Smarden is taken from the Saxon word 'smeoru' meaning 'butter', combined with 'den', which is a 'den or woodland pasture'. It is first recorded as Smeradaenne in 1100.
The Church is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel built around 1325, although replaced at earlier building from the 12th Century. It is called the 'Barn of Kent' because of its surprising width and absence of aisles to support the 11m span of its wooden roof, a rare occurrence in medieval churches. Another rarity is the oven for baking communion wafers, near the high alter.
In recognition of the cloth trade that had developed, King Edward III granted the village a Royal Charter in 1333 permitting them to hold a weekly market and an annual fair, thus elevating the status from village to Town. Elizabeth I, en route from Sissinghurst Castle to Boughton Malherbe in 1576, was also impressed by what she saw, and ratified the previously granted Charter.
