Staple is a Middle English word, signifying an official market for purchase of goods for export; it derives from Anglo-Norman 'estaple', meaning 'market-place'.
The "staple" of Staple was wool, exported to the Low Countries. The 1283 'Statute of Acton Burnell' removed the Staple from Calais to fifteen appointed places in England, Ireland and Wales. The royal appointment decreed that 'All wool for export should be gathered at the Staple, if not the selling there'. In the reign of Edward III, the Staple was temporarily removed to Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey. The Staple system suffered a long slow decline, and was abolished in 1617.
The village church is dedicated to St. James the Great, and was originally a wooden Saxon building, which was rebuilt in stone during the 12th and 13th Centuries. Further additions and alterations were made over the following two centuries. Bells were added in 1440, 1623 and two in 1680 by John Hodson of London.
In the mid 1550's, the Vicar of Staple was John Bland; a fervent believer in the Protestant Faith .He was charged with heresy and burned at the stake in Martyr's Field, Canterbury in July 1555.
A second hand clock, with only the hour hand, was given to the church in 1789 by Lady Lynch of Groves. The clock was second-hand, having been used elsewhere, and made long before 1789. It fell into disrepair before World War II. After appeals for funds, clock expert Bernars Hawkins and his son restored the clock to working order, free of charge. The clock received a new dial in 1961. Ken Smith designed and manufactured an electrified winding mechanism, which was officially brought into service by the (then) Bishop of Dover, the Rev. Richard Llewelyn in July 1993.
Staple station, was originally called 'Staple & Ash' when opened in October 1916. Its main traffic was the outward flow of flowers, fruit and vegetables, and handled twice as much freight as Wingham, and at least ten times more than any of the other stations. Unfortunately, it was three quarters of a mile north of the village and so there was very little passenger traffic. The station closed for passengers in November 1948, and closed completely in March 1951.
