Timeline Stories

In 1660, a petition was sent to the King, and Robert Wilkinson became the Vicar of Eastchurch in 1661. In 1665, a boundary ditch was dug around the churchyard and the small vicarage cottage. In 1870, due to overcrowding, the drainage ditch was filled in to create more space for burials, and the water butts […]

A new modern rectory was built near the church in Warden Road, and the old rectory was sold and converted into a residential home.

In 1921 a lych-gate was installed at the entrance to the church and dedicated to the memory of those killed in the WWI.

In 1684, James Jeffreys became Vicar, having previously served as Chaplain to the Duke of York (later James II). He was the brother of Judge George Jeffreys, known for his brutality in the “Bloody Assizes” that followed Monmouth’s rebellion in 1685.

In 1536, Henry VIII dissolved the Abbey of Boxley, and the vicarage of Eastchurch passed to the Crown. In 1544, the King granted them to Sir Thomas Cheyne of Shurland. Eventually, the parsonage and other possessions were sold to Roger Livesey of Tooting. The Livesey family substantially rebuilt the parsonage, and Gabriel Livesey and his

In 1472, the Abbey of Boxley sought control of the vicarage at Eastchurch to increase their income. Permission for appropriation was granted by Pope Sixtus IV in 1472, but the license from the Archbishop of Canterbury was not received until 1512. The transfer was completed in 1515 when the Abbey of Boxley gained the rights

The church of All Saints, known as Eastchurch, is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Eastcyrce. Its original location and the hamlet of Eastcyrce were approximately 1/4 mile south of its current position.

The tower of the church holds a set of six bells, five of which were forged in Kent in the year 1605. Joseph Hatch, a bellcaster from Kent, created and installed one of the bells in 1605. John Wilnar contributed three more bells, including a tenor, in 1632, and completed the ring of five with

The exterior roof is replaced with funding assistance, particularly from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The West end of the church undergoes reordering as part of the Jubilee Project, creating a spacious area for church and community use