First one below is of St. Michaels in Newhaven (where my Mum and Dad were married) and it has an interesting Avowson, which is taken from a
History of the County of Sussex Vo.7. Just bloody interesting I think. Great name for one of the Revs.
Advowson
The church is a discharged rectory which was valued at £5 6s. 8d. in 1291 (fn. 64) and at £13 3s. 3½d. in the early 16th century. (fn. 65) The advowson and tithes were granted by William de Warenne II to the Priory of St. Pancras, Lewes. (fn. 66) The priory presented to the church until 1537, when the advowson was conveyed to the king. (fn. 67) In the following February it was granted to Thomas Cromwell. (fn. 68) Upon his downfall, the advowson reverted to the Crown, and was still so vested until it was bought in 1863 by the
Rev. Ebenezer Pleasaunce Southwood, (fn. 69) who had formerly been curate and was in 1856 promoted to be rector of the parish by the Lord Chancellor. He supplied the church with plate. He died on 22 March 1900, but in 1899 another rector had been presented to the living. By 1901 the patronage had come into the hands of the Church Patronage Society, where it has since remained.
The next one is Piddinghoe Church which has a nice big fish on the steeple, and I've dropped in a couple of gravestones. Again interesting names and dates. I have a morbid (though I think it's healthy
) interest in the names and dates of gravestones. It makes one wonder what lives people had, and now, that's the sum of their lives for others … their name and date.
I should add, having seen the pics online of the graves, they read:
Elizabeth Brazear Beney (1862) and the lower one is
John Trevor Collingwood of His Majesty's Royal Navy (1796)
The register of baptisms dates from 1540, that of marriages from 1701, and that of burials from 1697.
In the churchyard, at the west end of the church, are the two stone uprights which once supported the village stocks.
Advowson
The church of Piddinghoe is a vicarage united since 1877 to the rectory of Telscombe. In 1252, in the endowment of Bishop Richard de la Wich, the vicarage was to be of the value of 15 marks. (fn. 60) In 1291 the rectory was valued at £29 6s. 8d., and the vicarage at £8. (fn. 61) In the reign of Henry VIII the living was valued at £7 14s. 2d. (fn. 62)
The church of Piddinghoe was given to the Priory of St. Pancras, Lewes, by William de Warenne about 1090. (fn. 63) The gift was confirmed in 1121 by Bishop Ralph of Chichester, and afterwards by Bishop Seffrid. (fn. 64) At the dissolution of the priory in 1536, the advowson was taken into the king's hands, (fn. 65) and in 1538 was granted to Thomas Cromwell. (fn. 66) After Cromwell's attainder, the advowson was granted to Anne of Cleves, in January 1541. (fn. 67)
In August 1603 Thomas, Lord Buckhurst, was patron, (fn. 68) and the advowson appears to have remained with his descendants, the Earls of Dorset, until at least 1710, (fn. 69) though in 1631 the Rev. Edward Wood of Hamsey and John Wood presented. (fn. 70) In 1694 the Crown presented, by lapse. (fn. 71) From at least 1715 the advowson descended with that of Telscombe (q.v.), to which the living was united by Order in Council of 30 April 1877.
And, I've dropped in a piece about the Manor as well, simply for some of the names mentioned (predominantly French, thank you very much William de Conqueror) but are fantastic, just try saying them out loud, and if anyone can enlighten me as to what exactly, is a 'sore' sparrow hawk, I'd be grateful.
The manor of HARPETING or HARPINGDEN [Herbertinges (xi cent.); Harpedynges (xii-xiii cent.); Harpings (xix cent.)] was held at the time of Edward the Confessor by Alnod. (fn. 21) In 1086 it was held of
William de Warenne by
Godfrey de Pierpoint, and with it went four messuages in Lewes. (fn. 22) The overlordship descended with the rape at least until 1428. (fn. 23)
William de Pierpoint (fn. 24) was lord of Herbertinges in about 1090, (fn. 25) but after this time the Pierpoint connexion can no longer be traced.
William de Herbertinges, a tenant of William de Pierpoint, granted to the Prior of St. Pancras, Lewes, 18 acres of land and grazing for 100 sheep at Harpeting, about 1090. (fn. 26)
Simon de Herbeting, presumably a descendant, held 2 knights' fees in Piddinghoe, and his widow Muriel held onethird of his land in dower. (fn. 27) His grandson, also Simon, was holding the 2 knights' fees in 1224, but in that year he conveyed to
William Haubois Muriel's third, which included a capital messuage and the southern half of the garden. William Haubois was to perform to the chief lord all the service pertaining to the 2 fees. Simon retained two-thirds of the fief, with the northern half of the garden pertaining to the capital messuage, together with a messuage likewise pertaining to Muriel's portion. For this two-thirds he was to perform the proportion of service due and to pay annually one
sore sparrow-hawk or two shillings. (fn. 28) In 1230 Simon conveyed to
Aubrey de Marinis and his wife Eleanor two parts of 42 acres of land and 8 acres of heath, (fn. 29) of which they received the other third from William son of Gervase. (fn. 30)
In 1344–5
Peter de Harpetynge conveyed to
Thomas de Wylecombe land and rent in Piddinghoe, with a messuage and a mill, (fn. 31) and including the reversion of the third held in dower by Joan widow of Simon de Harpetynge, and of 1 virgate held for life by
Ismania de Harpetynge. (fn. 32) It was apparently this land that by 1428 had descended to John Leedes, who was holding it as half a knight's fee. (fn. 33) For some time it followed the descent of the Leedes manor of East Chiltington (q.v.). (fn. 34) In 1541 John Leedes paid £10 relief for the 2 knights' fees he inherited from his father William Leedes. (fn. 35) John Leedes was a recusant and had to flee the country. (fn. 36) In 1583–4 Henry Collyns and his wife Alice conveyed the manor of Harpeting to John Pryor, (fn. 37) but John Leedes died seised of it, and also of Horcombe (q.v.), in 1606, his heir being his son Sir Thomas Leedes. (fn. 38) These manors were held in 1631 by William Heath of the manor of Portslade as 2 knights' fees. (fn. 39) In addition, William Heath held as ¼ knight's fee, one messuage, one barn, and half of the lands called Harpinges alias Harpeting' in Piddinghoe, formerly Pilbeames.
