Dunkirk is a village and civil parish between Faversham and Canterbury in southeast England.
It lies on the Canterbury Road between Boughton under Blean and Harbledown. This was the main Roman road from the Kentish ports to London, also known as Watling Street.
Toponymy
The origin of the village's name is still not very clear, but it is understood to come from "Dunkirk" being a word for lawless place in the 17th century, given the area was mostly woodland that was mostly lived on by squatters involved in smuggling at the time. Another explanation claims it came a house called "Dunkirk", lived in by a Flemish man from Dunkirk, however this was dismissed as such a house was never listed on Ordnance Survey maps and the village was already established.
History
In 1800, according to Edward Hasted, the village was once part of the king's ancient forest of Blean in the 'hundred of Westgate'. Eleven men died when a band of farm labourers were intercepted by a detachment of soldiers.
In 2011, the villagers had an official opening of their replacement Village Hall. £230,000 was raised to pay for the new hall.
See also
- Listed buildings in Dunkirk, Kent