Staplehurst /ˈsteɪpəlhɜːrst/ is a large village and civil parish in the borough of Maidstone in Kent, England, 9 miles (14 km) south of the town of Maidstone, home to approximately 2,600 households and 6,000 residents. The village lies on the route of a Roman road, which is now incorporated into the course of the A229. The name Staplehurst comes from the Old English 'stapol' meaning a 'post, pillar' and 'hyrst', as a 'wooded hill'; therefore, 'wooded-hill at a post', a possible reference to a boundary marker at the position of All Saints' church atop the hill along the road from Maidstone to Cranbrook. The parish includes the village of Hawkenbury.