History Of Dartford

Dartford town centre is located between a valley where the River Darent flows and the old road which crossed over from London to Dover. This is how the name "Dartford" came about - "Darent + ford". In the early days Dartford became known as a Market town mainly during the medieval times and although today it is well known as "the commuter town" for people working in London, it has a very long history of religious, industrial and cultural importance.

In the pre-history period the first people appeared around Dartford's now known area around 250,000 years ago. This was a tribe of prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

When the Romans engineered the London to Dover Road (which is now named Watling street) it was at the time necessary to cross the River Darent by ford, giving the settlement its name. They proceeded to build many Roman villas along Darent Valley and around what was known as Noviomagus (Crayford), close by. The Saxons may well have established the very first settlement in the now known Dartford Area.

During the 15^th century, two kings of England became part of the town's history, as Henery V had his troops march through the town prior to fighting with the French at the battle of Agincourt in Nov 1415 & Henry V's body was taken to the Holy Trinity church by Edmund Lacey where the Bishop of Exeter performed a funeral in match 1452.

Richard the Duke of York camped on the brent with thousands of men who were waiting for a confrontation with king Henry VI. The duke surrendered himself to the King in Dartford. The placed that they set up camp is marked today as York Road.

There were many significant changes to Dartford in the sixteenth century as new indistries began to take shape. The priory was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538 and a new manor house was erected by King Henry VIII.

Dartford grammar school was founded in 1576 as part of the Tudor emphasis to educate "ordinary people"

During the reigns of Queen Mary and Phillip & Mary in 1553-1558 many protestants were executed including Christopher Waid he was a Dartford born linen-weaver who was burnt at the stake infront of thousands of people who turned out to "spectate" on Dartford Brent in 1555 - There is a Martyrs Memorial on East hill which commemorates Waid and other Kentish Martyrs.

Dartford is located within an area not so commonly known as the London Basin. Which is a low-lying marsh to the north of the town consists of London Clay and the alluvium brought down by the two rivers (The Darent and The Cray).

The higher land on which the town currently stands and through which a narrow Darrent valley runs, consists of Chalk surmounted by the Blackheath Beds of sand and Gravel.

As a small human Settlement, Dartford became established as a simple river crossing point with the coming of the romans and as a focal point between two routes, from west to east being part of the "main" routh connecting London with the continent, and the southerly route following alongside the Darent Valley. As a result the town's main road patterns make the shape of a letter T if looked at from above.

The Dartford Marsh to the north and proximity of Crayford and the London Borough Of Bexley to the west means that the towns growth is to the south and to the west including Wilmington.

More to follow.....