Alkham is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Dover district of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England, about five miles west of

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

. Within the parish are the settlements of Chalksole and Ewell Minnis; the parish population was 691 people (2001 census), reducing slightly to 688 at the 2011 Census. Alkham's

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Anglican church is dedicated to St Anthony. The former Wesleyan chapel on Slip Lane is now a private residence. The parishes of Alkham and

River A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

form the River

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

in the Dover local government district.

Church of St Anthony

Alkham does not appear in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, but the church is mentioned in 1093 as subordinate to

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

. In the 13th century the village was described as the Manor of Halcham. St Anthony's Church was given by Hamo de Crevecoeur to St. Radegund's Abbey in Hougham Without in 1258. Upon the dissolution of St. Radegund's Abbey during the dissolution of the monasteries, the site and all of the church possessions were granted to

Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a theologian, leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He is honoured as a Oxford Martyrs, martyr ...

and remained in the

Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering East Kent, eastern Kent which was founded by St Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest episcopal see, see of the Chur ...

. In 1683, John Hodson cast and hung a ring of four bells in the church. Victorian restoration work was carried out in 1872. The church has within its possession the stone lid of the coffin of Herbert de Averenches, a monk from St. Randegund's Abbey, which has a 12th century inscription, believed to be one of the oldest in Kent.

References

External links

Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent {{Kent-geo-stub