East Peckham

"EAST PECKHAM, a parish in the hundred of Twyford, lathe of Aylesford, county Kent, 6 miles N.E. of Tonbridge, its post town, and 2½ W. of the railway station at Wateringbury, on the Maidstone branch of the South-Eastern line. It is situated near the river Medway, which is navigable to Tonbridge, and has a large wharf here. Tanning and seed-crushing mills afford employment to a considerable number of the inhabitants. There are four distinct hamlets in this parish. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury, value £540, in the patronage of the dean and chapter. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is an ancient structure, with a tower and spire containing a peal of six bells. The church has been recently restored and new windows added. The district church of the Holy Trinity is a modern edifice, with turret for two bells, situated near the centre of the parish, value £300, in the patronage of the vicar. The register commences in 1558. The Wesleyans and Calvinistic Methodists have each a chapel. There are National schools for boys and girls, also an infant school. A small row of almshouses has been built by T. H. Boorman, Esq."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2010]