Barfrestone

From Wikishire
Jump to: navigation, search
Barfrestone
Kent
St Nicholas' Church, Barfrestone.jpg
St Nicholas' Church, Barfrestone
Location
Grid reference: TR261501
Location: 51°12’21"N, 1°14’10"E
Data
Post town: Dover
Postcode: CT15
Dialling code: 01304
Local Government
Council: Dover
Parliamentary
constituency:
Dover

Barfrestone is a village in east Kent, between Shepherdswell, Eythorne and Nonington, and close to the pit villages of Elvington and Snowdown.

Alternative spellings are Barfreston and Barfreystone. The old pronunciation was "Barson" (before 1800) and the ancient name, "Barfriston".[1] Now known as "Bar-fre-ston", rather than "Bar-fre-stone".

At the time of the Domesday Book, when the name was written 'Berfrestone',[2] the manor was owned by Odo, Earl of Kent (as the Bishop of Bayeux). But after his trial (for fraud) in 1076, his assets were re-apportioned, including Barfrestone. The lands were then granted to Hugh de Port (a feudal barony) for the defence of Dover Castle. The lands passed through the hands of many other owners including Sir Thomas Browne (during the reign of Henry VI).[1]

Landmarks include the Grade-I-listed Norman church,[3][4] which contains significant carvings around door portals, the bell in the adjacent yew tree, and "Little Ewell", a converted rectory which, until 2013, was the location of the centre (house, offices and workshops) of the L'Arche Kent Community which has since moved to Canterbury,[5] though a L'Arche house remains in the nearby village of Eythorne.

Another listed building in the village is Grade-II-listed Barfrestone Court,[6][7]

The village is on the Miner's Way Trail which links the coalfield parishes of East Kent.[8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Hasted, Edward (1800). "Parishes". The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent (Institute of Historical Research) 10: 71–78. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62986. Retrieved 11 February 2014. 
  2. Mills, Anthony David (2003); A Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University Press, revised edition (2011), p. 41. ISBN 019960908X
  3. "Church of St Nicholas, Eythorne". http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-177872-church-of-st-nicholas-eythorne-kent. Retrieved 4 December 2013. 
  4. National Heritage List 1070306: Church of St Nicholas (Grade I listing)
  5. "L'Arche". http://www.larchekent.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2016. 
  6. "Barfrestone Court, Eythorne". http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-177873-barfrestone-court-eythorne-kent. Retrieved 4 December 2013. 
  7. National Heritage List 1122002: Barfrestone Court (Grade II listing)
  8. "The History of the Coalfield Parishes". www.dover.gov.uk. http://www.dover.gov.uk/kentcoal/minerstrail/history.asp. Retrieved 20 November 2013. 

Outside links

Commons-logo.svg
("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Barfrestone)
Roundel of Kent.svg
 This Kent article is a stub: help to improve Wikishire by building it up.