Chilworth Manor is shown on older Ordnance Survey maps as the site of a Priory Cell. There is a persistent legend that this was a monastic site but there is little to substantiate this. There is certainly no record in the Domesday Book. Legend has it that it belonged to Newark Priory near Ripley and Augustinian Canons lived there and sometimes officiated at nearby St Martha’s Church. Chilworth Manor was supposedly part of the patrimony of Newark Priory and fell into disuse during the Reformation. There is nothing older than the 17th century in the current manor building but it is extraordinary that the point 152/6 is so accurately placed within the fabric of the oldest part of the building. Further research is needed.
