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

An Old Lady’s Fatal Fall 1902

The East Kent Coroner (Mr. R. M. Mercer) held an inquest at the King’s Head, Elham, on Tuesday, touching the death of Mary Whitnall, aged 89—It appeared that on Tuesday the 15th inst. when Richard Whitnall, a son, got up to have his breakfast he found deceased lying on the door downstairs where she slept. The deceased died on Sunday the 23rd at 5 a.m. Mr. Percy Charles Burgess, surgeon at Elham, was called in to see the deceased on Tuesday the 18th and found her in bed in a collapsed condition. There was an abrasion on the side of both lags and on the side of the head. The deceased had been some hours on the floor, and it was a cold night. Death in the surgeon's opinion was due to shock from the fall and exposure and senile decay.—The jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death. Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - Saturday 01 March 1902

Cyril Parkinson 1934

Enrolled as a graduate student at King's College London. He was commissioned into the Territorial Army as a member of the 22nd London Regiment (The Queen's) and was promoted to Lieutenant. Emmanuel College, Cambridge elected him a research fellow

BARHAM - FATAL ACCIDENT 1875

An inquest was held at the "Sportsman," Barham, on Wednesday last, by T. T. Delasaux, Esq., Coroner, on the body of Mr. John File Pilcher, aged 62, carpenter, of Wingmore, in the parish of Eiham. The only witness was Mr. William Pilcher, of Elham, who deposed :—On Saturday last I left Canterbury about 5 o‘clock in the evening in a cart drawn by one horse. Deceased was in the cart, and the horse was driven by Alfred Pilcher, son of the deceased. As we were proceeding towards Wingmore, and when we had reached Breachdown, the horse shied and drew the near wheel of the cart on a bank, overturning the cart and throwing us all out. Deceased received a severe injury on his head. He was removed to the " Sportsmen," and died yesterday morning from the injury before described. I believe the occurrence was purely an accident. A verdict of Accidental Death was recorded. Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - Saturday 04 December 1875

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.

1837 Registration District

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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.

1837 Registration District

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

1837 Registration District

Creation of the Elham Registration District