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

Webb Foreman 1749

Will of Webb Foreman of Elham, beer brewer, in good health, dated 2nd March 1747/8, proved 18th March 1748/9. Mess. or t. in Elham commonly called or known by the name or sign of the Cock, now occupied by Jane Glasier, my mother-in-law, brewhouse and malthouse also in Elham and in my own occupation, unto and among my three children Edward, George, and Richard Foreman. Jane Glasier, executrix, with advice and assistance of Mr Richard Giles of Pluckley (trustee) to carry on business of brewing and making malt till youngest son 21, when personal estate to be divided. CKS: PRC 16/93 F.42

1921

PUBLICAN'S DEATH—On the 27th ult. a telegram was received at Elham stating that Mr. Arthur Lonsdale Dolby, landlord of the "Rose and Crown" Hotel, Elham, had passed away suddenly at Boulogne, whither be had proceeded (apparently in good health) on the previous day. His wife at once proceeded to France where the interment took place. The late Mr. Dolby took up his residence in Elham a few months ago. Dover Express - Friday 09 September 1921

ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT BY AN AGENT 1890

Stephen Pilcher File was indicted for, that he being a servant to Joshua Cox and William Ellyett, making false entries in certain books of accounts, the property of his employers, with intent to defraud on the 9th July, 26th July, 24th August, 19th September, and 28th December, 1889, and on February 7th, 1890, at Elham. Mr. Gore and Mr. Arthur Gill (instructed by Mr. R. M. Mercer, Canterbury) prosecuted, and Mr. Lewis Glyn and Mr. G. Thorn Drury defended. The clerk of the Peace mentioned that there were several gentlemen from Elham on the petty jury, and counsel for the prosecution thought it would be fairer if perfect strangers were engaged in trying the case. Mr. Glyn said he did not object, but the application was a most unusual one. Fresh jurymen having been substituted, the case was proceeded with. Mr. Gore, in opening the case, said the prisoner was charged with fourteen offences under the Falsification of Accounts Act, by means of which he succeeded in defrauding his employer of a sum of about £150. The facts were that up to 1888 the prisoner had carried on business as a grocer and draper, and also as a farmer at Elham, and was at that time unable to meet his engagements. At a meeting of his creditors an arrangement was come to, whereby File made over his property, consisting of his shop and stock, to certain trustees, so that it might be carried on for the benefit of the creditors, he remaining as manager. One creditor was the firm Of Messrs. Cox and Ellyett, wholesale grocers of Canterbury. They were old acquaintances of File, and when the arrangement had been come to, prisoner asked them, and they finally consented to buy the business from the trustees, and allow him to carry on the shop, so that he might, if possible, pay of the debts he owed them, in which case there was a kind of understanding that he should have the business as his own. Mr. Cox bought the business for £1,372, and an agreement was entered into, by which File was engaged as manager at a salary of £10 a month. From the commencement the largest discretion was given to prisoner, and this largest confidence placed in him. It must be admitted that there was neglect on the part of Mr. Cox in failing to have the accounts properly checked. Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - Saturday 18 October 1890

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.

1947 Fire at the Manor

Click here for more stories

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.

1947 Fire at the Manor

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

1947 Fire at the Manor

The old manor house at Elham was extensively damaged by fire at about 4 o'clock on Friday morning. Mrs. Parkinson, wife of Major C. N. Parkinson, a lecturer at Liverpool University, her two children, a maid and her child, and a nurse, were able to leave in time.