| West Peckham |
| West, alias Little Peckham, is called in Domesday, PECHEHAM, and in the Textus Roffensis, PECHAM. It has the appellation of West Peckham, from its situation wesrward of Great, or East Peckham, and of Little, from its smallness in regard to that parish. They both probably had their name from their situation, peat signifying in Saxon, the peke, or summit of a hill, and ham, a village, or dwelling-place. The Quarry Stone Hills bound the northern side of this parish, consequently the whole of it is within the district of the Weald. The soil is in general a stiff clay, and in the lower or southern part of it where it is mostly pasture, it is very rich grazing land. The northern part adjoining to the hill is covered with those woods, commonly called the Herst woods, from which there are several fine springs of water, which extend over the eastern parts of this parish, where, near the boundary of it, next to Mereworth, is the village, with the church, The northern side of this parish is watered by the stream which flows hither from Plaxtool, and from hence into the Medway at Brandt-bridge, a little above Yaldham, having turned two corn-mills in its course within this parish. The seat of Hamptons, now almost in ruins, stands near the east side of this stream, in a wild gloomy situation, and at a small distance, that of Oxenhoath, an ancient brick building, situated on a rise of ground, having a most extensive prospect over the Weald, and again to the hills north-eastward, the ground about it is finely wooded, and is the greatest part of it exceeding rich pasture. extract from Hasted's History of Kent published in 1798 |
| Parish & other records | Before 1500 |
1500 to 1550 |
1550 to 1600 |
1600 to 1650 |
1650 to 1700 |
1700 to 1725 |
1725 to 1750 |
1750 to 1775 |
1775 to 1800 |
1800 to 1825 |
1825 to 1850 |
1850 to 1875 |
1875 to 1900 |
1900 to 1925 |
1925 to 1950 |
1950 to 1975 |
1975 to 2000 |
After 2000 |
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| 155 | Births | 3 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 43 | 57 | 17 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 38 | Christenings | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 15 | Marriages | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Deaths | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Burials | 2 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Books and other documents | |
| Published | Title, author and references |
| 1766 | The History of Tunbridge Wells by Thomas Benge Burr ⇒ p. 237 |
| 1798 | The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent - Volume V by Edward Hasted ⇒ p. 56 |
| 1814 | An Historical, Topographical and Descriptive Account of the Weald of Kent by T. D. W. Dearn ⇒ p. 184 |
| 1839 | Directory of Kent, Surrey & Sussex ⇒ entry |
| 1871 | A History of The Weald of Kent with an outline of the Early History of the County, Volume I. by Robert Furley, F.S.A. ⇒ Domesday p. 147; p. 226; peculiar of Canterbury p. 440 |
| 1874 | A History of The Weald of Kent with an outline of the History of the County to the present time, Volume II by Robert Furley, F.S.A. ⇒ p. 14; p. 50; p. 130; p. 718; p. 801 |
| 1882 | Kelly's Directory of Kent by E. R. Kelly, M.A., F.S.S. ⇒ entry |
| Pictures | |||||||
 Cover Hill - 1962 |  West Peckham - 1962 | ||||||
| Places and properties in West Peckham - a directory of homes, farms, churches, schools, inns, and other places of interest that existed prior to 1900 has been compiled from Post Office directories, Kelly's directories, Trade directories, Census data, Ordnance survey maps and books of the period |
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The Weald is at Database version 14.05 which has ongoing updates to the 395,000 people; 9,000 places; 613 maps; 3,308 pictures, engravings and photographs; and 248 books loaded in the previous version
