HISTORY
Although
Ightham was not mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, it seems
to have been in existence long before then.
It
is generally accepted that the name Ightham dates from the earliest
Anglo-Saxon period, and was originally Ehtaham; derived from 'Ehta'
a Jutish personal name and 'Ham' - settlement. The neighbouring
hamlet of Ivy Hatch probably dates from the same period, since
its name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Heuvy Hatch meaning 'High
Gate'.
Even
earlier than the Anglo-Saxons there was a large Iron Age Hill
Fort on Oldbury Hill. This is now National Trust property and
lies inside the parish just outside the village.
Early
in the 6th century the population was small with a settlement
by the Busty (Shode) stream.
The
church was originally built in the 12th century and stands on
a splendid site overlooking the village. It is visible from the
Ightham By-pass. It is a typical mediaeval parish church and was
reconstructed early in the 15th century.
During
the last war many bombs fell in the parish, but the church was
not hit; however, it did lose much of its glass. The east window
was replaced in 1949 and a plaque records that it was erected
in memory of parishioners who lost their lives in the two World
Wars.
In
1336, King Edward II, at the request of the Lord of the Manor,
granted a licence for a fair to be held annually in the village
for three days. This was called the Coxcombe Fair. The fair was
revived in 1977 for the Queen's Silver Jubilee and since then
fairs have been held in 1988 to commemorate the defeat in 1588
of the Spanish Armada and in 2002 for the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
The
three great houses of Ightham were Ightham Court, Ightham Mote
and St Clere, the latter now in the parish of Kemsing. Ightham
Court was the home of the James family for many years.
Ightham
Mote was first lived in by Sir Thomas Cawne from 1340 until his
death in 1374 and the Great Hall dates from this period. Thereafter,
it passed through various owners until it was bought in 1591 by
Sir William Selby whose family lived there, for the next three
hundred years. In 1953 the Mote was bought by an American, Henry
Robinson, from Portland, Maine, who had first been attracted to
it while on a cycle tour as a young man. He died in 1985, having
bequeathed the Mote to the National Trust.
The
centre of the village is very picturesque with its half timbered
houses and does not seem to have changed much over the years when
a comparison is made with old photographs. The village is well
cared for and though all the shops and Post Office have gone there
are two public houses in the centre the George and Dragon and
the Chequers Inn, which continue to thrive. There are three other
public houses in the parish.
An
interesting monument in the church is to Dame Dorothy Selby who
was a great needle-woman. She worked many pictures, one of which
depicted the Gunpowder Plot. There is a legend that she took part
in the discovery of the Plot, but this is the result of a misinterpretation
of the words on the memorial, which reads in part "whose
art disclosed that Plot". The real meaning of the words is
no more than that she displayed the Plot in her needlework.
During
the Civil War the Rector of Ightham, the Reverend John Gryme,
achieved notoriety by causing a Royalist rebellion. Parliament
issued an Ordinance requiring all clergy to take an oath of allegiance
and to impose it on their parishioners. Mr Gryme, well knowing
the sympathies of the parishioners refused to obey. A troop of
horse was sent to arrest him. A melee ensued in which a member
of the parish was killed. The action sparked off a rising throughout
the district, which took parliamentary troops to quell.
Two
VCs have been awarded to Ightham men. The first was Williarn Sutton,
a bugler with the Royal Green Jackets who won his in 1857. The
second was Riversdale Colyer-Ferguson of Ightham Mote whose award
was made posthumously in 1917.
Ightham
was famous for growing Kentish cob nuts. These seem to have been
cultivated first by a Mr James Usherwood who lived at Cob Tree
Cottage, which was until recently the Cob Tree Inn. There are
still a number of cob trees in and around the village, but the
work of pruning them and picking the nuts is labour intensive
and the industry has fallen into decline.
One
of the great village characters was Benjamin Harrison, who lived
from 1837 to 1921. He was a grocer by trade, but an archaeologist
by inclination. He won international recognition as a pioneer
in the subject. He found flints in the pre-glacial drift on the
North Downs near Ash, which he contended were artefacts, thus
vastly antedating the antiquity of man.
Ightham
has suffered its quota of tragedy. In 1908 Major-General Luard
found his wife dead with bullet wounds in her head, in a wood
not far from their house. The police could find no clues to the
identity of the murderer. Gossip brought suspicion on the General
himself, accompanied by venomous, anonymous letters. The strain
proved too great for him and he committed suicide by throwing
himself under a train.
Ightham
is a small parish with some 1560 members on the Electoral Roll.
It is the most westerly of the parishes in the Borough of Tonbridge
and Malling and lies astride the A25 and the A227 roads and the
railway line from Otford to Maidstone. It is a quiet place; many
of the residents work in London and the surrounding towns.
Industry
in the parish consists of farming, including some sheep and fruit
farming, and an organic farm. There is a sandpit where sand is
still extracted and concrete blocks manufactured. There are several
plant nurseries and a number of thriving house building businesses.
Because
of the lack of shops any shopping has to be done in adjacent villages
and towns. Most people travel by car, but there are limited bus
services to neighbouring towns.
The
parish has sports facilities in the shape of a fine recreation
ground with football pitches, cricket field and tennis courts.
Badminton is played in the village hall. Riding is a popular pastime
and there is an extensive network of bridleways and footpaths.
The
WI and WRVS are active and there are societies, which cater for
most tastes. For the younger people there is a Scout troop and
a Cub Scout pack. There is a village hall where various activities
and meetings take place.
There
is a thriving primary school and a playgroup which meets near
the school. For secondary school education, children have to go
elsewhere.
