CatsfieldEast SussexTQ724138A settlement whose name appears to be self explanatory, there were probably wild cats living in the open land here when the first settlers made it their home. However it could also have come from the Saxon tribe, the Catti who settled in this area. With its location close to Battle this settlement was badly damaged during the Norman invasion, so much so that the Domesday Book records that its value has been halved.
Chalvington (pronounced charn-ton)East SussexTQ521092The earliest settler here was the Saxon Cealfa who built his farm here and so the area became Cealfa’s tun, which over time became Chalvington although the name is shorted in pronouciation. It is a quiet rural village which is next door to the larger village of Ripe, they are treated as one parish – Chalvington with Ripe.CharltonWest SussexThe name Charlton is fairly simple, ‘ton’ means farm and Charl has its origins from ‘ceorl’ whch was the lowest free rank in Saxon feudal society - basically a commoner. So put simply, Charlton means a commoners farm. There were two Charlton’s in Sussex, one (SZ902970) was located at the convergence of Barrack Lane in Aldwick and Sea Lane in Pagham but was lost to the sea in the 16th century due to coastal erosion. A surviving settlement is in the Lavant valley, east of Singleton (SU887130).ChichesterWest SussexSU861047An old town, founded on the remains of the Roman town Noviomagus Reginorum, captured by the Saxon Ælla and possibly renamed after his son Cissa. It’s a busy town; it is the county town for West Sussex, a market town, the cathedral city of Sussex and sea port. The Bishops main seat was originally at Selsey but moved to Chichester in 1080 when Selsey was damaged by coastal erosion.Chiddingly (pronounced chiding-lye)East SussexCitta was leader of a Saxon tribe that were responsible for naming a number of locations in Sussex including Chitcombe and Chithurst. Chiddingly means ‘clearing of Citta’s people’ (cittinga leah), it appears in the Domesday Book as Cetelingei. It is a rural village based around the church. The original church was started soon after the Norman Conquest and finished 300 years later – it is one of the few churches in Sussex to have a stone spire.ChilgroveWest SussexSU827144Chilgrove means grove in a valley, the original location for the settlement was in a deep cut valley several miles north of the modern location. Excavations of the original settlement in the 1970s found evidence of a small two cell church. The village was probably a linear development of about 12 houses along an artificial platform along the side of the narrow and sheltered valley. The church was in use till the 16th century when it fell into disrepair; the village was probably abandoned prior to this as a result of changes in agriculture.Chington / ChyngtonEast SussexTV503988Remains have been found at Chyngton Farm on the outskirts of Seaford of an abandoned settlement. The original settlement belonged to the Cintingas tribe and was seen as a good proven location for a planned town. The town was not successful, possibly because of the French raids which plagued the coastal areas in the later part of the 14th century.ChithurstWest SussexSU843235A parish of 1200 acres which is now combined with the parish of Trotton. It is believed there was a pagan temple here, used by the people who lived in the iron age hill fort nearby in Hammer Wood. The 11th century church is now built on the supposed site of the temple. The village name connects the village to Citta, the Saxon leader who is also linked with Chiddingly and Chitcombe – Chithurst has evolved from the Old English Cittan hyrst meaning Citta’s wooded hill.Chithurst is a few miles from Petersfield in Hampshire.
