Dartford Brent
Encyclopedia
Dartford Brent was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of Dartford
in Kent
. In history, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI
and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of Christopher Ward, a Dartford linen weaver, executed for his Protestant faith.
Part of Dartford Brent was a famous major cricket venue in the 18th century and it was almost certainly in use in during the 17th century also. It was noted for the quality of its turf, which was said to be "as smooth as a bowling green" .
The earliest known inter-county match took place there on 29 June 1709 when Kent
and Surrey
played against each other .
The All-England v Hampshire match played 27, 28 and 29 August 1795 (Hampshire won by 4 wickets) was the last time Dartford Brent is known to have been used for a major match. Games in Dartford after 1795 were played at Bowman’s Lodge on nearby Dartford Heath .
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. In history, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of Christopher Ward, a Dartford linen weaver, executed for his Protestant faith.
Part of Dartford Brent was a famous major cricket venue in the 18th century and it was almost certainly in use in during the 17th century also. It was noted for the quality of its turf, which was said to be "as smooth as a bowling green" .
Major cricket venue
Major cricket was played at Dartford Brent all through the 18th century and numerous references have survived from 1709 to 1795.The earliest known inter-county match took place there on 29 June 1709 when Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
and Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
played against each other .
The All-England v Hampshire match played 27, 28 and 29 August 1795 (Hampshire won by 4 wickets) was the last time Dartford Brent is known to have been used for a major match. Games in Dartford after 1795 were played at Bowman’s Lodge on nearby Dartford Heath .
Campaign against closure
According to the club's website, an unsuccessful campaign was waged against the Brent's enclosure during the 1870s and the townspeople presented a petition to the Court of Common Council. Among other things, the petition held that a portion of the Brent had been used as the town cricket ground throughout the whole period of living memory; while the whole area had been "constantly resorted to for all sorts of past times and has been looked upon as the recreation ground of Dartford". The cricket ground at that time lay near the top of Brent Lane, somewhere across the road which passes alongside Hesketh Park.Today
Dartford Cricket Club still plays in the Kent League and its present ground at Hesketh Park is almost all that is left of the old Brent.External sources
- History of Dartford Cricket Club
- From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787
- CricketArchive – Dartford Brent
Further reading
- F S Ashley-Cooper, At the Sign of the Wicket: Cricket 1742-1751, Cricket Magazine, 1900
- F S Ashley-Cooper, Kent Cricket Matches 1719-1880, Gibbs & Sons, 1929
- G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
- Arthur HaygarthArthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862 - H T WaghornH T WaghornHenry Thomas Waghorn , was a cricket statistician and historian. He is best known for his two classic researches into cricket's early history: The Dawn of Cricket and Cricket Scores: 1730 - 1773....
, Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730-1773), Blackwood, 1899 - H T WaghornH T WaghornHenry Thomas Waghorn , was a cricket statistician and historian. He is best known for his two classic researches into cricket's early history: The Dawn of Cricket and Cricket Scores: 1730 - 1773....
, The Dawn of Cricket, Electric Press, 1906