St Mary's Church
Cholera and St Mary's Church
In the grounds of this church one will discover a memorial to forty-three hop-pickers who died of cholera in 1849, and who were buried by Vicar of East Farleigh Rev. Henry Wilberforce. The inscription reads “In memory of 43 strangers, who died of cholera, September 1849. R.I.P”. Although the original cross has deteriorated over time and a wooden cross was erected in 1985, like many hop-pickers they were temporary workers who often travelled from far away. 41 of the dead were Irish Roman Catholics. They were not the only victims of cholera that year in the locality - 30 others died at Yalding and Loose (who were also hop-pickers). ‘Appalling insanitary conditions’ were to blame. East Farleigh School was used as hospital. When doctors arrived from Maidstone there were 62 cases of cholera. Despite the infectious nature of disease, local volunteers acted as nurses. Fifteen years previously, 34 hop-pickers had also died from cholera. A newspaper at the time commented that “it appears that no lessons had been learned.”