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General
Stoke Hammond has had its own fair share of colourful characters not the least of which was a landlord of the Dolphin Inn. In days gone by a lot of people used to keep hens in their gardens and thus it was in Stoke Hammond. Then a series of thefts of these hens took place and the landlord was quick to perpetuate a rumour that it was certain village boys who were responsible. People believed him until he was caught in the act of stealing poultry by the owner of Stoke Lodge who hit him over the head with a spanner. The landlord ran off and the victim did not know who the man was but his injury would soon identify him. And so it did when several days later he was found hanging by his neck in the loft of the old stables.
The name derives from the Old English word stoc and means ‘outlying farm or settlement’. The Hammond aspect derives from Hamon, the name of one of the descendants of the original owner. At the time of the Domesday Survey it was called Stoches.
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Rectory
At one time the old rectory in Stoke Hammond was haunted. This is felt to have been the reason why one parson, who lived in the old rectory adjoining the churchyard, may have preferred liquid refreshment, especially whisky. He was often seen with a bottle or two walking up the road from the Dolphin Inn.
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