CRAWLEY
Crauleia, Craule, Crawle (xiii cent.).
Crawley parish has an area of 780 acres and consists
of two small portions of land on the north-western
borders of the rape. The town, which is mostly in
Ifield parish, is situated at the crossing of the main
road from Brighton to London and that from Horsham
to East Grinstead, and a strip of parish, barely ½ mile
wide, and with an elevation of about 200 ft., extends
north on the east side of the main road. A little farther
south, on the west side of the road, is a detached portion, in parts a mile broad. This continues south
through Pease Pottage Forest, sloping upwards to
Buchan Hill, 400 ft., and including Shelley Plain, south
of it, which reaches an altitude of 468 ft.
Crawley has a railway station on the branch-line
from Three Bridges to Horsham, which runs just
north of the road from that town. There is a Roman
Catholic Church and Capuchin Franciscan monastery
there, established in 1861, and there are Congregational
and Baptist chapels, a Salvation Army Hall and a Gospel
Hall. The ecclesiastical parish of St. Peter, West
Crawley, was formed in 1901 from the parish of Ifield,
which has now been amalgamated with Crawley. (fn. 1)
The soil is clay and marl, and the subsoil clay. The
chief crops are wheat, barley, and oats.
The house known as 'the Priors' House' (fn. 2) now a café
and shops, on the east side of the High Street, is a timberframed building erected about 1450. It had a great
hall of two bays of c. 10 ft. and solar and buttery wings
with projecting upper stories on the west front. The
usual upper floor was inserted in the hall in the 16th
century and the central chimney-stack built in, in the
northern bay of the hall. A wing was added behind
the south wing probably early in the 16th century.
The west front shows the timbers of the hall and has
next to the north wing a doorway with a four-centred
and square head with the spandrels carved with shields
and foliage. The projecting upper stories have plain
bressummers on the ends of heavy joists, and curved
brackets: only one bracket, next to the doorway, is
ancient, and much of the framing appears to be
modern. (fn. 3) Framing in the north side-wall and at the
back of the hall block is also exposed. The roof is
covered with Horsham slabs and the central chimneystack is of the usual rebated type.
The lower part of the middle block has a 16thcentury floor showing stop-chamfered beams and joists
in the ceiling of the lower story. The moulded posts
of the middle truss of the hall show in the side walls and
support a highly cambered tie-beam, also moulded,
which had curved braces forming a four-centred arch
below it: above the tie-beam is another arch, of the full
width of the hall, below the collar beam. The south bay,
the one complete, has moulded wall-plates and sidepurlins reinforced by curved wind-braces that form
four-centred arches. The south wing has a king-post
and central-purlin roof of the usual 15th-century type.
Over the north wing is a cambered tie-beam supported
by curved braces, but the construction above it is hidden
by the ceiling. There are two 16th-century fire-places
in the central chimney-stack, towards the north wing,
one to each floor, with moulded jambs and flat fourcentred arch in a square head, the spandrels carved and
the top of the stone head corbelled. The staircase next
to the central chimney-stack is of the 16th century and
of semi-winding form: at the top are symmetrically
turned balusters. The lobby, on the other side of the
chimney-stack, into which the front entrance opens also
has ancient four-centred doorways in its north and south
walls. The early-16th-century south-east wing has a
chamfered cross-beam to the ground-floor with curved
brackets under the ends and some of the ceiling joists
are original wide flat timbers. The fire-place in this
room is 9 ft. wide. Set in the south wall is a 10½-ft.
length of a beam, 1 ft. 4 in. deep, which has a late15th-century moulding along the top and a series of
six cinquefoiled pointed arches cut in the lower part
as panel-heads, with traceried spandrels. It is presumably not in its original position but is said to have
always been here in living memory. The building is
said to have once been the White Hart Inn and this
chamber was its tap-room.
A small house farther north on the east side of the
road, now known as 'The Old Punch Bowl Cafe', was
once a farmhouse called Mitchells: another name
seems to have been 'Black Dog Farm'. (fn. 4) It dates from
the early 15th century and had a hall of two unequal
bays, 12 ft. and 8½ ft., with a north solar wing and south
buttery wing. The wings have projecting upper stories
on the west front and the eaves of the hall block is
brought out to the same plane, the eaves-beam being
supported by curved braces, from the sides of the wings.
The south wing has been underbuilt with 18th-century
brickwork. By the side of the north wing another wing
parallel with it was added in the same century: it also
has the upper story jettied on the west front. The house
has been partly reconditioned, but many of the original
timbers remain in the walls of the hall and two north
wings: those of the south wing are later repairs. One
half of the original pointed doorway to the screens
next the south wing remains in position. The present
entrance in the north solar wing is modern. Two of
the upper windows have 16th-century mullions, and
inside one are seen the mortices of the triangular mullions of an earlier window. An upper floor was inserted
in the hall and the chimney-stack (partly of stone) built
in, on the site of the screens, in the 16th century: it
has an 8-ft. fire-place, and the room has an opentimbered ceiling. The middle truss of the hall has
double-chamfered posts supporting a cambered tiebeam that has lost the braces below it. It carries the
usual king-post with longitudinal braces below a
central purlin. In the closed north wall the tie-beam
has the curved braces—one partly destroyed for a doorway—and the king-post is strutted from the tie-beam.
The south wall—now skeletonized—was similar.
Similar king-post and central purlin construction is
continued over the two north wings; the roof of the
south wing has been altered. One of the two doorways—now blocked—to the buttery from the hall,
with a segmental arch, is still in place at the back or
south side of the chimney-stack, and another to the
solar at the east end of the north wall. The roof is
tiled and the central chimney-stack is of the local
rebated type.
Two other (separate) buildings on the same side of
the street south of the Prior's house have 17th-century
chimney-stacks but have otherwise been completely
disguised by modern alterations.
Manor
The manor of CRAWLEY is not mentioned in Domesday Book, but at an early
date formed part of the possessions of the
Poynings family. It appears to have been held of the
Earls Warenne, and later of their descendants the Earls
of Arundel. (fn. 5) Michael de Poynings in 1202–3 received
licence to hold a market there every Friday, for which
he gave the king a good Norway goshawk. (fn. 6) In 1279
his descendant Luke de Poynings claimed not only a
free market on Fridays, but a fair on the eve and day
of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist (fn. 7) (Aug. 28).
Crawley descended in that family in the same manner
as Twineham (fn. 8) (q.v.) until 1545, when it was conveyed
by Sir Robert Southwell and Margaret his wife to
Edward Shurley (fn. 9) of Isfield. At Edward's death in
1558 Crawley descended to his son Thomas Shurley, (fn. 10)
who died in 1579, leaving the manor, with market and
fair, to his son John. (fn. 11) At Sir John's death in 1631 Crawley came to his daughter Jane the wife of Walter Covert,
on whom it had been settled at her marriage, (fn. 12) and it
then descended in the Covert family, in the same
manner as Slaugham (fn. 13) (q.v.), until it came to Anne
daughter of John Covert and wife of Sir James Morton, who conveyed it in 1707 to Leonard Gale. (fn. 14) At
the death of the latter his estates were divided between
his three daughters and their husbands, Sarah and
Samuel Blunt, Elizabeth and Henry Humphreys, and
Philippa and James Clitherow, who were holding
thirds of Crawley manor in 1750 and 1756. (fn. 15) Eventually the whole manor devolved upon Philippa's husband James Clitherow, and their son James, who were
holding it in 1791. (fn. 16) The younger James died without issue, and the lordship passed to Colonel Clitherow,
who was holding it about 1834. (fn. 17)
The Manor House, and probably also the manorial
rights, were later acquired by Mrs. H. F. Montefiore.
She died in 1915 and the Manor House was then
bought by M. Jacques Mend de Coste, but no manorial
rights could be shown to have been conveyed to him
when, after his death, early in 1934, Sir Francis
Montefiore, son of the former owner, repurchased the
estate. On the death of Sir Francis the Manor House,
together with such interest as he had possessed in the
manor of Crawley, was bought late in 1936 by Mrs.
Brown. All manorial rights appear, however, to
have lapsed. (fn. 18)
Church
The church of ST. JOHN THE
BAPTIST (fn. 19) consists of a chancel with an
organ-chamber and vestry north of it,
nave, north aisle, and a west tower. The only ancient
parts of the structure are the south wall of the nave, probably of the 14th century, and its roof, a good example
of early-16th-century construction. The west tower was
added c. 1470, but at the top of the west front is the
inscription 'Rebuilt 1804'. Evidently the old material
was largely re-used, but the rebuilding must have been
complete from the ground, as the moulded top member
of the plinth is now set upside down. The church
was restored in 1845 and again in 1880 when the
north aisle was added.
The chancel is entirely modern. It has an east window of three lights and tracery. The nave has a modern
arcade of seven bays. In the south wall are three modern
or completely restored windows. The middle window
is of two plain four-centred lights under a square head;
the other two of two cinquefoiled lights under a segmental-pointed head. Between the first and second
windows is a plain segmental-pointed doorway, now
blocked, probably of the 14th century. In the reveals
are sockets for a draw-bar.
The tower is of three stages and is built of ashlar
with a moulded plinth and embattled parapet. At the
west angles are heavy diagonal buttresses, gabled at
half-height. The east angles have square buttresses.
The segmental-pointed archway, 9 ft. wide, opening into
it from the nave, is moulded on its west face and rebated
for a pair of doors on its east face: the hooks for the
hinges remain in place. The inner reveals and reararch are chamfered: the former have broach basestops. The west doorway, of late-15th-century date,
has moulded jambs and a high segmental-pointed arch
in a square head with traceried spandrels and a moulded
label. The door, mainly reconstructed, retains the
original styles and arch of the framing: these are enriched with running tracery. The west window above
is of three cinquefoiled lights and vertical tracery in a
two-centred head: it is modern except for the reararch. There are also modern north and south windows
of two lights. In the second stage are reset three shallow
niches, one above the other; the lowest and smallest is
modern and contains a small figure of a man wearing
a doublet down to the knees and having his hands crossed
in front of him. Below it in the string-course is a shield
in which is a circle enclosing a sort of eight-pointed
Solomon's seal, perhaps a merchant's mark. The middle
niche has a trefoiled ogee head and spandrels with balls,
in a square head with a label. In it is a small man with
a large head and a pleated and belted doublet, his hands
to his sides. The top niche has a trefoiled four-centred
and square head with a moulded label having headstops: at the sides are pilasters, now almost formless.
In it is a figure of St. John the Baptist holding a dish.
Above it is a small window with a label, and there are
similar windows to the north and south sides, all with
two-foiled heads.
The bell chamber has four square-headed windows
of two trefoiled lights. Above the western is a skeleton
clock-face behind which is the inscription mentioned
above.
At the south-east angle is a stair turret entered by a
segmental-headed doorway and lighted by loops.
The nave-roof is of three and a half double bays
divided by braced and moulded tie-beams (three).
The easternmost is carved with an inscription in blackletter divided into two parts by a central floral device.
The inscription reads: 'Man yn wele be war, for
war[l]dly good maketh man blynde: be war be for
whate comyth be hinde'. The three intermediate trusses
have collar-beams with arched braces below them, and
moulded principal rafters: under the ends of these are
panelled wall-posts on corbels; most of the posts are
treated with detached small shafts forming niches with
cinquefoiled ogee-heads and open sides, and in the
solid over them are shields. The westernmost of these
on the north side is carved with an interlacing monogram and that opposite is charged gules three crowns or.
The corbels are mostly moulded, those on the north
side being modern. One on the south side is carved
with a grimacing head. The roof has side-corbels supported by arched wind-braces.
The 15th-century font, in the tower, has an eightsided tapering bowl of marble with slightly panelled
faces, and a cylindrical stem surrounded by four shafts
with moulded capitals and bases, and a moulded main
base. North of the west doorway is a holy-water stoup
with a half-destroyed basin. The pulpit dates from the
17th century.
In the nave floor are two brasses. (fn. 20) One set in a
Petworth marble slab, 5 ft. 2 in. by 2 ft. 2 in., is the
small figure of a lady in early-16th-century costume; she
wears a pedimental head-dress with embroidered lappets, bodice with tight sleeves and fur cuffs, and a full
skirt below which her feet appear, and an embroidered
girdle with a pendant end: the inscription is missing.
The other, set in a Petworth marble slab, 4 ft. 11 in.
by 2 ft., is an inscription to William Blast, 1438–9.
There are two bells by Thomas Lester, 1742. (fn. 21)
The communion plate consists of a chalice with the
hall marks for 1579; a paten of 1722; another chalice,
flagon, and alms-dish, of silver, given in 1848. (fn. 22)
The register of baptisms begins 1653–4; of burials
1676; and of marriages 1688.
Advowson
The advowson of the 'free chapel' or
chantry of St. John the Baptist at Crawley early belonged to the lord of the
manor. (fn. 23) At the time of the dissolution of chantries it
was regarded as the parish church, and the priest had
the tithes of the village. (fn. 24) In 1542 the living is referred
to as a rectory, (fn. 25) and the presentation continued to descend with the manor, being attached as a chapelry to
Slaugham. (fn. 26) Jane daughter of Sir John Shurley presented in 1638 with her second husband John Freake,
and with her third husband Denzil Hollis in 1661. (fn. 27) In
1718 the king presented by lapse, but after that the
advowson was again held by the lord of the manor,
Leonard Gale, and continued with it, descending to the
Clitherow family. (fn. 28) The living in 1924 had annexed to
it that of St. Peter, West Crawley, formed in 1901 from
the parish of Ifield, but the two livings were not held by
the same incumbent until 1 January 1929. Presentation
is made alternately by Lt.-Col. Thomas Claud Clitherow,
D.S.O., and the Bishop of Chichester. (fn. 29)
On the south-west of Crawley was the ancient parish
of Shelley, the rectory of which was closely associated
with the manor of Woodmancote, in the rape of Bramber. In the reign of Henry III the advowson of Shelley
was held by William de Hautentoft and Isabel his wife;
their son Thomas died without issue and left as coheirs
his three sisters Nichole, Lucy, and Olive, of whom
Lucy died without issue. (fn. 30) Nichole married John de
Hartridge (fn. 31) and had a daughter Elizabeth who married
first John, son of George de Percy, who died in 1339 (fn. 32)
leaving three children, William (then aged two) his
heir, John, and Margaret. Elizabeth then married
William de Burton and with him disputed the right of
presentation to Shelley church with her cousin William
de Northo, son of Olive, in a lawsuit which dragged on
for at least ten years. (fn. 33) In 1341 William and Elizabeth
settled their moiety of the advowson on themselves with
remainder in default of issue to her children by her first
husband. (fn. 34) In 1354 John de Farnebergh and Elizabeth his wife (perhaps a daughter of William and
Elizabeth) made an agreement by which this half of the
advowson should go after their deaths to William son
of John de Percy and Mary daughter of William
Filliol and their issue or the right heirs of William
Filliol. (fn. 35) Sir William Percy died in 1407 and Mary
in 1420, without issue, and the estate went to her
nephew William son of John son of William Filliol.
His wife Joan survived both him and her second
husband Sir William Cheyne and died in 1434, when
the advowson passed to her son John Filliol. (fn. 36) The
other moiety had been settled in 1357 by Olive's son
William de Northo and Denise his wife on themselves
for life with remainder to Thomas de Grofhurst and
Margery his wife (probably their daughter) and her
issue, with contingent remainder to Sir Michael de
Ponynges; (fn. 37) but no more is known of it.
The church of Shelley was valued in 1291 at
£4 13s. 4d.; (fn. 38) but by 1341 about half the parish had
been either imparked or allowed to go out of cultivation. (fn. 39) In 1404 it was among the benefices exempt
from taxation through poverty. (fn. 40) Sir William Percy
presented a rector in 1407, (fn. 41) but in 1428 there was
only one householder in the parish, (fn. 42) and in 1478
Bishop Story reported that 'the church of Shelley is
vacant because there are few inhabitants there, and the
rector of Slaugham takes the issues'. (fn. 43) About 1510 the
church became a chapel attached to that of Crawley, (fn. 44)
in which parish Shelley Plain now lies, while the
manor and park were absorbed into the parish of
Beeding. The chapel of Our Lady continued in use till
the suppression of the chantries, and in 1585 Richard
Smallam, then aged 97, could remember helping to serve
mass there and that 'Our Ladies coate was decked with
both sylvor and golde sowen theron'. (fn. 45) The name was
still coupled with the rectory of Crawley in 1631. (fn. 46)
Charity
Jessy Goss by will proved 1 Jan. 1926
gave to the Trustees of the Congregational Church of Crawley her cottage
known as Princess Cottage. The cottage has been sold
and the income of £12 15s. a year from the proceeds
of sale is paid towards the general funds of the church.