Langham
The name Langham appears as Langeha-ham in 1156, 1157, 1173 and 1309 as Langha-ham in 1158-9 and 1251-2 and as Langenham in 1303, 1316 and 1495. Langham derives from the Old English ‘lang’ meaning long and ‘ham’ meaning farm, i.e. the long farm.
Anton Fagersten (The Place-Names of Dorset-Inaugural Dissertation – Univ. of Uppsala 1933); Introduction to Dorset Place-Names) Gillingham Local History Society 2002 booklet.
There is plenty of evidence of Saxon occupation in Gillingham. Although low lying and well watered, the Saxons were able to make better use of the land with their heavy ploughs than the Britons had been able to with their much lighter ploughs. Some Saxon ploughs used in the heavy soil were pulled by eight oxen and were very awkward to turn, so they used long barrow strips of land instead of square fields. Langham Lane follows the line of the plough in a typical reversed ‘S’ shape.
Henry Deane, Vicar of Gillingham recalls, in his notes on the history of the town (1850’s), that in Langham, which is about 2km west of Gillingham, (date of discover not known) when limestone quarrying operations were being carried out, on level ground some 350ft above sea-level (Hutchins III, 662), at least 100 skeletons were discovered at a depth of approx 3’ and all 2’ apart with the heads of each alternate row lying opposite the hips of the next row, with their feet pointing East. Flat stones had been used to protect their heads as none were in coffins. On this evidence, Henry Dean, the Vicar of Gillingham, assumed they were Christian burials of the Roman period. Finds recorded were two brooches and some sherds of rough pottery.
Gylla’s Hometown & Dorset Natural History & Archaeology Society Vol III 1989
RCHM Vol IV, pg 35/36
