BIDDENDEN

 

Biddenden (Bidda's woodland pasture) is a pretty village, lying between Maidstone and Tenterden. It is largely untouched, with the majority of the buildings lining the main road being of Tudor and medieval heritage.

The village sign depicts conjoined twins, known as the Biddenden Maids.

Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst (or Chalkhurst), commonly known as the Biddenden Maids, were a pair of conjoined twins supposedly born in Biddenden, Kent, England, in the year 1100. They are said to have been joined at both the shoulder and the hip, and to have lived for 34 years. It is claimed that on their death they bequeathed five plots of land to the village, known as the Bread and Cheese Lands. The income from these lands was used to pay for an annual dole of food and drink to the poor every Easter. Since at least 1775, the dole has included Biddenden cakes, hard biscuits imprinted with an image of two conjoined women.

Although the annual distribution of food and drink is known to have taken place since at least 1605, no records exist of the story of the sisters prior to 1770. Records of that time say that the names of the sisters were not known, and early drawings of Biddenden cakes do not give names for the sisters; it is not until the early 19th century that the names "Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst" were first used.

Edward Hasted, the local historian of Kent, dismissed the story of the Biddenden Maids as a folk myth, claiming that the image on the cake had originally represented two poor women and that the story of the conjoined twins was "a vulgar tradition" invented to account for it, while influential historian Robert Chambers accepted that the legend could potentially be true but believed it unlikely. Throughout most of the 19th century little research was carried out into the origins of the legend. Despite the doubts among historians, in the 19th century the legend became increasingly popular and the village of Biddenden was thronged with rowdy visitors every Easter. In the late 19th century historians investigated the origins of the legend. It was suggested that the twins had genuinely existed but had been joined at the hip only rather than at both the hip and shoulder, and that they had lived in the 16th rather than the 12th century.

In 1907, the Bread and Cheese Lands were sold for housing, and the resulting income allowed the annual dole to expand considerably, providing the widows and pensioners of Biddenden with cheese, bread and tea at Easter and with cash payments at Christmas. Biddenden cakes continue to be given to the poor of Biddenden each Easter, and are sold as souvenirs to visitors.

In 1331 the export of unwashed wool was prohibited by King Edward III. He encouraged weavers from Flanders to settle here, thus bringing their weaving and dying techniques to England. Biddenden and some of its neighbouring villages soon became an important centre of the Broadcloth manufacturing industry. The majority of the high street was built during this period, and the stone paved footpath was built from Biddenden to Tenterden to take the traffic.

Many of these old houses were built to house weavers. Hence the long windows.

Despite being at the junction of two busy main roads, the village buildings are largely untouched, with the High Street lined with Tudor buildings on one side, and a mixture of Tudor and Georgian buildings on the other. Halfway along, on the wall of West House, is a depiction of the Two Maids 

All Saints church stands at the end of the old part of the village, on sharp bends which take the road around the outside of the graveyard. Unfortunately, it wasn't open today, but I have established when it will be, so I will return when possible.

I strolled around outside. Last Sunday was Remembrance Sunday, so the churchyard, which contains the village war memorial, was full of poppies. Many of them were knitted by the locals, and the wreaths are from the Royal British Legion of course.