WORTHING AND ASSOCIATED PARISHES
Worthing, a municipal borough from 1890 to
1974, the second largest town in Sussex, and one of
the principal seaside resorts in England and Wales,
lies on the south coast roughly mid-way between
the estuaries of the rivers Arun and Adur. The town
is known nationally for its large number of elderly
residents, and as the centre of what was formerly
one of the chief market-gardening districts in the
country.
The modern borough, since 1974 the district, of
Worthing comprises five former parishes and parts
of two more. The hamlet of Worthing lay in
Broadwater parish, which in 1875 contained 2,735
a. including Worthing. (fn. 2) When an improvement
commission for the growing town was established
in 1803, (fn. 3) it was given jurisdiction over the southern
part of Broadwater parish, the northern boundary
of the area being defined by the Teville stream and
field boundaries. (fn. 4) That area roughly corresponded
to the area of the manor, and perhaps also to the
area of the medieval chapelry, of Worthing. In 1871
Worthing township contained 584 a., (fn. 5) increased to
979 a. in 1875, the new northern boundary being
drawn just south of Broadwater village. (fn. 6) At its
incorporation in 1890 Worthing absorbed Heene
civil parish to the west, of 426 a., making a total of
1,425 a., the extra 20 a. presumably being accounted
for by land reclamation. In 1902 parts of Broadwater and West Tarring parishes were added to it
to make 2,639 a., and in 1929 Durrington parish, of
2,453 a., including most of the residue of Broadwater and West Tarring parishes, and Goring
parish, of 2,135 a., were added, nearly trebling the
area, which thereafter was 7,227 a. In 1933 the
borough was further enlarged by portions of Findon
and Sompting parishes, of 379 a. and 419 a. respectively, to make 8,025 a. In 1971 the area was
given as 8,060 a. (3,262 ha.), the increase being
again presumably made up by reclamation. (fn. 7)
Worthing Boundery Extenstions 1875-1933
The present account begins by treating the
history of Broadwater, excluding Worthing hamlet,
up to c. 1900; then the histories of the civil parishes
of Durrington and Heene are treated severally, up
to the same date. The history of West Tarring
before c. 1900 is treated below, under Tarring
hundred. The history of Worthing hamlet and
town follows that of Heene, and includes the 20thcentury history of the four parishes mentioned.
Goring parish, which lay in Arundel rape historically, is reserved for treatment elsewhere, except for
its modern history as part of Worthing borough,
which is included here, together with the modern
history of the parts of Findon and Sompting
transferred to Worthing in 1933.