Graveyard Memorial Inscriptions

Welcome to the Elham Historical Society database website. Feel free to browse and uncover the history of Elham. Our dedicated team of historians has recently finished recording the details on all the memorials in the graveyard. Our chairman Derek Boughton has overseen the operation, correlating the data and checking for errors. The results of their labours can be seen on the burials page.

Elham beat off stiff competition for the title of Kent Village of the year 2011 organised by Action with Communities in Rural Kent.

Censuses for outlying communities in the parish will be rolled out gradually. Check out the stats page for interesting facts and

trivia about the village. We still need your help so please send us any information relating to Elham that may be of interest.

Les Ames hits out

Elham resident Les Ames in action for England against the West Indies in 1939. He was one of the finer wicketkeeper - batsmen and played for Kent CCC.

Abbot's Fireside c 1450

The Abbot's Fireside is one of the older buildings in the village and probably dates back to the mid fifteenth century.

Audrey attends school

Audrey Hepburn (neé Rushton) lived in Orchard Cottage (Five Bells) for five years in her childhood (1935-1940) and attended the local village schools. She took ballet lessons and dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina. I wonder what became of her?

George V Playing Field

Dave Lee opens Elham's brand new playground with a sensory garden and a pretty flower meadow created by the Play for Elham charity. 21st November 2010

Swing Riots of 1830

The machine breaking that led to the riots of August 1830 onwards started in the Elham Parish, writes our historian Derek Boughton, who has made a lifetime's study of the subject.

Elham residents were prominent in the gangs that sought out the new fangled threshing machines and destroyed them. Some of them cost the not inconsiderable sum for the day of £100. Full Story

Fatal Accident 1886

On Thursday the East Kent Coroner R.M. Mercer Esq.) held an inquest at the New Inn, Elham, on the body of George Palmer, a farmer, 54 years of age, residing at Parsonage Farm. In riding through the doorway of the Black Duck beerhouse, deceased was caught by the board, and pulled off the horse. His foot was caught in the stirrup, and he was dragged through the gateway. Mr Cresswell afterwards examined him, and found he had fractured his spine. The jury found that the deceased died from a fracture of his spine received from falling from his horse. Kentish Gazette, 28 Oct. 1886, 6b

This wasn't our final Boxing Day meet 2002

A MASTER of the East Kent Hunt is confident its future is secure despite mounting pressure to ban the bloodsport. David Potter was speaking after the traditional Boxing Day meet at Elham to which countryside supporters turned out in force. They considerably outnumbered about 30 hunt protestors who waved placards and hurled abuse at the huntsmen and women. KM ID7725 Kent Messenger

Village Hall 1999

17th March. The present village hall was part funded by the Millennium Commission and replaced the 60 year old building (which started as two Army huts). It marked the end of seven years of planning and organising. With financial help also from the County and District together with the generosity of the Elham Community Trust, the Parish Council, The Tory foundation and many individual contributions from villagers, the money was raised to undertake the project. In addition we remember the contributions made by the members of the Village Hall Committee in so many different ways, from assisting in the design and planning of the new building, and the organising of the various fund raising events the were necessary. Our particular thanks go to Margaret Beeching, the late Michael Sheldon and Mike Ridley who all chaired the Hall Comnmittee during this time.

The opening day was fortunately marked by good weather and a large turnout of villagers, together with many important people. It was with delight that we were able to invite the late Mrs Harrowing, a founder member of the old hall to carry out the formal opening of the new building

John Neumark was awarded an MBE for services to the Elham Village Hall Project

Elham Delights Elham Village Hall

EHS Database

Swing Riots of 1830 recounted by Derek Boughton our local expert historian.

Les Ames for England v West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica 1930 or 1935. WK Ivan Barrow watches on.

Audrey Hepburn attended private schools in the village and dreamed of being a ballerina. I wonder what became of her?

What's in the database? Find the latest additions here.

1911 Survey

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Les Ames (1905 - 1990)

Former Elham resident Leslie Ethelbert George Ames CBE; who died suddenly at his home in Canterbury on February 26 1990 - aged 84 - was without a doubt the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman the game has so far produced; and yet - at the time he was playing - it used to be said there were better wicketkeepers than Ames - and that he was in the England team because of his batting. If this was so would Jardine - for example - have preferred him to Duckworth in Australia in 1932-33?

Surely not. When fully fit - Ames was England's first-choice wicketkeeper from 1931 to 1939 - when he virtually gave up the job. For Kent - he was an integral part of their Championship side from 1927 to the first match of 1951 - when a sharp recurrence of back trouble - which had dogged him for so long - brought his career to an end while he was actually at the crease. By this time he had amassed 37248 runs - average 43.51 - made 102 hundreds - including nine double-hundreds - and passed 1000 runs in a season seventeen times - going on to 3000 once and 2000 on five occasions. He had had a direct interest in 1121 dismissals - of which more than 1000 were effected when he was keeping wicket. His total of 418 stumpings is easily a record.

In Test cricket - Ames played 47 matches - scoring 2434 runs with a batting average of 40.56 - and taking 74 catches - and 23 stumpings. Record 8th wicket partnership in all tests of 246 with GO Allen :Made 123 in the pre-lunch session of the 1923 test against South Africa (a record for runs in a session): Scored centuries against every first-class county apart from Kent. Unusually for a wicket-keeper - he also bowled over 200 overs - taking 24 first-class wickets with a bowling average of 33.37.

Ames was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1929. He was a pupil at the Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone and he also played five times for Gillingham FC.

EHS Database

Swing Riots of 1830 recounted by Derek Boughton our local expert historian.

Les Ames for England v West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica 1930 or 1935. WK Ivan Barrow watches on.

Audrey Hepburn attended private schools in the village and dreamed of being a ballerina. I wonder what became of her?

What's in the database? Find the latest additions here.

1911 Survey

EHS Database

Swing Riots

Les Ames (1905 - 1990)

Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993)

She came to village with her mother Dutch Baroness Ella van Heemstra. She lived at Orchard Cottage (now the Five Bells) and attended the private schools in the village square.

Stats

1911 Survey

Population 992 - 522 females and 470 males - 174 houses with three uninhabited