|
|





After receiving numerous enquiries pertaining to Wouldham and Wouldham life I have decide to add this page to the site to allow people to ask for help regarding anything to do with the village. Whether it is a request for help in the garden or volunteers for a Fete or with your family tree or even a question, just leave your message via the question / answer button and I will post iton this page. In the near future this system will be replaced by a full blown forum which wil place you comments automatically. |
Originally posted 14/03/2008 by Pam Fray. An Australian has contacted me re. his family. Rayfield or Rayefield or Rafield. A Nicolas Rafield b.17th century, Wouldham, married Elizabeth Dobson. Also a William Rayefield b. 17th century, lived at Burham.Anyone know of any Rayfields in the area please? |
Originally posted 30/05/2008 by Martin I would like to use every means possible to raise awarness of the plight currently facing RAVENS KNOWLE residents and their lovely shared communial garden. Trenport's attemp to secure this land were made this week (28/05/08) and will be met by stiff opposition from all residents. Come and see our garden, share our fight and give us your support. Email your support including any memories of Ravens Knowle and its Garden to : ravensknowle@googlemail.com |
Originally posted 06/08/2008 by Paul Price Hi! Nice site, well done. I once lived in Wouldham in the very early 1960's. My dad had the Rose & Crown Public House, but I notice that it is not listed (presumably because it no longer exists). Does anyone know what happened to it and even better does anyone have any old pictures of it? |
Originally posted 06/04/2008 by Sean Beard Hi my name is Sean Beard I live in Bournemouth and I am interested in tracing my family history my Grandmother was a Stevens she is Buried in the local church I have only been to Wouldham once to find a grave can you help me? |
Originally posted 13/06/2008 by Pamela Cory Hi there my name is Pam, I am very new to Wouldham in Pilgrims Way...... and I was hoping that I could put an ad in your site to say that I do ironing from 50 pence an item ... I am not in work at the moment due to having cancer, please could you help? |
Originally posted 17/06/2008 by Cheryl O'Rourke Hi Do you have any historical information on Forge House, I'm curious to know what it was used for and when it was built? |
Originally posted 29/06/2008 by Derek Gordon Dear Admin, My stepbrother Barrie Cook played for Wouldham in the 60's and late 70's.. There were some old photos of Wouldham football team in the Medway Inn pub when I lived in the village from 1952 to 1983. Do you know if the landlord still has them, and how I can get copies? |
Originally posted 19/08/2008 by Thelma Winikajtis Hello I hope you can help me . The other Wednesday my sister, two cousins and I were tracing our family tree ,and it lead us to Wouldham where our great grand parents are buried also our great uncle who has his name on the church gate . What I would like to know more about, is Wouldham Court Farm house when it was a working farm I was told they had their own slaughter house and owned the village butchers in which my great uncle ran and owned when he married their daughter. I know its now a bed and breakfast and that the butchers shop is now a house. If you have any details to confirm this or any old pictures I would be very pleased to see them. Hoping you can help |
Originally posted 29/09/2008 by Christine Gayler Hi I am currently tracing my family tree, most seem to come from Snodland, Burham and Wouldham. I had a great aunt born in Wouldham Workhouse (Rosina Caller born 1881). Rosina’s mother Elizabeth Caller (my great grandmother) lived at 4 Medway Place and my great grandfather Thomas Chevous lived at no.10 or maybe the other way round, I do not have the paperwork with me at the moment). Thomas & Elizabeth married and moved to Church Street, Burham and subsequently Canada, taking 2 children with them and leaving two married daughters behind in either 1905 or 1906. Any knowledge concerning the above would be a huge help. Many thanks |
Originally posted 04/10/2008 by Henny Smith This is about family research for the family of AUSTIN, George b1812 Spalding, Linconlshire d 1907 Wouldham, Kent AUSTIN, Sarah b1828 Kings Lynn, Norfolk d 1901 Wouldham, Kent (nee BALLS - I believe) Children Mary Ann, Esther, Sarah, Elizabeth, William, Fanny, Amey, Harriet, George, Charles From census records its seems George Snr and a couple of the boys worked at the Lime Works or Chalk Works. I have them living No 8 The Square, Church Place and in High Street. The daughter Harriet marries John David Beaney. I believe that both Harriet and John Beaney were killed in Strood, Kent when a flying bomb (V2?) hit their house. If any one knows of this family or ancestors of the same, it would be great hearing from them. I am researching this from Pingelly in Western Australia, so am not able to come to your town to do any research and have to rely on getting in touch with people via the internet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks |
Originally posted 09/10/2008 by Mel Williams I moved into Wouldham Village in February this year and the house I have moved into has a Creda Comfortair electric warm air heater. I am trying to find a company that would come to service the heater. I am led to believe that a few houses in Wouldham have electric warm air heating and wondered if anyone could pass on any details of who I can contact. Many thanks |
Originally posted 18/12/2008 by Jenny Geddes Can someone please tell me why the bollards as you come into Wouldham from Borstal are made froOriginally posted 18/12/2008 by Jenny Geddes Can someone please tell me why the bollards as you come into Wouldham from Borstal are made from wood? You can barely see them and I know that cars have already driven into them. I note that the bollards outside the church are going to be removed and replaced as they are unsightly, a suggestion - that they be put on the traffic calming part so that traffic coming into the village can actually see that the road narrows. In my view the current wooden, practically invisible ones are dangerous and have caused accidents. Yours sincerely |
Originally posted 19/01/2009 by Steve Hamblett lived in Wouldham until I was 8 years old when my family moved away. I am now 38 and have moved back to the Maidstone area and one day hope to move back to Wouldham. I can still remember a lot about the village from childhood from my old nursery school in Knowle Road which is no longer there and our house in Cornwall Crescent. I was driving through Wouldham the other day however and noticed that the houses in CornWall Crescent differ from the one we used to live in which my mother has photos of.Could you please tell me if they were demolished and rebuilt, and if so when and why? We moved away in 1978. Kind Regards stevewesthamnut@hotmail.co.uk |
Originally posted 13/01/2009 by Robert Jenkins Whilst carrying out some family research I came across your excellent Wouldham web site. My wife's great grandfather Walter Ayling is listed in the 1911 census as being the domestic gardener at Wouldham Hall, living in Gardeners Cottage with his five children, his wife having died the year before. I can find no reference to the Hall and wondered if you can tell me whether or not it or the cottage still exist. Many thanks for your help. jenkinsduckst@hotmail.com |
Originally posted 21/03/2009 by Kate I am researching my family tree EDWARDS. My great grandfather moved to Wouldham from Essex in 1880, where he met his wife Sarah KEMSLEY. They had children Lily, Walter, Eva, Dorothy, Harry and Jack, they moved to Halling C1900. Walter Married Millicent SLINGSBY IN 1910 at Cuxton. Can anyone help with any details of them or what life in Wouldham/Halling would have been like in those days, I believe my great grandfather worke at the cement works, I presume in Wouldham as he lived in Portland Place, would this property have been owned by the factory. Thanks for your help. Kate |
Originally posted 15/05/2009 by A.Mustafa Hi all, we are looking to move to Wouldham or surrounding area due to family being there next year possibly Spring time. Family are helpful but don’t wish to put upon them too much so was wondering if anyone knew a local paper we could look at online for property? Or where I can find private landlord listings... Or if anyone themselves has a property they would willing to rent to us in the new year. We are looking for a 3 bedroom (baby on the way) one adult is a smoker, but willing to smoke outside, and we have two housetrained cats. We are in receipt of housing benefit due to job loss here , but are clean and tidy and look after any properties we have rented. Reference from my current landlord available. If anyone can help with either please mail me on town_called_malice@hotmail.co.uk many thanks in advance |
Originally posted 14/06/2009 by David Kemsley Response to Thelma's 19/08/2008 post about Wouldham Court Farm Thelma, I too would like to know more about Wouldham Court Farm. My Kemsley relatives owned it in the 1800's as recorded at http://web.mac.com/icafe/Kemsley/Wouldham_2.html. You'll find my email address on that web page (at the bottom). Cheers, Response to Kate's 21/03/2009 post about EDWARDS and KEMSLEY Kate, you didn't leave contact information, so I'm responding here. I don't have any direct information on your EDWARDS connection, but I do know a little bit about the KEMSLEYs in Wouldham. I've been in contact with cousins in England and have visited that area a few times recently. You can find "all I know" at http://web.mac.com/icafe/Kemsley/Wouldham_1.html If you want to converse further, you'll find my email address on that web page (at the bottom). I can get you in contact with a Barry Edwards in the UK who also has Kemsley connections. The website also has an extensive GED file that another cousin in the UK generated, which should contain your Sarah Kemsley. I probably have photos of Sarah Kemsley's grave if she died in the Wouldham area. Cheers, Oroginally posted 25/06/2009 by Sheila Carter (nee Buss) Dear Sir/ Madam My father who is 94 this year has been telling me recently about his grandfather who was killed in a fire,in a tunnel at Wouldham. I would imagine that it was possibly in the early 1900's the fire happened,but not sure of date. Also according to dad the fire was stated by someone knocking over a lantern that was on the roof. My father's name is BUSS. His father was born in the row of white cootages that you can see on the hill, from very far away. His father was born in 1898 and my dad and my grandad were both called William. Unfortunately i do not know and dad can't remember his grandfather's name, other than BUSS. Dad also says that there is a memorial somewhere in Wouldham to the men who died. He has never seen the memorial and if it does still exist i would love to take a photo just to show him. I hope this reuest doesn't cause to much trouble. Thank you in anticipation Originally posted 03/07/2009 by David Elias Hi I hope you can help me. I am the brother of Peter Elias who lives in Ferry lane and I can’t get hold of him, he sometimes changes his phone and doesn’t tell me. Before I contacted the Forresters Arms, his favorite pub but perhaps its too early in the day. If you could help me locate him or his current number I would be very grateful. Regards Tel 001809 890 8065 |
Originally posted 21/07/2009 by Kevin J Payne hello,being a resident of rochester for practically all my life,and a reseacher in local history and the paranormal,ive taken a great interest in wouldhams past,among other local villages,would there be anyone among your members who would share any true supernatural stories of your village and environs with me?.Ive had quite a few personal experiences of my own,including one that borders between wouldham and burham,this particular episode,ive allowed to be included in a new book on strange goings on in kent.I know a fair bit on the history of wouldam,and there seems to be a connection with someone of my family and the house where walter burke resided.i would be most grateful if one of your members can come up with a tale of the supernatural in your neck of the woods as there seems to be quite a few,i have been logging such cases for many years now,and have inrterviewed countless local people recieving a great response,my father also had an encounter on the outskirts of your village many years ago,and an old police sergeant gave me a couple of fascinating tales.i very much look forward to hearing from you,my kindest regards,yours faithfully |
Originally posted 08/08/2009 by Mark Brunger Hi, I am currently researching my family history and have traced it back to Wouldham and would love to hear from descendants of John BRUNGER and Ellen BRUNGER (Nee WRIGHT). My Great, Great Grandfather is George BRUNGER, son of John & Ellen. You can contact me by email at radioboy2002@hotmail.com or by mail to Mr Mark Brunger, 1/5 Mowat St Geelong West, Victoria, Australia, 3215. Thanks and all the best to you all! |
Originally posted 23/04/2010 by Mark Peters PETERS WOULDHAM HALL & BURHAM WORKS - PORTLAND CEMENT If you have any knowledge about the Peters family that ran the major cement works at Wouldham I'd be very interested to hear about it. Any help in expanding the potted history below would be also very welcome: For instance any knowledge about key figures in the factory (foremen, engineers, lime burners, millers, fireman, labourers etc...) would be very well received and if anyone has any knowledge of what happened to the factory and when it was finally taken down I would also be interested to know. - - - - William Peters was making lime in the Greystone lime works near Wouldham before beginning his own works on the east bank of the Medway at Wouldham. He lived at Wouldham Hall from about 1860. After William’s death in 1867 his sons Joseph and Edwin initiated some major renovations to the works. His youngest son Henry became the man in the public eye. He over- saw a lot of changes to the plant, concerned especially with the type of kilns used, to obtain the best efficiency and quality. And by late 1880s, his 700-strong workforce of Peters Cement Works was one of the biggest of its kind with certainly the largest fleet of barges in the world. Transportation costs forced amalgamation, rationalisation and closures. In due course, Henry sold the Peters business to the Amalgamation (known by 1912 as BPCM - British Portland Cement Manufacturers). - - - - Many thanks markap@mac.com |
Originally posted 30/04/2010 by Kelly Hi, my name is Kelly and William Peters (who started the cement works in 1857) is my great, great, great grandfather! I am interested in finding out any history on the Peters Family - my grandfather was Reginald Bernal Peters, who eventually owned the White Lion Hotel (Folkstone). His mother was Caroline Payne (the Payne family are listed on the 1901 census for Wouldham - could this be her family?). I am particularly trying to find the name of Reginald's dad - I think that Henry Peters was probably his grandfather. Reginald's daughters are grandmothers themselves today. Can anyone help? Thanks a mil |
© Copyright 2010 WW Media |
Originally posted 27/05/2010 by Kathy Jordan Stitchman Blackman Family Hi trying to find info about my mum Joan Stitchman Her mum was Mary Elizabeth Blackman and she married Henry George Stitchman all living in Wouldham 1890's onward. I was also born in Wouldham at the end of WW2 .If any one knew my mum would be grateful for any info Thanks kat201017@hotmail.co.uk |
Originally posted 16/06/2010 by Jeanne Bingham Hi I wonder if you can help, I've heard there was an exibition in Wouldham and old photographs were on display and a CD could be purchased. My husbands ancesters lived in Wouldam for many years. Is there any books or CD's that I could see anywhere to check out the photos, we are researching family history. Regards jeanne.bingham@blueyonder.co.uk |