STEYNING
The parish of Steyning (fn. 53) lies mostly north of the
South Downs, in low, rolling country just west of
the river Adur. Steyning town was once one of the
most important places in the county, and has grown
rapidly again during the 20th century. The ancient
parish comprised 3,414 a., including a detached
part of 3½ a. lying north-east of Bramber castle. (fn. 54)
In 1933 that part was transferred to Upper Beeding
parish, and a detached part of Ashurst parish (83 a.)
was added to Steyning. (fn. 55) In 1971 the area of the
parish was 3,494 a. (1,414 ha.). (fn. 56)
The landscape of the parish, like the underlying
geology, is very varied. The south part stretches up
to the crest of the downs over 600 ft. high, and
there are deep coombes in the scarp slope. The site
of Steyning town is also on the chalk, which is
followed successively northwards by alternate outcrops of sandstone and clay, an outcrop of sandstone forming a marked ridge between the former
settlements of Wappingthorn and Wyckham. Much
of the land in the east part of the parish comprises
alluvial deposits. (fn. 57) The level of the river Adur was
much higher in early times than in 1976, forming a
wide tidal estuary; salt was extracted near Bramber
castle in the Middle Ages, and large deposits of
shingle were said to have been visible at one time
as far north as King's Barn in Beeding. There was
a port at Steyning in the 11th century, sited apparently on an inlet which then stretched up to the
church. (fn. 58) Later, as a result of the silting and
reclamation of the estuary, the inlet disappeared.
The Adur valley, however, remained liable to flood
in later centuries, (fn. 59) despite the embankment of the
river after 1807; (fn. 60) on one occasion in 1924 or 1925
a wide creek was formed north of the station at the
presumed site of the medieval port. (fn. 61) The river was
still tidal throughout the parish in 1970. (fn. 62)
Part of the north-east boundary of the parish
follows either the river Adur or what was presumably
its former course, (fn. 63) but further south the land lying
west of the river is in Upper Beeding, being the
former demesne lands of King's Barns manor in
that parish. (fn. 64) Parts of the north, west, and south
boundaries of the parish follow tracks which are
presumably ancient. (fn. 65)
In 1976 land use was divided roughly equally
between arable and pasture, and the small amount
of woodland was chiefly confined to the clay outcrops and the scarp slope of the downs, as it had
been in 1875. (fn. 66)
The original settlement at Steyning, presumably
a village, seems from the second element of the
place-name to belong to fairly early Saxon times.
It already existed when, according to the legend,
St. Cuthman founded a church there, perhaps in
the late 8th or early 9th century. (fn. 67) Steyning's
position on the boundary between downland and
Weald, and its nearness to navigable water, made it
a centre of trade; moreover St. Cuthman's remains,
buried in the church, are said to have attracted
pilgrims. (fn. 68) The place seems to have acquired some
importance by the mid 9th century, when King
Ethelwulf was interred there, (fn. 69) but there is no
definite indication of an urban character before the
early 11th century. A mint was recorded at Steyning
at the end of Cnut's reign, perhaps the successor
to the mints of Burpham and Cissbury; (fn. 70) it continued in use until the time of William II. (fn. 71) Had
the town existed a century before, it would presumably have been incorporated in the defence-system
of Edward the Elder recorded in the 'Burghal
Hidage'; (fn. 72) in fact that system included no fortified
position at the vulnerable estuary of the river Adur.
In 1066 there were 118 burgages in the town, (fn. 73) and
during Edward the Confessor's reign four moneyers
are known at the mint, (fn. 74) Steyning at that time
being evidently the centre of the thickly populated
surrounding area. In 1086 there were 123 burgages. (fn. 75)
During the succeeding centuries Steyning was
eclipsed as the chief town of the region by the new
town of New Shoreham, (fn. 76) but it was considered
important enough to send representatives to
Parliament from 1295.
Surviving buildings indicate prosperity in the
late Middle Ages, though some burgages were
tenantless or paid reduced rents in 1445. (fn. 77) In 1595
the town was described, possibly with exaggeration,
as 'much decayed'. (fn. 78) Between the 16th and 18th
centuries Steyning was one of the lesser towns of the
county. In the 1520s it appears to have been largely
populated by labourers, (fn. 79) and in 1705 only thirty
parishioners had the county franchise whereas in
Petworth 64 and in Horsham over 90 had it. (fn. 80)
As New Shoreham declined, however, Steyning
regained its place as the chief town of the area, and
during the same period it acquired a modest importance in county affairs. In 1555 it was the scene
of a Marian martyrdom, (fn. 81) and in 1569 of a meeting
of all the Sussex justices to subscribe the order for
uniformity of public worship. (fn. 82) In 1586 (fn. 83) and
1626 (fn. 84) it was made a store for military supplies, on
the second occasion as one of only four towns in
the county. Quarter sessions were held at Steyning
22 times between 1667 and 1743, most frequently
between 1696 and 1721, and adjourned sessions
were held 10 times between 1774 and 1860. (fn. 85) In
1792 it was stated that most of the new houses in
the borough had been built within the last ten
years. (fn. 86) Early-19th-century writers however continued to remark on the mean appearance of the
town. (fn. 87) In the early 19th century Steyning again
served as a military centre; a large infantry barracks
was built c. 1804, (fn. 88) but had been demolished by 1819. (fn. 89)
The town of Steyning lies on a low spur between
two streams which provided water and power. The
origin of the place-name is obscure. A suggested
explanation is 'dwellers by a prominent stone', but
no such stone has been found. (fn. 90) Alternatively the
name might mean 'dwellers in a stony place',
referring either to an outcrop of the underlying
sandstone, (fn. 91) or perhaps to the existence of sea
shingle nearby.
The original focus of the town was apparently
near the church, Gatewick House and mill, and the
presumed site of the port. There may have been
early medieval settlement within the churchyard,
to the north and west of the church. (fn. 92) Remains of
streets and buildings, some datable between the
10th and 12th centuries, have been found over a
wide area south and west of the church. (fn. 93) On
both sides of Church Street the lines of streets and
property boundaries suggest a rectangular grid
which might represent a planned town with Church
Street as its central thoroughfare, (fn. 94) in much the
same relative position to the church as is the case
at other planned Saxon towns. (fn. 95) With the decline
of the port and the construction of Bramber bridge
the focus of the town shifted south to the road which
later became High Street. The town as it afterwards
existed until the early 19th century clustered around
the cross-roads formed by High Street (called the
high, chief, or market street in 1622), (fn. 96) and Church
Street (so called by 1344) (fn. 97) and its south-westerly
continuation, White Horse Lane (formerly Sheep
Pen Street), (fn. 98) extending along High Street as far
as the two streams to north-west and south-east.
As the focus of the town shifted the area round the
church ceased to be occupied, so that in 1791 the
church, the vicarage, and Gatewick House were
separate from the rest of the town; (fn. 99) the separation
was still perceptible in 1976. Except for Chantry
Green (recorded in 1478) (fn. 1) and Mouse Lane leading
to Wiston (noted in 1581), (fn. 2) most of the other
street-names of Steyning are relatively modern.
The part of High Street south-east of the crossroads was called Singwell Street until at least 1791. (fn. 3)
Tanyard Lane was called Castle Street in 1791,
probably mistakenly, (fn. 4) but its original name is unknown. Elm Grove Lane, north of High Street,
was the Back Lane in 1791 (fn. 5) and Newman's Lane
in 1911, (fn. 6) and Bank Passage was Brewers Lane in
1791. (fn. 7) Castle Lane, the old road to Bramber, was
for a time called Barrack Lane from the adjacent
barracks. (fn. 8) Among unidentified medieval streetnames are Sopers Lane (1445), (fn. 9) Little Lane (1462),
Cob or Coppe Street (1468–79), Bromeholmes
Lane (1468), (fn. 10) and Lordford Street (1541). (fn. 11)
There are many late-medieval timber-framed
domestic buildings in the town, mostly in High and
Church streets. (fn. 12) Many have been cased, in various
materials including brick, flint, weatherboarding,
and hung tiles, and the antiquity of some is completely disguised externally. Roofing materials
include tiles, slates, thatch, and Horsham stone
slabs; the use of the latter is apparently recorded in
1344. (fn. 13) A building at the corner of Church Street
and High Street is of 'Wealden' type, as is The
Old Workhouse in Mouse Lane. The latter, which
is probably 15th-century, was formerly less regular
in appearance than in 1978; (fn. 14) its name derives from
the fact that it was used as the parish workhouse
from the early 18th century until c. 1836. (fn. 15) Nine
further open-hall houses have been identified,
including two more 'Wealdens'. There are also
several houses with continuous jetties, including
Holland Cottage in Church Street and nos. 61–3
High Street. (fn. 16)

Steyning c. 1960
Gatewick House and The Old Priory are described elsewhere. (fn. 17) Three other medieval houses
deserve special mention. The Stone House, on the
corner of High Street and White Horse Lane,
consists of a timber-framed main range parallel to
High Street with an 18th-century brick front, and
a west cross-wing. The latter is of flint rubble with
sandstone dressings and was presumably built as
the solar block in the 15th century. It has a large
western chimney-stack and a possible garderobe
on the south, and a timber-framed and gabled
upper storey overhangs on the north side. The
thickness of the walls has led to the belief that the
building was the prison of the abbess of Syon, but
the 'Prison House' mentioned in 1476 cannot be
The Stone House. (fn. 18) In view of the building's
position, however, and since it was apparently the
only medieval building in the town apart from the
church to be built of stone, it was evidently of
importance, and was perhaps the residence of the
borough bailiff. The oldest part of Newham House,
Newham Lane, is probably the range parallel to the
street, which is timber-framed. The building was
altered in the 18th century and again in the 20th.
Chantry Green House, perhaps the residence of the
chantry priest, comprises a 16th-century timberframed east range with an extra bay added on the
west in the 18th century when the brick south
façade was built.
Many other buildings in the town were refronted
in brick in the 18th century, including the east
range of The Stone House and the Chequer inn. (fn. 19)
At Newham House additions apparently of 1705 (fn. 20)
included a panelled room on the east side. There
are many other 18th-century houses in the town,
mostly of brick, and including both cottages, for
instance in High and Church streets and in White
Horse Lane, and also larger houses. Of the latter
two fine examples are Charlton House in High
Street and Chantry House at Chantry Green, both
of five bays and dating respectively from the early
18th century and from c. 1740.
The 19th-century residential growth of the town
was chiefly towards the north-west and south-east,
since the open fields which came right up to the
town on the south-west side remained partly uninclosed until the late 19th century, while the
Gatewick estate to the north did not come on the
market until the 20th century. A row of cottages
(New Row, later Norfolk Cottages) was built,
presumably by the duke of Norfolk, at the southeast end of the town before 1792, (fn. 21) and part of
Jarvis Lane was built up between 1791 and 1817. (fn. 22)
Part of the north-west end of the town was called
Mount Pleasant in 1790, (fn. 23) and a terrace of cottages,
called New Row in 1976, had been built in Tanyard
Lane by c. 1841. (fn. 24) Two other terraces near by,
Sir George's Place of 1852 and Pompey's Terrace
in Mouse Lane of 1845, (fn. 25) were apparently built by
G. T. Breach for the employees in his tanyard. (fn. 26)
Charlton Street, which had previously divided the
backs of the houses on the south-west side of High
Street from the open fields, (fn. 27) was built up with
terraces of small cottages on its south-western side
c. 1850; and other terraces were built about the
same time in Elm Grove Lane.
The building of the railway in 1861 accelerated
the residential development of the east end of the
town. Some houses were built by the railway
contractor west of the station, (fn. 28) and the development of that area and of Jarvis Lane was continued
during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (fn. 29) The
land east of Jarvis Lane, part of which belonged to
the school trustees until c. 1883, (fn. 30) was developed
from the late 19th century onwards. In 1909 the
former school lands were half built over and the
area to the north had been laid out for building.
The whole area was nearly filled, with wide avenues
and large villas, by 1932. Meanwhile in the town
centre some houses were built or altered in a revived
vernacular style, and at the west end Mill Road
was laid out by 1909 and was almost completely
built up by 1932. (fn. 31) In the 1920s and 1930s the
northern and southern outskirts of the town began
to be colonized, (fn. 32) and much land was offered for
sale as building plots. (fn. 33) The greatest expansion
happened after 1945, as the supply of building land
along the coast declined. A large estate of council
houses north of the town was mostly completed
by 1957. On the south side private estates were
developed between the 1950s and 1970s, entirely
covering the former open field called Brewhouse
Laine, though perpetuating the outline of its
furlongs. There was also some infilling of the
previously built-up area. (fn. 34) In 1975 it was stated
that 150 or 200 houses had been built in the last
eight years. (fn. 35)
The low-lying areas along the streams to the
north and south-east of the town seem to have had
a partly industrial character from early times. The
town's two water-mills were in the former area;
they were joined in the 19th century by Breach's
tannery and the gas-works. In 1976 none of those
activities survived, but the area remained industrial,
with a large garage business and two timber firms.
In the south-east part of the town there were a
tannery, a brewery, and a fellmonger's premises in
1791. (fn. 36) In the 19th century there were two
breweries there; a garage occupied part of the site
of one, in Jarvis Lane, in 1976, but the surroundings
of the other, on the south-west side of High Street,
had become residential. The workshops built by
the railway contractor near the railway station were
later used as industrial premises until their demolition after 1953. (fn. 37)
In the centre of the town the pattern of back
lanes and yards survived in 1976, though many
formerly residential buildings in High Street had
become shops or offices. Much of the area in the
eastern angle of High Street and Church Street
had come to belong to the grammar school by the
same date, some former dwellings being converted
for school use.
Three subsidiary settlements in Steyning parish
were represented in 1976 by single farms or groups
of two or three scattered houses. Charlton, called a
vill in 1316, (fn. 38) was perhaps a subsidiary settlement
of free peasants or 'ceorls', like other settlements of
the same name; (fn. 39) it was closely related to Steyning,
Charlton manor and Steyning borough being
originally one manor, and tenements of the former
existing within the town in later times. (fn. 40) A few
houses remained in 1639. (fn. 41) Disturbances in the
ground, perhaps representing house sites, were
visible in 1976 north and east of Charlton Court.
Wyckham, in the north-east part of the parish,
perhaps originally a Roman settlement, (fn. 42) was
taxed as a vill in 1296 (fn. 43) and remained a separate
tithing in 1651. (fn. 44) The numerous footpaths (fn. 45) and
the disturbances in the ground in the surrounding
area seem to indicate a settlement of some size,
which may in the late 14th century have extended
as far as Huddlestone Farm. (fn. 46) Buildings surviving
in 1976 included the two manor-houses of Wyckham manor, (fn. 47) and Shelleys, a 19th-century farmhouse. A pair of brick and timber-framed houses
recorded in 1800 (fn. 48) had however disappeared.
Wappingthorn, long part of Wyckham tithing, (fn. 49)
may still have been more than a single farm in the
mid 16th century. (fn. 50) The place called Southbrook,
mentioned between 1316 and 1651, (fn. 51) apparently
lay in the south-east part of the parish, for a tenement at the south-east end of the town was described as in Southbrook tithing in the 16th
century. (fn. 52) There are also several isolated farmhouses in the centre and north of the parish which
date from the 17th century or earlier.
The medieval population of Steyning is difficult
to estimate, because the figures refer to different
areas of uncertain boundaries. In 1086 Steyning
town had 123 burgages, an increase of five since
1066. Two hundred and fifty tenants and servi
were also recorded on the abbot of Fécamp's
estate in Steyning, but it is likely that that also
included Ashurst and Warminghurst at least. (fn. 53) In
addition 22 tenants were recorded at Wappingthorn.
The estate of William de Braose described as being
in Steyning seems to comprise King's Barns (in
Beeding) and Bidlington (in Bramber), but some
tenants of that estate presumably lived within the
area of the modern Steyning parish in 1086, (fn. 54) as
tenants of its successor manors did later. (fn. 55) In
1327 41 taxpayers were recorded in Steyning
borough, and 44 others in the tithings of Charlton,
Southbrook, and Wyckham which apparently
comprised the rest of the parish. (fn. 56) In addition,
some of those listed under Bramber presumably
lived in Steyning, both at that period and later. (fn. 57)
Seventy-two taxpayers were recorded in 1378 in
the boroughs of Bramber and Steyning assessed
together, and 40 and 12 respectively in Charlton
and Southbrook. (fn. 58) In 1524 63 persons were assessed
to the subsidy in Steyning town, and in 1525 67;
at Charlton and Southbrook the corresponding
totals were c. 25 and c. 32. At Wyckham 17 persons
were assessed in 1524. (fn. 59) Both in the late 14th
century and in the early 16th many of the tenements
of Charlton and Southbrook probably lay within the
urban area, as they did later. In 1539 43 men were
mustered from the borough, and 25 from the rest
of the parish. (fn. 60) In 1642 199 adult male inhabitants
of the parish were enumerated; (fn. 61) the number
would have been higher if Steyning had not recently
suffered four years' plague. (fn. 62) Three hundred
adults were recorded in 1676, (fn. 63) fewer than in many
rural villages, and c. 140 families in 1724. (fn. 64) By 1801
the population of the parish had reached 1,174, and
thereafter it rose steadily during the 19th century,
though Steyning remained one of the smaller towns
of western Sussex. After 1931 the population increased more rapidly; from 1,885 in that year it had
reached 2,500 by 1951 and 3,284 by 1971. (fn. 65) In
addition the very large 20th-century residential
development in Upper Beeding parish east of the
old railway belonged physically to Steyning town.
The town lies at an important junction between
north–south and east–west routes. The principal
north–south route in former times followed the
line of Newham Lane and Church Street, leading
past Gatewick House to Wyckham and Upper
Northover farms, and thence to Henfield. (fn. 66) It was
clearly important from an early date, for the terraceway by which it originally climbed the downland
scarp is Roman. (fn. 67) In the late 15th century the part
of the road south of the town was apparently called
the Portway, (fn. 68) indicating its destination as a market
town; an adjacent division of the open fields was
called Portway furlong between the 15th century
and the 17th. The section of the road between
Steyning and Wyckham was still called Portway
Lane c. 1841. (fn. 69) Other roads descended the downs
by way of the north-western end of the town and
Charlton hamlet, and another north-south road
led from King's Barn in Upper Beeding to Greenfields and Nash Farm. (fn. 70) A road from Steyning to
Horsham was mentioned in 1463. (fn. 71) The medieval
route seems to have differed from the modern one,
and two alternatives can be traced: one via Huddlestone Farm, and another via Staplefields and Calcot
Farm, (fn. 72) the name of which probably indicates a
roadside site. (fn. 73) By 1724 the road had assumed its
present course. (fn. 74) It was turnpiked in 1764, (fn. 75)
together with its south-eastern continuation towards
Bramber and a branch leading up Round Hill from
the boundary between the two parishes, which
superseded the other ascents of the downs. Both
roads were disturnpiked in 1885. (fn. 76) The original
east–west road through the town seems to have
followed the line of Tanyard Lane, continuing past
the church to King's Barn and Beeding church,
and to have been replaced by High Street as a
result of the construction of Bramber bridge. An
even earlier east-west route was the Roman road
which followed the sandstone ridge by Wappingthorn and Wyckham, (fn. 77) and over which a right of
way was still claimed in the late 14th century. (fn. 78)
The Steyning–Pulborough road was a turnpike
from 1810 (fn. 79) to 1877. (fn. 80)
Steyning remained a centre of communications
until c. 1800. Traffic along the great downland
route from east Sussex to Arundel and Chichester
passed through the town, (fn. 81) and because of the lack
of a reliable river crossing below Bramber bridge
most traffic between Brighton or Shoreham and
Midhurst or Petworth did the same. (fn. 82) In the late
18th century the Horsham–Steyning road formed
an alternative route from London to Brighton, (fn. 83)
and it was the main road from London and Horsham
to Worthing until the direct Worthing road was
made in 1804. (fn. 84) Wagons plied between Steyning
and Horsham in the early 18th century, (fn. 85) a carrier
being recorded in the parish in 1726, (fn. 86) and between
Steyning and London in 1827. (fn. 87) A coach service to
Horsham was in operation in 1776, (fn. 88) and one to
London in 1780. (fn. 89) The Brighton–Winchester coach
passed through Steyning in 1845. In 1855 there
were carriers to London (once a week) and to
Brighton and Shoreham (three times a week), the
London service being withdrawn after the railway
was opened, but the other surviving into the 20th
century. A horse bus plied daily between Steyning
and Shoreham in 1855; (fn. 90) in 1915 a motor bus
service was introduced. (fn. 91) In 1976 there was an
hourly service to Shoreham and a less frequent one
to Horsham.
Following unsuccessful projects of 1846 (fn. 92) and
1856 (fn. 93) for a branch railway from Shoreham to
Steyning, the Shoreham–Horsham railway line,
with a station in Steyning, was opened in 1861. (fn. 94)
The line closed in 1966, (fn. 95) and the station was later
demolished. The former railway warehouse was
used in 1976 as a sale-room.
The playing of tennis is recorded in the town in
1481. (fn. 96) In the 17th and 18th centuries Steyning
town was too small to support any active social life
or cultural institutions. In 1862 there was a subscription library and reading room. (fn. 97) Other 19thcentury cultural institutions were of an improving
kind: a provident and reformation society for young
men, which flourished in 1852, (fn. 98) and a temperance
coffee-house and reading room founded c. 1880, (fn. 99)
a mechanics' institute recorded in 1855, and a
working mens' institute mentioned in 1899. (fn. 1) A
friendly society which had existed in 1794 had
143 members in 1815. (fn. 2) The town hall built by a
private company in 1886 to hold petty sessions
also accommodated meetings and other public
functions and could seat 400 people. (fn. 3) Part of the
building was used by a succession of clubs. (fn. 4) About
1958 it was bought by the county council as a
permanent court-house. (fn. 5) St. Andrew's hall in
Jarvis Lane, formerly part of Gates's brewery, was
used for meetings and public functions from 1928.
It was improved c. 1958 to take the place of the
town hall (fn. 6) and c. 1964 was bought by the parish
council. (fn. 7) The Penfold Institute, or Penfold Church
Hall, founded in 1916 in the old National school in
Church Street, accommodated public meetings as
well as church meetings; (fn. 8) it was extended in the
1960s. (fn. 9)
Several clubs and societies existed in the town
during the early 20th century, including a music
society which gave concerts in the town hall, an
operatic society, and a horticultural society. (fn. 10) A
brass band formed c. 1874 still flourished in 1944. (fn. 11)
The Steyning Preservation Society, founded in
1933, was very effective in its early years in protecting the aesthetic qualities of the town. (fn. 12) The
cricket ground south-west of the town had been
laid out by 1896, (fn. 13) its management being taken over
by the parish council in 1950. In 1958 the parish
council also managed the football ground on the
north side of the town. (fn. 14) Annual Easter Monday
walking races, succeeding less regular events of
the same kind, were begun in 1912, and an athletic
club was formed to promote them in 1951. (fn. 15) Clubs
and societies proliferated as the town grew after the
Second World War, and in 1976 there was a community association and a well-attended evening
institute. For many sports and for other entertainment, however, it was necessary to go to Brighton
or Worthing. A weekly newspaper, the Steyning
Observer, flourished for a short time in the early
20th century. (fn. 16) A lending library at the Penfold
Institute was run by volunteers until taken over
by the county council in 1948; in 1958 it was open
three days a week. (fn. 17) A new library was built in
1968. (fn. 18)
From the late 19th century Steyning became a
favoured place of residence for painters. (fn. 19) W. B.
Yeats often stayed at Chantry House, (fn. 20) and John
Ireland the composer for a time lived at a house in
High Street. (fn. 21) A hand-printing press, the Vine
Press, in Church Street published poetry in the
1920s. (fn. 22) In 1938 there were an arts and crafts shop
and a handloom weaver in the town. (fn. 23)
Three innkeepers were recorded in Steyning in
the 1470s (fn. 24) and another in 1579. (fn. 25) In the early 17th
century four inns were recorded: the White Horse
and the Chequer, both of which survived in 1976,
the Rose and Crown, (fn. 26) and the Swan, afterwards
the George, which had ceased to be an inn by
1726. (fn. 27) An alehouse was also recorded. (fn. 28) Four
other inns were mentioned in the late 17th century:
the King's Arms, formerly the Spread Eagle, (fn. 29)
the Half Moon, (fn. 30) the Crown, (fn. 31) and the Golden
Lion. (fn. 32) During the 18th and 19th centuries there
seem usually to have been four or five at any one
time. (fn. 33) At the end of the 19th century there were
at least seven, including the Railway Hotel near
the station. (fn. 34) By 1976 the number had been reduced
to five. The principal inn of the town, the White
Horse, already existed by 1614. (fn. 35) Its name alludes
to the arms of the dukes of Norfolk, and it served
intermittently many of the functions of a town
hall, being used for borough courts, (fn. 36) quarter
sessions, (fn. 37) and public meetings of all kinds. (fn. 38) It
was greatly improved shortly before 1790, a room
with a music gallery being added which could hold
75 people. (fn. 39) In 1855 the inn was a posting house
and an excise and inland revenue office; later it was
an agency for the London and Brighton railway,
and in the early 20th century motor cars were kept
there for hire. (fn. 40) The part of the building facing the
street, with a façade of six bays and three storeys
refaced in the 19th century, was destroyed by fire
in 1949. (fn. 41) The Chequer inn, mentioned in 1622, (fn. 42)
accommodated public meetings and functions of all
kinds, including the hundred court and the aletasters' trials, (fn. 43) but the inn was always less important
than the White Horse. It is a timber-framed building
refaced in the 18th century, with a florid projecting
sign holder. Three other inns that existed for long
periods were the George, mentioned in 1791, (fn. 44)
which ceased to be an inn in 1958, (fn. 45) the Star,
recorded in 1716, (fn. 46) and the Three Tuns, recorded
in 1803; (fn. 47) the last two survived in 1976.
Eight inhabitants of Steyning took part in Cade's
rebellion in 1450. (fn. 48) In 1891 C. S. Parnell married
Mrs. O'Shea in the registry office there. (fn. 49)