GILLINGHAM

gillingham, a market town in the northern parliamentary division of dorsetshire, england, 105 m. w.s.w. from london by the london & south-western railway. pop. (1901) 3380. the church of st mary the virgin has a decorated chancel. there is a large agricultural trade, and manufactures of bricks and tiles, cord, sacking and silk, brewing and bacon-curing are carried on. the rich undulating district in which gillingham is situated was a forest preserved by king john and his successors, and the site of their lodge is traceable near the town.