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Hart was a notable Saxon settlement, being the administrative centre of Heortnesse, which stretched from the River Tees to Castle Eden in the 7th century.

There is evidence of a church here in that period. The original church is likely to have been a wooden structure, replaced by a stone building consisting of an aisle-less nave and chancel.

Major building work took place during the Norman era (11/12th C) when Hart formed part of the estates held by the de Brus family. In 1120 Robert de Brus granted Hart Church, together with lands to the newly founded Priory at Guisborough. At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century possession of religious foundations was forcefully taken by the Crown and Hart was no exception.