Mystery
The Chiding Stone
Bring your grievance to the stone, and let the village hear.
See it clearly
- What's there
- Large weathered sandstone outcrop behind the village
- Legend from
- Local tradition (undated)
- Tone
- Light-hearted
Got something to say? At Chiddingstone, they say you'd be marched to this rock and told off in front of everyone.
Behind the street of Tudor houses at Chiddingstone stands a big weathered sandstone outcrop known as the Chiding Stone. The National Trust says legend has it that the village was named after the stone, and that it has been called a druid altar, a boundary marker and a place of punishment. Tradition claims that nagging wives, or wrongdoers in general, were brought here to be scolded in front of the village. The Kent Historic Environment Record is blunter: the stone is natural, and the name may come from a Saxon called Cidd, so the village may have named the stone instead.