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Nonington
is a village situated halfway between the historic city of
Canterbury and the channel port of Dover in the South East of
England. Probably our most famous treasure is the
Majesty Oak, the
largest maiden oak in the UK and this can be found hidden away on
the outskirts of the village. Click
HERE to see where we are on the map.
The name of the village is
thought to be derived from nuns, or their tenants, occupying a farm
or manor in the proximity of Eswalt (St Albans Court). A 1938
Nonington Church Guide says: "at the time of the Norman Conquest a
nunnery appears to have stood in what is now St. Albans Park, a few
ruins still being visible. Nonington was possibly the ‘tun’ or
‘homestead’ of the nuns of Bedesham, a name which survives in
‘Beachams’ or ‘Beauchamps’ Lane close by".
From The Webb
History of Nonington
Another Version -
An alternative
derivation of the name, since there was no nunnery at St Albans is
that it comes from a Saxon Chief called Nunna. The Anglo Saxon
suffix 'ing' meant 'people of' and
'ton' (as noted above) meant 'place'. The
whole name thus is 'The Place of Nunna's People'. Most
village names are Saxon (5th to 11th centuries). When there is a
landowner - name incorporated (e.g. Monks Horton); Wickhambreaux),
as in Nuneaton (Warwickshire), it is usually later. There are 'Nunningtons'
in North Yorkshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Somerset. St
Albans was a simple manor or farm belonging to the monastery in
Hertfordshire. 'Beauchamps' may be from a connection
with the medieval De Beauchamp Earls of Warwick, one of whom held
land here. The remains once in the ruins field, next to Beauchamps
Wood, were of Eswell/Easole Manor, recently partly excavated. Charles Caulson
Useful reference:
English Place Names, Kenneth Cameron, Batsford 1961. P.133
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Walking in
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Places to visit around Nonington
The Snowdown & Kent
Coalfield Heritage Group (SKaCH)
Nonington Nature Celebrates the
nature of our local area
White Cliffs Countryside Project
www.nonnington.co.uk.
The village is central to some excellent walks and heritage trails.
Our own historic church was built over 900 years ago.
Fredville
Park,
St
Albans Court and
Knowlton
Court cover much of the land surrounding the village. The
villages of
Barfrestone,
Goodnestone - where
Jane Austen used to stay,
Eastry where
Lord Nelson
was a guest at Heronden House and
Broome Park,
the home of
Lord Kitchener, are just a few miles away.
Old Court Hill, Nonington
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