Younsmere hundred
Encyclopedia
Younsmere hundred was an administrative unit in the Rape of Lewes
in the eastern division of the county of Sussex
, England
until the abolition of such units in the 19th century. The Rape was a county sub-division peculiar to Sussex. For most of the Younsmere hundred's existence it included the parishes of Rottingdean
(including the detached Balsdean
chapelry), Ovingdean
and Falmer
(including Balmer), i.e. the parishes covering a block of Downland
east of Brighton
.
Part of this territory was, at the Domesday survey, in Falmer hundred and part in Welesmere hundred. We can assume therefore that Younsmere hundred was created between 1086 and 1248, the date at which it appears as Iwonesmere in an unpublished Assize Roll. It also appears as Hywelesmere in the Assize Roll of the same year. The second spelling is evidently a confused recollection of the fact that Rottingdean and Ovingdean were previously in Welesmere hundred.
Stanmer
, near Falmer, is sometimes said to have been in Younsmere hundred, but apparently only on the grounds that it had been in Falmer hundred at the time of Domesday. Thereafter, however, Stanmer was a geographical anomaly: it was in Ringmer
hundred in the Rape of Pevensey
.
The origin of the name is contested, but it may mean 'pool of [a male person called in Old English] Gefwine. Possible alternatives are discussed in Coates (forthcoming). The following spellings are on record from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century: Yenesmere (13th); Iwonesmere (13th-14th); Yonesmere (13th-17th); Jonesmere (15th); Yoensmere al[ias] Ewensmere (16th-17th); Yewnesmere (17th); Hanns OR Hunns Mere Pit, Hound's Mare Pet, Youngsmere (19th).
The pool was presumably the meeting-place of the hundred, though it had ceased to be so long before the end of the hundredal system, according to Dudeney (1849), who knew the Downs intimately. He said it was near the mutual boundary of Rottingdean, Balsdean and Ovingdean, and its faint trace was still visible in 1995, near the top of the ridge south of Cowley Drive in the modern suburb of Woodingdean
. A later record suggests that the hundred might have met at a pit of this name in Falmer parish, but that cannot be reconciled with Dudeney's authoritative statement.
Dudeney, John (1849) Some passages in the life of John Dudeney of Lewes,
schoolmaster, but formerly a shepherd, written by himself. 1849. MS. in two fair copies and a rough one, East Sussex Record Office MS. ACC 3785/3 and /4. [Much of this autobiography was published by R.W. Blencowe (1849) South-Down shepherds, and their songs at the sheepshearings. Sussex Archaeological Collections 2, 247-56 [at 253-6].]
Hudson, W.H., ed. (1910) The three earliest subsidies for the county of Sussex. Lewes: Sussex Record Society (vol. 10).
Mawer, A., and F.M. Stenton (1930) The place-names of Sussex, vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Survey of English Place-Names 7), pp. 307-8.
'The hundred of Younsmere', A history of the county of Sussex: volume 7: The rape of Lewes (1940), pp. 221-22, the Victoria County History. Date accessed: 14 May 2007.
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
in the eastern division of the county 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...
, 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...
until the abolition of such units in the 19th century. The Rape was a county sub-division peculiar to Sussex. For most of the Younsmere hundred's existence it included the parishes of Rottingdean
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a coastal village next to the town of Brighton and technically within the city of Brighton and Hove, in East Sussex, on the south coast of England...
(including the detached Balsdean
Balsdean
Balsdean is a deserted hamlet in a remote downland valley east of Brighton, East Sussex, England, on record since about 1100. It was formerly a chapelry of the parish of Rottingdean, and its territory touched that of the mother parish only at a single point...
chapelry), Ovingdean
Ovingdean
Ovingdean is a small formerly agricultural village which was absorbed into the borough of Brighton, East Sussex, UK, in 1928, and now forms part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It has expanded through the growth of residential streets on its eastern and southern sides, and now has a population of...
and Falmer
Falmer
Falmer is a small village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, lying between Brighton and Lewes, approximately five miles north-east of the former. It is also the site for Brighton & Hove Albion's new stadium....
(including Balmer), i.e. the parishes covering a block of Downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
east of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
.
Part of this territory was, at the Domesday survey, in Falmer hundred and part in Welesmere hundred. We can assume therefore that Younsmere hundred was created between 1086 and 1248, the date at which it appears as Iwonesmere in an unpublished Assize Roll. It also appears as Hywelesmere in the Assize Roll of the same year. The second spelling is evidently a confused recollection of the fact that Rottingdean and Ovingdean were previously in Welesmere hundred.
Stanmer
Stanmer
Stanmer is a small village on the eastern outskirts of Brighton, in East Sussex, England.-History:Stanmer village pond is surrounded by sarsen stones, which accounts for the place-name, Old English for 'stone pond'. The stones are not in their original situation, but have been gathered on the Downs...
, near Falmer, is sometimes said to have been in Younsmere hundred, but apparently only on the grounds that it had been in Falmer hundred at the time of Domesday. Thereafter, however, Stanmer was a geographical anomaly: it was in Ringmer
Ringmer
Ringmer is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located three miles east of Lewes. Other small settlements in the parish include Upper Wellingham, Ashton Green, Broyle Side and Little Norlington....
hundred in the Rape of Pevensey
Pevensey
Pevensey is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located 5 miles north-east of Eastbourne, one mile inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of the parish.-Geography:The village of Pevensey is located on...
.
The origin of the name is contested, but it may mean 'pool of [a male person called in Old English] Gefwine. Possible alternatives are discussed in Coates (forthcoming). The following spellings are on record from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century: Yenesmere (13th); Iwonesmere (13th-14th); Yonesmere (13th-17th); Jonesmere (15th); Yoensmere al[ias] Ewensmere (16th-17th); Yewnesmere (17th); Hanns OR Hunns Mere Pit, Hound's Mare Pet, Youngsmere (19th).
The pool was presumably the meeting-place of the hundred, though it had ceased to be so long before the end of the hundredal system, according to Dudeney (1849), who knew the Downs intimately. He said it was near the mutual boundary of Rottingdean, Balsdean and Ovingdean, and its faint trace was still visible in 1995, near the top of the ridge south of Cowley Drive in the modern suburb of Woodingdean
Woodingdean
Woodingdean is an eastern suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, separated from the main part of the city by downland and the Brighton Racecourse.-Source of name:...
. A later record suggests that the hundred might have met at a pit of this name in Falmer parish, but that cannot be reconciled with Dudeney's authoritative statement.
Sources and references
Coates, Richard (forthcoming) A place-name history of Rottingdean and Ovingdean [provisional title]. Nottingham: English Place-Name Society.Dudeney, John (1849) Some passages in the life of John Dudeney of Lewes,
schoolmaster, but formerly a shepherd, written by himself. 1849. MS. in two fair copies and a rough one, East Sussex Record Office MS. ACC 3785/3 and /4. [Much of this autobiography was published by R.W. Blencowe (1849) South-Down shepherds, and their songs at the sheepshearings. Sussex Archaeological Collections 2, 247-56 [at 253-6].]
Hudson, W.H., ed. (1910) The three earliest subsidies for the county of Sussex. Lewes: Sussex Record Society (vol. 10).
Mawer, A., and F.M. Stenton (1930) The place-names of Sussex, vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Survey of English Place-Names 7), pp. 307-8.
'The hundred of Younsmere', A history of the county of Sussex: volume 7: The rape of Lewes (1940), pp. 221-22, the Victoria County History. Date accessed: 14 May 2007.