Camden History Society’s David Hayes and Tudor Allen, borough archivist, Camden (UK)

A COMPREHENSIVE history of the first place in the world to be named Camden has been handed over to the borough’s local studies archive – but the stories inside the thick, leather-bound edition tell of lives led many thousands of miles away from NW1.

The document, which was delivered last week, is the history of Camden in Kershaw County, South Carolina, USA, which in 1768 became the first place in the world to adopt the moniker, more than 20 years before our own Town was given the title.

The gift came from two members of the Kershaw County Historical Society, Lon and Donna Outen, who delivered the book while visiting London. They had first found out about Camden Town and Camden borough, England, when their history group were contacted as part of a worldwide Camden history project the London-based Camden History Society embarked on last year.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the original Lord Camden’s death, the society spoke to other Camdens around the world and contacted a group based in the County of Kershaw. The couple say they had read a “cheerfully breezy” article online in the New Journal in their South Carolina home about the project which prompted them to make time on their visit to London.

CHS chairman David Hayes said: “The society’s president Joan Inabinet was a contributor to our history project and she also gave a talk about Camden in Kershaw County on Zoom to our members last year. “She came back to me recently and said two members were coming to the UK to visit – and they would like to drop something off at the Local Studies Archive in Theobald’s Road.”

Lon and Donna Outen hand over the Camden (USA) history book to Camden (UK) History Society President Caroline Barron

Mr Outen is the chief archivist for the state records in Camden and he and his wife met the Camden (London) borough archivist, Tudor Allen, to present the book with Mr Hayes and society president Caroline Barron.

Mr Hayes told the New Journal: “The gift is from the oldest Camden in the world, named after Earl Camden in 1768, over two decades earlier than our own Camden Town, and almost two centuries before the present London borough, the world’s youngest Camden and most populous urban one.

“With a population of just 16,000, Camden SC today brands itself the World Capital of Steeple­chasing. It is also the site of two Revolutionary Battles of Camden.”

And the story of Camden, South Carolina, is being carefully collated by David’s transatlantic peers.

He said: “Their history archive is quite a new centre and they are very proud of it. They were very aware of the fact that their Camden came first.”

There are many fascinating documents that trace both Camdens’ growth, including a letter of thanks from the US citizens of the recently freed USA. They sent it to Lord Camden at his Kent home, thanking him for his support in throwing off royalist oppression.

Mr Hayes said: “[Our] town was originally called Pinetree Hill, but they changed its name. They wrote to the Lord to say they had named their town after him to say thank you for his work trying to represent colonists in parliament. He called for no taxation without representation and the colonialists remembered that.”