Etchingham is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
Rother Rother may refer to:
General
*Rother (surname) (also sometimes spelled Röther)
*Rother District, a local government district in East Sussex, England
*Rother FM, an independent local radio station for Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England
*Rother Kup ...
district of
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
in southern England. The village is located approximately southeast of
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and northwest of
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
, on the
A265, half a mile west of its junction with the
A21.
The most notable landmarks in Etchingham include the
Etchingham railway station
Etchingham railway station is on the Hastings line in the south of England and serves the village of Etchingham, East Sussex. It is down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.
...
, the Etchingham CofE primary school and its local amenities, such as a post office and butchers.
Etchingham railway station
Etchingham railway station is on the Hastings line in the south of England and serves the village of Etchingham, East Sussex. It is down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.
...
is on the
Hastings Line to London Charing Cross and Cannon Street.
History
Long before the Norman conquest of 1066, Etchingham was a moated manor house; after this time the manor was taken over by the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
. In 1166 it was left to the de Achyngham (Etchingham) family, who were well-known landowners of the time. The Etchingham family papers record that William was so pleased with the right-hand man that he gave him the land now known as Etchingham.
The manor, long since demolished, stood at the point now occupied by the London to Hastings railway line. Some of the stone from the manor was likely used in the construction of the station buildings. Legend of a great bell that lay at the bottom of the moat surrounding the church and manor is frequently recounted amongst locals and that it would never be seen until six yokes of white oxen were brought to drag it up. However centuries have passed by, the moat is long gone and no bell has surfaced.
The 14th-century church was originally built within the grounds of the manor; evidence of the moat can still be seen.
Etymology
The name Etchingham is probably derived from
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
, and roughly translates as "The homestead or enclosure of family and followers of a man called Ecchi". In a place name, "inga" usually refers to 'people of' or 'dwellers at', and 'ham' to a homestead or settlement.
A second possible derivation of the name is that it could come from the Anglo-Saxon "ecen", meaning great and "ham" (homestead), but the former explanation is the most likely.
The church
![Etchingham Church in snow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Etchingham_Church_in_snow.jpg)
The 14th-century parish church is dedicated to The Assumption of Blessed Mary and St Nicholas. On its spire is what is probably England's oldest brass
weather vane
A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...
. It also has the second-largest series of
misericords in the county; one depicts a fox preaching to geese. Memorial brass to
Agnes Oxenbridge and Elizabeth Etchingham
Agnes Oxenbridge (died 4 August 1480) and Elizabeth Etchingham (died 3 December 1452) have a joint memorial brass on the floor of the side aisle of The Assumption of Blessed Mary and St Nicholas church at Etchingham, England. The brass is in fron ...
is visible on the floor of the side aisle.
Village sign
![Village sign in Etchingham](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Village_sign_in_Etchingham.jpg)
The design of the
village sign
In many parts of England, an ornamental village sign is erected to announce the village name to those entering the village. They are typically placed on the principal road entrance or in a prominent location such as a village green. The design ...
is based on the ''de Etchingham'' family
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
. A similar design is used for the
parish council logo, the primary school badge and the church weathervane.
Famous residents
Among the famous former residents of Etchingham is the regicide
James Temple
James Temple (1606–1680) was a puritan and English Civil War soldier who was convicted of the regicide of Charles I. Born in Rochester, Kent, to a well-connected gentry family, he was the second of two sons of Sir Alexander Temple, although ...
, who lived at
Haremere Hall
Haremere Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean building near Etchingham, East Sussex.
Location
The hall is approximately in size and sited in an grounds. It is around 12 miles north of Hastings and the grounds overlook the River Rother.
History ...
in the 1620s. He was a judge at the trial of
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
and signed the execution warrant.
Haremere was later owned by the second Sir
John Lade, a notorious gambler and close friend of the
Prince Regent
A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...
. He was a notable whip. His wife, Letty, had been the mistress of a highwayman before becoming a mistress of the Duke of York. She too was a notable horsewoman and whip and was painted by Stubbs. Sir John ran through the family fortune and ended his life as a coachman.
Another famous resident, the novelist and critic
Anthony Burgess, lived in a semi-detached house called ''Applegarth'' on the south side of the A265 road (west of the High Street). His house can be distinguished by the presence of a small statue of a
Siamese cat next to the building (he and his first wife Lynne were cat-lovers). The uncorrected proofs of hid novel
''Tremor of Intent'' state it was written in Etchingham on June 20-August 30, 1965.
[Burgess, Anthony, Tremor of Intent,(Uncorrected Proof) William Heinemann, London, 1966 p. 240.]
The folk musicians
Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Stephen Hutchings, MBE, sometimes known in early years by his nickname, "Tyger" Hutchings (born 26 January 1945) is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founding member of t ...
and
Shirley Collins lived there in the 1970s and formed the
Etchingham Steam Band
The Etchingham Steam Band were a folk group formed by Ashley Hutchings and Shirley Collins in England in 1974 after the Albion Country Band had disbanded in late 1973. They were named after village Etchingham in Sussex where Hutchings and Shirle ...
in 1974.
Village hall and organisations
The village had an old
village hall, that closed in 2014 and was subsequently demolished.
The new Village Halls are two halls at the new community complex at Parsonage Croft. One is shared between the school and the community and the other serving the community.
The shared hall is known as the Ahrens Hall and the smaller hall is the Parker Hall which serves as the meeting place for the Toddlers' Group.
Other groups in the village include The
PickleBall
Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport where two players (singles), or four players (doubles), hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a net using solid-faced paddles. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and ...
Club,
Brownies and a Darby and Joan Club.
A Social Club exists that serves as the base for the village branch of the
Royal British Legion and the clubhouse for the Etchingham & Fontridge
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
Club.
Philatelic connections
Henry Corbould
Henry Corbould (1787–1844) was an English artist.
Life
The third son of Richard Corbould, he was born in London. He studied painting with his father, and was at an early age admitted as a student of the Royal Academy, under Fuseli, where he ...
FSA, the designer of the first postage stamp, the
Penny Black
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom (referred to in philatelic circles as Great Britain), on 1 May 1840, but was not valid for use until 6 May. ...
, died at
Hurst Green, having been taken ill there while travelling back to London from the coast, and was buried in Etchingham parish church. There is a memorial tablet on the wall of the church, which for many years was believed to be the only known likeness of Corbould.
In 1990, as part of the 150th anniversary of the postage stamp, the village produced two
First Day Covers
A first day of issue cover or first day cover (FDC) is a postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on the first day the issue is authorized for useBennett, Russell and Watson, James; ''Philatelic Terms Illustrated'', Stan ...
to mark the Corbould connection, and held the Etchingham Stamp Festival to raise funds for church repairs. The festival was held over the weekend following the issue of the Miniature Sheet in May, in the church and
village hall.
The design on the cover is based on architectural detail in the church; the pictorial handstamp for the Etchingham Stamp Festival is based on the church weathervane. One cover was issued in January with the full set of the 'double headed'
commemorative stamps and another for the miniature sheet issued in May, both covers bearing special handstamps featuring a detail from the church weathervane. Both covers were limited editions. Sarah Godwin, the designer of the 1987
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
stamps, designed the cover, her family home being in Etchingham.
Cricket
![etchcricketsml](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Etchingham_%26_Fontridge_Cricket_Club_XI%2C_2006.jpg)
Etchingham had an active
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
team in 1939, the Etchingham & Fontridge Cricket Club, but the start of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
brought play to an abrupt end. After the war, the cricket field was not brought back into use. In early 2006, a group of enthusiasts decided to revive the tradition.
The new club has in its possession several artefacts, minutes of meetings and games dating back to the 1920s when the club was known as the "Etchingham & Fontridge Cricket Club". Keen to maintain a link with the original club, the new club uses the same name.
The original club was formed by Mr W. F. Foster, who later became its President. A pavilion was erected in 1920, and as the number of playing members increased, a 2nd eleven was formed. Records show that Colonel Hornblower was elected chairman in 1934, with Mr H. H. Howard as Secretary. By 1934 Mr J. Gorwyn had become Captain of the 1st team.
The newly reinstated club uses the previous club name to maintain a link with tradition. It is pleased that Lionel Dengate, who was secretary to the club in the 1930s agreed to serve as Honorary Club President.
The club does not yet have a suitable cricket field in the village, so for the time being all matches have to be away fixtures.
References
Sources
* ''Etchingham, Past and Present'', published by the Hurst Green Historical Society, 1994
*
ESCIS The ESCIS or East Sussex Community Information Service is a computer database of local and community information developed and managed by the Library and Information Services of East Sussex County Council in association with Brighton and Hove Librar ...
(East Sussex Community Information Service)
* ''Etchingham Parish Church Guide'' (1983, revised 1994), compiled by Ilse M. Baker BA
* ''Hidden Sussex'' & ''People of Hidden Sussex'', Warden Swinfen &
David Arscott
David Arscott is an author, local historian and publisher from Sussex.
He has written more than 40 books about Sussex, as well as several volumes of the Salariya Book Company's ''Very Peculiar History'' series and a number of works of fiction. ...
*
External links
Parish churchOnline Parish Clerks page for Etchingham
{{authority control
Villages in East Sussex
Civil parishes in East Sussex
Rother District