Biddenden Consolidated Charity

Every Easter Monday, the Biddenden Consolidated Charity (also known as the Chulkhurst Charity) dole out bread, cheese, butter and tea to the retired and widowed members of our community. In the year 1100, Mary & Eliza Chulkhurst were born as conjoined twins. They lived until their 34th year, but sadly died within hours of each other, having refused to allow any surgeons to try and separate them. They were from a wealthy family and bequeathed some land, known as the "bread and cheese lands" to the Church Wardens. They were instructed to use the rent from this land to supply bread and cheese to the village's poor people each Easter. Today, the original land is now developed, and we have roads named "Chulkhurst" and "Cheeselands" in the village. The Charity still owns some land and property, and the rent from these is still used to supply bread and cheese to the needy of the village. THis footage is from 2 news reports recorded and broadcast on Easter Monday, the 24th March 2008 on Meridian Tonight and South East Today (BBC1). We thank them for portraying our village and Charity so well.

Sue Brown - Trustee, Biddenden Consolidated Charity

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Biddenden
• Charity
• Chulkhurst
• Twins
• Conjoined
• yt:stretch=4:3

[richpj1]

My Great Grandad Ira Offen handing out the bread and cheese in the old photo, Heather

[biddendensue]

Thank you so much for telling us. Sadly his name was not mentioned in the report. Do you have any other photos of him relating to the Charity?

[richpj1]

Don't think we have any others, sorry, think we have some paper cuttings somewhere mentioning him doing it, will see if I can find them although you will probably have already seen them. Heather

[navrag]

Yayyy Sue!