Gillingham - Kent Past

Gillingham is a 'homestead of Gylla's family', from the Saxon 'ham' meaning 'village, or homestead', and with ingas 'family, or followers'. It is recorded in 10th Century as Gyllingeham , other spellings include Jillyingham Water. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, it is believed Gylla was a war lord who screamed and shouted as he led his men into battle.

The parish church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, and replaced a timber Saxon chapel, thought to have been built in the 7th Century. In 1070 Lanfranc arrived as Archbishop of Canterbury. Lanfranc spent a considerable amount of time in the reorganisation and rebuilding of the English Church, and it is suggested that the church at Gillingham benefited from this programme.

Gillingham had been, both before and after the Norman Conquest, a possession of the Archbishop of Canterbury. During the second half of the 12th Century, it was decided to construct a Palace for the Archbishops, and recent research suggests that the precinct covered around 20 acres. The church itself was situated within the precinct and would have been the Palace's chapel. The Palace, like many other ecclesiastical establishments, was suppressed by Henry VIII in the 16th century. The church was considerably enlarged in the 14th Century. Major restoration work was undertaken on the church during the 19th century. Indeed records indicate that the structure had deteriorated considerably and was in a very bad state of repair at that time.

St. Mary's had a close connection with the Royal Navy through the centuries, and for many years, the tower was a navigational mark for ships sailing up the Medway estuary. As such, the church was required to fly a White Ensign by day and show a light on the tower by night. It was not until the Second World War, when navigational aids were much improved on the Medway, that the church was relieved of this obligation.

By the 14th Century, Gillingham had achieved considerable importance, and was allowed to hold an annual fair and weekly market.

The local success of a junior football side, Chatham Excelsior F.C., encouraged a group of businessmen to meet at the Napier Arms pub on 18 May 1893, with a view to creating a football club that could compete in larger competitions. To do this, the club required an enclosed playing area where an admission fee could be charged, which Excelsior lacked. New Brompton F.C. was formed at the meeting, incorporating a number of Excelsior players. The gentlemen also purchased the plot of land, which would later become Priestfield Stadium, where a pitch was quickly laid and a pavilion constructed. New Brompton's first team played their inaugural match on 2 September 1893.

The station opened with the East Kent Railway's first stretch of operational railway between Faversham and Chatham on 25th January. From the outset, the name boards proclaimed 'New Brompton', in 1886; the station gained a suffix, becoming 'New Brompton (Gillingham)'. Eventually the station was re-named Gillingham.