Meopham

Meopham is a large linear village and civil parish in the Borough of Gravesham and ceremonial county of Kent, in England, and lies to the south of Gravesend. The parish covers 6.5sqmi, and comprises two villages and two smaller settlements; it has a population of 6,427 increasing slightly to 6,722 at the 2011 census. Meopham is the one of the longest linear settlements in Kent, being 7mi in length.HistoryThe name of the village derives from Meapaham (Meapa's village): it is first recorded in 788, in the reign of King Offa. The modern pronunciation of the name comes from different ways of writing and spelling.Benedictine monks established a priory hospital at Meopham in the 12th century and throughout the Middle Ages three medieval manor houses - those of Meopham, Dodmore and Nurstead - governed the land now encompassing the parish. Edward Hasted in 1797 described the village as being "out of the way" and with "no well frequented thoroughfare through it". Since the 1920s, when the road numbering scheme started, the main road through the village, the A227, has become busier as a through-route connecting North Kent with the M20 motorway at the foot of the North Downs, although this now has been somewhat relieved by the M25.