Elmsted

Elmsted
St James the Great, Elmsted
Population	312 (2021 Census)
OS grid reference	TR115449
Civil parish	Elmsted
District	Folkestone and Hythe
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Post town	Ashford
Postcode district	TN25
Post town	Canterbury
Postcode district	CT4
Dialling code	01233
Police
Fire
Ambulance
UK Parliament	Folkestone and Hythe

Elmsted is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England. It lies on the North Downs, west of Stone Street, the Roman road between Canterbury and Lympne. The parish is predominantly rural and has a dispersed settlement pattern, including Bodsham, Evington and North Leigh.

The parish had a population of 312 at the 2021 Census. The parish covers approximately 1,045 hectares.

Geography

Elmsted is situated on the North Downs in east Kent. The parish consists predominantly of farmland, pasture and woodland, with houses, farms and cottages scattered across the landscape rather than concentrated around a single village centre.

The settlement pattern is characteristic of the agricultural landscape of the Kent Downs. Historically, farmsteads and houses were often located close to the land worked by their occupants, resulting in a dispersed pattern of settlement.

The parish includes Elmsted, Bodsham, Evington and North Leigh, together with a number of smaller historic settlements, farms and hamlets. The parish church of St James the Great is situated approximately centrally within the parish.

Stone Street, the Roman road between Canterbury and Lympne, runs along part of the eastern side of the parish. The modern route remains an important historic feature of the area.

Elmsted lies approximately 11 kilometres east of Ashford and west of Canterbury. Postal addresses in the parish use the TN25 and CT4 postcode districts.

The lower-lying parts of the parish contain areas of clay and flint, while the higher ground is associated with the chalk of the North Downs.

Name

The name Elmsted is generally associated with Old English elements referring to elm trees and a place or site. Historical records contain a number of variant forms of the parish name.

History

The area has a long history of settlement and agriculture. Its position on the North Downs and close to Stone Street contributed to the development of a dispersed agricultural landscape.

Stone Street formed part of the Roman road network connecting Canterbury with Lympne and the south coast. The road provided a route for movement and trade across east Kent and remains one of the principal historic features associated with the parish.

Elmsted is not recorded under its modern name in the Domesday Book of 1086, although Bodsham, which lies within the modern parish, has medieval documentary associations.

The modern civil parish developed from a number of historic estates, farms and settlements. This history contributed to the dispersed character of the parish.

Evington

Evington is a historic estate and settlement within Elmsted and was the site of Evington Court.

The estate has medieval origins. Thomas Philipott, writing in the 17th century, recorded Robert de Evington as an ancestor of the Evingtons of Elmsted and referred to deeds mentioning the family during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I.

Philipott described Evington Court as an ancient seat of the Evington family and recorded their coat armour as a fess between three steel burgonets, or steel caps.

Edward Hasted, in his The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, also described Evington Court and the Evington family. Hasted recorded the Yoke of Evington as an estate in Elmsted and noted its relationship to the jurisdiction of the manor of Barton near Canterbury.

After the Evington family line ended, the estate passed to the Gay family. Christopher Gay was associated with Evington Court and died in 1507. His will recorded his wish to be buried at St James the Great, Elmsted. His memorial and part of his brass survive in the church.

Philipott recorded that Christopher Gay sold Evington Court to John Honywood around the beginning of the reign of Henry VII.

The estate subsequently became associated with the Honywood family for several centuries. Their connection with Evington is particularly evident at St James the Great, where numerous monuments commemorate members of the family.

The 19th-century tithe records for Elmsted also identify land at Evington Park belonging to Sir John Edward Honeywood, Baronet.

Evington Court and estate

Main article: Evington Court

Evington Court was the principal house of the historic Evington estate. The estate developed into a substantial landed property containing the principal residence, agricultural land, farms, cottages and other estate buildings.

The scale of the estate is particularly well documented by the 1916 sale particulars preserved by Historic England. The estate included Evington Court, an entrance lodge, gardener's cottage, keeper's cottage, stables and Evington Shooting Lodge, together with numerous farms and agricultural properties in Elmsted, Bodsham, Waltham and surrounding areas.

Properties recorded in the 1916 estate material included Bavinge Farm, Beech Tree Farm, Bodsham Farm, Dean Farm, Elmsted Court Lodge Farm, Great Dowles Farm, Great Holt Farm, Ittinge Farm, Little Holt Farm, Lower Hill Street Farm, Maxted Street Farm, Pett Bottom Farm and Spong Farm, together with other holdings.

The 1916 sale material demonstrates the scale of the estate at the beginning of the 20th century and its importance to the surrounding agricultural landscape.

Local historical records also preserve information concerning the Evington Estate auction of 1916, together with earlier records of estate properties and occupiers.

The principal Evington Court house was subsequently demolished. A number of associated buildings and other remains survive in the surrounding area.

In August 2023, Arron Martin inherited the historic manorial title of Lord of the Manor of Evington Court, succeeding to the title associated with the historic Evington estate.

The manorial title is distinct from ownership of the physical property at Evington Court. Holding the title does not, by itself, establish ownership of the buildings or land formerly comprising the historic estate.

Hasted's historical account also distinguishes the Evington estate from the manor exercising jurisdiction over it, recording the Yoke of Evington as being subject to the jurisdiction of the manor of Barton near Canterbury.

St James the Great

Main article: St James the Great, Elmsted

The parish church is dedicated to Saint James the Great and is a Grade I listed building. It is recorded on the National Heritage List for England under entry 1241752.

The principal fabric of the church dates from the late 11th or 12th century, with substantial additions during the 13th and 14th centuries. The church was restored in 1877.

The building is constructed principally of flint with stone dressings. It consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, north and south chapels, a south porch and a west tower.

The west tower contains a medieval timber-framed belfry and is surmounted by an octagonal spire.

The church contains historic monuments, fittings and architectural features dating from several periods. These include a medieval font and a 17th-century pulpit.

The south chapel is also known as the Honywood Chapel and contains numerous monuments associated with the Honywood family. These include monuments to members of the family including Sir William Honeywood, Thomas Honeywood, Mary Honeywood and Sir John Honywood.

The church also contains surviving material associated with the Gay family. A brass and memorial relating to Christopher Gay, who died in 1507, survive in the south chapel.

The two side chapels were added around 1300. The south chapel was subsequently closely associated with the Honywood family, who contributed to its maintenance and restoration.

The church therefore provides an important surviving connection between Elmsted, Evington Court and the families historically associated with the estate.

Bodsham

Bodsham is a historic settlement within Elmsted parish and has medieval documentary associations, including a reference in the Domesday Book.

Bodsham was also closely connected with the agricultural landscape of the Evington Estate. Several properties in and around Bodsham appear in the 1916 Evington Estate sale particulars.

Bodsham Church of England Primary School is situated in the parish and provides primary education.

Other settlements

Elmsted has a dispersed settlement pattern containing a number of smaller hamlets, farms and historic places.

North Leigh lies in the northern part of the parish, while Evington lies in the south-western part. Other historic settlement and farm names appear in parish, tithe and estate records.

The dispersed nature of these settlements is characteristic of the rural landscape of the Kent Downs.

Local government

Elmsted is a civil parish within the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent.

The parish forms part of the North Downs West ward for district council elections and the Elham Valley electoral division for Kent County Council elections.

Elmsted Parish Council is the local parish authority.

At Westminster elections, Elmsted is within the Folkestone and Hythe parliamentary constituency.

Education

Bodsham Church of England Primary School is situated at Bodsham within the parish. It is a Church of England primary school serving children of primary-school age.

Department for Education records list the school's published capacity as 103 pupils.

In June 2026, the Department for Education approved the school's conversion to academy status and its joining of Our Community Multi Academy Trust. The existing maintained establishment is recorded as closing on 30 November 2026 as part of the conversion.

An Ofsted inspection took place on 19 May 2026, with the resulting report published on 26 June 2026.

Demographics

The 2021 Census recorded 312 usual residents in Elmsted parish.

Historical census returns show that Elmsted had a substantially larger population during the 19th century before experiencing a long-term decline. The population exceeded 500 during the middle of the 19th century before falling during the later 19th and 20th centuries.

Population of Elmsted parish

Census year	Population
1801	362
1811	398
1821	454
1831	502
1841	505
1851	500
1881	433
1891	373
1901	327
1911	340
1921	308
1931	262
1951	311
1961	299
1971	270
2021	312

The parish's population has therefore remained substantially below its 19th-century peak, consistent with its predominantly rural and dispersed settlement pattern.

Heritage and records

Elmsted has a substantial body of surviving historical and archaeological evidence. In addition to St James the Great, historical records include parish registers, tithe material, Ordnance Survey maps and estate records.

The surviving records provide evidence for the development of the parish from a medieval agricultural landscape into the dispersed rural settlement seen today.

The Elmsted historical records index includes material relating to the Evington Estate, historic properties, parish records and the 1916 Evington Estate auction.

See also

• Evington Court
• St James the Great, Elmsted
• Bodsham
• Honywood family
• Stone Street, Kent

External links

• Elmsted Parish Council
• Historic England: Church of St James, Elmsted
• Historic England: The Evington Estate, Kent, 1916
• Kent History & Archaeology: St James the Apostle Church, Elmsted
• Kent History & Archaeology: Tithe Apportionment for Elmsted
• Elmsted historical records index
• Official Manorial Title Register
• Ofsted: Bodsham Church of England Primary School
• Department for Education: Bodsham Church of England Primary School
• St James the Great on Wikimedia Commons