We want to hear about your village news and events
The best way to tell us is through the contact form
here
The village name Upchurch is Anglo Saxon and means ‘Church on the hill’ because of the high geographical location of the church which dates back to about 1100. It’s also the only village in the UK with the name, but the origin of the surname is less straightforward.
The only evidence of the name Upchurch having origins outside the village is in Upshire near Waltham Abbey in Essex, from which the Upchurch family name is believed to have derived. There is also a family crest originating from the same area, which indicates that the family became high standing. Yet, in present day Essex, less than 2% of people have the surname Upchurch while in Kent, the figure is less than 1%.
In the village of Upchurch, evidence of the surname in the parish register of births, marriages and burials dating back to the 16th century does not exist, according to my own research. However, in Huntingdonshire, there are 105 families bearing the surname Upchurch. In Hertfordshire, there are 86 families, and in Cambridgeshire, there are 62. There are also many families in foreign English speaking countries with the name, especially in the United States. How did people living in these locations get the surname Upchurch?
The first logical reason is the movement of people bearing the Upchurch name from one county to another in the UK, and secondly, emigration to other countries. During the 17th and 18th centuries, people travelling to America from England may have wanted to keep a connection with their village or town so they changed their original surname to their place of origin name, some may have been orphans and didn’t know their real surname or may have been on the run from the authorities, so there were valid reasons why people may have wanted a name change. Others who originated from the Essex family with the name Upchurch at birth, probably maintained the surname in America.
Some early settlers travelling to America, particularly to North Carolina before the American War of Independence, went as indentured servants, and some present day families named Upchurch living there can be traced back to these. The servants were often teenagers from poor families who didn’t have money for the journey from England, so they borrowed it from the shipping company and got free passage. In return, they obtained jobs as indentured servants, mainly for farmers, planters and shopkeepers and worked to pay back the shipping company, which could take several years. They were also provided with free accommodation, food and clothing by their employers.
Before the War of Independence, North Carolina became the fastest growing English colony in America with opportunities for newcomers. Many indentured servants, including those with the name Upchurch, didn’t return to England because they were able to set up their own farms or businesses after paying off their travel debt and stayed in America.
Ryan Upchurch.
In North Carolina today, there are 194 families bearing the Upchurch name, and there is even a community in the Upchurch district of Cary in Wake County where numerous residents with the surname Upchurch can be found. There are also businesses there, which have the name like real estate company ‘Upchurch Farms.’ In Texas, there are 106 recorded Upchurch family surnames, and the name can be found in other American states.
There are also African Americans with the surname Upchurch and the most likely reason for this is because their forbears were named after a tobacco or rice plantation owner for whom they worked although marriage to someone with an Upchurch surname could be the reason in some cases.
Americans named Upchurch have visited the Kent village over the years, trying to find their roots, the possibility of relatives or some connection with the village. Some are shocked when they discover that there aren’t any families in the village with the surname Upchurch which means that finding family connections here is almost impossible unless they have other names to work on.
Perhaps the most famous person today with the surname Upchurch is Ryan Edward Upchurch, known professionally as just ‘Upchurch’ and formerly known as ‘Upchurch The Redneck’. Ryan is a popular American rapper, singer, musician, songwriter, and comedian from Cheatham County, on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, who was a comedian and country rapper, to begin with, but has now diversified into many genres of music.
Late postmaster Cliff Wanstall kept a guest book in the village post office for visiting tourists to sign, and many of these were named Upchurch. In more recent years, mainly American tourists with the surname have stayed at local bed and breakfasts. Although most haven’t found evidence of relatives, they have visited and seen the only village bearing their surname.
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today.
He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
The smallest of the three village pubs, The Brown Jug stayed in business for almost two centuries. The building was originally constructed as a farm cottage in a row of cottages belonging to the Horsham Farm estate in 1838. It’s believed that a 17th century alehouse once occupied the site.
The building became a pub in 1856 and was named after the small, brown drinking jug - popular at the time. It appeared on the National Census List for Upchurch in 1871, with 49 year old George Packer and his 45 year old wife Sarah being listed as proprietors. By 1881 Charles Horton and his wife Elizabeth from Hollingbourne had taken over and managed the pub until 1891 when it was sold at a public auction in Strood.
The Hortons were succeeded by Henry Woolley, his wife Ellen and their seven children. When the cement works became established on the marshes, Mr Woolley delivered beer to the workers on his horse drawn cart while bargemen sailing their barges along the river regularly visited the pub for refreshment. In 1904 a flood extended to the pub and submerged the cellar, but after a recovery, business continued.
Thomas Polhill became proprietor during the pre-World War One period, followed by Edward Packer, who stayed there during the 1920s and the 1930s. John and Daisy Napier ran the pub during the 1940s, followed by Gertrude Babbage during the early 1960s.
Local cement workers outside the pub in 1908.
On the left, Hannah Packer with sister and landlady Elsie Packer to her right in 1914.
The Jug's distinctive Shepherd Neame sign was a familiar sight to passers-by for many years.
The Brown Jug in December 2020.
Click the montage to enlarge.
Eric and Pat Funnell arrived as proprietors in December 1965. They lived and worked at the pub for over thirty five years and became very well-known in the area. Eric had previously worked as a landscape gardener at Bowaters Mill in Sittingbourne. The couple managed The Brown Jug as a small, local pub and even won the brewery’s Best Kept Garden Competition. Eric Funnell also got the rights to run a bar at the Rochester Corn Exchange in 1972, but a row developed when Rochester publicans objected because Eric Funnell came from outside the Medway area. However, he won the rights to run the bar even though he had a lot of local opposition from Rochester publicans.
After Eric and Pat Funnell had departed, the building was refurbished and managed by tenant Darren Yeomans but continued to retain its small pub atmosphere with a regular band of drinkers, darts teams and visiting musicians.
Three couples followed Darren Yeomans as Shepherd Neame tenants until the Faversham brewery put the pub freehold up for sale. New owner Kate Johns and son Dan, with wife Rachel, arrived and began running the pub as a Free House in 2011.
After a downturn in trade throughout the Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns and preparing for retirement, Kate Johns applied for planning permission to convert the building into two houses. At first, the planning application was refused, but a second application proved successful, and so The Brown Jug, which had served the village since the mid-19th century, ended.
The Brown Jug finally closed on Saturday 30th October 2021.
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today.
He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
The village was a much quieter place to live but probably not as pleasant as today during the 1790s. In 1798 Edward Hasted completed his ‘The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent’, which gave a clear insight into the county’s villages, including Upchurch, which Hasted did not view very favourably.
He described the village as follows:
“The parish lies in a most unhealthy situation, close to the marshes, and a large extent of some hundreds of acres of salts beyond them, as far as Sandgate Creek the River Medway its northern boundary, the noxious vapours arising from which subject the inhabitants to continued imtermittents, and shorten their lives at a very early period.”
During the 1790s ague, a form of marsh malaria carried by mosquitoes affected lots of people in low lying marshland areas such as Upchurch and Lower Halstow. This would have caused intermittents, the coming and going of the disease, while the noxious vapours may have been the smell coming from the mud, seaweed and possibly sewage in the mud when the tide was out.
Hasted gives a very clear picture of the village landscape:
“The country is rather hilly, the land, in general, is very thin and poor, having much gravel mixed with it, the other soils, the poorness of the soil occasions the growth of much broom and fern or brakes in it, with which there are many fields entirely covered. The southern part of the parish has much woodland interspersed throughout it, which is in general but of ordinary value, being mostly oak coppice, the soil is much adapted to the growth of the elm, with which the hedgerows abound, but these continued groves of tall spire trees stop the free circulation of air, and render this place much more unwholesome than it would otherwise be.”
People at the time believed that a free circulation of air was healthy and if this was prevented the spread of disease and ailments would happen more easily.
The landscape would have been more open than today as much of the land was not enclosed until the 1840s. Horses and carts would have journeyed along the country lanes. Only wealthy people in the village such as landowners, gentlemen and the vicar would have had access to pony and traps or decent horses to ride, while others walked.
The biggest concentration of the village population lived in the village centre and dwellings stretched as far as Horsham Farm. This is shown on maps of Upchurch dated 1778 and 1802. The remaining population was divided into pockets at Holywell, Ham Green, Wetham Green and Otterham.
Hasted describes the condition of the village in which poverty existed and that Upchurch had experienced better times in the past:
“It seems to have been of much more consequence as well for its craft in shipping, as in the number of its inhabitants, than it is at present, both of which are much diminished from what they were formerly, and the latter are in general now in a state of poverty… Upchurch is said to contain forty inhabited houses, three lacking habitations, twelve ships and boats, from one ton to fourteen and fourteen persons occupied in carrying from port to port, and fishing. At the western boundary of the parish, there is a key with a wharf for the landing and shipping of corn and the produce of the neighbouring woods. The creek, called by the same name, flows up by it from the River Medway.”
Hasted is referring to Otterham Quay at this point.
The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent by Edward Hasted.
Wolley Leigh Spencer served as vicar of Upchurch from 1766 to the end of the century. If he resided in Upchurch, he would have probably lived in the farmhouse at Parsonage Farm, located on the present day site of Bradshaw Close and what is now known as the site of ‘the old vicarage.’ Otherwise, he probably lived outside the parish due to the threat of ague.
A group of overseers managed village affairs. These were the forerunners of the present day parish councillors. Churchwardens managed church affairs. Overseers and churchwardens were elected annually by village householders.
Poor houses existed in different parts of the parish, such as the house now known as Greenborough House in Susan’s Lane and another located against the church wall on the south side of the church, but fire destroyed it in 1791. Poor houses were given to the very poor in the village, and a plot of land at the back of the house allowed these people to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Houses in the village would have been a variety of wooden framed wattle and daub (a lattice of wooden strips with a sticky material made of a combination of soil, clay, animal dung and straw) thatched houses, wooden constructions and some brick buildings. Although wattle and daub and wooden houses from the period no longer exist in the village, there are some brick buildings such as Mitchells Cottage, Ham Green House, Greylag Farm and Callows House at Ham Green and Holywell House in Holywell Lane. These were originally inhabited by farmers.
Of the present day pubs, only the Crown and the Three Sisters still exist. Others listed in the petty sessions list for the late 18th century are the George run by William Simpson, the Brickmaker’s Arms run by Mary Fryer and the Blue Anchor (landlord unknown). The exact location of these buildings is unknown. Black Horse Cottage in Oak Lane served as an unlicensed drinking house named the Black Horse during the 1750s.
Schools probably did not exist in the village during much of the 18th century, although a school that existed in the church chapel may have operated there during the latter part of the century and up to 1846, when Holywell School was constructed. Schooling was not compulsory up to 1882, so children would have spent their time playing, wandering the streets and even working, particularly when crops such as fruit or vegetables had to be picked.
Although poverty affected some residents in the village, they continued to reside there and most led a dreary and hard life working on the land without much free time. Such was life in Upchurch during the 1790s.
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today.
He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
In a year dominated by the desire to obtain a new school for Upchurch, April 1972 was highlighted by news that the Department of the Environment had approved the siting of a new village school in Forge Lane to replace the old Holywell School in Holywell Lane, an important step in getting a new school for Upchurch.
A big row broke out after the Brown Jug publican Eric Funnell had been granted bar rights at Rochester Corn Exchange. Rochester publicans were angry and argued that the rights should go to a Medway publican and not to somebody outside the Medway area. Eric Funnell obtained a happy conclusion when Rochester City Council finally confirmed the bar rights to him.
The parish council had a busy month starting with the election of Mr E Weeks of Church Farm Road as a new councillor, a position left vacant by the death of former councillor Roy Bachelor. The parish council also fought with Swale Council about concessionary fares on the buses for elderly residents in the village. This came at a time when Maidstone & District Bus Company had increased fares for passengers. Medway and Swale councils decided to pay a proportion of the fares to the bus company.
The parish council had a discussion about the recreation ground after the football club had complained that after a period of heavy rain, the surface had cut up causing stones and flints to appear which caused injuries to footballers. This led to the parish council discussing the possibility of getting a new recreation ground for the village, but an alternative suitable site could not be found after investigations. Bob Witherden from Poot Lane re-turfed the goal mouth areas on the football pitch to help protect the goalkeepers from serious injury, and the football club continued to play home matches on the recreation ground.
The parish council turned down a proposal by Rainham farmer Jack Clark to establish a residential caravan park with 75 caravans on a site in Horsham Lane. A proposal also submitted by Mrs Kennard to build on her land on the hill at Oak Lane where her bungalow and cherry orchard were located was also turned down by Kent County Council. Building recently began on the site in 2022 after the new owners had submitted a new proposal to the council at a time when the bungalow had become derelict, the orchard overgrown and long after the death of Mrs Kennard. However, in April 1972, the council did give builder Eric Gransden permission to build houses on land close to Wallbridge Lane.
Village residents were informed that the Bishop of Dover would be coming to the village to consecrate the new burial ground near the village hall on 6th June. The parish council also decided that they would contribute £2.50 for a new citizen’s Advice Bureau due to open in Sittingbourne on April 21st.
Upchurch Women’s Institute had an enjoyable month organising a week of activities for the institute’s 41st birthday celebration. A birthday party took place in the village hall on Saturday 8th April. The ladies decorated the village hall with flowers, and Mrs Pilcher made and decorated the birthday cake with a Spring motif which members admired as a work of art. Later in the month, Mrs Pilcher gave an interesting talk to members about wine making. A music quiz also took place, won by Mrs Jacobs and Mrs Thompson.
The birthday week ended with a talk given by BBC newsreader Alvar Lidell speaking about his experiences as a newsreader at the BBC, which resulted in a good attendance by the ladies of the Women’s Institute.
BBC newsreader Alvar Lidell.
In Upchurch sporting affairs, Upchurch Cricket Club began preparations for the new season with net practice and work on their Poot Lane ground before matches began. Although some matches were affected by rain, the club started well with an easy victory against Minster, who they bowled out for 29 runs and defeated them by nine wickets thanks to an outstanding bowling performance by Bryan Veale, who took five wickets for only fourteen runs. In the other early season game, the team drew with Belnor. The club progressed to have a better season compared to the previous one, with brothers Derek and Raymond Hales making outstanding contributions with bat and ball.
In a month really dominated by council affairs, the parish orchards lit up the area with a mass of pink and white blossom on fruit trees, and newly born lambs skipped in the fields as summer drew a little closer.
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today.
He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
At the turn of the 19th century and into the opening years of the 20th century fires became a regular problem in Upchurch and some of these devastated several well-known village features.
It all began in June 1892 when three young boys were taken to court for setting fire to a hedge and forty fruit trees at Gore Farm causing £50 worth of damage. In court, the boys named James Tabrett aged seven, Ernest Tabrett aged six and James Huggins aged five also admitted setting two large haystacks alight previously. The boys’ parents had to pay the fine and the boys were given a warning.
The next serious fire in Upchurch took place in 1900 when a row of Wakeley Brothers thatched cottages known as White Huts Cottages at Otterham Quay burnt down when a spark from one of the chimneys set the thatch alight. The horse drawn Rainham fire engine took about 45 minutes to reach the blaze.
Resident James Robinson saw the fire begin and with his father and some brickfield workers they were able to save the furniture in one of the burning cottages and rescue some livestock grazing nearby. The fire brigade arrived too late to extinguish the fire, so the cottages were burnt to the ground.
Later in September 1900, a fire broke out in farmer George Clark’s fruit store at Ham Green Farm. The fire completely destroyed the fruit store causing about £200 worth of damage. This led to villagers calling for a solution to the recurring problem of fires. This resulted in the parish council deciding to have fire hydrants placed in different parts of the parish.
Towards the end of 1900 fire hydrants were placed between the Three Sisters and the Lord Stanley inns at Otterham Quay, between Anne’s Cottages in Forge Lane and Holywell Lane, at the top of Windmill Hill and at the top of Forge Lane. More hydrants were later placed opposite Otterham Cottages in Horsham Lane, at Holywell and at Gore Bank.
Upchurch Fire Brigade was formed in March 1903 with a crew of volunteer firemen led by George Capeling from Gore Bank to combat fires in the parish. The brigade was to be funded by the parish council but after arguments about storage of equipment and funding, the brigade only lasted for a few months then all the firemen resigned and the brigade ended in January 1904. The job of firefighting then returned to Rainham Fire Brigade.
Serious fires continued to take place in the parish with a hayrick blaze on Greenborough Island on land owned by Mr Lumley-Webb and another at Bayford on land owned by Wakeley Brothers during the summer of 1904.
Wakeley Mill - Windmill Hill, destroyed by fire in September 1910.
The biggest fire disaster occurred in September 1910 when the windmill on Windmill Hill, a well-known village feature for about 100 years and owned by Wakeley Brothers caught fire and had almost burnt to the ground before the fire engine arrived from Rainham.
Because of its age and because much of it was made of wood the windmill was highly inflammable and had already had a lucky escape when lightning had struck it but had failed to set it alight years earlier.
Although crowds of people came to watch the fire which could be observed from afar due to its location at the top of Windmill Hill, nobody could get near it because of the intense heat. However, police constable Jenner and police sergeant Ashton from Rainham were able to save some pigs located in a sty close to the blaze.
The fire engine arrived from Rainham but because of the intensity of the heat from the fire and the low pressure of the water from the hydrant at the top of Windmill Hill, the firemen were unable to extinguish the fire, so the windmill was completely destroyed, trees in an adjoining orchard were badly scorched and the store next to the windmill containing a collection of baskets, wheat and grain were also badly damaged. Overall, the damage cost Wakeley Brothers £250 and damage to farmer Sam Stokes’s fruit store cost about £100. The windmill which had been such a well-known feature on the landscape disappeared forever and only a few photos of it have survived.
Perhaps the most notable fire to occur in the parish in the years soon after the windmill fire occurred in 1912 when a monoplane being flown by a French pilot named Jules Nardini from France crash-landed in a field at Gore Farm. The plane had successfully completed a crossing of the English Channel to Dover. While flying the plane onto Hendon, engine problems developed, so the pilot crash landed the plane.
When a large crowd of villagers congregated at the site somebody dropped a lighted match on the ground which ignited petrol escaping from the plane’s fuel tank and created a blaze that destroyed the plane and burnt a large area of wheat being grown in the field owned by farmer Tom Crawford. The fire caused £50 worth of damage to the wheat field, while the monoplane was completely destroyed.
Although a few minor fires occurred in the parish in the immediate years after this there were no more serious blazes in the parish until after the Great War of 1914-1918.
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
The Wakeley family began farming in Rainham during the 18th century. They became the biggest farming company in the area as Wakeley Brothers from the mid 19th century to the late 20th century when they had a considerable influence on Upchurch and its inhabitants.
When they were formed during the mid-19th century, Wakeley Brothers inherited land which included a sizeable acreage in Upchurch from Rainham farmer Thomas Dodd because of marriage between the two families. The firm employed large numbers of local people to work for them in the parish of Upchurch. Apart from land they also had a blacksmith’s workshop, an Elizabethan barn and cottages at Church Farm in Forge Lane and a 100 year old windmill on Windmill Hill until it burnt down in a fire in 1910. Overall, they treated their workers well, providing them with free housing in Upchurch and providing annual feasts, held in their granary at Otterham Quay.
The firm built five oast houses in different parts of the parish to store produce such as hops from their ‘Seventeen Acres’ hop garden located on the site of the present golf course in Oak Lane. Many local Upchurch residents worked there over the years up to the 1970s. Norman Long from Church Farm Road became one of the last Upchurch residents to work for the Wakeley Brothers during the 1990s.
From the 1880s Wakeley Brothers had farm cottages constructed for their workers in the parish such as Wetham Green Cottages at Wetham Green, Plantation Cottages and Otterham Cottages in Horsham Lane and Red Brick Cottages in Poot Lane.
The bricks used for the houses came from the firm’s Poot Lane brickworks which existed from 1862 to the first quarter of the 20th century. Most of the bricks from there were transported by a trolley rail system across Wetham Green to Twinney Wharf from where the firm’s barges took consignments of bricks to different locations along the river and as far as London.
The brothers each had a role in the business. William Henry Wakeley managed the firm’s milling business and steam mill at Otterham Quay. He also won fame as a champion rose grower and he won many awards locally and nationally. William Street, Henry Street and Wakeley Road in Rainham are all named after him.
Richard Mansfield Wakeley who resided at and managed Moor Street Farm which covered part of Rainham and adjoined Oak Lane in Upchurch, became one of the first Upchurch parish councillors when the parish council was formed in 1894. He also contributed land to the parish for use as allotments. His brother John who also lived at Moor Street Farm helped him and he became a school manager at Holywell School.
Upchurch Pottery - Seymour Road 1940, Wakeley Farm - Forge Lane 1914.
Pieces of Upchurch Pottery, Wakeley Mill - Windmill Hill 1903.
Inset Thomas Stanley Wakeley.
Thomas Stanley Wakeley dealt with corn and spent time at the corn exchanges in London and Rochester. He also organised the transportation of company produce from Rainham railway station to London and he dealt with the markets. His office was located in the oast next to Rainham railway station. In Upchurch, he negotiated a land deal with Upchurch parish council at Church Farm in the village centre for the construction of the Infant’s School in 1882. As an evangelical preacher, he also held services for his Upchurch congregation at the Wakeley granary in Otterham Quay Road during the 1860s. He was regarded as a very shrewd and clever businessman. The former Lord Stanley Inn at the bottom of Windmill Hill was named after him.
Seymour Wakeley, a second generation member of the family business, organised affairs at the Hartlip and Upchurch hop gardens and he helped organise some of the early Upchurch fetes at the vicarage. He lived the longest of the Wakeley brothers, reaching 91 years old. Seymour Road in Rainham is named after him.
Brian Wakeley became the only family member to reside in the village. He lived at Church Farm Cottages in Forge Lane from the 1920s to the 1950s and he played a part in village activities and organisations such as the tennis club at the vicarage, various village theatrical productions and he served as captain in the Upchurch Home Guard during World War Two.
Female members of the Wakeley family also played a role in Upchurch village affairs. Minnie Wakeley, wife of Richard Mansfield Wakeley junior, became the first president of the Women’s Institute in 1931, while Dora Wakeley, wife of Seymour Wakeley had a great interest in pottery and she founded and developed Upchurch Pottery with the help of her husband. The business began in 1909 when a bottle kiln and workshop was constructed in the chalk pit just off Seymour Road in Rainham. It gradually expanded and Upchurch Pottery which it produced became well-known on the porcelain market.
Ted Baker from Windmill Hill was employed as the potter and he had a big influence on the pottery style. He produced pots mainly influenced by Greek and Roman vases. He used a style of soft colours with a matt finish. This became characteristic of Upchurch pottery made of clay that Dora Wakeley personally obtained from the saltings just off the Ham Green peninsular. Upchurch pottery became well-known nationwide and is identified by its distinctive colouring and finish.
Wakeley Brothers farmed in Upchurch until the late 1990s. They mainly produced top fruit such as apples and pears during their later period and they had a cold storage centre built on the site now occupied by Woodruff Close which replaced the oast houses that had been demolished in the parish. They later moved to a new store in Spade Lane, Hartlip. When the warehouse was destroyed by fire, William Wakeley, the great grandson of Thomas Stanley Wakeley decided to finish farming and retired while his son James who had managed the land in Upchurch and Rainham left the area.
The Wakeley family influence on Upchurch continued to be important until the late 20th century. They offered employment to local residents during this period, they involved themselves in village affairs and they had houses constructed which still exist, while the hop garden, the oast houses, the barges and the brickworks are long gone.
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
A vicarage has existed in the village since the 14th century. It has taken different forms, but it has not always occupied the same location.
The earliest mention of an Upchurch vicarage is recorded in a document held by All Souls College, Oxford dated 1420 which shows a grant given by King Henry VI which allowed the college to take possession of the priory of New Romney and the rectory of Upchurch. Another record can be viewed in the Patent Rolls dated 1348-1350.
“Presentation of William Michel of Upchirche, chaplain to the vicarage of Upchirche in the diocese of Canterbury, is the King’s gift by means of the priory of Upchirche being in his hands on account of the war with France.”
This gives proof of the existence of a vicarage and also a priory which is believed to have occupied the site of The Crown pub. The monks who lived there would have offered accommodation to pilgrims travelling to see holy places such as the holy well at Holywell or to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury.
The vicarage is believed to have first been located on the site of the present house named Wayside opposite the church in Horsham Lane up to the late 17th century. The layout of the property is the same as a 14th century English vicarage. It has a hallway, a cellar, a large open fireplace which has been dated as late 14th century, stables at the back and a wall would have enclosed the garden. The location is also very close to the church which indicates that the property once had an important connection.
During the reign of Henry VIII when he severed links with the Catholic Church and proclaimed himself as Head of the English Church, another change is believed to have taken place at the vicarage. This is when the King’s officials were sent to persecute priests and to remove valuable items from churches. Because of this, a tunnel is believed to have been constructed under the ground which led from the church to the vicarage cellar. This existed as an escape route for the priest. Tunnels leading from churches to other buildings were common at the time. In recent times a chamber was uncovered under the floor of the children’s play area in the church with evidence of an opening at one end which may have been the tunnel entrance but the church authorities would not allow further investigation.
The vicarage on the Horsham Lane site remained until the late 17th century when it became derelict and had to be demolished. This happened because after the death of village vicar Edmond Drake in 1567 ague, a form of marsh malaria, became so severe in the area that Upchurch vicars preferred to live outside the parish in order to avoid the disease and to travel in to conduct services. The result of this was that the vicarage became derelict and empty for a long period.
The poor condition of the original vicarage in Horsham Lane is indicated in the 1663 catalogue of all the benefices in the diocese of Canterbury.
“Upchirche: a small parish in an unhealthy place… Stephen Allen tenant of ye college for ye parsonage worth a mere 200 a year. A poor vicarage house (if any, for it is in dispute), church much out of repair…”
The vicarage house was demolished during the late 17th century and the present house Wayside replaced it and later served as an inn, a shop and a private residence. The vicarage then occupied a new site where Bradshaw Close is now located, known at the time as Parsonage Farm. The south east part of the vicarage building was originally one of two cottages with a tiled roof and red brick walls constructed during the early 18th century. The south east part of the building which had a slated roof and stock brick walls was constructed in 1827.
Reverend John Woodruff, Wayside and Upchurch Vicarage.
The old part of the house consisted of two attic bedrooms, two first floor bedrooms, a kitchen, a larder, a pantry and a coal cellar below. The newer part of the building on the first floor consisted of a bathroom, two large and one small bedroom and a toilet. On the ground floor was a porch, an entrance hall, a dining room, a drawing room, a small study and a toilet. Reverend Woodruff converted the porch into a small greenhouse in 1848.
The outbuildings at the back of the house also dated from 1827 and consisted of two sheds and a brick building containing a three stall stable, a loft and coach house with brick walls and a slated roof.
Reverend John Woodruff came to the vicarage with his mother in 1834. All Souls College offered him the site and gave him £600 to convert it into an acceptable vicarage. Improvements were made to the building and an extension was built adding a further seven rooms to the existing six. Reverend Woodruff also converted the adjacent ground into an attractive garden with lawns and planted various types of trees in the Paddock to make it appear more attractive. The trees included the Holmoaks, the Cedar of Lebanon and the London Plane. Reverend Woodruff was so pleased with his vicarage that he boasted that Upchurch vicarage was ‘the best in the deanery.’ From about this time the road from the vicarage to The Street became known as Vicarage Lane for a short period.
Upchurch vicarage and the church remained in the hands of All Souls College Oxford until 1921 then these were taken over by the Diocese of Canterbury.
After the passing of Reverend Woodruff a few changes took place at the vicarage such as the construction of a tennis court which Upchurch Lawn Tennis Club used during the 1920s and an extension at the back of the vicarage house which became used as a vaccination and health centre during the 1950s, by the scouts and cubs during the 1960s, and for children’s art exhibitions and the showing of films at the carnival. Apart from these changes the vicarage remained almost unchanged from the time of Reverend Woodruff.
During the mid-19th century, two brick cottages were constructed on the Oak Lane side of the vicarage and these became known as Vicarage Cottages and were built to house workers at the vicarage. These cottages still exist but are now privately owned.
A decision was made to have the vicarage demolished in 1975 because the house and outbuildings had greatly deteriorated. Bradshaw Close was then constructed on the site.
The only part of the old vicarage that remains is the Paddock. However, a new vicarage house was constructed next to Bradshaw Close on the Oak Lane side which became the home of several vicars and curates. The house is at present occupied by recently ordained vicar Simeon Nevell and his family. Simeon is not the Upchurch vicar. He travels to all benefices within the Six to conduct services and to gain experience before moving on to another parish.
Finally, a vicarage has existed in the village since the 14th century on three different locations and will probably continue to do so while the church functions for religious services.
David Wood
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
December 1971 turned out to be a cold and dull month with some snow late in the month. Comedian Benny Hill topped the charts with ‘Ernie, the Fastest Milkman in the West’ and ‘Love Story’ starring Ryan O Neil, Ali Macgraw and Tammy Lee Jones featured as the main film screened at the Queen’s cinema in Sittingbourne during the Christmas period. The month also saw a coal shortage and panic buying due to a coalman’s strike. Fewer houses had central heating than today and many residents relied on open fires for heating in their homes, so coal was in great demand.
Despite bad weather, the monthly meeting of the Women’s Institute still took place. With the election of committee officials, Joyce Gilbert became the new president, Pat New treasurer and Jenny Martin secretary. A whist drive organised by the ladies raised £150.
Another women’s organisation known as the Upchurch Branch of the Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS) made themselves available for any emergency in the village during the Christmas period. The organisation had existed to help people since 1938 and some of the Upchurch members included Annie Bronger, Grace Eastwood and Rose Humphreys.
The Upchurch United Charities also helped people in need at Christmas by giving grocery tickets to widows and invalids in the village.
The parish council had an active month. They turned down a plan to develop the village centre. The plan included six maisonettes, three new shops and a petrol filling station on the corner of Forge Lane and The Street. After a discussion, the parish council deemed this as overdevelopment. However, they did give permission for Ron Ware to have a garage built next to his house in Oak Lane, for Peter Boakes to have two four bedroomed houses constructed in Chaffes Lane and for Mr A Manley to have a chalet style bungalow built in Wallbridge Lane.
Good news came from Swale Council when they announced that they had had a plan drawn up for a new sewerage system to be constructed in Upchurch that would link 71houses in Horsham Lane and Wallbridge Lane to the existing system at an estimated cost of £20,000.
Earlier in the month, village clubs held Christmas dinners and celebrations. On December 10th, a Christmas Fayre took place in the village hall. Stalls sold goods and a Christmas tree with decorations created a festive atmosphere. A Fancy Dress Dance followed this on December 11th then the Darby and Joan Club held their annual Christmas party on December 20th.
Comedian Benny Hill, Reverend Bradshaw and Footballer Derek Hales.
The church held various activities such as the Carols and Torchlight Procession on December 15th. On Christmas Day a Holy Communion service took place, followed by a Children’s Toy Procession when children attended church with their parents and brought old or unwanted toys to donate to the ‘Save the Children Fund.’ A Family Eucharist service in the church led by village vicar Reverend Bradshaw followed this. A Boxing Day carol service also took place in the church starting at 6-30 pm.
Holywell School pupils were busy raising money before they broke up for the Christmas holiday. They walked around the village singing carols and raised £10 for the Blind of Kent. They also held a carol service in the Village Hall named ‘Look Away to Bethlehem’ for which they raised £11.50 for the Save the Children Fund.
Christmas soon arrived with the usual festivities. On Christmas Day most people stayed indoors and popular television shows were available to watch such as the Morecombe and Wise Show, the Black and White Minstrel Show, the Generation Game, the Best of Top of the Pops, Billy Smart’s Circus and the Annual Christmas Message from the Queen. The village pubs were busy at lunchtime and during the evening.
The village pubs were crowded and very busy on Boxing Day evening, while Maidstone & District buses ran a service until late at night which allowed residents without cars to travel outside the village for entertainment and celebrations.
In village sport, Upchurch United were doing very well in the Medway Sunday League Premier Division and at the end of the month, they were in second position, two points behind Luton Wanderers. News also arrived that former Upchurch United footballer Derek Hales who was playing for Dartford in the Southern League at the time had been granted a trial with Luton Town in the English Football League. He succeeded at the trial and became a full time professional footballer with a very successful career.
Upchurch Table Tennis Club teams competed in the local Sittingbourne and District League with varied success. They met in the village hall for practice and for league matches every Monday evening. Rich Boakes organised everything and some of the best players included Steve Davies, Peter and Brian Boakes.
Overall, December proved to be very festive with parties and entertainment, while some snow which arrived on Boxing Day evening added to the Christmas atmosphere. The month ended with a New Year’s Eve Dance in the village Hall with dancing to the Vic Hamilton Band, costing 60p for admission.
David Wood
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
