Please note that this page is under development Introduction What follows is not intended to be a comprehensive history of Litton Cheney.  The intention is to form an archive of any historic matter which is relevant to the village and its people. Material will be gratefully received from any source, with a view to preserving it before it is lost forever and making it available to as wide an audience as possible.  This may be in the form of photographs, hand written material, verbal anecdotes, references to published material for which official right to publish can be obtained, etc. Brief History The origins of Litton Cheney go back to the Iron Age and Romano-British settlements.  Although not specifically mentioned in the Domesday Book, the earliest records of the Bride Valley date from 987 AD, when it was named as a religious offshoot of Cerne Abbey.  The name Litton (Lideton or Ludeton) comes from the Old English for a fast running stream and "ton" for manor.  By the 1300's the de Gorge family held the land which, during the mid-1300's came through the female line to Sir Ralph Cheney hence "Litton Cheney".