who landed in East Anglia and became King of England in 1013. The father of Canute, Sweyn died at Gainsborough, on the Trent, in 1014. Canute (Cnut) died in Shaftesbury in 1035, and his sons were unable to hold on to his empire. But the name of Swanscombe cannot derive from Sweyn Forkbeard, as the place-name is first attested in 695 AD. Other research suggests that deneholes might have been dug as a method of extracting chalk for use on the fields above, or the mining may have been a by-product of defence. In any case the practice reached a peak around the 13th – 14th centuries, long after the Viking raids had ceased. Norman Conquest It is claimed, apparently without evidence, that in 1066 Swanscombe locals massed an army in defiance of William I and so won the right to continue their ancient privileges, including the tradition of passing inheritance by gavelkind. The men of Kent met William near Swanscombe, where the Saxons concealed their number with branches, thus intimidating the Norman army. Again according to legend, they were offered a truce that left Kent as the only region in England that William left unconquered. Hence in this area of England alone, Kent County Council adopted the motto Invicta, meaning unconquered. Churches Richard Norman Shaw designed All Saints' Church in 1894, built out of knapped flint for the workers of the cement industry. It survives as a rare example of his design, covering several Gothic Revival styles throughout its architecture and features, such as Decorated tracery on the windows and Arts and Crafts Perpendicular woodwork in the interior. The flint parish church of St Peter and St Paul is mostly of the 13th century. However various sections contain Early Norman material. The tower and chancel contain 11th- and 12th-century work respectively, although the tower was reconstructed in the 13th century and the chancel arch is from the 14th century. The lower section of the tower contains some Saxon material. The tower is topped with a broached shingled spire, and in 1902 the church was struck by lightning causing extensive damage. A large-scale restoration was undertaken by Jabez Bignall in 1872-73 and again by him after the damage from the lightning strike. The parish register dates from 1559. George Cecil Renouard is buried in the Swanscombe churchyard. Second World War Just after 8 o'clock in the evening of Sunday 10