The small parish of Chilton lies in the south of County Durham, close to Darlington . For much of its history it was part of the larger parish of Ferryhill. However, by the early 20th century the construction of two collieries had led to a huge rise in the population of the area leading to the area becoming a parish in its own right.

Although a number of Mesolithic flints were found in the area, there are no other remains in the parish that predate the medieval period. As Chilton was not a parish in the medieval period it had no church, but the Lord of the Manor built a chapel in the late 13th century.

By the 18th century the parish was becoming increasing industrialized. Early wagonways carrying coal from various collieries ran across the parish. During the 19th century the coal industry expanded, particularly following the growth of the railways. The coal industry was not the only one to have developed in the area. Limekilns were built in the 19th century to provide lime for making cement, as well as lime for improving the surrounding agricultural land.

Chilton's contribution to the First World War effort can be traced on the various war memorials located around the parish. In Chilton itself there are a pair of memorial cottages built as war memorial homes and once used as a First Aid clinic for Chilton Colliery, there is the village memorial lising the names of those who served and died whilst a number of other WW1 and WW2 features can be found in St. Aiden's Church.