018 TUNBRIDGE WELLS – ITS BEGINNINGS & BEYOND Going back to its roots
Tunbridge Wells came into existence after the chance discovery of a health-giving spring. Sometime in 1606, an ailing Lord North was travelling to London when he noticed a foaming spring. The young nobleman tasted the iron-rich water and took samples for analysis. He later returned and, over time, his illness disappeared. The good news spread quickly. A well was sunk and the aristocracy fl ocked to what became known as the Chalybeate Spring in the hope of a cure from many different ills. At fi rst, everyone – even Charles I’s queen, Henrietta Maria (right) – had to camp or lodge in nearby Southborough until a hamlet gradually established itself. Named Tunbridge Wells because of its proximity to Tonbridge (originally spelled ‘Tunbridge’), this town rapidly gained a reputation as much for style as for curing illness. To cater for their spiritual needs, visitors donated money to build the Church of King Charles the Martyr, opened in 1676. Since then, the town has gone from strength to strength,
patronised by royalty, a magnet for the style conscious and a haven for the retired and young families alike. It is justifi ably proud of its ‘royal’ heritage and carefully preserves its unique history and picturesque surroundings.
The earliest days
The High Weald, once a densely forested area and site of present-day Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, was once home to Stone Age hunter-gatherers. They cleared the forest, using fi re and fl int tools, hunted for food and later began to farm. They sheltered beneath the High Rocks, as evidenced by ancient tracks and artefacts found there by local archaeologist James Money. During the Iron Age (1,200–1,000 BC), Crowborough became a centre of a fl ourishing iron industry that was further exploited by the Romans.
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The invaders
Hordes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes landed in Kent during the 5th century and the Kingdom of Kent was established. Settlements sprang up at Rotherfi eld and Groombridge, while records show that Egbert, King of Kent, granted Rusthall (named after the colour of its water) and Speldhurst to the Bishop of Rochester somewhere around AD 770. The sparsely populated High Wealden forest was widely used for pig feeding (pannage). Each year, people herded around 10,000 pigs along the drove (track) roads from North Kent to graze on the autumn acorn harvest in the Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells area. These swine pastures were called ‘dens’, and form the origin of many place names, such as Mouseden or Culverden. Connected by well- worn tracks, these eventually became permanent settlements.
16 06
12 00 BC
AD 770
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