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The History of Kent

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History of Teynham

Teynham (pronounced 'ten-am') comes from the Old English ‘hām’ meaning a ‘village, homestead, estate’, combined with a warlord’s name; therefore, ‘Tena’s homestead/village’. The Domesday Book chronicles Teynham as Teneham.

Teynham parish church is a Grade: I listed building, dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin. The present church, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, replaced a Saxon Minster. Robert Catlin cast a ring of six bells in 1743. In 1798, Edward Hasted described St Mary’s church as being built ‘in the form of a cross, and consists of three isles, a high chancel, and a north and south chancel, having a square tower at the west end, in which are four bells’.  The Victorians restored the chancel, aisles, transepts and west tower in 1873.

Teynham railway station opened on the East Kent Railway’s Chatham to Faversham line, being the first section of the London Chatham and Dover Railway’s, London Victoria to Dover mainline, on 25 January 1885… more

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