POYNINGS
Punninges (xiii cent.); Ponynges (xiv-xvi cent.).
The parish of Poynings—the name is pronounced
Punnings—covers a rectangle, 3 miles in length and
averaging ¾ mile in width, lying due north and south,
between the parishes of Fulking and Newtimber, and
covering 1,642 acres. The south of the parish is all
Downland and sheep-pasture, but the northern half is
agricultural land, farmed from Poynings Grange Farm.
South of the village a deep coombe, known as the Devil's
Dyke, cuts into the escarpment, sweeping round towards the west and almost isolating a 700-ft.-high hilltop known as the Dyke Hill, which is surmounted by an
Early Iron Age fortified town of considerable size. The
neck of the promontory is crossed by a deep ditch with
a strong rampart within it, and the end of the spur,
3 furlongs away, is similarly protected; the flanks are
protected with weaker defences. The lateral ramparts
are about a furlong apart, and the town extended over
about 30 acres. The Downs to the west of the town are
covered with the fields of the ancient inhabitants, (fn. 1)
whose water-supply appears to have been the spring at
the foot of the Dyke coombe. A bostal slants down the
south side of this from fields to spring, and this route is
supposed to have later formed part of the route of a
Roman road across the Downs at this point. (fn. 2) A golf
course has now been laid out over the old field-sites, and
a hotel built within the ramparts of the ancient hill-town.
The village of Poynings lies at the mouth of the
coombe, having apparently been founded on the stream
which flows thence and still works a mill at the northern
end of the village. Most of the cottages are, however,
along the road leaving the centre of the village westwards towards Fulking, although there are also a few
scattered cottages round the mill. The population in
1931 was 300. The early medieval fields appear to have
been east of the village, where lynchets of this period
may yet be seen. Close under these, adjoining a modern
farm-house, are the remains of the manor-house, known
as Poynings Place. This was destroyed by fire in 1727,
the ruins eventually collapsing about 1823. (fn. 3) The sole
remains visible to-day are some shapeless fragments of
flint walling with brick dressings, apparently of the
16th century, one of them containing the remains of a
fire-place. A few medieval moulded stones may be seen
lying in the farm-house garden. The Roman road down
the Devil's Dyke is believed to pass just east of the site
of the manor-house.
Manors
The manor of POYNINGS was probably identical with 8 hides held in 1086
of William de Warenne by William son of
Rainald, (fn. 4) who may be identified with Rainald de
Poynings son of Reiner. (fn. 5)
The overlordship descended
with the rape, falling to Elizabeth, Lady Bergavenny, in
1439. (fn. 6) By the middle of the
16th century the manor had
ceased to be held of the barony
of Lewes and was held directly
of the king. (fn. 7) Adam de Poynings
and his wife Beatrice were holding land at Poynings about
1140. (fn. 8) They had a son Adam. (fn. 9)
In 1242–3 Thomas de Poynings held Poynings and its
members as 10 knights' fees, (fn. 10) and was succeeded by
his son Luke, who was holding Poynings in 1284–5, (fn. 11)
and died in 1294. (fn. 12) Michael son and heir of Luke died
in 1316, in which year his widow Margery was holding
Poynings. (fn. 13) In 1339 Thomas, Michael's heir and first
holder of the barony of Poynings, created in 1337,
died seised of the manor, which descended to his son
Michael, (fn. 14) who died in March 1369. (fn. 15) His widow Joan
held the manor as dower till her death a few months
later, (fn. 16) and it passed subsequently to her son Thomas
who died in 1375 having settled the manor on his wife
Blanche for life. (fn. 17) It does not, however, appear among
her possessions at her death in 1409. (fn. 18) Thomas's heir
was his young brother Richard, (fn. 19) who held the manor
until 1387. (fn. 20) His widow Isabel held ⅓ as her dower
until her death in 1394. (fn. 21) Richard's son Robert died
in 1446, (fn. 22) and since his only son Richard had died in
1430, (fn. 23) the manor passed to Richard's daughter Eleanor,
wife of Henry Percy son and heir of Henry Percy, Earl
of Northumberland. (fn. 24) Subsequently the lordship of
Poynings became merged in the earldom of Northumberland. Eleanor died in 1484 (fn. 25) and her son Henry
Percy the 4th earl, who died in 1489, (fn. 26) bequeathed
the manor and lordship of Poynings to his youngest son
Josceline 'to the intent that the said Gosslyne shall be
of loving and lowly disposition towards the said Henry
his [eldest] brother and give him his allegiance'. (fn. 27) In
1514, however, the manor was conveyed by Henry, Earl
of Northumberland, and his wife Katherine to trustees, (fn. 28)
and in 1523 the same earl leased it to George Gyfford
for 21 years, for £56 a year. (fn. 29) This lease was confirmed
and extended for 5 years by the next earl, Henry, in
1527. (fn. 30) In 1531 this Henry, 5th Earl of Northumberland, appears to have mortgaged the estate to Sir Edward
Seymour (fn. 31) and in 1535 conveyed it to trustees for the
use of the king, (fn. 32) who in June 1536 appointed Sir
Nicholas Carew as chief steward, receiver, and surveyor
there. (fn. 33) In December 1537 the king granted the reversion of the manor to Sir Anthony Browne and his
wife Alice, with remainder to his heirs male, Browne
having come to some agreement with Carew before the
attainder of the latter. (fn. 34) Browne died in 1548 holding
the manor. (fn. 35) His eldest son and heir Anthony Browne,
owner of Battle Abbey and Cowdray Park, was created
Viscount Montagu in 1554, and the estate descended
in the family until the death, without heirs, of Mark
Anthony Browne, 9th viscount, in 1797, when Poynings
reverted to the Crown. (fn. 36) Elizabeth Mary Browne, sister
of the 8th viscount, married William Stephen Poyntz, (fn. 37)
and in 1804 they were granted a 31 years' lease of the
manor. (fn. 38) On the lapse of this lease the Crown resumed
the manor and in default of an heir administered it
through the Office of Works. (fn. 39) It is still the property
of the Crown.
Poynings. Barry or and vert a bend gules.
Percy. Or a lion azure.
Browne. Sable three lions passant bendwise between double cotises argent.
There was a PARK pertaining to the manor of
Poynings at least as early as 1339. (fn. 40) It appears to have
descended with the manor, and in 1387 John Wymbissh, one of the yeomen of the king's chamber, was
appointed to the custody of it during the minority of
Robert, Lord Poynings. (fn. 41)
PARISH CHURCH of HOLY TRINITY POYNINGS
There were two mills at Poynings in 1086 (fn. 42) and in
1339; (fn. 43) and in 1369 it was noted that they were idle in
the summer for want of water. (fn. 44)
Church
The parish church of the HOLY
TRINITY, (fn. 45) which is mentioned in
Domesday Book, stands on the hill-side at
the mouth of the Devil's Dyke coombe. The building
was practically entirely reconstructed by Thomas de
Poynings and his brother Richard about 1370, and
remains to-day very much as left by them. On plan it is
cruciform, with a central tower. There are no aisles,
but the nave has a contemporary north porch. The
material is flint rubble with stone dressings.
The angles all have buttresses, those to the north
transept and chancel being diagonal, as is also the
eastern buttress of the south transept. The remaining
buttresses are in pairs. The west window of the nave is
three-light, with a traceried head in a style approaching
that of the 15th century, having vertical super-lights,
with trefoiled heads to match the main lights, and simple
spandrels. Below it is the west door, which has a simple
pointed arch with no imposts and a compound moulding
carried all round it. There is a hood-moulding. The
north and south doorways of the nave are similar, but
the former has a more elaborate moulding passing
round it. The south doorway is now blocked. The
nave has a window on either side, immediately east of
the doorway, each consisting of two lights with trefoiled ogee heads and two super-lights, in the same
style as the west window. There is a head-mould with
horizontal stops. Two-light windows of this description exist on either side of each arm of the church, the
chancel having two in each of its side walls. The north
window of the transept is similar to the west window
of the nave already described. The south transept
window is of 17th-century date, having three uncusped lights, their springing-line marked by small
octagonal caps of pseudo-Classical design. The pointed
head of the window is filled with reticulated tracery
without cusps. This window, the only inserted feature
in the church, was brought from Chichester Cathedral
at the middle of the last century. The east window is a
large five-light of almost 15th-century type, with lofty
vertical super-lights, trefoil-headed to match the main
lights, under a tall pointed head. At the head of the
centre main light is a small sex-foil, and another occurs
at the apex of the window. There is a hood-mould,
above which is a stone shield carved with the Poynings
arms: barry of six (or and vert) a bend (gules). At the
apex of the chancel gable is a small quatrefoiled aperture. Between the two windows on the south side of
the chancel is a small priest's doorway with a simple
wave moulding passing around jambs and pointed
head, and a hood-mould. The central tower is plain
and unbuttressed. It has an embattled parapet concealing the roof, the belfry stage is lit by a small trefoilheaded light in each wall, and the ringing-floor has a
similar light to north and south, placed out of centre to
clear the transept roofs. The porch doorway has a
simple pointed arch without imposts, and a heavy
moulding passing around it on both the external and
interior faces. In the porch gable is a stone shield bearing the Poynings arms. The hood-mould over the arch
is continued at springing-level along the gable wall of
the porch.
The interior masonry of the church is almost featureless except for the arches of the crossing. These rise
from semi-octagonal responds with simple ogee-splayed
bases, and caps with scroll-roll abaci and necking and a
simple unornamented bell. The arches are in two
orders with plain chamfers. The south-east window of
the chancel is raised to accommodate the sedilia and
piscina. The former is triple, with the seats all on the
same level under trefoiled ogee heads, rather debased to
suit the rectangular frame in which all three are inclosed. The piscina is similar in style, although not
joined, to the sedilia, and has a credence-shelf. There
is another small piscina in the south transept. The roofs
of this church have been much restored. That of the
south transept had been lowered at some period, being
restored to its original height in 1903. In this transept is part of a tie-beam inscribed 'Francis Killingbecke, 1625', which may refer to the date when the
roof was lowered. The nave roof was restored in
1926.
The south transept is known as the Poynings Chapel,
and is inclosed by a good oak screen, apparently contemporary with the church, which may have originally
been the rood-screen in the eastern arch of the crossing.
It is in excellent condition, with a central double door
and four side bays, the lower portions of which are solid
and the upper each divided into three lights with
elaborately foliated heads. The base of the altar remains
in the chapel, which may be on the site of the chancel
of the earlier church, (fn. 46) as the east wall suggests a
13th-century date and shows on its exterior face the
jamb of a window, apparently part of a couplet of large
lancets. This wall is the only one in the church which
has no plinth and is not properly faced with knapped
flints.
The altar base is paved with 13th-century encaustic tiles, in which is set a contemporary tomb-slab
said to have been found in the churchyard. West of
this is a series of old tomb-slabs, apparently in their
original positions. (fn. 47) The northernmost is a good hogbacked slab with a foliated cross, raised on a low tomb
but now broken into fragments. Next to it is a flat slab
which shows signs of having had a very elaborate
heraldic brass upon it. One tomb has a carved foliated
cross and a matrix for a shield and has a border containing an incised inscription in Lombardic characters
commemorating the 'Damette de Bissel'. In the north
transept flooring is a tomb-slab having a matrix for what
appears to be a calvary.
The altar in the chancel is inclosed on three sides
by balustered rails of mid-17th-century date, west of
which may be seen some 13th-century encaustic tiles,
some of them heraldic, laid in the modern flooring.
The pulpit dates from about 1600. It has lost its
sounding board, but the back, with two caryatid figures,
remains. The chancel pewing seems partly of this
period. The west door has the carved date 1608. The
font is of unusual form, being a plain octagonal prism
with trefoiled ogee-headed panels around the base but
a perfectly plain upper part.
Poynings Church: the Pulpit and Screen
The tower contains one bell of early-14th-century
date, cast by Richard de Wimbis, and another dated
1715. (fn. 48)
The church possesses a communion cup bearing the
mark for 1567, with paten cover; and a paten and
flagon both of 1884. (fn. 49)
The registers date from 1558.
Advowson
There was a church in Poynings in
1086. (fn. 50) It was granted to the Priory
of St. Pancras at Lewes, and in about
1095 William II Earl Warenne confirmed this grant. (fn. 51)
A further confirmation in about 1140 covered church
and tithes, which were said to have been granted by
Adam de Poynings, his wife Beatrice, and their son
Adam. (fn. 52) The advowson was, however, held with the
manor at least from 1339. (fn. 53) Henry, Earl of Northumberland, was holding it in 1514, (fn. 54) and it appears to have
passed with the manor to the Crown in 1535. (fn. 55) From
1554 the patronage remained with the Viscounts
Montagu, but as they adhered to the Roman Church
the actual presentations were often made by their
assigns. (fn. 56) By 1807 the advowson was in the hands of
the Crown, (fn. 57) and it is still in the gift of the Lord Chancellor. (fn. 58)
The CHANTRY OF ST. MARY was founded by
one of the Poynings family in about 1375 in the south
transept of the parish church, where it stood in 1585.
At that date there pertained to the chantry 5 acres in the
parish of Poynings and lands in Pyecombe containing
5 closes, 100½ sheep leases, and 6 cow leases. The profits then were remembered to have always belonged to
the parson (fn. 59) of Poynings, but a witness who had known
the parish of Poynings for 60 years deposed that he did
not remember any masses being read in the chantry
aisle. (fn. 60) In 1834 the estate of the chantry in Pyecombe
was estimated at 70 acres. (fn. 61) The advowson of the
chantry was held in dower by Isabel widow of Sir
Richard de Poynings until her death in 1394, (fn. 62) and
descended with the manor.