Chevening () is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Sevenoaks District of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. It was the location for the world's earliest known organised

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

match. The parish is located to the north west of Sevenoaks on the southern slopes of the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...

. The parish is a small one, being in length and wide. It had a population of 3,092 at the 2011 Census. Apart from the village the remaining area is rural. Chevening House is located here. The

Pilgrims' Way A pilgrims' way or pilgrim way is a standard route that pilgrims take when they go on a pilgrimage in order to reach their destination – usually a holy site or place of worship. These sites may be towns or cities of special significance such a ...

crosses the parish. Close to Chevening, the path of Harold Godwinson's army en route to the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

in 1066, heading south along what is now Chipstead Lane, crosses

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

's route after the battle towards

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

along the Pilgrim's Way. The village of Chevening is also small. It stands on the upper reaches of the River Darent. The village lies very close to the M25 motorway.

Parish Church

The parish church is dedicated to St Botolph. It is within the diocese of Rochester, and the deanery of Shoreham. The church has an alabaster tomb to the lord of the manor, Sampson Lennard, and his wife Margaret, Lady Dacre. The church office, parish hall and rectory are located 1.3 miles distant from the parish church, on the outskirts of the village of Chipstead. The Stanhope Chapel in the parish church of St Botolph is the traditional burial place of the Earls Stanhope. The church is linked with Chevening (St Botolph's) Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, which is located 1 mile from the church, also in the village of Chipstead.

Cricket

Chevening was the venue for the world's earliest known organised

match. The match can be deduced from a 1640 court case recording a "cricketing" of "Weald and Upland" against "Chalkhill" at Chevening "about thirty years since" (i.e. around 1611). The case concerned the land on which the game was played.Underdown, David (2000) ''Start of Play'', p.4. London: Allen Lane. .

Railway

Chevening was served by a halt on the Westerham Valley Branch Line running between Westerham and Dunton Green: the branch opened in 1881 but the halt at Chevening was not added until 1906 when steam railmotor services began on the line. Both line and halt closed in 1961.

References

External links

Location map and historical notes

Chevening Parish Council website

{{authority control 1611 establishments in England Civil parishes in Kent History of Kent Villages in Kent