St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Elham, Kent

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Elham, Shepway District, Kent CT4 6TT England

Coordinates: 51.15219, 1.11186
Cemetery ID:

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Elham (pronounced Eel-um) is a village in East Kent situated approximately 9 miles south of Canterbury and 5 miles north east of Folkestone in the Elham Valley. The origin of the village's name has always been a matter of argument. The village is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Alham. This may have derived from Ulaham, which it is referred to in an Anglo Saxon charter of 855A.D. The suffix "ham" is derived from the German word "heim", meaning "home". Thus, it is assumed that Ulaham means homestead of a person named Ula. Another theory is that the name originates from the presence of eels once found in the Nailbourne centuries ago. The Abbot's Fireside Restaurant on the high street is of Tudor origin (built in 1641). This is reputed to have been the headquarters of the Duke of Wellington during the times when there was a threat from Napoleonic invasion. In the centre of the village is The Square. This dates from 1251 when the village was granted a market by Edward I and was in use until the early 19th century.The village has a fine Victorian Wesleyan Chapel and on the South side of The Square is the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin. It dates from the 12th Century although much of the fittings inside are late Victorian. The ornate nature of this large church suggests it is Catholic or High Anglican.It is built from flint and Kentish ragstone and has exterior alterations dating from the 13th to the 19th Century.There is also a cemetery, Elham Burial Ground, also known as the New Churchyard, at the end of Vicarage Lane on the South side of the Churchyard.