[2] It was the owner of this lodge, Edward III's shield bearer, Thomas Cheyne, who first gave his name to the village[2] and his descendant, Sir John Cheyne, who built Chenies Manor House in around 1460 on the site.

[3] Several paper mills were once established in Chenies, operated by the River Chess, which flowed here from further west in Buckinghamshire.

The parish church of St Michael includes the Bedford Chapel, burial place of many notable members of the Russell family.

[4][5] The church is not of great architectural interest but stands in an attractive position in the Chess Valley near the manor house.

"The fabulous series of monuments to the Russells, Dukes of Bedford, and their connexions ... [are according to] the late Mrs. Esdaile ...'one of the finest collections of tombs in England'.