EAST MARDEN
East Marden is a very small parish on the Downs.
It contains 938 acres and measures about 1½ miles from
east to west and about ¾ mile from north to south. In
the south-west and as far as where East Marden village
itself lies, the parish is between 250 and 300 ft. in
height. The rest is above 300 ft. and above 500 ft. in
the south-east, where is East Marden Down. Except
for a small stretch in the north-east, the hills are here
bare of trees. A road winding across the parish from
North Marden to Stoughton passes through East
Marden village from north to south, and another winding from Compton to Chilgrove passes through the
village from east to west. A cottage south of the church
is dated 1728, and none of the other buildings, including the Manor House, appears to be earlier than this.
East Marden Parish Church
In 1881, by Local Government Order, six detached
portions of Stoughton parish were added to East
Marden, and a detached part of East Marden to Compton parish. By the West Sussex Review Order of 1933,
the former parishes of East and North Marden were
united to form the single parish of Marden. (fn. 1)
MANOR
Land in East Marden was given, with the
church, to the cathedral of Chichester in the
12th century to form a prebend, possibly by
Geoffrey son of Azo and Agnes his wife, who subsequently gave to the prebend of East Marden land in
Horslie which Aldred once held of them. (fn. 2) This constituted the prebendal manor of EAST MARDEN.
In 1341 the rector (i.e. prebendary), in addition to a
manse and I virgate of land, had rents to the value of
6 marks, and the perquisites of the court of his tenants
were valued at 26s. 8d. (fn. 3) After the Reformation this
manor, like most prebendal estates, was usually leased
by the prebendaries for three lives; among the lessees
were the families of Juxon, Brereton, Longcroft, and
Woods. (fn. 4) W. Layland Woods, who was apparently
lessee in 1870, (fn. 5) shortly afterwards bought the fee simple
of the manor from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and
had been succeeded by J. W. Woods before 1876. (fn. 6)
Early in the 13th century Robert de Elnested gave
to his younger son William 1 hide of land in East
Marden. (fn. 7) William sold this to his brother Simon,
Rector of Elsted, who gave it in 1236 to Boxgrove
Priory. (fn. 8) William's elder brother Bartholomew had
confirmed the gift to him, and in 1244 Prior Anketill
granted to John de Gatesden for life land in East
Marden and on the Downs which had been given by
Sir Bartholomew de Elsted. (fn. 9) The priory's estates in
this parish seem to have passed after the Dissolution
with Saffreys in North Marden (q.v.).
CHURCH
The church of ST. PETER
(fn. 10) stands on
a spur of the Downs north of the village,
and consists of a nave and chancel with no
structural division between them, a south porch, and a
vestry north of the nave. It is built of flint rubble with
ashlar dressings and, in the modern work, some brick,
and is roofed with tile. The chancel and nave both
appear to be of the 13th century, though extensively
refaced in the 19th; the porch is of the 17th, the
vestry of the 19th.
In the east wall is a plain lancet triplet, the centre
light slightly higher than the others, with concentric
splays; below the sills a moulded string-course runs
across the east wall only. In the south wall are two
lancets of similar design, and in the north two more; the
exterior stonework of all these is a modern renewal, the
interior is of the 13th century. In the north wall,
partly covered by modern panelling, is a trefoilheaded niche, presumably a credence and coeval with
the windows. The roof has two ancient tie-beams, the
underside of the rafters and collars is ceiled with
modern boarding.
In the south wall of the nave at its junction with the
chancel is a shallow modern buttress; next to it is a
window, also modern, of one light with semicircular
head, the exterior jambs incorporating some worked
stones, perhaps from a 13th-century lancet. Next is a
plain square-headed doorway with wooden frame, perhaps 18th- or 19th-century. The south-west angle has
a modern clasping buttress of brick. In the north wall
is a lancet resembling those of the chancel, but wholly
ancient; west of this is the north doorway, now opening
into the vestry; this has a plain pointed arch without
imposts and a semicircular rear-arch, and is, like the
lancet, of the 13th century. The north-west quoin is of
the same date; the west window (modern) resembles
the south window of the nave; west of this and of the
north-west quoin are two low modern buttresses, partly
of brick. The roof has five ancient tie-beams; the
underside of the rafters and collars is ceiled in plaster;
the two western tie-beams support a bell-cote, of which
the sides are boarded and the pyramidal roof tiled.
The porch, probably of the 17th century, has an
outer doorway of brickwork with jambs of square
section and a four-centred arch.
The font is goblet-shaped, perhaps 12th-century,
standing on a modern octagonal base. The other fittings are modern.
There is one uninscribed bell. (fn. 11)
The communion plate includes an Elizabethan cup
with a conical bowl decorated with floral strap-ornament, and a plain silver paten of 1685. (fn. 12)
The registers begin in 1691.
ADVOWSON
The prebendary, as rector, had the
right of presentation to the vicarage,
but after the Reformation the advowson seems often to have been leased with the rectory,
presentations being made by various persons. (fn. 13) Under
the Act of 1840 the advowson passed to the Bishop of
Chichester.
The prebend was valued at £8 in 1291, (fn. 14) but the
vicarage is not mentioned. In 1535 the vicarage was
rated at £5 in addition to 30s. paid to the prebend, (fn. 15)
then worth only £4 15s. clear. (fn. 16)