[5] The discovery of an Anglo-Saxon sword at what is known as the Ozengell burial ground[6] and also 200 graves including a Roman stone and lead-lined coffin, never preserved[clarification needed], show that the site has been occupied for many centuries.

[8] In 1901, the Isle of Thanet Poor Law Union opened a children's home at Manston.

One of the orphans, Frank Sidney Smith, an artist, painted a picture of Manston from memory in later life.

[11] Manston Parish Council consists of seven members and holds its meetings in the RAF Museum.

[citation needed] Manston Parish lies in the middle of the Isle of Thanet and includes the hamlets of Haine, Lydden, Woodchurch and Shottendane.

It was leased to its first tenant Keeper, Samuel Packer (a boot and shoe maker from Ramsgate) in March 1739.

During the Second World War the Jolly Farmer was a favourite of pilots stationed at RAF Manston.

Thanet Parkway railway station, situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village, opened in July 2023.