Uninhabited forest lands in the south, called Anderida or Andreasweald (known today as The Weald) provided glades and clearings for annual excursions, when people from the north grazed their pigs on the abundant acorns and nuts.

In an early charter of 724 AD Æthelberht (son of King Wihtred of Kent) granted land in the wooded area around Romney Marsh and present-day Tenterden to Mildrith (Mildred) the Abbess of Thanet.

[4] In Thanet abbey in the seventh century, Domne Æfa the royal abbess was succeeded by her daughter Mildred, whose life became legendary; she was beloved throughout Kent and beyond, and sanctified.

During the pre-Conquest period the records for St. Augustine's Abbey show Tenterden and other local villages paying the fee for the annual supply of holy oil to the church.

The first mention of Tenterden is within the Lathe of Scary, which covered part of the parish of Ebony and Reading Street: this appeared in 1241 when the town was recorded as one of the seven Hundreds located in the Weald.

[5]  The first mention of a dwelling in the town dates from 1275 and occurs in a Hundred Roll of King Edward l, when a Thomas Pittlesden was recorded as living at the manor house.

In the mid-fourteenth century King Edward III, in attempts to control smuggling, prohibited both the export of unwashed wool and the import of finished cloth.

In 1634 Nathaniel Tilden, once Mayor of Tenterden who had been baptised in St Mildred's, sailed on The Hercules with his wife, children and servants and settled in Scituate, Massachusetts.

A century later, after the English Civil War, a Unitarian congregation was established in the town and by 1746 a simple and dignified chapel had been erected on the Ashford Road.

Sadly In 1661 the medieval Court House (next to the present day White Lion) burnt down and many of the town's early official documents, including the original 1449 Cinque Ports Charter from Henry Vl, were destroyed.

[8] Following the outbreak of Corn Riots in 1768 in the town and nearby Woodchurch, the Secretary at War ordered a detachment of soldiers to march to the aid of the magistrates if required.

Britain's victory in the Napoleonic Wars meant that naval blockades around the country were ended; the price of wheat collapsed due to cheap imports from Ukraine and the USA.

A 'Soup Kitchen' was established to help poor and hungry families - the building survives today in Jackson's Lane behind the High Street, with its inscribed date of 1875.

During the Battle of Britain from July to October 1940, planes of the Luftwaffe whilst escaping the RAF following raids over London, would lighten their loads over Tenterden and the surrounding countryside causing widespread destruction.

Attractions such as the Kent & East Sussex Railway, Chapel Down Vineyard and Tenterden High Street itself bring thousands of visitors annually into the town.

[13] The origin of the Confederation can be traced back to Saxon Times, when certain fishing ports in the south-east were given special privileges in return for ship service to the King.

A more specific Charter of 1229 numbered the ships to be separately provided by each of the Confederation's Ports and that of 1278 set out a magnificently designed Flag: the three fighting English Lionships.

These Confederation ports continually guarded the southern coast which included defending English fishing rights, and monarchs had to be ferried back and forth across the Channel on an interesting variety of missions.

There were ways to redress these costs; the town's officials made the most of their 'expense accounts' payable by Rye: typically ferry fares, fish meals, with ale and wine from the local inn.

From 1300 – 1550 up to two hundred people lived at Smallhythe, the hamlet of Southern Tenterden was the thriving port with quays and a tidal dock surrounded by plentiful timber and iron supplies.

Unfortunately, Rye suffered a series of catastrophic events: the Black Death, raids by marauding French forces, the changing course of the River Rother and the harbour no longer being navigable.

The last time the canopies were borne by the Cinque Port Barons, was at the coronation of George IV where they apparently asked the king for the state treasury to pay for the colourful robes they wore.

The first Bailiff (Mayor) was Thomas, a local member of the substantial Petlesden family; Jurats were councillors with legal powers in the town Court; the Communalty included the privileged classes of merchants and freemen only.

The council's primary services are managing and provision for advertising banners (recreation ground & town hall balcony); benches; children's play areas; emergency planning; markets & fairs; millennium garden; parks & open spaces; pavilion; public conveniences (Tenterden and St. Michaels); tennis courts; tourism; town planning; and war memorial.

In the Town Hall is the Mayor's Parlour, which is licensed for the conduct of wedding, civil partnership, renewal of vows and baby naming ceremonies, and can accommodate up to forty-four guests.

A wide range of musicians take part in the event in a number of venues throughout the town, and there is a craft market in a large marquee on the recreation ground.

Annual summer family event of tribute band music and refreshments held in St Michael's recreational ground Tenterden.

The TDRA aims to represent the wishes of its members on a broad range of subjects, allowing the voice of local residents to be heard on a number of platforms that might otherwise be out of reach.

The society puts on three productions each year, either in the Assembly Room at the Town Hall or at the Sinden Theatre, and is often recognised in the Kent Drama Association Full-Length Play Festival.

The Ivy Court Surgery building recently re-opened following a multimillion-pound new development providing a state of the art healthcare facility for Tenterden and the surrounding area.