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East Peckham is a village and civil parish in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England on the
River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...
. The parish covers the main village as well as Hale Street and
Beltring Beltring is a village in the local government district of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is in the civil parish of East Peckham. Beltring is known for the annual War and peace show which takes place at The Hop Farm Country Park. Unti ...
.


History

The Domesday entry for East and
West Peckham West Peckham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The River Bourne flows through the extreme west of the parish, and formerly powered a paper mill ( Hamptons Mill) and corn mill ( Oxenhoath Mill) ...
reads:- :'' The Archbishop himself holds Pecheham, In the time of King Edward the Confessor it was taxed at six sulungs, and now six sulungs and one yoke. The arable land is ten
carucates The carucate or carrucate ( lat-med, carrūcāta or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms ...
. In
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...
there are two, and sixteen
villein A villein, otherwise known as ''cottar'' or '' crofter'', is a serf tied to the land in the feudal system. Villeins had more rights and social status than those in slavery, but were under a number of legal restrictions which differentiated them ...
s, with fourteen borderers, having four carucates and a half. There is a church, and ten servants, and one
mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...
, and six acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of six hogs.'' :''Of the land of this manor, one of the archbishop's tenants holds half a sulung, and was taxed with these six sulungs in the time of King Edward the Confessor, although it could not belong to the manor, except in the scotting, because it was free land.'' :''Richard de Tonebridge holds of the same favour two sulungs and one yoke, and has there twenty-seven villeins, having seven carucates, and wood for the pannage of ten hogs. The whole value being four pounds. In the time of King Edward the Confessor, the manor was worth twelve pounds, when the Archbishop received it eight pounds, and now what he has is worth eight pounds.'' Part of the manor of
East Farleigh East Farleigh is a village and civil parish in the local government district of Maidstone, Kent, England. The village is located on the south side of the River Medway about two miles (3.2 km) upstream from the town of Maidstone. Heritage The ...
lay within what is now East Peckham. :''Ralph Fitz Turold holds of
the bishop A bishop is a person of authority in a Christian church. Bishop, Bishops or Bishop's may also refer to: Religious roles * Bishop (Catholic Church) * Bishop (Eastern Orthodox Church) * Bishop (Latter Day Saints) * Bishop (Methodism) Places An ...
(of Baieux) half a sulung in Estockingeberge. In the time of King Edward the Confessor, two Freemen held it, and then like now, and it is valued at twenty shillings.'' There is a persistent myth that the village was originally around the far northern border with
Mereworth Mereworth is a village and civil parish near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle. Mereworth is pronou ...
. Sheet 80 of the First Edition One-Inch Ordnance Survey map published on 1 January 1819 shows the village as being two miles north east as St Michael's church stands on high ground there, now cared for by the
Churches Conservation Trust The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. The charity cares for over 350 churches of architectural, cultural and historic significance, which have been transferred in ...
and open daily. In the mid-nineteenth century the new parish church of the Holy Trinity was built in what had for centuries been, and likely since the first multi-family settlement arose, the parish population centre. The architects were Whichcord and Walker of Maidstone, and the foundation stone was laid on 24 October 1840. The River Bourne joins the Medway in the south of the parish and powered a
watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...
, Little Mill. Another watermill on the
River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...
stood at
Branbridges Branbridges is a village in Kent, England, on the River Medway. It is near East Peckham, and the nearest railway station is Beltring Beltring is a village in the local government district of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is in the ...
. Large, populated parts used to flood with unusual frequency among parishes along the Medway. The East Peckham Flood Relief partnership was formed in 2003. A dam since 2005 exists on the Coult Stream at Bullen Farm. It is long and high and has the capacity to hold of floodwater. The scheme cost just over £1 million. In 2012, a local amateur theatre group, The Russett Players, was formed in the village.


Settlement and amenities

East Peckham developed from nine hamlets (Roydon, Hale Street, Beltring, Little Mill, The Pound, Snoll Hatch, The Bush, Goose Green and Chidley Cross). These straddle the
River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...
. It was economically focussed on hop growing and other agriculture, in which sector plant growing remains economically important, including two garden centres. Beltring includes
The Hop Farm Country Park The Hop Farm Family Park is a Country Park in Beltring, near East Peckham in Kent, England, is over 450 years old, and has the largest collection of oast houses in the world. History Until 1997 the hop farm was known as ''The Whitbread Hop Fa ...
, including outdoor cinema, escape room and two restaurants and the world's largest collection of Oast Houses. Hale Street is another residential area to the east of the main village. Pound Road has most of the village's amenities including the primary school, Co-op convenience store, local shops and the Merry Boys pub. Brookside Garden Centre is located in the village, and was opened in 1968.


Transport

East Peckham is bypassed by the A228 road which is the closest major road to the village. The village is served by the Arriva Southern Counties routes 6 and 6A which provide connections to
Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...
and
Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
as well as the
Go-Coach Go-Coachhire Ltd is a bus operator running a total of 40 bus services (including school services) across Kent and Sussex. The majority of these services are operated on behalf of Kent County Council from their depot in Swanley. History Go-Coa ...
route 208 to
Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated populat ...
.
Beltring railway station Beltring railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Beltring. It is down the line from Charing Cross railway station, London Charing Cross via and is situated between and . The station and all trains ...
on the Medway Valley Line is the closest rail station to East Peckham and is served by hourly
Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
train services to ,
Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
and .


Notable people

On 28 January 1896 Walter Arnold, of the
Arnold (automobile) The Arnold was one of the first motor cars manufactured in the United Kingdom. It was produced in East Peckham, Kent between 1896 and 1898. History William Arnold & Sons of East Peckham, Kent, was an agricultural engineering company founded in ...
company of East Peckham, was summonsed for travelling at in a motorised vehicle, thereby exceeding the contemporary
speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expre ...
for towns of . He had been caught by a policeman who had given chase on a bicycle. He was fined 1 shilling plus costs, the first speeding fine in England, and thus became the first person to be convicted of
speeding Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...
in the UK. James Pimm (1798–1866) was a British food proprietor who created the gin-based liqueur known as Pimm's. Pimm died on 16 August 1866 at the family home in East Peckham. He is buried at Holy Trinity Church, East Peckham, Kent, England.How a Farmer’s Son Invented the Taste of the Social Summer, by Mark Gardner, Faversham Times, 25 June 2005


Twinning

East Peckham is twinned with
Chéreng Chéreng () is a commune of the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry Twinning Chereng is twinned with East Peckham, Kent, United Kingdom. See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the ...
, Nord, France.


References


External links


East Peckham Parish CouncilBorough Council WebsiteEast Peckham Flood Relief PartnershipHoly Trinity Church Website St Michaels ChurchEast Peckham Rugby Football ClubThe Russett Players – Official website for East Peckham's amateur dramatic society
{{authority control Civil parishes in Kent Villages in Kent