West Malling home of inter-county cricket in Kent, and it is known that in 1705, "West of Kent" played Chatham at Malling. The setting for the cricket match between All Muggleton and Dingley Dell in Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers is reputed to be based on an amalgamation of the grounds at West Malling and Maidstone. There is a resemblance to West Malling in the original illustration of the match, a version of which featured on the back of the £10 banknote featuring Dickens, first circulated on 29 April 1992. Dickens, however, was a regular visitor to Dingley Hall in the village of
Charles Dickens Jr. published (jointly with his father-in-law) the first editions of his two main dictionaries, "Dickens's Dictionary of London" and "Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames". In 1882 his dictionaries were picked up by Macmillan & Co. who also released his third dictionary, "Dickens's Dictionary of Paris", delayed by verifications explained in its introduction. Charles Dickens died of heart disease, at his home in Fulham, London, on 20 July 1896, aged 59. He was buried at Mortlake Cemetery on 23 July 1896. Dickens' estate was worth £17 5s. 3d at his death, and his widow was granted a government pension of £100 per