Snippets from Chesham’s history
How Chesham got its name
Chesham’s written records begin in AD 970 when Lady Elgiva, wife of Saxon King Edwy, bequeathed her estate at Caesteleshamm (‘the river meadow by the pile of stones’) to the abbey at Abingdon. Chesham’s name evolved from this and the River Chess took its name from the town. Lady Elgiva put the river to good use. She had it diverted around what is now The Moor, by Chesham Moor Gym & Swim sports centre, to grind corn at Lord’s Mill – one of several mills established on the river. The last water wheel to be installed at Lord’s Mill can still be seen near The Moor, in Waterside. The lady herself has not been forgotten: she gave her name to The Elgiva theatre, the vibrant cultural centre of the town.
A growing market town
In 1257 Chesham was granted its Royal Charter, enabling traders to hold a weekly market around Market Square. From this, stall holders progressed to setting up shops in their front rooms, later to be joined in time by cottage industries. Straw plaiting for Luton’s hat trade was one notable example, employing both women and children. In the 1860s, Chesham had twenty-one plaiting ‘schools’ where children as young as four were set to work plaiting straw in small cottage rooms.
In 1875, eight people meeting in a Church Street cottage each put down a gold sovereign to launch the town’s first co-operative society. By 1925 the Society employed 100 people and owned seventeen horses, twenty-two horse-drawn vehicles and seven petrol-driven vehicles. By the late 1950s, estate agents were describing Chesham as ‘Co-op Town’, where the Society literally provided everything ‘from the cradle to the grave’.
The Co-op has gone, and the wheel has come full circle. On the last Saturday of every month, the stalls of Chesham’s popular Local Produce Market does brisk business in and around the Market Square.
Chesham’s Mad Hatter
Chesham was once home to Roger Crab, thought to be the inspiration for The Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.
‘Cloven to the brain’ on army service in the English Civil Wars, Roger Crab came to Chesham to work as a ‘haberdasher of hats’ in Francis Yard.
While working here he was probably affected by the mercury used to cure the felt in hats. In 1651 he left Chesham to live as a hermit near Uxbridge. He became a vegan, growing his own vegetables and urging others to follow his regime. An outspoken rebel against all established religions Chesham’s Mad Hatter found himself in prison on several occasions. Despite this, he achieved a reputation for sanctity and seership in his old age. After transferring his hermitage to Bethnal Green, he died in 1680 and was buried in Stepney churchyard. His tombstone can be seen there, set into the pavement.
Roger Crab’s former workplace, Francis Yard, is now home to The Drawingroom café, art and music venue. Spot the huge gold teacup which often adorns the top of the arch, to signify links to the ‘Mad Hatter’ and the tea party. Every summer, Chesham pays tribute to Roger Crab with Hats Off Chesham! a festival of fun and high jinks which takes over the whole High Street.
The Four Bs
Chesham is known for its Four Bs: boots, brushes, beer and Baptists.
Boot and shoe making
Boot and shoe making began as a cottage industry, drawing on leather supplied by local tanneries. By the mid-19th century footwear manufacture had become one of Chesham’s most important industries. The census of 1851 identified 291 male shoemakers and 85 women shoe binders living in the town. Giffard Newton & Sons, established in Church Street in 1854, was the last of the town’s bootmakers. Their factory in Townsend Road closed in 2005. The Old Boot Factory now houses the charity WorkAid and its shop, which sells a unique mix of tools and other household and garden items.
Brushmaking
Brushmaking in Chesham owes its origins to the Chiltern beechwoods that attracted numerous woodturners to the town. By the early 1900s Chesham had ten brush factories making everything from paint brushes to brooms. In their premises in Townsend Road, R Russell Brush Manufacturer keeps old skills alive in a family business that has been handed down from father to son for over 180 years.
Beer!
In the early 19th century, Chesham had scores of public houses and beer shops. At one point, the town’s 9000 people were served by some 80 pubs. Many landlords brewed and sold beer in their homes. One of the best known of these was How’s, who began brewing at 80-82 Church Street in the early 1800s using water from its own well. How’s was eventually taken over by Chesham’s biggest commercial brewery, who ceased trading in 1957. Happily, pubs and taps in and around the town still provide lovers of local ales with plenty of choice.
Baptists
Baptists hold a proud place in Chesham’s history. The town has long been noted for its religious non-conformity. Poignant proof is provided by a small monument at the foot of White Hill. It marks the place where Chesham’s Thomas Harding was burnt at the stake in 1532, as a Lollard and heretic. In time, Baptists became the most prevalent of the town’s many dissenters. A Baptist chapel opened in 1712, the first of several built for congregations in Chesham and its villages. Of these, only the little chapel in Chartridge survives. The imposing Broadway Baptist Church in the town centre opened its doors in 1901, providing accommodation for 1,000 people. Astonishingly, it is estimated that at that time, half of Chesham’s population had been practicing Baptists.