler. The force broke into Horne’s Place, the house of William de Horne, and stole goods worth 10 pounds. Jack Cade and his army marched through the village in 1450, wanting to reform the government of Henry VI. There was a courtcase in 1498 between the plaintiff Richard Charles and defendant Robert Boreman over the double sale of a `berebruhouse' and land in Appledore
Modern era Monks let out Court Lodge to well-off Yeomen, who were self-sufficient and worked the land well. Dated 1513, a lease recalls the property let of Lodge Court and a farm to William Brockhill. In his later will in 1520, he left an endowment to pay towards a school and provisions for a salary for a priest to teach for perpetuity. Funds in 1523 went towards building a conduit carrying running water to the market. In 1583, Queen Elizabeth I became a tenant of Appledore Manor.In October 1804, construction began on the Royal Military Canal due to the rising threat of Napoleon.Historical notes Construction work was done by civilians with Militia units working on ramparts and turfing the banks. It took between 1808 to 1809 for the Royal Military Canal to be fully completed In 1842, a gun accident in the local Swan Hotel resulted in the death of a pub’s owner 26 year old son. The man had been out shooting with his friends. Mr Pearson, who walking through a hedge, had the barrel of his gun caught by a branch. It caused the gun to fire, hitting the 26 year old in the head and killing him. Mr Pearson was deemed as not guilty.
On the morning of 15th January 1867, a young chimney sweeper, George, died while residing at a barn with Samuel Martin and Caroline Buckman in Appledore. George was described as pale and ill, often beaten by Samuel. While attempting to flee from Samuel, Caroline confessed to the Police. The report resulted in the arrest of Samuel, who said, “I did not kill the boy; he was frozen to death, and I took him from the fire in the lane where I had left him, and took him to the barn, and covered him over there with some straw, and left him.” The body of George was discovered on the 10th of June, half eaten by rats. Samuel Martin was taken to the Ashford Police Court on the 24th of June and to the Petty Courts the next day. He was fined and imprisoned for a month before further sentenced to twenty years’ penal servitude. The Lydd Railway Company began construction of rail from Appledore to Lydd in April 1881, and opened on the following December for passengers. The line extended in 1882 to New Romney and a railway line was built north of Appledore Station. During the first Circuit of Europe air race, Monsieur Renaux landed his plane in the outskirts of Appledore in 1911 for fuel. A photo of the time captures the event: the landed plane, a surrounding crowd and the date 3rd July 1911 on the corner.
In the honour rolls, previously within Methodist Chapel, there were 61 men listed who served during World War I. 16 of those men named were killed. However, it is believed to only relate to former pupils, with an additional 9 men listed on the rolls of honour in St Peter’s & St Paul’s Church.
Puds such as The Swan Hotel were restricted during the wartime. The 4th Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment inspected the Royal Military Canal between October to November of 1914 and were billeted in local homes. In February 1915, The Kentish Gazette published a honours rolls and includes an additional 19 men. The local post office and shop, Avery and Son, was where the ration books registered during 1918. A sports pavilion was first constructed in 1925 for a sports field, the was land lent by Mr Terry. The pavilion had a thatched roof, and the posts had carved names of young cricket players in kent.
In July 1936, Miss Dorothy Johnston purchases a three-mile stretch between Appledore and Warehorne. She presented it to the National Trust. By September 1938, residents of Appledore were handed out gas masks. Households prepared for the possibility of billeting children to the rural location; 267 children allotted to homes in Appledore. On May 1939, the First Aid Post was relocated from the village hall to a sitting-room due to the halls use by the soldiers. The village hall acted as a lecture hall and cookhouse for the stationed men. The first wave of the evacuations came on the 3rd of September 1939. 75 children and their mothers were relocated from Catford. On the same month, ration books were issued for food and petrol. The Battle of Britain was visible overhead, and Miss Dorothy Johnston would write. ‘There seemed heaps of planes going over. There was constant whirring while I was getting lunch. The soldiers are now made to put on their tin hats whether on duty or not.’ During the midnight of the 18th August 1940, A bomb was dropped on Terry's field, near Appledore. On the 5th September, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 was shot down by Sergeant C.A.L and the plane crashed into Appledore Station. In 1986, the body was be discovered in perfect preservation in the marsh and identified as Lieutenant Helmut Strobl. 15th of the same month, a Hurricane V6688 was shot down during aerial combat. While in action with the enemy, a Spitfire N3283 shot down 3 days later. By early 1945, blackout curtains was be taken down The spy known as Kenneth de Burgh Codrington moved into Rose Cottage 1961, residing for 25 years with his wife. By the 1950s harsh weather had damaged sports pavilion’s thatched roof and the wooden poles had woodworm, this resulted the construction during 1964 and 1965 of a newer building. The previous medieval style pavilion acted for storage. Religion The medieval parish church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.Appledore parish church In the 2021 Cencus, around 60.3% of residents identified as Christian.
Transport The B2080 is a local road connecting Appledore with Tenterden and Brenzett, where it meets the A259 South Coast Trunk Road. The Royal Military Road follows the canal southwest from Appledore to Rye. The Marshlink Line railway line runs between and via Appledore railway station, which is around from the village. The line reduces from dual to single track beyond the station towards and Hastings.
Education Though Appledore previously had Appledore Primary School, the local primary was shut on August 1991 and has remained so since. The nearest primary schools are currently Woodchurch CE Primary School and Brenzett Primary School for students aged 4 to 11. The nearest secondary school and sixth form is Homewood School & Sixth Form Centre.
History of schools in Appledore, Kent