when they worked and it all went on food and drink. Brickie was known far and wide for a very dangerous trick he would sometimes perform. He would grind a glass to powder and empty it into his quart pot of beer and drink it. An extraordinary story is told of a man who always followed the threshing machine owned by Mr Holden then living at Berries Maple. Mr Holden, who was puzzled by this man, one day hurt his hand rather badly in his machine, his follower volunteered to attend to it using some healing substance which is ordinarily only handled by doctors. On his way home Mr Holden went into a doctor’s surgery in Rochester, the doctor at once realised that the wound had been treated by someone with experience. Hanging on a wall of the surgery was a photograph which Mr Holden eventually recognised as that of the man who had attended to his hand. He was the doctor’s eldest brother whom the family had not seen or heard of for many years. He had been forced to retire from the profession. The Great War 1914-18 and the introduction of National Insurance saw the end of the vagrants.

"The White Swan" Inn 1880-1883
At that time the house was kept by Martha and Elizabeth Wakeman who made and sold penny custard pies every day all through Lent. The pies were called "pudding pies" and many school children bought them.

Horse Bells
There is an interesting relic in the Village of the days of horse-drawn vehicles. It is a set of bells from 4 – 6 inches in diameter which were attached to the horse’s harness especially for ceremonial occasions and for travelling in the then very narrow lanes. They have a lovely tone and could be heard half a mile away so that an on coming cart had an opportunity of drawing in to a suitable place to enable the other vehicle to pass. These were the property of the late Mr Charles Rogers and have now been acquired by Mr Fred Goodwin.

Milk from the Cow
Many years ago the father of Mr F Crowhurst of North Ash, kept a cow which he drove round to people’s houses and milked straight into their jugs.

Cattle Pound
In Nine Horse Wood at one time there was a cattle pound and stray cattle were imprisoned there until a fine was paid.

Caves
Several years ago some caves were discovered at the bottom of "Slides" and the children of North Ash Farm explored these with bicycle lamps.

An Idyll of Ridley Church
This concerns a family of swallows that nested in the porch for twenty years. Then, in 1912, there must have been a mishap, for they did not come that year nor for a score of years after. Then to the amazement and delight of all who knew Ridley of old, the swallows returned.

War Story, 1944
An amusing war story is told by Mrs F Goodwin. "We had a barrage balloon tethered just outside our garden gate. One day as I was walking through our farm yard I met two members of the crew running as if for their lives, after them came the cook, also running hard. In one hand he carried an axe and in the other a large carving knife. I stood quite stiff and hoped he would not notice me, he didn’t. Looking neither to the right nor left he went after the others. They went out of the gate and disappeared up the road. Then along came the Corporal in charge, I asked him whatever was happening. He replied, "One balloon has got away and we are going after it". I heaved a sigh of relief and replied "Well, if anyone meets them along the road they will think the cook means to murder the other two."