Tillington, West Sussex
Encyclopedia
Tillington is a village and civil parish
in the District of Chichester
in West Sussex
, England
located one mile (1.6 km) west of Petworth
on the A272
. The parish includes the hamlets of Upperton
, River, and River Common.
The land area is 1416 hectares (3,499 acre). Approximately 500 people live in 227 households in the parish (2001 census). Upperton and Tillington are designated Conservation Areas. There are many old dwellings, including medieval timber framed houses, with one third of the buildings in the parish being grade II listed. Pitshill
is a Georgian mansion standing at the head of a valley between Upperton and River. All Hallows Church with its unusual Scots crown tower is a landmark when approaching from Petworth
, and is floodlit at night. It was painted by J M W Turner and John Constable
. The church, first recorded in 1100 was mostly rebuilt and enlarged between 1807 and 1837, but retains romanesque sculpture and a plain eight-sided twelfth century stone font. Opposite the church is the historic Horseguards Inn, thought to get its name from the cavalry
who stayed there overnight while escorting gold bullion from London
to the navy at Portsmouth
.
, 1086, as Greteham. River (On the Slope) has also been called Treve through most of its history.
During the 16th century a great deal of common grazing land east of Upperton was illegally enclosed to make a deer park for Petworth House
causing impoverishment of the farmers of Upperton. This resulted in a long running legal case against the Earl of Northumberland, owner of Petworth, described by Peter Jerrome in his book Cloakbag and Common Purse. The "common purse" was a fighting fund raised by the tenants to fund legal action in the Chancery court; the "clokebagge well fraught with money" was a large bribe to the tenants' leader to drop the case, after previously having had him press gang
ed into the army and sent to fight "beyond seas" which probably meant in Ireland, which he survived.
ridge with an elevation of approximately 170 metres (557.7 ft) runs east to west across the centre of the parish, from Upperton to River. The north facing scarp
slope falls steeply to the low weald where the soils are a mix of weald clay
with alluvial soils. This northern part of the parish is well wooded, the farmland being a mix of pasture and arable. Ironstone
deposits on the lower slopes of the escarpment have been quarried in the pre-industrial era leaving parts of River Common pitted and scarred, now overgrown by naturally regenerated broadleaved woodland. To the south of the sandstone ridge the land slopes gently down to the River Rother
having very fertile free draining soils on greensand
which are divided into large fields and mostly used for intensive vegetable production. Some of the upper slopes have recently been planted with grape vines.
Acid sandy soils and neutral clay and loams provide a range of habitats, and there is some brookland adjoining the River Rother
.There is no chalk. There is ancient grassland on River Common where glow-worms
can be seen. Much of Petworth deer park
with closely grazed ancient turf and numerous ant hills is within the parish boundary. The northern part of the parish has a diversity of small fields,hedges and woodlands supporting a wide range of species. Foxes, badgers, fallow deer
and roe deer
are plentiful. Muntjac deer are sometimes seen. Four species of reptile
are present. Adders
are found on the common and grass snakes throughout. Common lizards have been seen at River Common and Parkhurst Farm. Slow-worms
are found in most places. Buzzards returned to the area several years ago and breed regularly. A full habitat survey of the parish is being undertaken.
. There is a modern sports pavilion and adjoining hard tennis courts and children's play area. Just north of the church and pub Tillington Village Hall is a well equipped venue for meetings,indoor activities and parties.
The next level of government is the district council. The parish of Tillington lies within the Petworth ward of Chichester District Council which returns two members to the council.
In parallel with the district is West Sussex County Council
, with responsibility for Education, Libraries, Social Services, Civil Registration, Trading Standards and Transport. Elections for the County Council are held every four years.
The UK Parliament constituency for Tillington is Arundel and South Downs. The Conservative
Nick Herbert
is the serving MP.
At European level, Tillington is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament
. The June 2004 election returned four Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats, two UK Independence, one Labour and one Green.
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 District of 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...
in 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...
, 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...
located one mile (1.6 km) west of Petworth
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
on the A272
A272 road
The A272 is a road in South-East England. It follows an approximate East-West route from near Heathfield, East Sussex to the city of Winchester, Hampshire. It has achieved somewhat unlikely fame in recent years by being the subject of a book by the Dutch author, Pieter Boogaart...
. The parish includes the hamlets of Upperton
Upperton, West Sussex
Upperton is a hamlet in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. Part of Tillington civil parish it lies on the Tillington to Lurgashall road 1.4 miles northwest of Petworth....
, River, and River Common.
The land area is 1416 hectares (3,499 acre). Approximately 500 people live in 227 households in the parish (2001 census). Upperton and Tillington are designated Conservation Areas. There are many old dwellings, including medieval timber framed houses, with one third of the buildings in the parish being grade II listed. Pitshill
Pitshill
Pitshill is a Grade II* listed house built in the neo-classical style and is located within the Parish of Tillington a couple of miles west of Petworth. Begun by William Mitford in 1760 on the site of an earlier house it was completed by his son, also William, in 1794...
is a Georgian mansion standing at the head of a valley between Upperton and River. All Hallows Church with its unusual Scots crown tower is a landmark when approaching from Petworth
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
, and is floodlit at night. It was painted by J M W Turner and John Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
. The church, first recorded in 1100 was mostly rebuilt and enlarged between 1807 and 1837, but retains romanesque sculpture and a plain eight-sided twelfth century stone font. Opposite the church is the historic Horseguards Inn, thought to get its name from the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
who stayed there overnight while escorting gold bullion from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to the navy at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
History
The first reference to Tillington is in a title deed of 960 , as Tullington, the farm or village founded by Tulla. Upperton (Upper Village) is first mentioned in 1191. Grittenham (Great Farm Enclosure), once a much larger settlement than today, is first mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
, 1086, as Greteham. River (On the Slope) has also been called Treve through most of its history.
During the 16th century a great deal of common grazing land east of Upperton was illegally enclosed to make a deer park for Petworth House
Petworth House
Petworth House in Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century mansion, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s by Anthony Salvin...
causing impoverishment of the farmers of Upperton. This resulted in a long running legal case against the Earl of Northumberland, owner of Petworth, described by Peter Jerrome in his book Cloakbag and Common Purse. The "common purse" was a fighting fund raised by the tenants to fund legal action in the Chancery court; the "clokebagge well fraught with money" was a large bribe to the tenants' leader to drop the case, after previously having had him press gang
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
ed into the army and sent to fight "beyond seas" which probably meant in Ireland, which he survived.
Geology
A sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ridge with an elevation of approximately 170 metres (557.7 ft) runs east to west across the centre of the parish, from Upperton to River. The north facing scarp
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
slope falls steeply to the low weald where the soils are a mix of weald clay
Weald Clay
Weald Clay is a Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rock underlying areas of South East England. It is part of the Wealden Group of rocks. The clay is named after the Weald, an area of Sussex. It varies from orange and grey in colour and is used in brickmaking....
with alluvial soils. This northern part of the parish is well wooded, the farmland being a mix of pasture and arable. Ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
deposits on the lower slopes of the escarpment have been quarried in the pre-industrial era leaving parts of River Common pitted and scarred, now overgrown by naturally regenerated broadleaved woodland. To the south of the sandstone ridge the land slopes gently down to the River Rother
River Rother (Western)
The River Rother is a river which flows for thirty miles from Empshott in Hampshire to Stopham in West Sussex, where it joins the River Arun. It should not be confused with the River Rother, in East Sussex....
having very fertile free draining soils on greensand
Greensand
Greensand or Green sand is either a sand or sandstone, which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment, that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay...
which are divided into large fields and mostly used for intensive vegetable production. Some of the upper slopes have recently been planted with grape vines.
Wildlife
River Rother (Western)
The River Rother is a river which flows for thirty miles from Empshott in Hampshire to Stopham in West Sussex, where it joins the River Arun. It should not be confused with the River Rother, in East Sussex....
.There is no chalk. There is ancient grassland on River Common where glow-worms
Lampyris noctiluca
Lampyris noctiluca, the common glow-worm of Europe , is a firefly species of the genus Lampyris. These are beetles, as evidenced by the hard cases which close over the wings when they are not in use....
can be seen. Much of Petworth deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
with closely grazed ancient turf and numerous ant hills is within the parish boundary. The northern part of the parish has a diversity of small fields,hedges and woodlands supporting a wide range of species. Foxes, badgers, fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
and roe deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
are plentiful. Muntjac deer are sometimes seen. Four species of reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
are present. Adders
Vipera berus
Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia. Known by a host of common names including Common adder and Common viper, adders have been...
are found on the common and grass snakes throughout. Common lizards have been seen at River Common and Parkhurst Farm. Slow-worms
Anguis fragilis
Anguis fragilis, or slow worm, slow-worm or slowworm, is a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It is also sometimes referred to as the blindworm or blind worm, though the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds considers this to be incorrect.Slow worms are semi-fossorial lizards spending much...
are found in most places. Buzzards returned to the area several years ago and breed regularly. A full habitat survey of the parish is being undertaken.
Sport and leisure
Tillington cricket ground on the southern edge of Upperton has fine views of the South DownsSouth Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
. There is a modern sports pavilion and adjoining hard tennis courts and children's play area. Just north of the church and pub Tillington Village Hall is a well equipped venue for meetings,indoor activities and parties.
Governance
On a local level, Tillington is governed by Tillington Parish Council. Council meetings are held every two months in Tillington Village Hall, normally on the last Monday evening of the month. Their responsibilities include footpaths, the cricket ground and pavilion, tennis courts, children's play equipment and assessment of planning applications. The parish council has overall responsibility for the village hall, which is run by a management committee. The parish council has nine seats with a four year term, which were uncontested in the May 2007 election. Three replacement councillors have since been co-opted.The next level of government is the district council. The parish of Tillington lies within the Petworth ward of Chichester District Council which returns two members to the council.
In parallel with the district is West Sussex County Council
West Sussex County Council
West Sussex County Council is the authority that governs the non-metropolitan county of West Sussex. The county also contains 7 district and borough councils, and 159 town, parish and neighbourhood councils. The county council has 71 elected councillors...
, with responsibility for Education, Libraries, Social Services, Civil Registration, Trading Standards and Transport. Elections for the County Council are held every four years.
The UK Parliament constituency for Tillington is Arundel and South Downs. The Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Nick Herbert
Nick Herbert
Nicholas Le Quesne "Nick" Herbert is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs...
is the serving MP.
At European level, Tillington is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. The June 2004 election returned four Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats, two UK Independence, one Labour and one Green.
External links
- Tillington Parish Council website Retrieved 2010-01-25