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

Caleb Caister 1833

Caister's Tavern ca.1845-1854. Caleb Caister came from Elham in England to Oxford County in 1833. In 1836 he settled on this site, cleared farmland and built a one storey log dwelling. This dwelling was his family home but also served as an inn and tavern. Until 1848, when what is now Tavistock was established, Caister's home was the only public accommodation in north-central Oxford County for pioneers moving along the Huron Road and thence southerly into the Zorra settlement. By the 1840's Caister held an official municipal licence and a survey map of the time shows that his log dwelling was known in this locality as Caister's Tavern. Location: East side of HWY 59 south of the curve south from Tavistock (East Zorra-Tavistock) 597112 Oxford 59 RD Tavistock, ON Canada plaques

Lewis Hubble 1919

We regret to announce the death on Tuesday last, of Mr. Lewis Hubble, the proprietor of the well-known grocery stores. He was a popular figure in the village. Sincere sympathy is felt with the relatives of the deceased, who was in the prime of his life. Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald 10 May 1919

A SCRIMMAGE 1863

John File, sen., and John File, jun., appeared to summonses, the former for assaulting Mr. Thomas Bourne, of Elham, and the latter for assaulting Mr. D. S. Cresswell, of the same place.—The evidence shewed that on the 18th June, about half-past 10 at night, Mr. Bourne was on his horse near the Rose and Crown Inn, Elham, when John File, sen., went up to him, and after referring to some reports alleged to have been circulated by Bourne, he began to abuse him, and caught hold of him, and pulled him off his horse on to the ground, and thumped him on the ground; he cut his head upon, and both his hands and bruised him. Just at that time Cresswell came up and going up to File pushed him off Bourne. File then tried to strike Cresswell, and as the latter was endeavouring to ward off his blows, File's son came behind him and struck him on the side of the head and knocked him down.—The bench fined the elder defendant 5s. and 13s. 6d. costs, and the younger one 10s. and 13s. 6d. costs.—An application by John File, sen., that Bourne should find a sureties to keep the peace, was dismissed. Kentish Gazette - Tuesday 14 July 1863

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.

1887 Elham Valley Railway opened

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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.

1887 Elham Valley Railway opened

On 13th February 1915 he was transferred to 3rd Field artillery Brigade Headquarters. Gallipoli. Sir Ian Hamilton decided that action had to be taken to secure ground around Krithia. He brought Anzacs and other brigades from Sairi Bair. They attacked on 6th May 1915 at 11 am, but made little progress. Land was gained and then lost again. Hamilton called up all his reserves and ordered general advance. At night fall 300 yards had been gained. The troops were exhausted, but worked through the night to consolidate their positions, as air intelligence had warned that reinforcements were on the way. At 10.30 am on 7th May the New Zealand brigade attacked and at 4.30 the 2nd Australian Brigade followed with bayonets fixed and heavy artillery in a long line right across the peninsula. On the morning of the 8th May it was clear that they had gained 400 yards. Alfred was killed on 7th May 1915 during the battle for Krithia. His commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Charles Rosenthal (O.C. 3rd Field Artillery Brigade) wrote to Melinda Croud to explain what had happened and to express his condolences: Gaba Tepe, Gallipoli Peninsula May 30th 1915:
Dear Mrs Croud, Having been wounded with shrapnel on May 5th and been absent in hospital until two days ago when I returned to duty, I have been unable to write to you earlier re your husband’s death. Particulars were sent to you immediately. He was killed by a shrapnel shell as was also the Captain of one of my batteries. Please accept my very sincere sympathy with you and your family in your irreparable loss. From the General’s family downwards very few will escape bereavement. Your husband lies buried with other comrades close to where our guns are now placed. Yours very sincerely Charles Rosenthal, Lieut.-Col., O.C. 3rd F.A. Brigade. I am returning his letter to you. He was buried by a military chaplain Rev. D J Failes, at the top of the Gully on the right flank of their position, and this was later called Artillery Road West Cemetery, three quarters of a mile from Anzac Cove. The Australian War Memorial holds a photograph of the original grave. The Australian government web site for Shell Green gives further details about the action that killed Alfred and Captain Leslie: “On the morning of 6 May Captain Walter Leslie and Lieutenant Percy Ross and their gun crews were on Bolton’s Ridge attempting to destroy a concealed Turkish position when Leslie was wounded in the arm and thigh. Confusion seems to have surrounded the subsequent death and burial of Captain Leslie who was reported to have been taken on board the hospital ship Gloucester Castle, where he died at 8pm and was buried at sea. His family was told that he had died of wounds on 8th June 1915.

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.

1887 Elham Valley Railway opened

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

1887 Elham Valley Railway opened