History

The modern parish of Hothfield has 780 residents within an area of 959.43 Hectares (Source: 2011 Census on-line statistics).  Earliest records suggest that the name ‘Hothfield’ is of Saxon origin from ‘heath’ meaning a place where wood has been felled. Hothfield is set in well wooded, agricultural countryside and an interesting variety of houses and farms surrounds the village. Hothfield Heathland Nature Reserve, just off the A20, is a Local Nature Reserve managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. There is a nature trail and many footpaths across the 143 acre common. Visitors can enter the Nature Reserve at any time, but are asked to treat the countryside with respect.  The 13th Century Parish Church of St Margaret is set high to the south of the village overlooking parkland and contains the 17th century Tufton Tomb.

Click here to access Kent Arch. Society's Monumental Inscriptions found in the churchyard of Hothfield Church.

Parish & Local History Records. Are you searching for old parish records? Researching your family tree? Interested in local history archives? The Kent History and Library Centre (KHLC) at Maidstone replaces the Centre for Kentish Studies, East Kent Archives Centre, County Central and Maidstone (St Faiths Street) libraries. KHLC holds manuscript and printed records for Hothfield and the County of Kent. 
Contact:- 08458 247200, Fax: 01622 696450,
email: historyandlibrarycentre@kent.gov.uk
Click here for more information.

This book by the Hothfield History Society is the definitive record of village development and life in the 20th Century.

Extract from the book's Introduction

By 1900 the then Rector of Hothfield, the Reverend Harry Russell, had written not only the history of Hothfield but also that of many families connected with the village. It seems appropriate then, that in the year 2000 we should attempt to bring this up to date by producing a history of the parish in the last 100 years.
 
The book therefore, has several authors, and in editing and compiling their work we have tried to retain the style as well as the content of each contribution.

Much of our information is by word of mouth and although we have no reason to doubt the integrity of our sources, we cannot guarantee total accuracy. It is certainly not our intention to offend anyone by giving information that is untrue or insensitive. The full list of sources and references can be found at the end of each section

We are grateful to the many people who have helped us in our task, which would undoubtedly have been easier if a regular record had been maintained by a village historian and it is our hope this will happen in future and that in 2100 there will be a ready made written and photographic record of the 21st century in Hothfield.

Reverend Russell’s original three volumes are in the Kent County Archives Department in Maidstone.

With over 100 pages, the book contents include...

Introduction
Hothfield Place and Park
St. Margaret’s Church
The Common
Roads and Railways
The War Years
Hothfield School
Village Organisations and Charities
Farms and Businesses
Housing in Hothfield
Reflections on the Century
Appendix.

To find out more about the book or to purchase a copy, please email hothfieldmemories@hotmail.com. Copies of the book are currently available for purchase from Hothfield History Society. they are available in Word format from the History Society on USB or CD (text document not a video).

Hothfield - A History of the Village

 A photocopy of the three volumes of Reverend Russell's manuscript, Hothfield, and referred to above is kept in the village and has been transcribed by Bob Rivers into typescript.  The manuscript was written mainly as a collection of notes charting the development of Hothfield from 680AD to 1900.  It gives genealogical details of many of the families who influenced the development of the parish, mentions many of the more humble residents in the 18th and 19th centuries, describes economic and social conditions and identifies physical features.  Many of the villages and towns around Hothfield are also mentioned.  The contents are:-

The Name; Civil & Geographical Position; Population; and, Possible Earliest Mention of Hothfield

Physical Features; Acreage; Trees; etc

Boundaries & Perambulations

Connection of the Parish with the Weald

The Manors

Hothfield

Fawsley

Swinford

Farms; Fields; Mills; Woods; etc and their ownership

Sundry Names Connected with the Parish

Some Changes in the Parish between 1779 & 1900

Connection of the Parish with the Cloth Industry

Connection of the Parish with the Iron Industry

The Church

Valuation of the Rectory of Hothfield

The Monuments

The Church Plate

The Bells

Benefactions

The Registers

The Rectors

The Curates

The Churchwardens

The Clerks & Sextons

The School

Visitations (Comperts & Detecta)

Briefs

Churchwarden's Accounts

Churchwarden's & Overseers' Accounts

Overseers & Rates

Land Tax

Heraldry

Some Plants on & about Hothfield Common

Books of Reference

Glossary

Index of Miscellaneous Topics

Index of Places

Index of Family Names & Titles.

The book can be borrowed from Ashford KCC Library and seen in the reference section. It can also be seen in the Kent History and Library Centre, Maidstone.