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The Kent Weald harbours a picturesque village with an unusual name - Chiddingstone. And at its centre you& #39;ll find a big lump of sandstone to which it owes it.
It has been called The Chiding Stone for as long as anyone can remember, and is where nagging wives, wrongdoers and witches were publicly scolded by an assembly of townsfolk.
The ancient stone is natural and was formed when prehistoric Kent was underwater, rather than having been placed in position. As such the buildings surrounding were built to accomodate it; the stone must have had great significance.
Or perhaps generation after generation had a mysterious reluctance to move it. Records show that it could have been used as a boundary marker by the Saxons. But more consistently the stone has been thought of as a place to contact judicial affairs.
Legend has it the stone was once used by ancient druids as an altar, or a convenient meeting place where judgments were made and punishments metered out.
There are many tales of Medieval justice for scolds, diviners or otherwise unruly women taking place around the stone. This is the time in which The Chiding Stone likely first got its name.
Quarrelsome or opinionated women were seen as a failure of innate femininity and even likely to fall to the Devil. To chide them publicly would help preserve their immortal soul.
Nowadays the Chiding Stone is a tourist draw for the village, but locals still warn against visiting alone at night. The land in which it sits is haunted by the souls of sacrifices past, tethered to the stone for eternity.
