Shorne is an ancient parish which almost certainly came into existence before the Norman Conquest of 1066. The earliest written references to it are in early twelfth century documents, one of which may have been repeating the contents of a pre-conquest document. There is no record of the church being dependent on another so it was probably carved out of the territory of Rochester Cathedral.
As the church has Anglo-Saxon features the parish probably existed in that period, though at first the church may have been a manorial chapel which gradually took on the characteristics of a parish establishing a territory in which tithes were payable to the parish priest. There is some evidence that its area was originally larger and some neighbouring parishes were created from it.
Later history of the parish is in the church guide book (it will appear in a new tab).
Map of the Parish: click here (this takes you to another site and opens in a new tab)
St Peter & St Paul, Shorne 