CHITHURST
This parish of 1,200 acres is very long and narrow,
extending about 2½ miles from north to south, with an
average width of about ½ mile. It contains about 360
acres of waste and woodland, the southern portion with
Kingsham and Borden Woods being heavily wooded.
The village is in the extreme south of the parish on the
left bank of the Rother. The Hammer Stream passes
from north to south through the parish and forms its
eastern boundary for the last mile before joining the
Rother, which is the southern boundary of the parish.
A mill mentioned in 1086 does not otherwise occur in
the records. A large pond called the Hammer Pond is
partly in this parish and partly in Iping. Detached
parts of Stedham, Steep, Trotton, and Terwick were
added in 1879 to Chithurst, and a detached part of
Chithurst was annexed to Iping.
Some 220 acres of Chithurst Common and Marsh
were inclosed under an Act of 1859. (fn. 1)
The old Manor House, now called Chithurst
Abbey, (fn. 2) bought in 1951 by Mrs. d'Udy, lies west of the
church. It is of T-shaped plan. A two-storied block,
probably of 15th-century date, runs north and south,
and a cross-wing of four bays projects east and west at
the north end. The latter was added during the second
half of the 16th century, and consists of two stories with
cellar and attics; it is of cut sand stone with a chamfered
plinth, and is the least-altered part of the house. Most
of the original windows remain here; they have hollow-chamfered mullions and the square labels are chamfered with a hollow underside. In reopening one of
these windows which had been blocked an interesting
contemporary traceried ventilating panel of lead was
found. (fn. 3)
At its east end the north wing has a window of five
transomed lights to the ground floor, and a three-light
above with 18th-century brick jambs. These show in
Grimm's drawing of 'Chithurst Place' dated 1791, (fn. 4) but
in his time the attic three-light was blocked. This
gable is tile-hung, and on this side the quoins are of
stone. The part of the south wall here visible has a
three-light window with label and restored mullion.
The north elevation shows two external brick stacks
on a stone base, each with two rebuilt chimneys,
diagonally set. Between there is a three-light window
to each floor, and there are two others farther west.
The first-floor windows have no labels, and are of wood
with filleted-roll mouldings. Most of this upper floor
is rough-cast, with stone walling below. The west face
has a five-light window to both ground and first floors,
a three-light in the gable, and a straight chamfered
three-light with label to the cellar, which lies under the
two west bays. The quoins here are of narrow brick.
There are similar three-lights with labels on the south
return of this wing.
The west front of the south block is apparently a rebuild of the late 17th or 18th century, in stone with brick
dressings. The ground-floor windows have elliptical
relieving arches, and there is a blocked window and
insertion over the doorway. The door has fleur-de-lis
straps. The east front of this range still retains a slight
overhang. Grimm's drawing shows many of the windows blocked, and applied foliated decoration or pargetting on the first floor. This is now rough-cast and
the windows are apparently modern. The roof contains
the medieval timbers of what was apparently the hall;
two trusses, forming a narrow bay, were plastered as far
as the tie-beams, making a funnel to convey the smoke
to the louvre. The fine brick stack was inserted in this
bay probably c. 1600: it has diagonal projections on
each face. There are 18th-century and modern outbuildings at the south end.
The north wing consists of two rooms on each floor.
There are four-centred fire-places on the north wall,
some late-16th-century panelling, part with a carved
frieze, timber-framed partitions in wide panels, and
some original doors. Stop-chamfered beams are also
visible in the south range, where there is a latticed cupboard dating from c. 1600. Straight windbraces show
in the attic.
In the garden is a lead cistern dated 1727, and a
stone and brick archway in a piece of old walling projecting from the north-east corner.
Chithurst, or Church, Farm, east of the church, is a
late-16th- or 17th-century house of three bays, with
later additions to north and east. It was altered in the
18th century, when the south bay was modernized and
the sashes and door-hood added to the front. The
interior shows wide fire-places to the central stack, stopchamfered beams, and joists. There is a cellar under the
south bay. Behind is a small wooden farm-building of
some antiquity.
MANOR
Before the Conquest Almar held CHITHURST of Earl Godwin as an alod. In
1086 Morin held it of Earl Roger, lord of
Arundel. The manor was assessed for 4 hides and to it
was attached a haw at Chichester. (fn. 5) Chithurst manor
was probably the knight's fee which Morin de Chithurst held of the Earl of Arundel in 1166, (fn. 6) but it subsequently became part of the manor of Harting, (fn. 7) and
was held by the Husees of the honor of Arundel (fn. 8) until
1349 or later. It was said in 1614 and 1640 to be held
of the manor of Wenham. (fn. 9)
Under the Husees the manor was held by the family
of Vesseler. In 1304 John le Vesseler, parson of the
church of Chithurst, conveyed land there and the advowson of the church to William le Vesseler. (fn. 10) John
le Vesseler was holding the manor in 1316, (fn. 11) and in
1320 a messuage and 23 acres of land at Chithurst were
settled upon John for his life with remainder to John,
brother of Robert le Vesseler, and to Alice, sister of
'the said John', in tail successively, with contingent
remainder to Richard de Slefhurst. (fn. 12) Another settle
ment was made of the manor of Chithurst in 1330, on
John le Vesseler for life. This John was probably the
brother of Robert mentioned in the fine of 1320. After
his death the manor was to pass under the settlement of
1330 to John de Elkham and Alice his wife (presumably the sister of John) and the children of Alice,
with contingent remainder in tail to John, son of
Richard de Slefhurst, or to Henry, son of Henry
Husee. (fn. 13) John le Vesseler seems to have died between
1327, when he was the chief tax-payer in Chithurst, (fn. 14)
and 1332, when none of the family figure in the
Subsidy Roll. (fn. 15)
William Vesseler and John de Elkham held the
knight's fee jointly in 1349. (fn. 16) William's holding may
have been the land conveyed to him in 1304, while
John de Elkham held the manor, for in 1398 Agnes,
widow of (perhaps a later) John de Elkham, was in
possession of the manor, which was claimed against her
by Robert, son of John Slef hurst, as kinsman and heir
of John, brother of Robert le Vesseler. (fn. 17) Robert
claimed that the manor had belonged in the time of
King Edward I to Sir Robert le Vesseler, who gave it
to his son Robert: that the younger Robert had three
sons Robert, Henry, and John who all died without
issue. Richard de Slefhurst was son of Juliana, sister
and heiress of John Vesseler, and grandfather of Robert,
the claimant. (fn. 18)
In 1404 and 1405 John Hebbe presented to the
church of Chithurst, and in 1408 William Duke alias
Fraunceys was patron. (fn. 19) They were probably holding
the manor, as the advowson belonged to the lords before
and after that time. The manor afterwards passed to
Alice, wife of John Dene of Prinsted, and Elizabeth, wife
of William Compton of Lavant, but they complained
in 1423 that they had at Whitsuntide 1419 been ousted
from the manor by Richard Buterley and John Lylye
of Fittleworth. (fn. 20) Buterley and Lylye were trustees of
Henry Hussey, (fn. 21) and it seems probable that the manor
had come to the Husseys through failure of heirs to the
Vesselers and had been the subject of a series of grants
for lives or for a term of years.
By 1494 the manor was in the hands of James
Bartelott, who in that year bequeathed it to his nephew
Thomas Burdeville (son of his sister Elizabeth and
John Burdeville). In default of issue to Thomas or his
brother Richard it was to revert to the testator's nephew,
Thomas Bartelott. (fn. 22) Thomas Burdeville conveyed it in
1532 to John Warde and others (fn. 23) ; but this was presumably in trust for a settlement, as in 1542 Thomas
Bartelott sold it to Sir William Goring, (fn. 24) whose son
George Goring, (fn. 25) and his wife Mary, sold it in 1579
to Peter Bettesworth. (fn. 26) Peter was third son of Peter
Bettesworth of Fyning, and died seised of Chithurst
manor in October 1613. (fn. 27) His son Peter, who succeeded, died in 1634, leaving an only son Arthur
Bettesworth, then aged 19. (fn. 28) Thomas Bettesworth,
grandson of Arthur, was joint owner of the manor with
John Colebrook of Midhurst, clerk, in 1743, (fn. 29) and in
1758 Bettesworth's share was purchased by James
Peachey of St. James's, Westminster. (fn. 30) By his will
dated December 1769 James Peachey bequeathed his
estates to his nephew Sir James Peachey, bart., (fn. 31) who
was created Lord Selsey in 1794, (fn. 32) and in 1802 Lord
Selsey and his son John Peachey sold half the manor of
Chithurst to James Piggott of Fitzhall. (fn. 33)
John Colebrook bequeathed his half of the manor in
1772 to his wife Anne for life, and after her death to
his son John, who in 1775 was holding the manor
jointly with Sir James Peachey, bart. (fn. 34) The Colebrooks' moiety was also acquired by James Piggott, who
was in possession of the whole manor in 1815, when he
bequeathed it by his will to his only son James. (fn. 35) The
latter died in 1822 and his elder daughter Jane married
Simon Frazer Cooke, who took the name of Piggott. (fn. 36)
From them it was bought by Capt. Henry King,
R.N., who built Chithurst House in 1862 and was still
lord of the manor in 1891 but had been succeeded by
Anthony Montague King by 1895, after whose death,
c. 1916, it remained in the hands of his trustees. (fn. 37)
CHURCH
The church (fn. 38) (invocation unknown)
stands on a mound, probably artificial,
north of the river Rother and west of the
road; it consists of chancel and nave, both of the 11th
century (evidently the very ecclesiola mentioned in
Domesday Book), (fn. 39) and a modern west porch. It is
built of rubble, with some herring-bone work, plastered,
and roofed with tile.
The east window (14th-century) is of two ogee trefoil lights with segmental rear-arch; north of this is a
plain image-bracket. On the south side is a piscina with
round arch and deep V-shaped sink, the projecting
part having been cut off. West of this is a lancet window with interior rebates and concentric splay, like the
piscina, early-13th-century. On the north side is a plain
recess with pointed arch and no door rebate, perhaps a
credence and of the 14th century. Next is an 11thcentury window with round-arched head, concentric
splay, and no original provision for glazing. West of
this is a (blocked) priest's door, probably 14th-century,
but the outer stonework was removed in the 19th century
and only the interior jambs remain. The chancel arch
(11th-century) is semicircular, of one order, resting on
square responds with plain imposts; this, like much
ancient work in the church, was re-tooled in the 19th
century. North of it is a squint with square head,
of doubtful date, perhaps 14th-century. The roof
(ancient) has a plain tie-beam at each end and trussed
rafters.
Till 1911 there were four modern raking buttresses
at the western corners of the nave; all have now been
removed except that to the south, which is partly of
brick. In the south wall are two windows of two lights
each, with ogee trefoiled heads, net tracery, and pointed
rear-arches; the western is probably 14th-century, the
eastern a modern copy of it. (fn. 40) In the north wall is a
one-light cinquefoil-headed window with segmental
pointed rear-arch, also probably 14th-century. The
west door, of the same date, has a plain pointed arch
and segmental rear-arch; over this was at one time a
round window, brought from Iping Church in about
1885, now blocked. There is a modern stone bell-cote
on the west wall. The nave roof (ancient) has three
plain tie-beams and trussed rafters.
Chithurst Church
The west porch (modern) is timber-framed.
The altar rails are perhaps 18th-century; on the
south side of the nave are some ancient benches of the
16th century; the font (12th-century, but re-tooled in
modern times) is tub-shaped on an octagonal base and
square sub-base; the other fittings are modern.
On the west wall are the Royal Arms as borne
1810–37.
Outside the church are several ancient tombstones,
some with double crosses, (fn. 41) perhaps as old as the 12th
century.
The registers begin in 1628.
ADVOWSON
There was a chapel or little church
(ecclesiola) at Chithurst in 1086. The
advowson was conveyed, nominally,
with the manor in 1542 when the latter was sold to
Sir William Goring; (fn. 43) but already, before 1482, the
living of Chithurst was annexed to Iping, (fn. 44) and the
advowson then descended with that of Iping (q.v.).
The church was omitted from the Taxation of Pope
Nicholas in 1291 because of its poverty, and in 1341
the rector had only glebe worth 20s., great tithes yielding 20s., and small tithes of the average yearly value of
26s. 8d. (fn. 45) In 1535 Chithurst was merely a chapel of
Iping. (fn. 46)
The priors of Pynham claimed a rent of 5s. due for
tithes from Chithurst. In 1285 it was agreed between
the prior and John le Vesseler, the rector of Chithurst,
that these tithes were held by the rectors of Chithurst
under the priors at a rent of 5s. a year, but from thenceforth the rent should be only 4s. (fn. 47)