Historically, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York in 1452 and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of Christopher Ward, a Dartford linen weaver, executed for his Protestant faith.

'Brent' is a Kentish dialect word meaning 'steep'[3] and its use here possibly refers to the area of the Brent being located atop Dartford's East Hill.

[1][2] An unsuccessful campaign was waged against the Brent's enclosure during the 1870s[2] and the townspeople presented a petition to the Court of Common Council.

[7] The cricket ground at that time lay near the top of Brent Lane, somewhere across the road which passes alongside Hesketh Park.

Dartford Cricket Club still plays in the Kent League and its present ground at Hesketh Park is almost all that is left of the old Brent.