In the mid-fifth century the Anglo-Saxons began to colonise North Kent. For the next 500 years the High Weald woodlands to the south provided autumn feeding for herds of pigs. Over time settlers arrived, cleared the trees for pasture and established isolated farms. By about AD 1000 there was a church in Speldhurst, probably built of wood by the lord of the manor, and soon after the Norman Conquest the church had its own parish.
Three dates stand out in Speldhurst’s history. In 1412, during the Hundred Years’ War, the leading landowner Richard Waller was given charge of a young French prince, who remained a hostage for 30 years. Waller became an important benefactor to Speldhurst church, which was then in need of rebuilding, and other houses that still stand were built nearby.
The second date of note was 1606, when Lord North drank the water of a roadside spring. The supposed curative powers of its iron salts became widely known, and Tunbridge Wells grew nearby as a summer resort. Iron had already shaped the local economy: for more than 200 years, until 1770, a blast furnace and forge less than a mile from Speldhurst church produced cannon and other hardware.
The third landmark date marked a disaster. In 1791 the medieval church was destroyed by fire, and it would be another 14 years before services could be held there again. The nineteenth century then brought renewed growth to Tunbridge Wells and further change to Speldhurst, including a new manor house, a school, a rebuilt church, and new churches and schools in the surrounding hamlets.
By 1901 the parish, though reduced in area, housed about 1,300 people. Speldhurst had become a proper village while remaining distinctly rural despite the rapid growth of Tunbridge Wells nearby. The village still carries that history today, with 27 listed buildings and 76 listed gravestones.