Wormshill
Encyclopedia
Wormshill historically called Wormsell, is a small village
and civil parish
within the Borough of Maidstone
, Kent
, England. The parish is approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of The Swale
and 11 miles (18 km) north of Maidstone
. The villages of Frinsted
and Bicknor
are 2 miles (3 km) equidistant to the east and west, respectively; while Hollingbourne
is 4 miles (6 km) to the south. The village lies on an exposed high point of the North Downs
, within the Kent Downs
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Archaeological and toponymic
evidence of Wormshill's existence predates its appearance in the Domesday survey
of 1086. The village contains a number of heritage-listed buildings, which include a Norman
church, a public house
and one of the oldest surviving post office buildings in the United Kingdom. The fields and woodland surrounding Wormshill have changed little in the past 500 years, and the village itself remains rural with a low population density compared to the national average. The population of 200 is a mixture of agricultural workers employed by local farms and professional residents who commute to nearby towns.
Wormshill was listed under the name Godeselle in the Domesday Book
of 1086. The village is thought to be much older, its name derived from the Anglo-Saxon
god Wōden
(a cognate with the Norse
god, Odin
) and meaning "Woden's Hill". The area was also described in a paper in Archaeologia Cantiana, 1961, as "Wormshill, an ancient possession of the Kings of Kent
, the hill where they worshipped the heathen Woden". The University of Nottingham
's Institute for Name-Studies has offered the suggestion that the name means "shelter for a herd of pigs".
The Latin
ised form, Wornesell, appears in the Kent Hundred Rolls
of 1274–75 and in a mediæval will
recorded in September 1409. A corruption of the name, Wormsell, is mentioned as the birthplace of a Cistercian Abbot
at the nearby Boxley Abbey
in 1474; a further variant, Wormysell, is found in a will of 1487, and court papers concerning a land dispute in 1534 use the name Wormeshell.
boundary markers, the latter apparently gathered from loose-lying surface flints. The area around the village features ancient denehole
s, or agricultural chalk mines, some of which are pre-Roman
. These holes, which may be up to 30 metres (98.4 ft) deep, were often dug at the edges of fields, onto which the chalk marl
would be spread.
The parish of Wormshill was originally appended to the village and parish of Boughton Malherbe
, since both had the same patron; the patron of a parish was the land-owner who often built the church on the estate and who had the right (known as advowson
) to appoint the parish priest. The first recorded patron of Wormshill was Robert de Gatton
, who owned the Manor
of Wormsell during the reign of Henry III
(1207–72). From the Gatton family, the village passed by marriage in the 13th century to Sir Simon de Northwood, whose family crest appears in the stained glass of St Giles
, the village's only church, and whose name (Norwood) is given to the farm at the north of the village.
Patronage of the parish subsequently transferred through a number of landholding families, vesting by the 17th century with the prominent Kent family of Sir Charles Sedley
, which at times held the baron
y of Aylesford
. During this period the Tylden (or Tilden) family
, believed to have had links to the Crusades of Richard I
, were also significant landholders in the area in the early 17th century; a memorial to William Tylden, who died in 1613, rests in the north chancel
of St Giles church. Around the same time in the late 16th century, recruits of Sir Francis Drake
's navy may have used a track, now known as Drake Lane, in the south west of the parish or camped nearby as they marched from the Weald of Kent
to the dockyards at Sheerness
.
From the Sedley family patronage is believed to have lapsed to the Archbishop of Canterbury
and then to Sir Joseph Aylosse before being conveyed by gift from a Mr. Serjeant Moses to the charity
of the president and governors of Christ's Hospital in London in gratitude for a University of Cambridge
scholarship he had received. As late as 1798 the parish was still paying its traditional castle-guard
rent to Dover Castle
and retained a court baron
; this fee was a substitute for a feudal obligation requiring the provision of knights to defend the castle.
Little (if any) information exists about the village's population or demographics before 1801; however evidence from the first census indicates that the village grew steadily, reaching a peak in 1871. A possible indication of the growth in the agricultural output of the village is the construction of two windmills marked at "Beddington" (possibly present-day Bedmonton
) on an Ordnance Survey map published between 1819 and 1843. The mills stood north and south of each other and were approximately ½ mile (800m) to the north-west of the church. House building continued during the mid-to-late 19th century, together with a post office and school. Like much of rural Kent during the time of the Swing Riots
(1830), Wormshill experienced a degree of civil unrest and Home Office
records indicate that "a large body of men, numbering 50-100" assembled at Wormshill with the purpose of "intimidation and to enforce demands on farmers...inducing other labourers to join them".
During World War II
, Wormshill joined a number of similar settlements in the region to form part of the anti-invasion network
. On the outskirts of the village, near the hamlet of Ringlestone
, there are the remains of a zero station (or Operational Base), a secret underground communications relay post operated by Auxiliary Units
of the British Home Guard
. In the event of a German
invasion the zero station was to be used by defending forces to receive and transmit coded messages between a series of similar stations in the area as well as to the operational command headquarters at Hannington Hall in Wiltshire
. A concealed underground concrete bunker, it was designed to be invisible from the surface and is located in woodland about 140 metres (153.1 yd) from the road. Although its primary purpose was a communications post, the zero station was also designed to hold ammunition and explosives and provide living quarters for the radio equipment operators. Anecdotal evidence also indicates that anti-aircraft guns were sited near the village and that a Bren gun emplacement was installed in the valley between Wormshill and Frinsted
. Roadside checkpoints were set up on the main routes into the village to the north and south and allied forces moving through the region camped overnight in the area, including a detachment of New Zealand troops
in fields near Home Farm. Villagers resident during the war also recall a V-1 flying bomb
or "doodlebug" being shot down in orchards near Norwood Farm and a fighter aircraft crashing in fields to the south of Yew Tree Farm.
Following an initial decline in the population at the turn of the 20th century, more houses were constructed between the Great War and World War II and again in the 1950s and 60s, adding to the cluster of cottages from the 19th century and earlier. A village hall
was also built at this time.
in 1275, Wormshill was in the Hundred
of Eyhorne, a regional sub-division used in the Middle Ages
by feudal and crown officials to administer communities. Although the Hundred of Eyhorne (including Wormshill) still exists, it is a mediaeval anachronism
and no longer has any practical or administrative significance. In the 19th century, the village was within the lathe of Aylesford
, the Bearsted petty sessional division
and the Hollingbourne Rural District
. The village was also incorporated into the Hollingbourne Poor Law Union
(a means of funding and administering the operation of the Poor Law
s in the area). The parish of Wormshill in part sits astride the West Kent
and East Kent
divide, a demarcation which until 1814 applied to an administrative boundary for the purposes of the law courts' Quarter Sessions
. According to Edward Hasted
(writing in 1798): "northward of the church, including the borough of Bedmanton, is in the division of East Kent, but the rest of it, including the church and village, is in that of West Kent". This differs from the traditional distinction between Men of Kent and Kentish Men, which are separated by the River Medway
, accordingly persons born in Wormshill would be Men of Kent.
Since 1975, Wormshill has been administered within the North Downs ward
and, together with surrounding communities, elects a representative councillor for the ward in the Borough of Maidstone
. The incumbent councillor for the North Downs ward is Daphne Parvin. The village forms the central focus of the civil
and church parishes of Wormshill. The parish chairman is Jeremy Leigh-Pemberton, a deputy Lieutenant of Kent
and the brother of Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown
. Wormshill is part of the parliamentary constituency of Faversham and Mid Kent
, whose Member of Parliament
as of May 2010 is Hugh Robertson of the Conservative Party
. It is also in the South East England constituency
in the European Parliament
.
. The nearest town is Sittingbourne
, 7 miles (11 km) to the north. Wormshill is surrounded by villages and hamlets of a similar size, including Frinsted
, Bicknor
, Bedmonton
and Hucking
.
The village is on a high point of the North Downs
. The nearby road intersection of Black Post is recorded on the Ordnance Survey
maps at 191 metres (627 ft) above sea level. The landscape is primarily characterised by undulating calcareous grassland
and ancient deciduous
woodland over chalk
downland
. The settlement itself (as opposed to the wider parish) is on a downland ridge between two shallow dip slope
valleys that separate it from Bicknor to the north-west and Frinsted to the east.
Wormshill's elevated and exposed position on the North Downs
means it occasionally experiences extreme weather conditions such as the heavy snowfalls of 11–14 January 1987, March 2005, February 2009 and January 2010. In the late 18th century Hasted commented: "Being exposed to the northern aspect, it lies very bleak and cold."
Much of the local woodland was devastated by the Great Storm of 1987
, which in October swept across south-east England with hurricane-force winds. A significant part of the exposed woodland to the north-east of Wormshill was felled and, after replanting
, has only recently shown signs of maturing. An ancient yew
tree believed to have stood for several hundred years in the grounds of the house at Norwood Farm was destroyed along with other long-standing trees. However, some 20 years later, the village displays few obvious signs of the damage.
The countryside around the village has been described as "an area where the whole landscape is a piece of history—a valley where time has stood still and the pattern of woods and
fields is much as it was 500 years ago". A designated ancient woodland
lies to the north-west of the village. Predominantly centred on Barrows Wood but also including High Wood and Trundle Wood, this is likely a remnant of the woodland described by Hasted: "…at the northern boundary of the parish there is a considerable quantity of wood, consisting mostly of hazel and oak, with numbers of trees of the latter, interspersed among them, which are but small, never here growing to any size." An ancient track that passes through the remnants of this woodland has been damaged by the use of off-road vehicles leading to attempts by local landowners to block Drake Lane, a byway
that runs through Drake Lane Wood in the south-west of the parish and which may have been used by recruits of Sir Francis Drake's navy. Deep water-logged ruts in the track have resulted in the partial resurfacing of the route.
The village stretches primarily along a single carriageway road known as The Street. The north-eastern end of The Street is a designated Conservation Area
. The lack of development stems from its position within the Kent Downs
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest
, which influences local planning laws
and limits permission to build new housing. All development is subject to a high level of scrutiny; any development that would adversely affect the natural beauty of the landscape will automatically be resisted, and large-scale development proposals must be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment. The last major development was that of the residential cul-de-sac Draysfield.
The record in the Domesday Book does not give the population in 1086, though several people are named. By the late 19th century the village and parish were described as:
Wormshill's location remains rural. Because of geography and restrictions on development, building in the village has been scant since the 1960s and 1970s. In 1821, the parish contained only 26 dwellings: by 2001, the total number of houses had risen to 82.
The rural nature of the area is indicated by a population density of approximately 0.4 persons per hectare
(1 person for every 6.9 acre
s), compared to the average for the south-east of England of 4.2 persons per hectare (1 person for every 0.6 acres).
The village has been recorded as a distinct parish unit for the purpose of census statistics since the first United Kingdom census
in 1801. The majority of the official population of 198 (per United Kingdom Census 2001
) is aged 45 or over and lives in homes comprising married family units. The total population has increased by around 40 people since 1801 however, during the past 200 years, it has fluctuated more widely within that range. In 1801 the population was 157 before peaking at 253 in 1861. In 1901 census records
indicate a parish population of either 163 or 169.
Data for the ethnicity of the wider Maidstone area show that the population is around 97 percent white and that the remainder is of mixed, black, and Asian descent. Specific figures for Wormshill held by Kent County Council
indicated in 2001 that all the villagers were of white ethnicity.
{| border="0" align="center"
|
{| border="1" class="wikitable" align="center"
|+ Population of Wormshill
! Year !!1801 !! 1811 !! 1821 !! 1831 !! 1841 !! 1851 !! 1861 !! 1871 !! 1881 !! 1891
|-
! Population
| 157 || 160 || 165 || 187 || 218 || 209 || 253 || 251 || 213 || 160
|-
! Year !! 1901 !! 1911 !! 1921 !! 1931 !! 1941 !! 1951 !! 1961 !! 1971 !! 1981 !! 1991
|-
! Population
| 169 || 137 || 157 || 178 || n/a || 151 || 214 || 184 || ? || ?
|-
! Year !! 2001
|-
! Population
| 198
|}
agricultural region in 19th century which was followed in the early 20th century by the increasing mechanisation of farming activity. Although the farms continue to employ from the village, as of 2008 Wormshill is largely a dormitory village
, with residents employed in nearby towns or commuting to London. The socio-economic classification
of Census 2001 indicated that the most common occupations were "lower managerial and professional occupations" (21.9 percent) and "small employers and own account workers" (15.2 percent).
Until the end of the 20th century, the village had a post office and general stores along with a public house, The Blacksmiths Arms, a Grade II listed building, in part of 17th century origin.
The original post office opened in 1847 and was run by church warden Tom Clements from a building next to the rectory. The building, which now forms part of a Grade II* listed private dwelling, is thought to be the second-oldest surviving post office building in England with a service dating from 1847. The post office briefly moved to another location in The Street under the stewardship of local schoolmistress Fanny Harris (who operated the service from 1926); however, it returned to the original site in 1946 under the new sub-postmistress Irene Bugden and was run as a small general stores until it closed in 1976. Fanny Harris (then 92 years old and the village's oldest inhabitant) and Robin Leigh-Pemberton
were passengers on the first postbus service on 4 March 1974. A new post office and stores operated at a different property in the village for a further 20 years until it was closed in the 1990s. Today, the village retains only the Blacksmiths Arms and a traditional red post box
.
In the 19th century, an additional public house existed at the northern edge of the village near Norwood Farm and was known as The Woodman's Arms (and possibly also as The Norwood Arms). The pub was recorded on Ordnance Survey maps of the village between 1870 and 1946, but as of December 2008, the building is a Grade II listed private dwelling. Other listed buildings in the village include the timber-framed
houses Norwood Manor and Blacksmiths Cottage. A large country house now known as Wormshill Court and bordered to the north and east by a brick wall includes the outbuildings of Manor Farm. The property is part of a large estate which has for several generations belonged to the Nightingale family. The house and farm is also shown on a map of 1636 and at that time appears to represent the only building in the village other than the church and the rectory. In 1858 a further map of the manor named the property Court Lodge Farm and included an inset plan showing the exchange of land between the governors of Christ's Hospital and a Mr. Henry Hudson.
Wormshill retained its own telephone exchange
until the 1990s, when it became part of the Maidstone exchange. A red telephone box
remains in the village after residents insisted that it not be replaced with a modern design however the telephony was disconnected (and the box sealed) in November 2009 as a result of lack of use. An informal village noticeboard is on the side of an old flint and wood barn that was part of the former Home Farm. The post box and telephone box are at the same location.
The Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway
attracts tourists and railway enthusiasts throughout the summer season. The railway is a narrow gauge light railway
run between two small stations on about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) of track built in woodland between Bredgar
and Wormshill.
and the North Downs Way
(now designated as footpaths or byways) pass within a few kilometres of the village. Wormshill is not on any major roadways and has no rail service. No standard public transport facilities or taxicab
operations exist in the village. A daily Postbus
service, incorporated into the village postal delivery and collection timetable and which ran for 35 years, stopped on 14 November 2009. It was one of the last remaining postbus services in the United Kingdom. The service, run by the Royal Mail
and subsidised by the county council, began in March 1974 and collected residents from Wormshill and other villages on route to Sittingbourne
. The closure of the only means of public transport to and from the village was controversial and, following a campaign by local councillors and journalists, the postbus was replaced by a temporary minibus
service, funded by the county council. Royal Mail postal deliveries continue to be made to the village. The village lies between the M2 and M20
motorways, and the nearest railway station is at Hollingbourne
, 4 miles (6 km) to the south-west.
(a school established by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education
) was built in the village in 1872 for about 30 children, and was recorded on maps of the village until 1909, although it was dissolved some time in the early 20th century. The building that housed the school has since been converted to a private dwelling. The nearest primary school to the village is the Milstead and Frinsted Church of England School at Milstead
. Secondary school
pupils are educated in the towns of Sittingbourne or Maidstone
.
The church, parts of which date back to the Norman era, is dedicated to Saint Giles
and forms part of the united benefice
of Bredgar
, Milstead
, Bicknor
and Frinsted
. The ecclesiastical parish of Wormshill is in the Diocese of Canterbury
and the Sittingbourne deanery
(within the archdeaconry of Maidstone). As of December 2008, the vicar
was the Reverend John Smith.
In 1995, the church received a new ring of six bells
after a campaign by villagers begun in 1944 by Michael Nightingale of Cromarty
, who at age 16 opened a savings account with 10 shillings for the restoration of the church's bells. Fifty years later, he completed the full peal
of six bells: one of the six was original, and the other five were rescued from abandoned churches. The last major renovation
s of the church occurred in 1789 and 1901.
Of note within the church are a Norman font
and Tudor
pulpit
. The church also contains a 13th-century chest, first discovered in the early 20th century. The former rectory is now a private dwelling
.
at the Rectory of Wormshill in the 19th century, Reverend Josiah Disturnell, was the subject of a debate about exceptional human longevity
; it was claimed that he lived to age 107. References to the rector's memorial stone in the church ultimately provided evidence that his actual age of death was "either 91 or 93". Sir Henry Rew, a leading authority on agricultural economics, a former assistant secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
and president of the Royal Statistical Society
(1920–1922) died at his home in the village on 7 April 1929.
, broadcast in the United Kingdom over the Easter 2007 holiday season. The production crew added mock gravestones and a temporary Victorian
-style street lamp to the churchyard. Also featured were other locations in and near the village, including exterior shots of the Blacksmiths Arms combined with interior views of the nearby Ringlestone Inn
.
s are horticultural shows that include the surrounding villages; the country fair
(or fête) in the summer includes traditional country games, stalls and attractions such as hay bale throwing, tug of war
and a coconut shy
. Wormshill contains a community village hall and recreation ground. A former small playground is in disrepair. The 9th Sittingbourne (Tunstall and Wormshill) Scout Group
are associated with the village and group meetings are occasionally held at the village hall. Wormshill, together with the united benefice villages of Bredgar
, Milstead
, Bicknor
and Frinsted
, also produces a free monthly Parish Magazine including village news, announcements and occasional articles. In common with a number of rural communities in the county, Wormshill also receives a weekly mobile library
service run by Kent County Council
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
within the Borough of Maidstone
Maidstone (borough)
Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone which is also the County town of Kent...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. The parish is approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of The Swale
The Swale
The name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.- History :The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water"....
and 11 miles (18 km) north of Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
. The villages of Frinsted
Frinsted
Frinsted or Frinstead is a small village in the parish of Wormshill and in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. and has been a recorded settlement as far back as the Domesday Book and indeed was the only settlement in the surrounding area to be described at the time to have a church...
and Bicknor
Bicknor
Bicknor is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, north-east of Maidstone and south-west of Sittingbourne. It had a population of 68 according to the 2001 census....
are 2 miles (3 km) equidistant to the east and west, respectively; while Hollingbourne
Hollingbourne
Hollingbourne is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the southward slope of the North Downs to the east of the county town, Maidstone. The parish population is almost 1000 persons and includes Hollingbourne village as well as Broad...
is 4 miles (6 km) to the south. The village lies on an exposed high point of the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
, within the Kent Downs
Kent Downs
Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Kent, England . They are the eastern half of the North Downs and stretch from the London/Surrey borders to the White Cliffs of Dover...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Archaeological and toponymic
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
evidence of Wormshill's existence predates its appearance in the Domesday survey
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. The village contains a number of heritage-listed buildings, which include a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church, a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and one of the oldest surviving post office buildings in the United Kingdom. The fields and woodland surrounding Wormshill have changed little in the past 500 years, and the village itself remains rural with a low population density compared to the national average. The population of 200 is a mixture of agricultural workers employed by local farms and professional residents who commute to nearby towns.
Toponymy
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. The village is thought to be much older, its name derived from the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
god Wōden
Woden
Woden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
(a cognate with the Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
god, Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
) and meaning "Woden's Hill". The area was also described in a paper in Archaeologia Cantiana, 1961, as "Wormshill, an ancient possession of the Kings of Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
, the hill where they worshipped the heathen Woden". The University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
's Institute for Name-Studies has offered the suggestion that the name means "shelter for a herd of pigs".
The Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ised form, Wornesell, appears in the Kent Hundred Rolls
Kent Hundred Rolls
The Kent Hundred Rolls are the documentary result of a 13th century Crown inquiry or census into the rights of the English monarchy over land and property in the Hundreds of the county of Kent. The Rolls are preserved in the English National Archives as part of the national Hundred...
of 1274–75 and in a mediæval will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
recorded in September 1409. A corruption of the name, Wormsell, is mentioned as the birthplace of a Cistercian Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
at the nearby Boxley Abbey
Boxley Abbey
Boxley Abbey in Boxley, Kent, England was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1143-46 by William Ypres, Earl of Kent, and colonised by monks from Clairvaux Abbey in France. Some of its ruins survive, some four miles north-east of Maidstone.- Notable events :...
in 1474; a further variant, Wormysell, is found in a will of 1487, and court papers concerning a land dispute in 1534 use the name Wormeshell.
Early history
A 1994 landscape survey identified woodland to the north of the village as having contained ancient flint tools and what appeared to be flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
boundary markers, the latter apparently gathered from loose-lying surface flints. The area around the village features ancient denehole
Denehole
A Denehole is an underground structure consisting of a number of small chalk caves entered by a vertical shaft. The name is given to certain caves or excavations in England, which have been popularly supposed to be due to the Danes or some other of the early northern invaders of the country...
s, or agricultural chalk mines, some of which are pre-Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
. These holes, which may be up to 30 metres (98.4 ft) deep, were often dug at the edges of fields, onto which the chalk marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
would be spread.
The parish of Wormshill was originally appended to the village and parish of Boughton Malherbe
Boughton Malherbe
For other "Boughtons" in Kent see Boughton under Blean; Boughton Malherbe; and Boughton MonchelseaBoughton Malherbe is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, situated between Maidstone and Ashford...
, since both had the same patron; the patron of a parish was the land-owner who often built the church on the estate and who had the right (known as advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
) to appoint the parish priest. The first recorded patron of Wormshill was Robert de Gatton
Gatton (family)
The Gatton or de Gatton family were a Anglo-Norman land-owning dynasty from Gatton in Surrey. Beginning with Hemfrid de Gatton they held significant parts of South-East England, particularly in Kent, Sussex and Surrey during the 11th, 12th and 13th Centuries.-Significant members:*Hemfrid de Gatton ...
, who owned the Manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Wormsell during the reign of Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
(1207–72). From the Gatton family, the village passed by marriage in the 13th century to Sir Simon de Northwood, whose family crest appears in the stained glass of St Giles
St Giles, Wormshill
St. Giles Church is the sole church in the village of Wormshill in Kent. The church is Anglican and is dedicated to Saint Giles. It forms part of the united benefice of Bredgar, Milstead, Bicknor and Frinsted...
, the village's only church, and whose name (Norwood) is given to the farm at the north of the village.
Patronage of the parish subsequently transferred through a number of landholding families, vesting by the 17th century with the prominent Kent family of Sir Charles Sedley
Charles Sedley
Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet was an English wit, dramatist and politician, ending his career as Speaker of the House of Commons.-Life:...
, which at times held the baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
y of Aylesford
Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, 4 miles NW of Maidstone in England.Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. One pub, a Post Office and four small independent shops remain...
. During this period the Tylden (or Tilden) family
Tylden (family)
The Tylden family represent a landholding family with origins in England in the Middle Ages. A branch of the family emigrated to the American colonies in the early 17th century and established the Tilden family line in America.-History:...
, believed to have had links to the Crusades of Richard I
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
, were also significant landholders in the area in the early 17th century; a memorial to William Tylden, who died in 1613, rests in the north chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
of St Giles church. Around the same time in the late 16th century, recruits of Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
's navy may have used a track, now known as Drake Lane, in the south west of the parish or camped nearby as they marched from the Weald of Kent
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
to the dockyards at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
.
From the Sedley family patronage is believed to have lapsed to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
and then to Sir Joseph Aylosse before being conveyed by gift from a Mr. Serjeant Moses to the charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
of the president and governors of Christ's Hospital in London in gratitude for a University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
scholarship he had received. As late as 1798 the parish was still paying its traditional castle-guard
Castle-guard
Castle-guard was an arrangement under the feudal system, by which the duty of finding knights to guard royal castles was imposed on certain manors, knight's fees or baronies. The greater barons provided for the guard of their castles by exacting a similar duty from their sub-enfeoffedknights...
rent to Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history...
and retained a court baron
Court baron
A Court baron is an English or Scottish manorial court dating from the Middle Ages.It was laid down by Sir Edward Coke that a manor had two courts, "the first by the common law, and is called a court baron," the freeholders being its suitors; the other a customary court for the copyholders...
; this fee was a substitute for a feudal obligation requiring the provision of knights to defend the castle.
Little (if any) information exists about the village's population or demographics before 1801; however evidence from the first census indicates that the village grew steadily, reaching a peak in 1871. A possible indication of the growth in the agricultural output of the village is the construction of two windmills marked at "Beddington" (possibly present-day Bedmonton
Bedmonton
Bedmonton or Bedmanton is a hamlet situated about five miles on a minor road between the B2163 road and Wormshill to the south of Sittingbourne in Kent, England....
) on an Ordnance Survey map published between 1819 and 1843. The mills stood north and south of each other and were approximately ½ mile (800m) to the north-west of the church. House building continued during the mid-to-late 19th century, together with a post office and school. Like much of rural Kent during the time of the Swing Riots
Swing Riots
The Swing Riots were a widespread uprising by agricultural workers; it began with the destruction of threshing machines in the Elham Valley area of East Kent in the summer of 1830, and by early December had spread throughout the whole of southern England and East Anglia.As well as the attacks on...
(1830), Wormshill experienced a degree of civil unrest and Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
records indicate that "a large body of men, numbering 50-100" assembled at Wormshill with the purpose of "intimidation and to enforce demands on farmers...inducing other labourers to join them".
20th century
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Wormshill joined a number of similar settlements in the region to form part of the anti-invasion network
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
. On the outskirts of the village, near the hamlet of Ringlestone
Ringlestone
Ringlestone is a hamlet between Wormshill and Harrietsham in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, falling within the civil parish of Wormshill, it is not to be confused with the Ringlestone suburb of Maidstone....
, there are the remains of a zero station (or Operational Base), a secret underground communications relay post operated by Auxiliary Units
Auxiliary Units
The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially trained, highly secret units created by the United Kingdom government during the Second World War, with the aim of resisting the expected occupation of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany, after a planned invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion...
of the British Home Guard
British Home Guard
The Home Guard was a defence organisation of the British Army during the Second World War...
. In the event of a German
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
invasion the zero station was to be used by defending forces to receive and transmit coded messages between a series of similar stations in the area as well as to the operational command headquarters at Hannington Hall in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. A concealed underground concrete bunker, it was designed to be invisible from the surface and is located in woodland about 140 metres (153.1 yd) from the road. Although its primary purpose was a communications post, the zero station was also designed to hold ammunition and explosives and provide living quarters for the radio equipment operators. Anecdotal evidence also indicates that anti-aircraft guns were sited near the village and that a Bren gun emplacement was installed in the valley between Wormshill and Frinsted
Frinsted
Frinsted or Frinstead is a small village in the parish of Wormshill and in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. and has been a recorded settlement as far back as the Domesday Book and indeed was the only settlement in the surrounding area to be described at the time to have a church...
. Roadside checkpoints were set up on the main routes into the village to the north and south and allied forces moving through the region camped overnight in the area, including a detachment of New Zealand troops
New Zealand Army
The New Zealand Army , is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel, 2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted around 1946...
in fields near Home Farm. Villagers resident during the war also recall a V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
or "doodlebug" being shot down in orchards near Norwood Farm and a fighter aircraft crashing in fields to the south of Yew Tree Farm.
Following an initial decline in the population at the turn of the 20th century, more houses were constructed between the Great War and World War II and again in the 1950s and 60s, adding to the cluster of cottages from the 19th century and earlier. A village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
was also built at this time.
Governance
At the time of the Kent Hundred RollsKent Hundred Rolls
The Kent Hundred Rolls are the documentary result of a 13th century Crown inquiry or census into the rights of the English monarchy over land and property in the Hundreds of the county of Kent. The Rolls are preserved in the English National Archives as part of the national Hundred...
in 1275, Wormshill was in the Hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
of Eyhorne, a regional sub-division used in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
by feudal and crown officials to administer communities. Although the Hundred of Eyhorne (including Wormshill) still exists, it is a mediaeval anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
and no longer has any practical or administrative significance. In the 19th century, the village was within the lathe of Aylesford
Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, 4 miles NW of Maidstone in England.Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. One pub, a Post Office and four small independent shops remain...
, the Bearsted petty sessional division
Petty sessional division
A petty sessional division was, in England and Wales, the area that a Magistrates' Court had jusridiction over. Petty sessional divisions were gradually consolidated in the 20th century , and were replaced by local justice areas in 2005.Petty sessional divisions were established under an Act of...
and the Hollingbourne Rural District
Hollingbourne Rural District
Hollingbourne Rural District was a rural district in the county of Kent, England. It was named after the village of Hollingbourne.Following the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974 the district was merged with Maidstone Rural District to form the Borough of Maidstone.- Civil parishes :At the...
. The village was also incorporated into the Hollingbourne Poor Law Union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
(a means of funding and administering the operation of the Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
s in the area). The parish of Wormshill in part sits astride the West Kent
West Kent
West Kent and East Kent are one-time traditional subdivisions of the English county of Kent, kept alive by the Association of the Men of Kent and Kentish Men: an organisation formed in 1913....
and East Kent
East Kent
East Kent and West Kent are one-time traditional subdivisions of the English county of Kent, kept alive by the Association of the Men of Kent and Kentish Men: an organisation formed in 1913...
divide, a demarcation which until 1814 applied to an administrative boundary for the purposes of the law courts' Quarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
. According to Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted was the author of a major county history, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent .-Life:...
(writing in 1798): "northward of the church, including the borough of Bedmanton, is in the division of East Kent, but the rest of it, including the church and village, is in that of West Kent". This differs from the traditional distinction between Men of Kent and Kentish Men, which are separated by the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
, accordingly persons born in Wormshill would be Men of Kent.
Since 1975, Wormshill has been administered within the North Downs ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
and, together with surrounding communities, elects a representative councillor for the ward in the Borough of Maidstone
Maidstone (borough)
Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone which is also the County town of Kent...
. The incumbent councillor for the North Downs ward is Daphne Parvin. The village forms the central focus of the civil
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
and church parishes of Wormshill. The parish chairman is Jeremy Leigh-Pemberton, a deputy Lieutenant of Kent
Lord Lieutenant of Kent
This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. Since 1746, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Kent.-Lords Lieutenant of Kent:*Sir Thomas Cheney 1551–?*William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham 3 July 1585 – 6 March 1597...
and the brother of Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown
Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown
Robert "Robin" Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown, is a crossbencher on the House of Lords, and was formerly a lawyer and banker....
. Wormshill is part of the parliamentary constituency of Faversham and Mid Kent
Faversham and Mid Kent
Faversham and Mid Kent is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, whose Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
as of May 2010 is Hugh Robertson of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. It is also in the South East England constituency
South East England (European Parliament constituency)
South East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 10 Members of the European Parliament using the D'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Geography
At 51°17′4.2"N 0°41′44.2"E, the village is in central Kent, approximately 48 miles (77 km) south-east of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The nearest town is Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
, 7 miles (11 km) to the north. Wormshill is surrounded by villages and hamlets of a similar size, including Frinsted
Frinsted
Frinsted or Frinstead is a small village in the parish of Wormshill and in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. and has been a recorded settlement as far back as the Domesday Book and indeed was the only settlement in the surrounding area to be described at the time to have a church...
, Bicknor
Bicknor
Bicknor is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, north-east of Maidstone and south-west of Sittingbourne. It had a population of 68 according to the 2001 census....
, Bedmonton
Bedmonton
Bedmonton or Bedmanton is a hamlet situated about five miles on a minor road between the B2163 road and Wormshill to the south of Sittingbourne in Kent, England....
and Hucking
Hucking
Hucking is a small hamlet and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. The parish is governed by a parish meeting.The settlement sits atop the North Downs in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near the villages of Hollingbourne, Detling, Bicknor and Wormshill and...
.
The village is on a high point of the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
. The nearby road intersection of Black Post is recorded on the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps at 191 metres (627 ft) above sea level. The landscape is primarily characterised by undulating calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover...
and ancient deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
woodland over chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
. The settlement itself (as opposed to the wider parish) is on a downland ridge between two shallow dip slope
Dip slope
A dip slope is a geological formation often created by erosion of tilted strata. Dip slopes are found on homoclinal ridges with one side that is steep and irregular and another side, the dip slope, that is generally planar with a dip parallel to the bedding...
valleys that separate it from Bicknor to the north-west and Frinsted to the east.
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
means it occasionally experiences extreme weather conditions such as the heavy snowfalls of 11–14 January 1987, March 2005, February 2009 and January 2010. In the late 18th century Hasted commented: "Being exposed to the northern aspect, it lies very bleak and cold."
Much of the local woodland was devastated by the Great Storm of 1987
Great Storm of 1987
The Great Storm of 1987 occurred on the night of 15/16 October 1987, when an unusually strong weather system caused winds to hit much of southern England and northern France...
, which in October swept across south-east England with hurricane-force winds. A significant part of the exposed woodland to the north-east of Wormshill was felled and, after replanting
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
, has only recently shown signs of maturing. An ancient yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
tree believed to have stood for several hundred years in the grounds of the house at Norwood Farm was destroyed along with other long-standing trees. However, some 20 years later, the village displays few obvious signs of the damage.
The countryside around the village has been described as "an area where the whole landscape is a piece of history—a valley where time has stood still and the pattern of woods and
fields is much as it was 500 years ago". A designated ancient woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
lies to the north-west of the village. Predominantly centred on Barrows Wood but also including High Wood and Trundle Wood, this is likely a remnant of the woodland described by Hasted: "…at the northern boundary of the parish there is a considerable quantity of wood, consisting mostly of hazel and oak, with numbers of trees of the latter, interspersed among them, which are but small, never here growing to any size." An ancient track that passes through the remnants of this woodland has been damaged by the use of off-road vehicles leading to attempts by local landowners to block Drake Lane, a byway
Byway (road)
A byway in the United Kingdom is a minor secondary or tertiary road. In 2000 the legal term 'restricted byway' was introduced to cover roads on which it is possible to travel by any mode but not using 'mechanically propelled vehicles'.-Byway Open to All Traffic :In England & Wales, a Byway Open to...
that runs through Drake Lane Wood in the south-west of the parish and which may have been used by recruits of Sir Francis Drake's navy. Deep water-logged ruts in the track have resulted in the partial resurfacing of the route.
The village stretches primarily along a single carriageway road known as The Street. The north-eastern end of The Street is a designated Conservation Area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
. The lack of development stems from its position within the Kent Downs
Kent Downs
Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Kent, England . They are the eastern half of the North Downs and stretch from the London/Surrey borders to the White Cliffs of Dover...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest
Site of Nature Conservation Interest
Site of Nature Conservation Interest is a designation used in many parts of the United Kingdom to protect areas of importance for wildlife and geology at a county scale...
, which influences local planning laws
Town and country planning in the United Kingdom
Town and Country Planning is the land use planning system governments use to balance economic development and environmental quality. Each country of the United Kingdom has its own planning system that is responsible for town and country planning devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the...
and limits permission to build new housing. All development is subject to a high level of scrutiny; any development that would adversely affect the natural beauty of the landscape will automatically be resisted, and large-scale development proposals must be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment. The last major development was that of the residential cul-de-sac Draysfield.
Demography
WORMSHILL, a parish in Hollingbourn[sic] district, Kent; 5 miles S by W of Sittingbourne r. stationSittingbourne railway stationSittingbourne railway station is on the Chatham Main Line and the Sheerness Line in north Kent. The station is 44 miles 1260 yards from London Victoria according to the mileage sign on the footbridge. Train services are provided by Southeastern...
. It has a post-office under Sittingbourne. Acres, 1,467. Real property, £1,295. Pop., 253. Houses, 46. The property is divided among a few. The living is a rectory in the diocese of CanterburyCanterburyCanterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
. Value, £260.* Patron, Christ's HospitalChrist's HospitalChrist's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
, London. The church is plain. Charities, £12.
Wormshill's location remains rural. Because of geography and restrictions on development, building in the village has been scant since the 1960s and 1970s. In 1821, the parish contained only 26 dwellings: by 2001, the total number of houses had risen to 82.
The rural nature of the area is indicated by a population density of approximately 0.4 persons per hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
(1 person for every 6.9 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s), compared to the average for the south-east of England of 4.2 persons per hectare (1 person for every 0.6 acres).
The village has been recorded as a distinct parish unit for the purpose of census statistics since the first United Kingdom census
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
in 1801. The majority of the official population of 198 (per United Kingdom Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
) is aged 45 or over and lives in homes comprising married family units. The total population has increased by around 40 people since 1801 however, during the past 200 years, it has fluctuated more widely within that range. In 1801 the population was 157 before peaking at 253 in 1861. In 1901 census records
United Kingdom Census 1901
A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on 31 March 1901. It contains records for 32 million people and 6 million houses, It covers the whole of England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Deal in Kent. Separate censuses were held in Scotland and Ireland...
indicate a parish population of either 163 or 169.
Data for the ethnicity of the wider Maidstone area show that the population is around 97 percent white and that the remainder is of mixed, black, and Asian descent. Specific figures for Wormshill held by Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
indicated in 2001 that all the villagers were of white ethnicity.
{| border="0" align="center"
|
{| border="1" class="wikitable" align="center"
|+ Population of Wormshill
! Year !!1801 !! 1811 !! 1821 !! 1831 !! 1841 !! 1851 !! 1861 !! 1871 !! 1881 !! 1891
|-
! Population
| 157 || 160 || 165 || 187 || 218 || 209 || 253 || 251 || 213 || 160
|-
! Year !! 1901 !! 1911 !! 1921 !! 1931 !! 1941 !! 1951 !! 1961 !! 1971 !! 1981 !! 1991
|-
! Population
| 169 || 137 || 157 || 178 || n/a || 151 || 214 || 184 || ? || ?
|-
! Year !! 2001
|-
! Population
| 198
|}
Economy
Wormshill includes two farms: Yew Tree Farm (dairy farming) at the south end of the village, and Norwood Farm (fruit and other crops) at the north end. A third farm, Home Farm appeared on late 19th and early 20th centuries Ordnance Survey maps in the centre of the village. This farm is no longer in use, but some outbuildings remain. Wormshill at one time included a blacksmith's shop, which is recorded on Ordnance Survey maps until 1898. According to the 1831 Census, 40 of the 48 adult males in the village were employed in the agricultural sector. Census records from the mid-to-late 19th century show a marked increase in the construction of new homes, representing the largest growth in the village for the next 100 years; however, the 1901 Census still described the majority of workers as "labourers and servants". The population spike between 1821 and 1901 is a trend typical to the general growth in the need for physical labour from parishes in the Kent downlandKent Downs
Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Kent, England . They are the eastern half of the North Downs and stretch from the London/Surrey borders to the White Cliffs of Dover...
agricultural region in 19th century which was followed in the early 20th century by the increasing mechanisation of farming activity. Although the farms continue to employ from the village, as of 2008 Wormshill is largely a dormitory village
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
, with residents employed in nearby towns or commuting to London. The socio-economic classification
National Statistics Socio-economic Classification
The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification is the primary social classification in the United Kingdom. Its first major use was on the 2001 UK census...
of Census 2001 indicated that the most common occupations were "lower managerial and professional occupations" (21.9 percent) and "small employers and own account workers" (15.2 percent).
Landmarks
The original post office opened in 1847 and was run by church warden Tom Clements from a building next to the rectory. The building, which now forms part of a Grade II* listed private dwelling, is thought to be the second-oldest surviving post office building in England with a service dating from 1847. The post office briefly moved to another location in The Street under the stewardship of local schoolmistress Fanny Harris (who operated the service from 1926); however, it returned to the original site in 1946 under the new sub-postmistress Irene Bugden and was run as a small general stores until it closed in 1976. Fanny Harris (then 92 years old and the village's oldest inhabitant) and Robin Leigh-Pemberton
Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown
Robert "Robin" Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown, is a crossbencher on the House of Lords, and was formerly a lawyer and banker....
were passengers on the first postbus service on 4 March 1974. A new post office and stores operated at a different property in the village for a further 20 years until it was closed in the 1990s. Today, the village retains only the Blacksmiths Arms and a traditional red post box
Pillar box
A pillar box is a free-standing post box. They are found in the United Kingdom and in most former nations of the British Empire, members of the Commonwealth of Nations and British overseas territories, such as the Republic of Ireland, Australia, India and Gibraltar...
.
In the 19th century, an additional public house existed at the northern edge of the village near Norwood Farm and was known as The Woodman's Arms (and possibly also as The Norwood Arms). The pub was recorded on Ordnance Survey maps of the village between 1870 and 1946, but as of December 2008, the building is a Grade II listed private dwelling. Other listed buildings in the village include the timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
houses Norwood Manor and Blacksmiths Cottage. A large country house now known as Wormshill Court and bordered to the north and east by a brick wall includes the outbuildings of Manor Farm. The property is part of a large estate which has for several generations belonged to the Nightingale family. The house and farm is also shown on a map of 1636 and at that time appears to represent the only building in the village other than the church and the rectory. In 1858 a further map of the manor named the property Court Lodge Farm and included an inset plan showing the exchange of land between the governors of Christ's Hospital and a Mr. Henry Hudson.
Telephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
until the 1990s, when it became part of the Maidstone exchange. A red telephone box
Red telephone box
The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and in current or former...
remains in the village after residents insisted that it not be replaced with a modern design however the telephony was disconnected (and the box sealed) in November 2009 as a result of lack of use. An informal village noticeboard is on the side of an old flint and wood barn that was part of the former Home Farm. The post box and telephone box are at the same location.
The Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway
Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway
The Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway is located near the villages of Wormshill and Bredgar in Kent, just south of Sittingbourne. It is a gauge narrow gauge railway about half a mile in length....
attracts tourists and railway enthusiasts throughout the summer season. The railway is a narrow gauge light railway
Light railway
Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
run between two small stations on about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) of track built in woodland between Bredgar
Bredgar
Bredgar is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swale in Kent, England. The village lies some 4 miles to the southwest of Sittingbourne on the road between Tunstall and Hollingbourne...
and Wormshill.
Transport
A number of ancient trackways including the Pilgrims' WayPilgrims' Way
The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...
and the North Downs Way
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Godalming, Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kent Downs AONB.East of Boughton Lees, the path splits...
(now designated as footpaths or byways) pass within a few kilometres of the village. Wormshill is not on any major roadways and has no rail service. No standard public transport facilities or taxicab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
operations exist in the village. A daily Postbus
Postbus
A postbus is a public bus service that is operated as part of local mail delivery. As a means to provide public transport in rural areas with lower levels of patronage where a normal bus service is uneconomic Postbus services are run by the postal delivery company and combine the functions of...
service, incorporated into the village postal delivery and collection timetable and which ran for 35 years, stopped on 14 November 2009. It was one of the last remaining postbus services in the United Kingdom. The service, run by the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
and subsidised by the county council, began in March 1974 and collected residents from Wormshill and other villages on route to Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
. The closure of the only means of public transport to and from the village was controversial and, following a campaign by local councillors and journalists, the postbus was replaced by a temporary minibus
Minibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
service, funded by the county council. Royal Mail postal deliveries continue to be made to the village. The village lies between the M2 and M20
M20 motorway
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long...
motorways, and the nearest railway station is at Hollingbourne
Hollingbourne railway station
Hollingbourne railway station serves Hollingbourne in Kent. It was opened in 1884. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southeastern.The station is unmanned; a PERTIS 'permit to travel' machine is located on the up platform.-Services:...
, 4 miles (6 km) to the south-west.
Education
A small National schoolNational school (England and Wales)
A national school was a school founded in 19th century England and Wales by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education.These schools provided elementary education, in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England, to the children of the poor.Together with the less numerous...
(a school established by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education
National Society for Promoting Religious Education
The National Society for Promoting Religious Education, often just referred to as the National Society, is a Church of England body in England and Wales for the promotion of church schools and Christian education....
) was built in the village in 1872 for about 30 children, and was recorded on maps of the village until 1909, although it was dissolved some time in the early 20th century. The building that housed the school has since been converted to a private dwelling. The nearest primary school to the village is the Milstead and Frinsted Church of England School at Milstead
Milstead
Milstead is a village in the borough of Swale in Kent, England....
. Secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
pupils are educated in the towns of Sittingbourne or Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
.
Religion
- See also St Giles, WormshillSt Giles, WormshillSt. Giles Church is the sole church in the village of Wormshill in Kent. The church is Anglican and is dedicated to Saint Giles. It forms part of the united benefice of Bredgar, Milstead, Bicknor and Frinsted...
Saint Giles
Saint Giles was a Greek Christian hermit saint from Athens, whose legend is centered in Provence and Septimania. The tomb in the abbey Giles was said to have founded, in St-Gilles-du-Gard, became a place of pilgrimage and a stop on the road that led from Arles to Santiago de Compostela, the...
and forms part of the united benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Bredgar
Bredgar
Bredgar is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swale in Kent, England. The village lies some 4 miles to the southwest of Sittingbourne on the road between Tunstall and Hollingbourne...
, Milstead
Milstead
Milstead is a village in the borough of Swale in Kent, England....
, Bicknor
Bicknor
Bicknor is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, north-east of Maidstone and south-west of Sittingbourne. It had a population of 68 according to the 2001 census....
and Frinsted
Frinsted
Frinsted or Frinstead is a small village in the parish of Wormshill and in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. and has been a recorded settlement as far back as the Domesday Book and indeed was the only settlement in the surrounding area to be described at the time to have a church...
. The ecclesiastical parish of Wormshill is in the Diocese of Canterbury
Diocese of Canterbury
The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent, founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597. It is centred on Canterbury Cathedral, and is the oldest see of the Church of England....
and the Sittingbourne deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
(within the archdeaconry of Maidstone). As of December 2008, the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
was the Reverend John Smith.
In 1995, the church received a new ring of six bells
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
after a campaign by villagers begun in 1944 by Michael Nightingale of Cromarty
Cromarty
The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
, who at age 16 opened a savings account with 10 shillings for the restoration of the church's bells. Fifty years later, he completed the full peal
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
of six bells: one of the six was original, and the other five were rescued from abandoned churches. The last major renovation
Renovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
s of the church occurred in 1789 and 1901.
Of note within the church are a Norman font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
and Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
. The church also contains a 13th-century chest, first discovered in the early 20th century. The former rectory is now a private dwelling
Dwelling
Dwelling, as well as being a term for a house, or for living somewhere, or for lingering somewhere, is a philosophical concept which was developed by Martin Heidegger. Dwelling is about making yourself at home where the home itself is a building that is a house...
.
Notable people
A vicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
at the Rectory of Wormshill in the 19th century, Reverend Josiah Disturnell, was the subject of a debate about exceptional human longevity
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
; it was claimed that he lived to age 107. References to the rector's memorial stone in the church ultimately provided evidence that his actual age of death was "either 91 or 93". Sir Henry Rew, a leading authority on agricultural economics, a former assistant secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 and at that time called the Board of Agriculture, and then from 1903 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and from 1919 the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries...
and president of the Royal Statistical Society
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
(1920–1922) died at his home in the village on 7 April 1929.
Filmography
In January 2007, the church and its surroundings were used as locations in the filming of an episode of EastEndersEastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, broadcast in the United Kingdom over the Easter 2007 holiday season. The production crew added mock gravestones and a temporary Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
-style street lamp to the churchyard. Also featured were other locations in and near the village, including exterior shots of the Blacksmiths Arms combined with interior views of the nearby Ringlestone Inn
Ringlestone Inn
The Ringlestone Inn is an historic public house and restaurant, located in the Ringlestone hamlet near the village of Wormshill in Kent, England. Dating back to the reign of Henry VIII the current Grade II listed building was constructed in 1533 and retains its original brick and flint walls and...
.
Recreation
The village holds typical English rural festivals during the year. The spring and harvest festivalHarvest festival
A Harvest Festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world...
s are horticultural shows that include the surrounding villages; the country fair
Fête
Fête is a French word meaning festival, celebration or party, which has passed into English as a label that may be given to certain events.-Description:It is widely used in England and Australia in the context of a village fête,...
(or fête) in the summer includes traditional country games, stalls and attractions such as hay bale throwing, tug of war
Tug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
and a coconut shy
Coconut shy
A coconut shy is a traditional game, originally known as 'The love grove alley', frequently found as a sidestall at funfairs and fêtes. The game consists of throwing wooden balls at a row of coconuts balanced on posts. Typically a player buys three balls and wins each coconut successfully dislodged...
. Wormshill contains a community village hall and recreation ground. A former small playground is in disrepair. The 9th Sittingbourne (Tunstall and Wormshill) Scout Group
The Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
are associated with the village and group meetings are occasionally held at the village hall. Wormshill, together with the united benefice villages of Bredgar
Bredgar
Bredgar is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swale in Kent, England. The village lies some 4 miles to the southwest of Sittingbourne on the road between Tunstall and Hollingbourne...
, Milstead
Milstead
Milstead is a village in the borough of Swale in Kent, England....
, Bicknor
Bicknor
Bicknor is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, north-east of Maidstone and south-west of Sittingbourne. It had a population of 68 according to the 2001 census....
and Frinsted
Frinsted
Frinsted or Frinstead is a small village in the parish of Wormshill and in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. and has been a recorded settlement as far back as the Domesday Book and indeed was the only settlement in the surrounding area to be described at the time to have a church...
, also produces a free monthly Parish Magazine including village news, announcements and occasional articles. In common with a number of rural communities in the county, Wormshill also receives a weekly mobile library
Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...
service run by Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
.