Kingston by Sea
Encyclopedia
Kingston by Sea, also known as Kingston Buci, Kingston Bucii or simply Kingston, is a small area in the Adur district of West Sussex
, England
. Although it is now part of a continuous urban area, its origins lay in an ancient village and parish church
between Southwick
to the east, Shoreham-by-Sea
to the west and the mouth of the River Adur
to the south. St Julian's Church
survives, and its parish perpetuates the ancient "Kingston Buci" name.
estate within the Rape of Bramber
, it was known as "Kingston". By the 14th century, the names "Kingston by Shoreham" and "South Kingston" had also been recorded, but in 1315 it took the name "Kingston Bouci" (later "Kingston Buci"), derived from the de Bouci or de Boucey surname of the lord
of the manor
. Later, this surname became anglicised
to Bowsey and the village name changed accordingly. In the 18th century this was assumed to mean "by sea", and the name "Kingston by Sea" became established. In the 20th century, the names "Kingston by Sea" and "Kingston Buci" have both been used. Adur District Council refers to "Kingston Bucii".
Nikolaus Pevsner
suggested that the second element of the name derived from the French beau site, but other sources disagree with this.
Two other villages in the historic county
of Sussex
are called Kingston. Kingston by Ferring
(historically known as "Kingston by Arundel"), to the west, is also on the English Channel
coast; and Kingston near Lewes
(also known as West Kingston in medieval times) is to the east. At various times, land in all three manors was held by the Earl of Arundel
, and old sources sometimes fail to distinguish between the three settlements.
and was also inhabited by Romans
. By the medieval period, Kingston was a large village whose nucleus was further south than the ancient settlement, which had been on the lower slopes of the South Downs. Its subsequent population decline, until increasing urbanisation absorbed it from the late 19th century onwards, may have been due to coastal erosion
destroying houses and washing away roads.
The manor
(originally called "Kingston by Shoreham", later "Kingston Bowsey"), in the Rape of Bramber
, was held by the de Buci family at the time of the Domesday survey
in 1086, and for several centuries afterwards, before descending through other families until the 20th century, when most of its land was sold for development. The manor house
was first described in the 14th century, but it was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries. The present structure was built in the mid-18th century, but has been significantly altered since. It was sold for use as a school in the 1940s, and now houses Shoreham College
, an independent school
. It is a Grade II listed building.
Between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, several stages of residential development caused Kingston-by-Sea to merge with Shoreham-by-Sea and Southwick. This was encouraged by the opening of the railway line between Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea
in 1840, and the development of Shoreham Harbour around the mouth of the River Adur. A lighthouse
was built at the harbour entrance in 1846. The population of the parish rose from 46 in 1841 to more than 5,000 in 1951, and the area became almost completely urbanised—although areas of open land remain on the edge of the South Downs and around the St Julian's Church and the neighbouring Shoreham College.
, a Grade I-listed building with many structural elements from the 11th and 13th centuries, is Kingston by Sea's parish church
. (The official name of the parish is "St Julian, Kingston Buci", maintaining the old name.) It existed at the time of the Domesday survey, and received its dedication to Julian of Antioch
in the 12th century. Some Norman
parts remain, including the nave
, but the church was rebuilt in the 13th century. The well-preserved remains of an anchorite
's cell, a rare feature, are visible in the chancel
wall.
St Giles' Church, formerly the chapel of the local workhouse
, is also in the parish. Built to a design by Lacy W. Ridge in 1906, it became a public place of worship in 1934. The former workhouse is now Southlands Hospital
.
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Although it is now part of a continuous urban area, its origins lay in an ancient village and parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
between Southwick
Southwick, West Sussex
Southwick is a small town and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England located three miles west of Brighton and a suburb of the East Sussex resort City of Brighton & Hove...
to the east, Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
to the west and the mouth of the River Adur
River Adur
The Adur is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river was formerly navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large port, but over time the river valley became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters nearer...
to the south. St Julian's Church
St Julian's Church, Kingston Buci
St Julian's Church is an Anglican church in Kingston Buci in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex...
survives, and its parish perpetuates the ancient "Kingston Buci" name.
Name and etymology
When the parish and its accompanying settlement were founded as part of an Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
estate within the Rape of Bramber
Rape of Bramber
The Rape of Bramber is one of the rapes, the traditional sub-divisions unique to the historic county of Sussex in England. Bramber is a former barony, originally based around the castle of Bramber and its village, overlooking the river Adur.-History:...
, it was known as "Kingston". By the 14th century, the names "Kingston by Shoreham" and "South Kingston" had also been recorded, but in 1315 it took the name "Kingston Bouci" (later "Kingston Buci"), derived from the de Bouci or de Boucey surname of the lord
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
. Later, this surname became anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
to Bowsey and the village name changed accordingly. In the 18th century this was assumed to mean "by sea", and the name "Kingston by Sea" became established. In the 20th century, the names "Kingston by Sea" and "Kingston Buci" have both been used. Adur District Council refers to "Kingston Bucii".
Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
suggested that the second element of the name derived from the French beau site, but other sources disagree with this.
Two other villages in the historic county
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
are called Kingston. Kingston by Ferring
Kingston by Ferring
Kingston by Ferring, usually known simply as Kingston, is a small civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It comprises the three settlements of East and West Kingston, and Kingston Gorse and is located between Ferring and East Preston civil parishes, three miles to the west of ...
(historically known as "Kingston by Arundel"), to the west, is also on the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast; and Kingston near Lewes
Kingston near Lewes
Kingston near Lewes is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and is located two miles south of Lewes on the slopes of the South Downs....
(also known as West Kingston in medieval times) is to the east. At various times, land in all three manors was held by the Earl of Arundel
Earl of Arundel
The title Earl of Arundel is the oldest extant Earldom and perhaps the oldest extant title in the Peerage of England. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. It was created in 1138 for the Norman baron Sir William d'Aubigny...
, and old sources sometimes fail to distinguish between the three settlements.
History
The area was first settled during the Bronze AgeBronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
and was also inhabited by Romans
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
. By the medieval period, Kingston was a large village whose nucleus was further south than the ancient settlement, which had been on the lower slopes of the South Downs. Its subsequent population decline, until increasing urbanisation absorbed it from the late 19th century onwards, may have been due to coastal erosion
Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage...
destroying houses and washing away roads.
The manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
(originally called "Kingston by Shoreham", later "Kingston Bowsey"), in the Rape of Bramber
Rape of Bramber
The Rape of Bramber is one of the rapes, the traditional sub-divisions unique to the historic county of Sussex in England. Bramber is a former barony, originally based around the castle of Bramber and its village, overlooking the river Adur.-History:...
, was held by the de Buci family at the time of the Domesday survey
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086, and for several centuries afterwards, before descending through other families until the 20th century, when most of its land was sold for development. The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was first described in the 14th century, but it was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries. The present structure was built in the mid-18th century, but has been significantly altered since. It was sold for use as a school in the 1940s, and now houses Shoreham College
Shoreham College
Shoreham College is an independent day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 16 that is located in Shoreham-by-Sea on the Sussex coast between Brighton and Worthing...
, an independent school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
. It is a Grade II listed building.
Between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, several stages of residential development caused Kingston-by-Sea to merge with Shoreham-by-Sea and Southwick. This was encouraged by the opening of the railway line between Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea
West Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
in 1840, and the development of Shoreham Harbour around the mouth of the River Adur. A lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
was built at the harbour entrance in 1846. The population of the parish rose from 46 in 1841 to more than 5,000 in 1951, and the area became almost completely urbanised—although areas of open land remain on the edge of the South Downs and around the St Julian's Church and the neighbouring Shoreham College.
Churches
St Julian's ChurchSt Julian's Church, Kingston Buci
St Julian's Church is an Anglican church in Kingston Buci in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex...
, a Grade I-listed building with many structural elements from the 11th and 13th centuries, is Kingston by Sea's parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
. (The official name of the parish is "St Julian, Kingston Buci", maintaining the old name.) It existed at the time of the Domesday survey, and received its dedication to Julian of Antioch
Julian of Antioch
Saint Julian of Antioch is venerated as a Christian martyr of the fourth century. His date of death is given as 305 AD . He is sometimes confused with another saint of the same name.Of senatorial rank, he was killed during the persecutions of Diocletian...
in the 12th century. Some Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
parts remain, including the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, but the church was rebuilt in the 13th century. The well-preserved remains of an anchorite
Anchorite
Anchorite denotes someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, and—circumstances permitting—Eucharist-focused life...
's cell, a rare feature, are visible in the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
wall.
St Giles' Church, formerly the chapel of the local workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
, is also in the parish. Built to a design by Lacy W. Ridge in 1906, it became a public place of worship in 1934. The former workhouse is now Southlands Hospital
Southlands Hospital
Southlands Hospital is based in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, England, and serves people living in Shoreham itself as well as Worthing and other towns and villages along the south coast and in the inland areas of West Sussex. The hospital's duties include day surgery, orthopaedics, intermediate...
.