About Kent

Country: England
Region: South east
Established: Ancient
Area: 3,544 sq km(1,368 sq mi)
Population: 1,931,6800
Largest settlement: Maidstone

Kent is a county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex to the north, Dover to the south east, East Sussex to the south west, Surrey to the west, and London to the north west.

The name Kent comes from the ancient Celtic word, cantus, meaning 'rim' or 'border'

History:
Around 375BC a Greek traveller recorded in his records that it was already called Kent.

Prehistoric Times:
Tools found near Canterbury are among the oldest in Britain. A skull is Britain's oldest human which belonged to an ancestor of the Neanderthals.

Roman Times:
Kent was the gateway for the Roman conquest of Britain, serving as the province's most critical military and economic hub from AD 43 until the early 5th century.

Anglo Saxon Times:
Unlike most of England, which was settled by Angles and Saxons, Kent was settled by Jutes from southern Denmark.

King Ethelbert I welcomed St. Augustine’s mission from Rome, establishing Canterbury as the permanent centre of the English Church.

Norman Times:
Kent was the most strategic region in England, acting as the primary defensive shield for London and the gateway to the Continent.

Legend says that shortly after the Battle of Hastings, a group of local men confronted William the Conqueror, demanding to keep their ancient laws in exchange for peace. William agreed, leading to Kent’s motto Invicta (Unconquered).

Tudor and Stuart Times:
Kent was known as the Gateway to England, serving as a defensive line from Europe and a hub for international trade. 

The Tudor Era:
Fearing Catholic invasion after the Reformation, Henry VIII built a chain of artillery forts along the Kent coast. The Dockyard Chatham was established by Henry VIII in 1567 and became the primary naval base for the Royal Navy. 

Industrial Revolution Times:
Kent experienced a quieter Industrial Revolution. Kent’s largest industrial sites were driven by the needs of the British Empire and its defence.

Chatham Dockyard was one of the world's largest, it pioneered mass production techniques, such as Marc Brunel’s steam powered sawmills. It built HMS Achilles, the first iron-hulled battleship constructed in a Royal Dockyard.

The Chart Gunpowder Mills supplied the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, and remains the oldest water-powered gunpowder mills in the world. 

Kent became the heart of English hop growing. The iconic Oast House design was perfected in the 19th century to dry hops more efficiently.

Using the clean water of the Medway and Darent valleys, Kent became a leading supplier of paper to London. By the 19th century, mills in Maidstone and Dartford were at the cutting edge of mechanized paper production. 

Victorian Times:
Kent underwent a major cultural and physical transformation as it became both the industrial back garden of London and a premier leisure destination. 
Many fishing villages reinvent themselves as holiday spots due to the arrival of the railways and the medicinal sea bathing craze. 

Modern Times:
Kent is a vital international logistics hub and a leader in sustainable industries.