Lathe (county subdivision)

A lathe (/ˈleɪð/; Old English: lǽð; Latin: lestus) formed an administrative country subdivision of the county of Kent, England, from the Anglo-Saxon period, until it fell out of general practical use in the early twentieth century.[3] There exists a widespread belief that lathes originally formed around the royal settlements of the Kingdom of Kent.[5] The Sheriff toured the county twice yearly attending on the lathes, in the case of Sutton at Hone, possibly at Shire Hall.Also the Corporation of Romney Marsh in this lathe possessed its own quarter and petty sessions (separate from the county).[8] However Shepway reappeared as a principal local government division of Kent in 1974, within roughly the same area as previously; the name was abandoned in 2018 in favour of Folkestone and Hythe.