The village on the frontline in the Battle of Medway

A village which sits on the River Medway was on the frontline of the Battle of Medway in AD 43.

Aylesford, which is four miles (6.5km) from Maidstone, in Kent, was a key point in the battle when 40,000 Roman troops descended on the village as the ford was the only place where they could cross the river.

The Romans would arrive in East Kent and walk through the county before using the ford to cross.

A stone has been installed in the neighbouring village of Leybourne which marks the Battle of Medway.

Graham Upton, who lives in Aylesford, said he was interested in the history of the village and studied it further upon hearing the history of the Battle of Medway.

He told Secret Kent: "I was interested in the history after a friend of mine's dad said that Caesar crossed the Medway in Aylesford.

"I studied Roman history at Oxford University and learnt about the Battle of Medway."

The battle occurred when Claudius, as a newly-installed emperor, wanted to give himself some gravitas, so decided to invade Britain.

The invasion landed at Richborough, where the Romans set up a camp.

When they got to the ford at Aylesford, they were met with resistence from local tribes.

Upton said: "The Romans sent over a specialist unit and crossed the river close to Snodland, attacking the British troops from the rear.

"The army would have been 40,000 strong but they could only send certain units as the river was a bottleneck."

Aylesford was built up at the time because of the ford, and the place takes it name from the ford.

In 2026, there are two ways to cross the river - via a pedestrian footbridge and a modern Bailey bridge.

The Battle of Medway was won by the Romans after a two-day, close-quarters fight.

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