Burham
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| Burham | |
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  Burham shown within Kent |
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| Population | 1251 |
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| District | Tonbridge and Malling |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Tonbridge and Malling |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Coordinates: Burham is a village and civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling district of
Kent, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,251. The village is near the Medway towns.
The history of Burham can be traced to Roman times. AD43 saw the Battle of the Medway at the crossing point on the River Medway, where Burham is now, when the invading Roman legions, advancing west across Kent, were confronted by a massed army of the ancient British tribes. The Roman victory altered the course of history in Britain, and the remains of Roman buildings have been found in Burham and the neighbouring village of Eccles.
There has been a Settlement in Burham since Saxon times, "ham" being the Saxon word for "settlement" — the "Bur" part of the name comes from "burgh", or borough, referring to the borough of Rochester. The name "Burham" means "the village near the borough".
In the 11th century Burham belonged to Leofwine Godwinson, brother of King Harold. He was killed along with his brother at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror. It is listed as having six sulings (about 240 acres) of land. There were two major farms, 15 "villeins" each farming 30 acres and 20 "borderers" each farming about five acres. There was a church and a mill with woodland sufficient to support 20 hogs.
About 1830 Burham became a "cement village" on the Medway, after the discovery of the manufacturing technique for Portland Cement (so called because of its resemblance to Portland stone).
By 1841 the village's population had grown to 380 and increased to a maximum of 1,725 in 1901. Today it is about 1,300.
In July, 1998, the Kent Air Ambulance helicopter, returning from an emergency call in Rochester, crashed in woodland near Burham, after hitting power lines. All three crew — the pilot and two paramedics — were killed.
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