Possible origin of the name Riverhead derives from the Old English "hrither + hýth meaning Cattlewharf? It has been suggested that this relates to a linear mound close to the river Darent. The mound was described as a grassy platform about two feet above the marshes which edge the river and nearly half a mile in length and in breadth about 50 feet. On the south side of it was a ditch and bank about four or five feet high. The area has been much altered by later quarrying and now forms part of the Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve. The ditch is believed to have been filled in when Bradbourne School was built.(1)

<1> Elton, Ann, 2002, The Place-name Riverhead and its Implications (Unpublished document). SKE12184.