Welcome to the Shepherdswell & Coldred History Society
Through this site you will be taken on a journey to our past, learning how events have shaped the people of this area and how the people have shaped the area.
History is a very fluid subject and so we will be constantly updating the information on this site as we learn more about the village and its history.
The latest initiative from the History Society is “Blast from the Past”, a monthly article that explores some aspect of village life or history.
To view the latest edition, click here.
Our next meeting
Thursday 30th March 2026
The shocking story of John Any Bird Bell – the boy murderer, publicly executed in 1831.
Guest speaker: Mark Bateson
John Any Bird Bell was put to death outside Maidstone Gaol on 1st August 1831. Aged 14, he was the youngest person to be hanged in this country during the nineteenth century.
John was found guilty of murder of another boy, Richard Taylor, aged 13, during a robbery for 9 shillings. The principal witness against him was his accomplice and brother, James Bell, aged 11, who was reprieved.
The court case and execution received huge publicity, much of it sensationalised.
Several songs and ballads were written. John’s execution was witnessed by a crowd of 5,000 people. The hangman, William Calcraft, used the newly manufactured ‘drop’ scaffold.
The story of John Any Bird Bell shines a light on nineteenth-century attitudes to crime and punishments, as well as towards young people and those considered ‘outsiders’ by respectable society.
Mark Bateson has been interested in the story of John Any Bird Bell for several decades and written a semi-dramatised version of the trial.
Mark is Archive Engagement Officer at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone. He is also Chair of Kent Archaeological Society’s Place Names Research Group.
Thursday 30th March, Shepherdswell Village Hall @ 7.30pm
The society normally holds monthly meetings and presentations at Shepherdswell Village Hall.
Click here to view our 2026 Programme of Events, but do check this website regularly for any updates or amendments to the programme.
We look forward to seeing you throughout the year.
To download a hard copy of the programme, simply click here.
To contact the History Society, please email shepherdswellhistory@gmail.com.
If you would like to become a member or renew your membership, you can either pay on the door at the next meeting or by BACS.
Click here for our bank details.
Our thanks to Dover District Council for the support it has given to the Society over the past few years which has greatly assisted our various projects as well as our ability to share the history of the village with the whole community.
The History Society is a member of the Kent Archaeological Society.