The white horse and the motto 'Invictus' on the Kentish flag, are to be seen everywhere throughout the county. The word 'Invictus' means 'Unconquered'.
Following the Norman invasion in 1066, peasants in Kent refused to acknowledge Duke William's rule and ambushed his men near Strood.
In return for them ceasing their protests and accepting his authority, the Duke pardoned them, and permitted them to use the white horse emblem and the motto of 'unconquered'.
Over the centuries, Kent has been home to many famous - and infamous people. But some of the more unusual residents are wallabies, who have been spotted around the Bethersden and Tenterden areas.
Smarden, like a lot of Kentish villages, is full of houses known as 'Wealden Hall' houses. These are somewhat larger than normal farm houses. There was also a plethora of smaller than usual farms. Both of these facts are down to an old system of tenure which was peculiar to Kent. Known as gavelkind, this was where, instead of the eldest son inheriting all, the estate was divided equally amongst all of the sons.
In general practice in Kent before the Norman Conquest, it was suppressed by the Normans, but was not finally abolished until 1922. It persisted only in Kent, and owes a lot to the facts above and the subsequent motto of Kent, 'Invictus'. And this accounts for there being far more houses for 'yeoman farmers' in Kent than in the rest of the country.
The traditional Wealden House had a central hall open to the roof, with service rooms at one side and private living quarters at the other. The whole was set under one roof with the second story jettied out above the ground floor. These houses were built in great numbers in the 15th. and early 16th. centuries.
A BALLOON FLIGHT over East Kent
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