The Penshurst medieval dole table is a rare survivor among English churchyard artifacts. Dole tables were stone structures, typically in church porches or churchyards, used from medieval times until the 16th or 17th centuries. They facilitated the distribution of small portions of food, clothing, or money to the poor, often on specific holidays like St Thomas' Day. Both stone dole tables and internal wooden dole cupboards served to aid parish poor and traveling individuals. Very few of these historical dole tables remain today. The Penshurst church, a Grade I listed building, has existed since 1115. Its first priest was installed by Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170. The church and its grounds host memorials to various nobility, including knights, earls, and viscounts. The Sidney family, residing at Penshurst Place for over 450 years, has a direct garden entrance to the church and features like the Sidney Chapel vault and their porcupine crest within. The village itself is characterized by numerous timber-framed buildings, including its distinctive horseshoe-shaped post office entrance.