Copyright Kent Past 2010
Kent Past
The History of Kent
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History of Davington
Davington comes from the Old English ‘tūn’ meaning an ‘enclosure, a farmstead, village’ with ‘ing’ as a ‘connective particle, linking the first and last elements’ combined with a personal name; therefore, a ‘farm/settlement connected with Dafa’.
Davington parish church is a Grade: I listed building, dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene
and Saint Lawrence. It started life in 1153 as Davington Priory, a Benedictine nunnery.
It managed to escape demolition during the reformation as the last nun died in 1535,
whence the property and endowment passed to the crown, which sold it to Sir Thomas
Cheyney. Cheyney converted the priory into a private house, whilst allowing the church
to continue as the parish church, although, privately owned. An unknown founder cast
a priest’s bell in 1774. In 1798, Edward Hasted described the Davington church as
a ‘small building of two isles. The west door of it is an elegant circular arch of
stone, enriched with pillars on each side, and a variety of ornaments over it. The
steeple, which is square, with a pointed top to it, tiled, stands at the south-