is a village lying to east of
Gravesend ,
Kent ,
England , and now virtually part of the town area. The name comes from the
Saxon word ''cealc'' meaning a chalkstone.
One layer of the chalk carries ''
Flints '', stones embedded in the chalk, and these were used in building and in providing the means of fire for ''
Muskets ''. The stone is often cut to provide a flat edge as a craft known as ''flint-knapping''. The trade was worked in Chalk from the 17th century onwards. were produced here in large quantities until the early 19th century.
Chalk, already known in the 8th century from a ''witan'' (a Saxon meeting) held here, is mentioned in the
Domesday Book . A large
Roman villa was discovered here in 1961. Of the farms in the parish, Filborough is the oldest, having historical mention as early as AD
1220 . At one time it was owned by
Henry VIII . Two of its
Manor House s were called ''West Court'' and ''East Court''. The former now gives its name to one of Gravesend's housing estates. The parish church of St Mary the Virgin lies at some distance from the village centre. It is largely of Early English date, with a 12th century north aisle
Also within the parish was the one-time Gravesend
Airport , from which
Amy Johnson began her record flight, and which during
WWII became a
Royal Air Force fighter base. On much of its site is now one of the biggest post-war housing estates; known as Riverview Park.
Chalk's major claim to fame is its connection with
Charles Dickens . Here he spent his honeymoon with his new bride, Kate Hogarth; and it was here that he wrote the early installments of
Pickwick Papers . He also used the old
Forge in the village as a model for Joe Gargery's cottage in
Great Expectations . The building still stands as a historically
Listed Building .
- ''A History of Gravesend'' Robert H Hiscock (Phillimore, 1976)
Village notes
