Wivelsfield village and the larger adjacent village of Wivelsfield Green are the core of the
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 ...
of Wivelsfield in the
Lewes District
Lewes is a local government district in East Sussex in southern England covering an area of , with of coastline. It is named after its administrative centre, Lewes. Other towns in the district include Newhaven, Peacehaven, Seaford and Tel ...
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 ...
, England. The villages are north of the city of
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages.
Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
.
Wivelsfield parish is located on a ridge that divides the watersheds of the Rivers
Adur and
Ouse
Ouse may refer to:
Places Rivers in England
* River Ouse, Yorkshire
* River Ouse, Sussex
* River Great Ouse, Northamptonshire and East Anglia
** River Little Ouse, a tributary of the River Great Ouse
Other places
* Ouse, Tasmania, a town in Au ...
. It lies south of
Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
, and east of
Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It ...
, which are both comparative newcomer settlements, owing their existence to the coming of the railway in the 1840s. Wivelsfield is much older and was first mention is in an 8th century charter whilst
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
and
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
finds indicate even earlier origins of settlement in the area.
The settlement tended to be small farms often grouped together rather than a central village and that is still marked by the two distinct areas called Wivelsfield and Wivelsfield Green, as well as smaller hamlets lying on the border of the old
Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
to the north, Valebridge Common to the west and Ditchling Common to the south.
Despite Wivelsfield being as biodiverse as the best protected places in the
Weald
The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...
, it lies in a landscape without statutory protection and county planners are allowing an eastwards movement of settlements from
Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It ...
.
History
Wivelsfield grew during the late Saxon and early Norman period, initially as extended pastures for pannage by a number of manors to the south. The name itself is of Anglo-Saxon origin meaning the field of a man named "Wifel". There is an 8th-century (c. 765) reference to the village as ''Wifelesfeld''.
[Parishes: Wivelsfield, ''A History of the County of Sussex; Vol. 7: The rape of Lewes'' (1940), pp. 119–124](_blank)
Retrieved 16 June 2012 via University of London & History of Parliament Trust website.]
In the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086, 1½ hides at Berth here were held by
William de Warenne, perhaps part of the manor of
Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint is a village in West Sussex, England, southwest of Burgess Hill, and west of Hassocks railway station. It sits in the civil parish of Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common which has an area of 2029.88 ha and a population ...
, West Sussex. The Stanmer parish owned the eastern portion of the parish until the 14th century.
Ote Hall Congregational Chapel was erected in 1780 by the
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (24 August 1707 – 17 June 1791) was an English religious leader who played a prominent part in the religious revival of the 18th century and the Methodist movement in England and Wales. She founded an ...
, who lived at Great Ote Hall and had converted a room in the house into a chapel two years earlier.
Great Ote Hall was the only manor in the area, with much southern land being in the manors of
Plumpton and
Ditchling
Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling.
...
.
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Wivelsfield was the focus of a small group of local
dissenter
A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc.
Usage in Christianity
Dissent from the Anglican church
In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...
s (Particular Baptists). In 1763, they broke from the larger
General Baptist community at nearby
Ditchling
Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling.
...
and formed a new meeting under Henry Booker, using a chapel built in 1780 (
Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel) which remains in use. The surviving records and memorandum books, as well as Henry Booker's memoirs, provide insights into a small rural religious community of the period.
The growth of
Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
during the late 19th century meant some urbanisation to the north on the old Wivelsfield portion of Haywards Heath common. This part along with the former
St Francis Hospital built as a lunatic asylum in 1859 were transferred out of the parish in 1934.
Notable buildings and areas
The village lies in the Low Weald of the
Weald
The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...
and immediately north of the
South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park is England's newest national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hamp ...
, which extends to include
Ditchling
Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling.
...
. The soil is clay and mixed sand on top of underlying clay and sandstone.
[ Wivelsfield was once of the larger parishes in the county, although the growth of ]Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It ...
to the west reduced the ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest ...
.
The north of the parish includes several woods and small farms south of Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
, separated from the nucleus of the village to the south by the Pellingford Brook, a tributary of the River Ouse that flows to Newhaven. Despite the influence of this brook, almost half of the parish drains west to the River Adur
The Adur ( or ) is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th ce ...
, which flows to Shoreham by Sea, reflecting the gently undulating terrain.
As a settlement originally based on the principle of droving a number of ancient routes cross the parish. The current B2112 is an old drove road as a portion of the A272 which crosses the northern edge of the parish whilst the minor route to Plumpton is a medieval highway. The B2112 also became part of an 18th century London-Brighton turnpike which is still used as the route for the modern day bike ride between the two.
Historic buildings
There are more than 20 listed buildings in the parish.
The Church of St Peter and St John the Baptist
Old Wivelsfield parish church () sits high on the Long Ridge's ancient east-west trackway that runs eastwards from Bedelands, past Theobalds, Antye, Lunces, and on beyond More Farm. It was built on the place of a wooden church and sits next to a thousand year old yew which suggests earlier use as a pagan worship place. It was replaced by a stone building around 1050 although at this point the area was regarded as an outlier of Ditchling
Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling.
...
and did not become a parish in its own right until around the 12th century. As the area prospered during the middle ages the church was extended.
The sandstone rubble of Wivelsfield church is thought to have been quarried from adjacent Lunce's Common. The Yew on the north side of the church (with only half of its trunk surviving) is probably the oldest thing on the site, perhaps marking a pre-Christian holy place. The church's dedication to St John the Baptist, whose midsummer (24th June) saints day was marked by hilltop bonfires, may represent continuity with the pagan solstice celebrations. The narrow north door is Saxo-Norman. It is a Grade II listed building.
Great Ote Hall
In the southwest of the parish is Great Ote Hall (). It is a grand, timber framed Tudor mansion and a grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, behind a screen of woodland. The east wing of the building was built in approximately 1550. The west part of the building dates from 1600 though its history can be traced back to the 13th century. The owner of the 350 acre Great Ote Hall Estate also has the 180 acre Randolph Farm, at Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint is a village in West Sussex, England, southwest of Burgess Hill, and west of Hassocks railway station. It sits in the civil parish of Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common which has an area of 2029.88 ha and a population ...
.
Theobalds and Antye
In the far west, in the part that merges with the north of Burgess Hill by Wivelsfield Station, is Theobalds (), a Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. It is of the 16th and 18th century, with a Horsham slab roof perhaps quarried on the farm, although there is thought to have been a settlements here since the Saxon period. Its rear wing is 17th century or older and the main door is studded with the date 1627. The Attree family occupied the house from before 1600 to 1823; in 1537 Thomas Attree parted with Ote Hall, which the Attree family had owned since John Attree in 1437.[
Also in the far west is Antye (). The farm house has at its core a timber framed hall house of circa 1400. Both Theobalds and Antye farms have field patterns that, even today, reflect their origin as an early cooperative farming community. Their countryside still retains a patchwork of tiny ancient woods and fields. They were sold off field by field as plots of land by the Otehall Estate in 1920, and the Valebridge Road and Janes Lane are ]ribbon development Ribbon development refers to the building of houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. The resulting linear settlements are clearly visible on land use maps and aerial photographs, giving cities and the countrysid ...
s.
Streams
The Pellingford Brook, a tributary of the River Ouse, rises near Cleavewater Farm before heading east. It divides the parish and heavily influences its character. To the western side of the parish the eastern branch of the River Adur
The Adur ( or ) is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th ce ...
runs from its source on Ditchling Common
Ditchling Common is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-west of Wivelsfield in East Sussex. It is a country park. which is owned and managed by East Sussex County Council. In many respects, it is a biologically important si ...
. Unlike the streams straightened for mill leats, impoundments and drainage at Ore Hall and Antye there remain stretches of low energy meanders where rare fish can still breed. Despite the influence of the Pellingford Brook, almost half of the parish drains west to the River Adur
The Adur ( or ) is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th ce ...
.
Countryside
The parish still retains its agricultural air. It still has many rich woodlands, much marshland and number of green lanes. The growth of settlement within the parish has centred around Wivelsfield Green which straggles along the road to Chailey
Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located 7 miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury. The Prime Meridian passes just to the east of Chailey.
The parish consist ...
's North Common. The area around the church, which was never very big, remains some distance away.
To the west
A hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English name ''hornbeam' ...
-hedged green lane tracks north from Antye to Tilebarn Wood () a hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English name ''hornbeam' ...
coppice with bluebells and holly
''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
called. The lane passes across the infant Adur to Fox Hill in Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
. North of Clearwaters Farm, the Wealden Clay gives way to sandstones, and the ground rises beyond ancient Kiln Wood () in Ansty to meet a new built development on the south edge of Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
, further squeezing the strategic gap between the mid Sussex towns.
To the north
Hurst and Bankey Woods () and Cains Wood (() are biodiverse areas. Bankey Wood has brackeny glades where one might come across wintering Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...
.
To the east
Both Colwell Lane () and Ham Lane, () are greenways, often sunken, with superb lines of outgrown Hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English name ''hornbeam' ...
hedging stools. Around Ham Lane, Wilderness, Ham and Strood Woods, are old Stanmer manorial lands. They are wet woods where many of the old deciduous trees have been replaced by conifers. Only small fragments of ancient Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
and Hazel
The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
survive to the east under which bluebells grow. The relict, moor east and west of Slugwash Lane, north east of More House Farm, (/6) has a riot of meadowsweet in its enclosures, and brooks scented with water mint
''Mentha aquatica'' (water mint; syn. ''Mentha hirsuta'' Huds.Euro+Med Plantbase Project''Mentha aquatica'') is a perennial flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It grows in moist places and is native to much of Europe, northwest Africa ...
and noisy with marsh frogs (2011).
To the south
A patchwork of smallish woods and fields sit on the site of 'The Bishoprick', the lost Stanmer and Wivelsfield Common enclosed in 1626-30. Bounding West Wood, Hundred Acre Lane, part of an ancient south-north drove (), tracks the watershed between the Adur and Ouse catchments for over a mile south from Wivelsfield Green. Lashmar Wood () is a wood rich in bluebells and wood anemones with a large old hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English name ''hornbeam' ...
boundary hedge. It used to be twice the size. What is left of Mercers's Wood (), and little South Wallers Wood (), are also rich bluebell woods, colourful in spring. Cottage Wood () and Lambourne Wood (), are both the most biodiverse in the area, having around eleven indicator plants of ancient woodland. The area by the Lambourne brook the area is lusher and the bluebells bloom after they are gone on drier ground. It is another hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English name ''hornbeam' ...
wood, and there is Hedge Garlic, Goldilocks buttercup
''Ranunculus auricomus'', known as goldilocks buttercup or Greenland buttercup, is a perennial species of buttercup native to Eurasia. It is a calcicole typically found in moist woods and at the margins of woods. It is Apomixis, apomictic, and se ...
and Early purple orchid
''Orchis mascula'', the early-purple orchid, early spring orchis, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae.
Description
''Orchis mascula'' is a perennial herbaceous plant with stems up to high, green at the base and ...
s (2010). Cottage and Lambourne Woods are likely relics of the Fischhyrstes "Fish Wood" - of the Saxon Stanmer charter.[Heather Warne, (1994). ''Wivelsfield. A History of a Wealden Parish''. ]
Amenities
The current village school was opened in September 2007. The logo, which stands at the front of the school, was designed by the school's pupils. The old school is now used for residential purposes; a nursery rents the Old Church Hall.
The village pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, which for years had been called the ''Cock Inn'', was for a time renamed ''The Pear Tree''. In December 2008, it was announced that the pub would be taken over by the owners of The Fountain in nearby Plumpton Green, who would attempt to revive the pub (once again named The Cock Inn) and the once lively centre of the village.
The village has its own theatre group, the Wivelsfield Little Theatre, which holds productions in the village hall and the church.
Governance
Wivelsfield is governed at the local level by Wivelsfield Parish Council, which consists of nine councillors who meet monthly. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into district council meetings.
The next level of government is Lewes District Council
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of the ...
. District councils supply services such as refuse collection, planning, leisure amenities and council tax collection.
Wivelsfield also elects a councillor every four years to East Sussex County Council
East Sussex County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex.
East Sussex is divided into five local government districts. Three are larger, rural, districts (from west to east: Lewes; Wealden; and Rother). ...
, for the Chailey ward. The ward includes the parishes of Chailey
Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located 7 miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury. The Prime Meridian passes just to the east of Chailey.
The parish consist ...
, Ditchling
Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling.
...
, East Chiltington
East Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is centred four miles (5.9 km) south-east of Burgess Hill and five miles (8 km) north-west of Lewes. It is a strip parish of , stretchin ...
, Newick
Newick is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located on the A272 road east of Haywards Heath.
The parish church, St. Mary's, dates mainly from the Victorian era, but still has a N ...
, Plumpton, St John Without
St John Without is a small civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, covering an area to the north-west of the town of Lewes.
Much like its sister parish, St Ann Without, the parish was formed in 1894 as Lewes St John With ...
, Streat
Streat is a village and parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England, south-east of Burgess Hill and west of Lewes, within the South Downs National Park.
The 11th-century parish church has no dedication; the ecclesiastical parish ...
and Westmeston
Westmeston is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England heavily dependent in amenities on larger Ditchling to the near-immediate northwest. It is four miles (6 km) south-southeast of Burgess Hill and (10  ...
. The County Council provides services such as roads and transport, social services, libraries and trading standards.
Transport
Bus services are provided by a number of operators including Metrobus, Compass Travel and Seaford & District.
In culture, media and sport
*The English folk singer Martin Carthy produced an LP record entitled 'Sweet Wivelsfield' released in 1974.
*The 1994 Tour de France's fourth stage, from Dover, went via London to Wivelsfield, ending in Brighton.
*Wivelsfield Green is reputed to be the inspiration for the 1960s children's television series Camberwick Green
''Camberwick Green'' is a British children's television series that ran from January to March 1966 on BBC1, featuring stop motion puppets. ''Camberwick Green'' is the first in the ''Trumptonshire'' trilogy, which also includes ''Trumpton'' and ...
by Gordon Murray
Ian Gordon Murray (born 18 June 1946 in Durban, Union of South Africa), is a South African-born British designer of Formula One racing cars and the McLaren F1 road car. He is the founder and CEO of Gordon Murray Automotive.
Early life
Born t ...
, (along with nearby Plumpton as Trumpton
''Trumpton'' is a British stop-motion children's television series from the producers of ''Camberwick Green''. First shown on the BBC from January to March 1967, it was the second series in the Trumptonshire, ''Trumptonshire'' trilogy, which com ...
and Chailey
Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located 7 miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury. The Prime Meridian passes just to the east of Chailey.
The parish consist ...
as Chigley
''Chigley'' (1969) is the third and final stop-motion children's television series in Gordon Murray's ''Trumptonshire'' trilogy. Production details are identical to '' Camberwick Green''.
As in '' Camberwick Green'' and '' Trumpton'', the acti ...
).
Notable people
* William Rees Jeffreys, transport campaigner, lived in Wivelsfield, dying at Wivelsfield Hall in 1954.
*Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes ...
, an agent for MI5
The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
and the Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
, was born in Wivelsfield in 1907. In World War II, Roberts, using the alias Jack King, infiltrated groups of Nazi sympathisers and disrupted their spying activities.
References
{{authority control
Villages in East Sussex
Civil parishes in East Sussex
Lewes District