Compton is a village and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Chichester

Chichester (district)

Chichester is a largely rural local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in the city of Chichester.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Chichester and the Rural Districts of...

 district of West Sussex

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

. The village lies on the B2146 road, six miles (9.5 km) southeast of Petersfield, Hampshire

Petersfield, Hampshire

Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the...

 and eight miles (13 km) northwest of Chichester

Chichester

Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...

. The parish also includes the villages of West Marden

West Marden

West Marden is a hamlet in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2146 road 5 miles north of Emsworth....

 and Up Marden

Up Marden

Up Marden is a tiny village in the parish of Compton within the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies in isolated countryside high on the South Downs seven miles northwest of Chichester, close to East Marden and North Marden,...

.

The village has a long history, perhaps first being mentioned in the will of King Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...

. It is in the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

High ground nearby is known as Compton Down

Compton Down, Compton

Compton Down is an extent of high ground near Compton, West Sussex where there was an Admiralty semaphore station.The semaphore station was built at Compton Down in 1821 and it operated on the semaphore line from London to Portsmouth between 1822 and 1847. The hill to the east of Compton on...

 and on a part of the down known as Telegraph Hill there was an Admiralty semaphore station.

External links

• Compton from the Victoria County History
  Victoria County History
  The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 and was dedicated to Queen Victoria with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of...
  
  at British History Online
  British History Online
  British History Online is a digital library of primary and secondary sources on medieval and modern history of Great Britain. It was created and is managed, as a cooperative venture by the Institute of Historical Research, the University of London and the History of Parliament Trust..The places...