Early Chislehurst

The earliest record of Cyselhyrst as a settlement was the Latin Charter of King Edgar dated AD 974 who made a grant of land in Bromley to the St Andrew's Priory in Rochester with land boundaries defined and drawn up by royal lawyers. This led to the founding of the Bishop's Palace in Bromley. Up until recently historians have thought that apart from its natural features Chislehurst had retained nothing from that period, however, restoration work on the west wall of the parish church brought to light the fact that the west end of the nave was of Saxon origin rather than Norman.

It was in 1957 when the flint walls of the church were undergoing repairs that a small portion caved in revealing a 'blocked' window opening such as that only found in Saxon buildings. Windows of that period splayed inwards and outwards in equal measure. Turned with rough flints this particular window's inner spread remained blocked. As it was located immediately above the later west window and not centrally placed, it was thought there would be no purpose in reopening it internally, and so the window, unglazed, has been left as found. To prevent it from 'weathering,' tiles have been placed below it to form a sill.

Another indication of Saxon origin is that the wall, of which nothing else remains beyond it, is relatively thin, with most probable date being the turn of the 10th century just before the arrival of the Normans. The charter of 974 not only shows that Chislehurst was a royal manor from the earliest of times but also explains why it wasn't recorded in the Domesday book, the compilation of which was used for tax purposes, the commissioners having no need to record places which were already in the hands of the king.

Gundulf was a Norman monk who came to England following the Conquest. He was appointed Bishop of Rochester and Prior of the Cathedral Priory there. A master builder, he built castles such as Rochester, Colchester and the White Tower of the Tower of London as well as the Priory and Cathedral Church of Rochester. There is strong evidence that the church in Chislehurst was well and truly established by 1089, from the advowson, presentation to the living, made by Gundulf to the monks of the Cathedral Priory of that same year.

The arrival of the Rector the Reverend F.H.Murray in 1846 found the font, dated 1150, completely encased within a wooden box. The stonework, when removed from the box was found to be in pieces. It has since been restored. Similarly dated to the font is a simple Norman bracket located on the east wall of the Scadbury Chapel, crudely carved in the form of a grotesque face.

Unlike Kemnal and Scadbury, Chislehurst had no manor house as such. However, resident G.H.Baskcomb who in 1863 wished to sell his land for development called the property, which included two nearby roads, The Manor House, hoping it would improve its value.