Headcorn - (King Johns Oak)

General Details

Headcorn in Kent lies on the old A274 Tenterden to Maidstone road, and is a long village with a wide range of local shops, and with many old houses.

Its name is derived from the Saxon meaning trees cut down by Huda to produce a clearing Hudakaruna, this has over the years changed to Hedekaruna in 1100 then to Headcorn. This first reference to the village is in the Domesday Monochorum which was the churches equivalent to the Domesday Book , when the church at Hedekaruna is mentioned as belonging to the Maidstone dioceses.

It is said that King John (1199-1216) sat underneath the Headcorn oak (in the churchyard) to watch bull baiting. The tree was burnt down in the last few years.

In 1331 the export of unwashed wool was prohibited by King Edward III. He encouraged weavers from Flanders to settle here, thus bringing their wealth which can be seen in the houses near the church. Many of the villages in the area, such as Cranbrook , Tenterden , Biddenden , Staplecross and Headcorn show signs of the wealth brought to the area.

The current church was built around 1350, with the roof timbers sourced from the Culpepper estate at Bedgebury which lies between Flimwell and Goudhurst .

One of Headcorn's decendants was John Willes who introduced overarm bowling to the game of cricket, in the 1820's. He is buried in nearby Sutton Valence .

During the early 1800's the South Eastern Railway’s track was built through the village to provide a link from London to Dover. This has meant that in recent years the village has expanded quickly mostly as a commuter centre.

Views

The area by the church is the older part of the village, with a number of very old elizabethan properties, this area is very attractive.

The village green is very pretty and is surrounded by old trees.

Services

Headcorn in Kent has a wide range of shops and other services, it has a small supermarket, and acts as a centre for other local villages.

The main line Ashford to London train line runs through the village providing a very frequent commuter service to the capital.

Headcorn has its own airport for light aircraft and microlight planes. It is also the local centre for parachuting.

Map

Headcorn is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages
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