Woolbeding
Encyclopedia
Woolbeding is a village in the District of Chichester
in West Sussex
, England
located two kilometres (1.4 miles) north west of Midhurst
north of the A272 road and the River Rother
.
Woolbeding is recorded in the Domesday book
as Welbedinge, meaning Wulfbeards people.
There is an Anglican
parish church, All Hallows, of Saxon
origin and a large country house Woolbeding House, which was the home of the late Simon Sainsbury of the supermarket family. The Woolbeding estate is owned by the National Trust
and includes Woolbeding and Pound Commons
which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest
.
The parish of Woolbeding with Redford has a land area of 729 hectares (1801 acres). In the 2001 census 158 people lived in 70 households, of whom 83 were economically active.
"Telegraph Hill" a mile from Woolbeding was the site of a station on the semaphore line from London to Portsmouth which operated from 1822 to 1847. The site was previously identified as "Holder" or "Older Hill.
Thomas Otway
(1652-1685).
Francis William Bourdillon
(1852-1921); his father was Rector from 1855 to 1875.
Inside the church is a wall monument to Lady Dame Margaret Mill, wife of Sir Richard Mill of Woolbeding, daughter of Robert Knollys, Esq., of "Grove Place, Co. Southampton", died 1744, aged 56. The coat of arms shown is: "Per fesse Argent and Sable, a pale, and three bears salient, two and one, Counterchanged, muzzled and chained Or , impaling: Gules, on a chevron Argent three roses of the field, a canton Argent (recte: Ermine )".
Next to a wall that separates the churchyard from the grounds of a picturesque manor house is a curious miniature mausoleum with decorous Tuscan columns and square pilasters, with a frieze of military trophies such as pikes, rifles, cannon, battleaxes, drums and a helmet.
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 two kilometres (1.4 miles) north west of Midhurst
Midhurst
Midhurst is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, with a population of 4,889 in 2001. The town is situated on the River Rother and is home to the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House and the stately Victorian Cowdray Park...
north of the A272 road and 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....
.
Woolbeding is recorded 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...
as Welbedinge, meaning Wulfbeards people.
There is an Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church, All Hallows, of Saxon
Anglo-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...
origin and a large country house Woolbeding House, which was the home of the late Simon Sainsbury of the supermarket family. The Woolbeding estate is owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and includes Woolbeding and Pound Commons
Woolbeding and Pound Commons
Woolbeding and Pounds Commons is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest . The area is lowland heathland consisting of a patchwork of various habitats, with wet and dry heathland, woodland and ponds...
which are Sites 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...
.
The parish of Woolbeding with Redford has a land area of 729 hectares (1801 acres). In the 2001 census 158 people lived in 70 households, of whom 83 were economically active.
"Telegraph Hill" a mile from Woolbeding was the site of a station on the semaphore line from London to Portsmouth which operated from 1822 to 1847. The site was previously identified as "Holder" or "Older Hill.
Woolbeding poets
Two poets grew up in the parish, both were sons of the Rector of All Hallows Church, although in different centuries.Thomas Otway
Thomas Otway
Thomas Otway was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for Venice Preserv'd, or A Plot Discover'd .-Life:...
(1652-1685).
Francis William Bourdillon
Francis William Bourdillon
Francis William Bourdillon was a British poet and translator.-Life:Born in Runcorn, Cheshire, Bourdillon was educated at Worcester College, Oxford. He acted as tutor to the sons of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein...
(1852-1921); his father was Rector from 1855 to 1875.
All Hallows
All Hallows is a Grade I-listed church in Woolbeding. There is a line of ancient yews nearby, and a little square tower (constructed in 1728) with quaint pinnacles, in a vaguely medieval style - it looks as if Anglo-Saxon (or Norman) lancets were re-used as its windows. The chancel of this church is quite regular and Victorian, but the nave has tall Anglo-Saxon-type proportions , with plain pilasters from ground to roof, and a rather jaunty blocked doorway. There are more pilasters on the north wall, including a truncated one with traces of a filled-in window above it. The quoins are of large stones. These features suggest an Anglo-Saxon date for the main part of the church.Inside the church is a wall monument to Lady Dame Margaret Mill, wife of Sir Richard Mill of Woolbeding, daughter of Robert Knollys, Esq., of "Grove Place, Co. Southampton", died 1744, aged 56. The coat of arms shown is: "Per fesse Argent and Sable, a pale, and three bears salient, two and one, Counterchanged, muzzled and chained Or , impaling: Gules, on a chevron Argent three roses of the field, a canton Argent (recte: Ermine )".
Next to a wall that separates the churchyard from the grounds of a picturesque manor house is a curious miniature mausoleum with decorous Tuscan columns and square pilasters, with a frieze of military trophies such as pikes, rifles, cannon, battleaxes, drums and a helmet.