The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions Rotherfield Greys under the ownership of the Normans knight Anchetil de Greye and in a period when the county was administered in hundreds, in Binfield Hundred.[2] Rotherfield derives from the Old Englishredrefeld meaning "cattle lands". Around 1347, a castle was built at Rotherfield Greys; it is now in ruins. The parish church includes the 16th-century Knollys Chapel, which houses an ornate tomb of the Knollys family. This includes effigies of Sir Francis Knollys and his wife, who was lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I.
In the parish is Greys Court, whose predecessor was the manor house of the Grey family. It is owned and maintained by the National Trust and its Dower House is likewise in the top category of Grade I listed building.[6] As to other buildings, ruins, and monuments, 31 are listed in the parish for historic or architectural merit, most in the Grade II starting category.
