Withyham
Encyclopedia
Withyham is a village and large civil parish in the Wealden
district of East Sussex
, England
. The village is situated 10 miles (16 km) south west of Tunbridge Wells
and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from Crowborough
; the parish covers approximately 7500 acres (30.4 km²).
, in the valley of the River Medway
, where a group of tributaries enter from the south, and to the north of Ashdown Forest
. The B2110 road passes
through the village, between Groombridge
and Forest Row
. Much of the area is rural; the hamlet of Buckhurst, part of the parish, contains ‘’Buckhurst Park‘’, where Earl De La Warr
lives. New Groombridge
is also within the parish, Old Groombridge is in the Speldhurst
District of Kent.
Withyham village itself is very small, containing a few houses, the church, a bed and breakfast and the village pub
, the Dorset Arms, which was once a farmhouse.
Withyham is not included in the Domesday Book
, although the manor of Buckhurst is, as ‘’Biochest’’ (probably from the Saxon ‘’boc hyrst’’ or beech wood. There have been two houses at Buckhurst for many centuries: the older Buckhurst House, now no more, and the present day ‘’Buckhurst Park’’: both have been in the hands of the Sackville
family for generations; today Earl De La Warr
, a member of the family, lives there. Many of the other houses in the village were probably built to contain estate workers. A significant number of council houses were built in the post war period at Balls Green near the, now closed, station.
Withyham was home to the Gildredge family, who later moved to Eastbourne
, acquiring a large share of the town's land by purchase and by marriage. "Gildredge House and estate was formerly the property and residence of the family of the same name," says Thomas Walker Horsfield
in his history of Sussex, "who afterwards (temp. Henry VIII) removed to and became lords of the manor of Eastbourne
." Today's Gildredge Park in Eastbourne is named for the family. The Gildredge family was related to the Eversfield family, who eventually owned much of St. Leonards-on-Sea, as well as to the Levett
s.
"Gildredge, an ancient house and estate," says Sussex historian Mark Antony Lower, "gave name to a family of considerable antiquity, who subsequently had their chief residence at Eastbourne, and gave their name to the manor of Eastbourne-Gildredge." Later the Gildredge lands were carried by marriage into the Gilbert family (today's Davies-Gilbert
family), who continue to own much of Eastbourne.
Withyham parish is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
.
The village church is dedicated to St Michael and All Angels; the present incumbent is the Reverend Adrian Leak. An early record of it is in the late thirteenth century; it was almost completely rebuilt in the 14th century to contain a Sackville chapel.
On 16 June 1663 the church was struck by lightning, melting the bells, and causing a great deal of damage; few parts of the building survived. The rebuilding of the church does not seem to have been finished until 1672 and the Sackville Chapel was not completed for another eight years. Of the old church only the lower part of the tower, the west wall from the belfry door to the north-west corner and the north and south east walls remained to be incorporated into the new building. It was also around this time that the Rectory was built.
Later important alterations were carried out in the 19th century, including a new south aisle, the removal of the low ceiling and a new south porch. In 1849 a set of four paintings was donated to the church: it is thought they are the work of Niccolò di Pietro Gerini
(c1340–1414). These paintings can be viewed in Leeds Castle, whilst the paintings in the church are replicas.
There are eight bells in the tower: five recast after the rebuilding in 1674; and a sixth (treble) bell added in 1715. These bells remained until 1908 when they were recast and a further two added.
is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
within the parish. This is a site of biological interest. Its sandstone outcrops providing a rare habitat for many ferns and bryophytes.
in Withyham, the vicar at that time Richard Parish planted a yew
sapling taken from a tree said to be 2000 years old — ie from the time of Christ
. Sadly, the sapling was uprooted by vandals. A millennium map was also commissioned by the Church to commemorate almost 1000 years of Withyham.
's short story The Horror of the Heights
as the finding place of the Joyce-Armstrong Fragment, a supposedly real fragment of a diary detailing the airborne adventures of the author of the diary.
Wealden
For the stone, see Wealden GroupWealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England: its name comes from the Weald, the area of high land which occupies the centre of its area.-History:...
district of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, 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...
. The village is situated 10 miles (16 km) south west of Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from Crowborough
Crowborough
The highest point in the town is 242 metres above sea level. This summit is the highest point of the High Weald and second highest point in East Sussex . Its relative height is 159 m, meaning Crowborough qualifies as one of England's Marilyns...
; the parish covers approximately 7500 acres (30.4 km²).
Geography
Withyham parish lies on the edge of WealdWeald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
, in the valley of the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
, where a group of tributaries enter from the south, and to the north of Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of tranquil open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England...
. The B2110 road passes
Groombridge
thumb|right|A house in GroombridgeGroombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Tunbridge Wells, about away by road....
and Forest Row
Forest Row
Forest Row is a village and relatively large civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is located three miles south-east of East Grinstead.-History:...
. Much of the area is rural; the hamlet of Buckhurst, part of the parish, contains ‘’Buckhurst Park‘’, where Earl De La Warr
Earl De La Warr
Earl De La Warr is a title created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1761.In the United States, Thomas West, 3rd baron is often named in history books simply as Lord Delaware. He served as governor of the Jamestown Colony, and the Delaware Bay was named after him...
lives. New Groombridge
Groombridge
thumb|right|A house in GroombridgeGroombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Tunbridge Wells, about away by road....
is also within the parish, Old Groombridge is in the Speldhurst
Speldhurst
Speldhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is to the west of Tunbridge Wells: the village is west of the town.-Parish Church:...
District of Kent.
Withyham village itself is very small, containing a few houses, the church, a bed and breakfast and the village pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Dorset Arms, which was once a farmhouse.
History
There is good deal of available local history available: See the website The Weald of Kent, Sussex and Surrey; much of that information is, however, concerned with the parish churchWithyham is not included in the Domesday Book
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...
, although the manor of Buckhurst is, as ‘’Biochest’’ (probably from the Saxon ‘’boc hyrst’’ or beech wood. There have been two houses at Buckhurst for many centuries: the older Buckhurst House, now no more, and the present day ‘’Buckhurst Park’’: both have been in the hands of the Sackville
Sackville
-People:*Baron Sackville**Lionel Edward Sackville-West, 3rd Baron Sackville**Victoria Sackville-West, Baroness Sackville**Edward Sackville-West, 5th Baron Sackville , writer and musicologist* Viscount Sackville...
family for generations; today Earl De La Warr
Earl De La Warr
Earl De La Warr is a title created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1761.In the United States, Thomas West, 3rd baron is often named in history books simply as Lord Delaware. He served as governor of the Jamestown Colony, and the Delaware Bay was named after him...
, a member of the family, lives there. Many of the other houses in the village were probably built to contain estate workers. A significant number of council houses were built in the post war period at Balls Green near the, now closed, station.
Withyham was home to the Gildredge family, who later moved to Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, acquiring a large share of the town's land by purchase and by marriage. "Gildredge House and estate was formerly the property and residence of the family of the same name," says Thomas Walker Horsfield
Thomas Walker Horsfield
Rev. Thomas Walker Horsfield FSA , was an English Nonconformist minister, topographer, and historian best known for his works The History and Antiquities of Lewes and The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex .-Life:He was the eldest of six children of James Horsfield and Ann...
in his history of Sussex, "who afterwards (temp. Henry VIII) removed to and became lords of the manor of Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
." Today's Gildredge Park in Eastbourne is named for the family. The Gildredge family was related to the Eversfield family, who eventually owned much of St. Leonards-on-Sea, as well as to the Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
s.
"Gildredge, an ancient house and estate," says Sussex historian Mark Antony Lower, "gave name to a family of considerable antiquity, who subsequently had their chief residence at Eastbourne, and gave their name to the manor of Eastbourne-Gildredge." Later the Gildredge lands were carried by marriage into the Gilbert family (today's Davies-Gilbert
Davies-Gilbert
The Davies-Gilbert family is one of Britain's most prestigious families.The Davies-Gilbert family are descendants of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who was an older half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh . In the 19th Century, they developed the towns of Eastbourne and East Dean in Sussex...
family), who continue to own much of Eastbourne.
Withyham parish is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
.
Withyham church
On 16 June 1663 the church was struck by lightning, melting the bells, and causing a great deal of damage; few parts of the building survived. The rebuilding of the church does not seem to have been finished until 1672 and the Sackville Chapel was not completed for another eight years. Of the old church only the lower part of the tower, the west wall from the belfry door to the north-west corner and the north and south east walls remained to be incorporated into the new building. It was also around this time that the Rectory was built.
Later important alterations were carried out in the 19th century, including a new south aisle, the removal of the low ceiling and a new south porch. In 1849 a set of four paintings was donated to the church: it is thought they are the work of Niccolò di Pietro Gerini
Niccolò di Pietro Gerini
Niccolò di Pietro Gerini was an Italian painter of the late Gothic period, active mainly in his native Florence. Niccolo di Pietro Gerini's works can be found in major art galleries in Rome, the Vatican, Florence, London, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, St Petersburg,...
(c1340–1414). These paintings can be viewed in Leeds Castle, whilst the paintings in the church are replicas.
There are eight bells in the tower: five recast after the rebuilding in 1674; and a sixth (treble) bell added in 1715. These bells remained until 1908 when they were recast and a further two added.
Governance
Withyham is a large parish, and is therefore divided into three electoral wards: Groombridge; Withyham, including Blackham; and St Johns (Withyham).Landmarks
Penn's RocksPenn's Rocks
Penn's Rocks is a 10.1 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, located in East Sussex, England. The site was notified in 1985 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981....
is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
within the parish. This is a site of biological interest. Its sandstone outcrops providing a rare habitat for many ferns and bryophytes.
The millennium in Withyham
To celebrate the millenniumMillennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
in Withyham, the vicar at that time Richard Parish planted a yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
sapling taken from a tree said to be 2000 years old — ie from the time of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. Sadly, the sapling was uprooted by vandals. A millennium map was also commissioned by the Church to commemorate almost 1000 years of Withyham.
Literary links
The village of Withyham features in Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's short story The Horror of the Heights
The Horror of the Heights
"The Horror of the Heights" is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was first published in Strand Magazine in 1913.-Sypnosis:The story is told through a blood-stained notebook discovered on the edge of a farm in Withyham. The notebook is written by a Mr...
as the finding place of the Joyce-Armstrong Fragment, a supposedly real fragment of a diary detailing the airborne adventures of the author of the diary.