It was turning into a gorgeous spring day after Jean dropped us off in Chartham and said farewell. We both wished her and her mother well and thanked her again for the book and DVD, and promised to stay in touch. As I looked about me for the first time in over 60 years I almost felt as if I had come home. The ancient church stood still where it had for almost 700 years, next to the village green and close to the Great Stour River, and all about the early spring flowers and buds were in bloom. A small cemetery with faded and weathered monument stones lay off to one side and when we walked up to the front entrance we found it locked, but a passerby pointed out the home of the vicar and we soon had him hurrying there on his motorbike to open up. He showed us about and we chatted about the history of this very old building. Marie and I also had a chance to walk down along the very busy Ashford Road (A28) to the cemetery where I thought my Granddad was buried but after an hour wandering slowly among the graves and trying to read the faded lettering on those which had been there the longest we decided he wasn't there after all. We returned to the village hall and talked to a few people about our predicament and the next day met with my cousin Pat and a friend, Val, who told us he was there but in a plot with just a marker. She promised to put some flowers on it and take a picture to send to us. We were thrilled at this latest news and glad we had taken the time to make some inquiries. I was thankful to be able to visit this wonderful place and connect with it's past once more. Unfortunately we would soon be gone from this peaceful place, our next stop Salisbury to the west. gws
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| Great Stour river and swan |
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| In memory to the men of Chartham who fell in the Great War |
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| Me and the Vicar |
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| Crusader Sir Robert Septvans, died 1307, buried in the Chancel floor |
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| fields alongside A28 to the cemetery |
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| Chartham cemetery |
Be with us Lord, as we go out into the world...
