The village was recorded as
Newedene in Domesday Book. Several antiquarians speculated (baselessly) about a Roman name from when the Rother was a more navigable river than in modern times.
Lossenham Friary was established northeast of the village in around 1242 but it was burnt down in 1275 and no remains are visible. In March 1300, wardrobe accounts of King
Edward I of England include a reference to a game called "creag" being played at Newenden by
Prince Edward, then aged 15. It has been suggested that creag was an early form of cricket.
Newenden Bridge was constructed in 1706, providing a fixed link across the Rother to East Sussex. It is Grade II* listed and a scheduled monument. ==Amenities==