Chattenden is a village within the civil parish of Hoo, which is within the unitary authority of Medway, Kent, England. It was, until 1998, part of Kent and is still ceremonially associated via the Lieutenancies Act. The A228 goes through the village.

Etymology

The first datable attestation of the name Chattenden is in 1281, as Chattindone, alongside other early spellings such as Chetindunam, Chatendune, and Chetyndone. Scholars agree that the final syllable comes from the Old English word dūn ("hill"), but the origin of the rest of the name is debated. A personal name, *Ceatta, followed by the Old English place-name-forming suffix -ing, has been suggested, in which case the name meant "hill at Ceatta's place". Since the people of nearby Chatham were known as the Cēthǣmas, *Cēthǣmadūn ("the hill of the people of Chatham") is possible. But twenty-first-century scholars have tended to prefer to guess that the first element of the word (as in Chatham itself) is the Common Brittonic word whose modern Welsh reflex is coed ("woodland"), referring to Great Chattenden Wood, followed by Old English ing. This wood-name may also be attested in the names of Upchat Road and Lochat Road. If so, the Old English name meant "hill at [the place called] Chat".

Geography and ecology

Turning left on the A228 on the brow of Four Elms Hill, leads onto Kitchener Road, that eventually leads itself to Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill, designated as an SSSI, due to the diversity of insects, birds, plants and trees found there. To the south of Chattenden is Towerhill Wood, also known as Coxham Wood, with has Public Footpaths that lead into Lower Upnor, where the Arethusa Venture Centre and the Medway Yacht Club (MYC) are located. Along the A228, (which becomes the Ratcliffe Highway in Chattenden), was once a pub known as 'The Old George'.

Military history

In 1875, the War Office built five magazines on a hillside at Chattenden. This facility expanded and a nearby site at Lodge Hill was established in 1899. These sites, which became known as Chattenden and Lodge Hill Military Camps, were put up for sale in 2016.

Sources