AlbourneWest SussexTQ264166The name Albourne comes from the Old English ‘alor burma’ which means stream with alder trees. The settlement grew up on a tributary of the Adur river.The original village here was known as Albourne Street and the regular layout suggests it was developed by the local landowner in the sixteenth century. Further up the road another settlement, known as Albourne Green, developed but by the twentieth century these two settlements had merged as Albourne.AlcistonEast SussexTQ507058A prosperous and developing village at the time of the Domesday Book it was badly hit by the black death in the 14th century. Houses were abandoned and left to rot, gaps of which are still visible in the linear layout of the village. The settlement was owned by Battle Abbey for much of its history and they tried to stimulate the recovery of the village by building a dovecote which still exists.AldingbourneWest SussexSU923054The parish church is thought to be built on the site of a 7th century monastery which was built not long after St Wilfred's conversion of the southern Saxon's, which makes Aldingbourne one of the oldest centres for Christianity in Sussex. It was also a one of the main seats for the Bishops of Chichester who had a palace here which was destroyed during the Civil War. This was another settlement hit badly by the Black Death in 1359 when people moved away from the village to the larger settlements of Eastergate and Westergate.AldringtonWest SussexTQ273053At the time of the Domesday Book there were two main centres here; Aldrington and Aldringham. They had a good location near the river Adur and on the slopes of the Downs but bad coastal storms in the 13th and 14th century led to a loss of agricultural land and houses. The villages were also hit by a decline in a demand for wool and both settlements went into decline. By the mid 16th century Aldringham had disappeared and the church of Aldrington was in ruins, by the 19th century the area was described as a ruined church surrounded by meadows with no access via road. The church was rebuilt in 1878 as nearby Hove began to encroach on the area and Aldrington is now a bustling suburb of Hove.AldwickWest SussexSZ908986Aldwick is first mentioned as a manor in Sussex in 1291 but much of its original lands are now under the sea. Initially Aldwick was in the hundred of Pagham along with Bersted, Bognor, Pagham, Slindon and Tangmere but by 1428 Aldwick had become the more important settlement and the name of the hundred changed to Aldwick. Aldwick temporarily became a well known location in 1928 when King George V convalesced there although it was Bognor who got to add Regis to its name.AlfoldeanWest SussexTQ 117330 A Roman town or settlement which was one of the stop off points along the Stane Road. No visible sign of the settlement remains.AlfristonEast SussexTQ520032Alfriston has a long history as evidenced by the Neolithic long barrows which can be found nearby on the Downs and the parish church of St Andrews is built on the site of a Saxon burial ground. By the nineteenth century it was a prosperous village aided to a large extent by the soldiers from the Napoleonic Wars who were located there. However this prosperity was hit badly when the Napoleonic War ended and the soldiers left; but before long it became a centre for smuggling.AlmodingtonWest SussexSZ827978Almodington was a separate parish in the hundred of Manhood until the sixteenth century when it was consolidated with Earnley. It is still a small hamlet in the parish of Earnley.AmberleyWest SussexTQ030132The settlement is mentioned in the Domesday Book but its medieval layout suggests that Amberley is much older. The Romans were active in the area and it is probable they had a farm in or near Amberley. Amberley also has a castle, although strictly speaking it was a fortified manor house. Initially built in the twelfth century by Bishop Luffa it was fortified in the fourteenth century and mostly destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in the seventeenth century. It has been rebuilt over the past hundred years and is now a country hotel.AngmeringWest SussexTQ068043Originally this was two villages, East and West Angmering, separated by what is now the Arundel Road. East Angmering had St Nicholas's church which dated back to Saxon times whilst a short distance away West Angmering had St Margarets. In 1573 the two villages were amalgamated and the benefices were joined. St Nicholas's church was demolished and all that is left are a few remains in the grounds of Angmering library. This settlement has a long history, flint was mined here in the Stone Age, there is evidence of an Iron Age enclosure and one of the earliest Saxon burial grounds is near here.Annington - see BotolphApuldramWest SussexSU842032Appledram or Apuldram is a small parish which no longer has a village but a long history. It was an important location during the Roman period being located next to a busy waterway providing access to Chichester and the original village was located around the church but no trace remains now of the medieval cottages. The parish church was built as a chapel of ease for those who could not get to the parent church at Bosham.The spelling of the name varies from source to source; the various censuses have consistently spelt it Appledram whilst the parish council and church spell it Apuldram. The name comes from the Old English ‘apuldor hamm’ meaning apple tree orchard but whilst the area is ideal for apple growing, historically the main products of the area have been grain and wool.ArdinglyWest SussexTQ347292The name is from the Old English ‘Eardinga leah’ which means the clearing of Earda’s people. The settlement was in a strong defensive position above a narrow valley.ArlingtonEast SussexTQ545075 The name is from the Old English meaning Eorla’s farm. The original village was south west of the church and can still be seen in the outlines of mounds and ditches. It was probably largely abandoned when Michelham Priory was built in 1229 and people moved there to take advantage of the provision of jobs. A survey in the seventeenth century showed just three original buildings and a total population of 211.ArundelWest SussexTQ016072
The name probably comes from the Old English ‘hardune dell’ which means hoarhound valley – hoarhound being a plant which proliferates in the area. However tradition has it that the town is name after Hirondelle, the horse belonging to the giant Bevis of Southampton. Hirondelle means sparrow, a bird which appears on Arundels coat of arms.Arundel was a royal town until the death of Harold II who was the last king of Saxon England.AshburnhamEast SussexTQ689145 An important location in the iron industry and had the last working forge which closed in 1826.The name comes from the Old English ‘ęsc bruna ham’ meaning ash tree stream settlement. The settlement grew up on the banks of the River Ashbourne.It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Esseborne and listing as having a value of £6 prior to the Norman Conquest but this is reduced to £1 as a result of damage to the area by the Normans.The modern day village is spread out and has been joined with the parish of Penhurst since 1810. Close by in Creep Wood are some old earthworks which probably date from pre Saxon times and might be the lost town of Mercredsburn which was destroyed by the Saxon Aella in 491AD.AshingtonWest SussexTQ132161The name is from the Old English ‘Aescinga tun’ which either meant farm of Aesc’s people or farm of dwellers by the ash tree. It is still a heavily wooded area.AshurstWest SussexTQ179161The name is from the Old English ‘ęsc hyrst’ meaning hill covered with ash trees.AshurstwoodWest SussexTQ419365The name refers to the wood which existed here back in 1164 when the area was known as Aesehyrst Wilde (as with Ashurst it means hill covered with ash trees). The village is more modern but there is evidence of Roman ironworks in the area and there is an ancient routeway which crossed the area and was in use by animals and people 5,000 years ago.The village is perhaps best known for its unofficial declaration of independence in January 2000 to celebrate the new millennium – an act justified by a ruling of King Ethelred in 979AD saying Ashurst would be immune from taxation after he fell ill there.AtheringtonWest SussexTQ006007
Nothing remains of Atherington which was lost to the sea at the end of the seventeenth century. Slightly to the north of Atherington is Bailiffscourt which belonged to the Abbey of Seez in Normandy, all that remains of that settlement is a thirteenth century chapel and a modern hotel built in a medieval style. The chapel contains a stone marked with a medieval dial – it was washed up on shore and probably came from the Atherington church.
