EARTHAM
The parish, containing 1,539 acres, is roughly triangular, its base on the south abutting on Aldingbourne.
The church and village lie at the junction of three
roads, one running south-east to join the Chichester-Arundel road, the second going south-west, and the
third north to meet Stane Street in Eartham Woods,
which occupy the point of the triangle. There is other
woodland on the western boundary of the parish and
at Crouch Ham on the edge of the grounds of Eartham
House. The house was built by Sir Edwin Lutyens
for the late Sir William Bird, who bought the estate in
1905. It replaces a house built by Thomas Hayley and
occupied for many years by his son William Hayley,
famous at the end of the 18th century for his poetry,
but chiefly remembered as the friend of Cowper,
Southey, Blake, Flaxman, and Romney. He sold the
estate in 1800 (fn. 1) to William Huskisson, M.P. for
Chichester, whose wife's kinsman Sir John Ralph Milbanke inherited the property, (fn. 2) which was bought by
Sir William Bird from his grandson.
Under an Act of 1813, of which the award was
made in 1817, some 1,500 acres of the parish were
inclosed. (fn. 3)
Many field-names occur in a detailed list of tithes
due to the Dean of Chichester from Eartham in about
1300. (fn. 4)
MANORS
Eartham was probably included in Aldingbourne at the time of the Domesday
Survey. Its early history is obscure, but the
overlordship of about 14 hides lay with the Bishop of
Chichester. These hides were attached for purposes
of manorial finance to the manors of Aldingbourne (11
hides), Bishopstone (2 hides), and Preston (1 hide),
and notices of their holders appear in four lists, that of
persons responsible for the upkeep of the park palings
at Aldingbourne (c. 1260), (fn. 5) the Feodary (c. 1290), (fn. 6)
and the Scutages of 1300 (fn. 7) and 1310. (fn. 8) One hide recorded under Bishopstone was part of 20 hides held in
1260 by Lucy de Clifton. She was daughter of Reynold
(who held this estate c. 1255 (fn. 9) ) and granddaughter of
another Reynold, (fn. 10) who was presumably representative
of the Walter de Clifton who in 1166 held 1½ knights'
fees of the Bishop of Chichester. (fn. 11) Lucy married
Gaudin de Blancmuster (de Albo Monasterio) and died
without issue after April 1286 (fn. 12) and before the end of
1287. (fn. 13) In 1290 and 1300 this hide was held by 'the
heirs of Lady de Clifton', but their identity is uncertain
and the descent of this hide is unknown. The other
hide attached to Bishopstone was held c. 1255 (fn. 14) and
c. 1290 by Simon de Chelsfeld and in 1300 by the
unnamed holders of his lands, but cannot be traced
either earlier or later. (fn. 15) The hide attached to Preston
was part of 4 hides held by Ingram de Brok in c. 1290,
by his heirs in 1300, and by Niel de Brok in 1310. Of
the Aldingbourne holdings the largest, 6½ hides, was
assigned in c. 1290 and 1300 to 'the heirs of Savaric
de Boun', (fn. 16) in the park paling list to Ralf Sanzaver, and
in 1310 to his namesake and grandson. Hugh father
of the younger Ralf had died in 1284 holding of John
de Bohun a windmill and other property in Eartham. (fn. 17)
This holding probably came into the hands of the Earl
of Arundel with other Sanzaver estates. The park
paling list gives Gervase de Ertham (fn. 18) as holding 4
hides; this probably included 3 hides held by 'the heirs
of William de Ertham' in 1290 and 1300. The heir
was probably John de Ertham, who was dealing with
6 virgates of land in Eartham in 1280; (fn. 19) in 1307 John
de Ertham and Joan his wife sold to John de Boudon
a messuage and 96 acres of land, &c., in Eartham, (fn. 20)
and the Scutage list of 1310 shows that of the 3 hides
2 hides had been acquired by Ralph Sanzaver, 2 virgates 9½ acres by John de Boudon, 1 virgate by Robert
Turgys, (fn. 21) and 2½ acres by Thomas Seuebech. Finally,
the park paling list shows Roger Cook and Walter de
Ertham holding 1½ hides at 'Daneshide', which seems
to be the 1½ hides in Eartham held c. 1290 by John
de Bradebrugge, which by 1300 had passed to John de
Boudon and was still held by him in 1310. Tithes of
the hide of 'Danesta' were given with the church of
Eartham (Hersham) to Richard, canon of Chichester,
by Bishop Hilary (448–69). (fn. 22) Daneshide was held by
the Master of St. Mary's Hospital, Chichester, in 1403
and in 1482. (fn. 23) The hospital's lands in Eartham were
worth 31s. 4d. in 1535. (fn. 24)
In 1340 John de Boudon and Mary his wife made
a settlement of the manors of Sibertswold and Eythorne
in Kent, ⅓ of the manor of Kingston Seymour in
Somerset, and 100 acres of land and rents in Eartham. (fn. 25)
Four years later Sir John de Boudon settled what is
now for the first time called the manor of EARTHAM
on himself for life with remainder to his sister Elizabeth
and her husband John de Gildesburgh and their heirs. (fn. 26)
In 1368, however, Sir John granted to Richard, Earl
of Arundel, all the property in Eartham which he had
received from his father John de Boudon. (fn. 27) Earl
Richard died in 1376 holding the manor of 'Ertham
Bouedone', (fn. 28) and the executors of Thomas, Earl of
Arundel, who died in 1415, gave 2/3 of the manor of
BOWDON to the college of Holy Trinity at Arundel, (fn. 29)
with the reversion of the other ⅓ which his widow
Beatrice held until her death in 1439. (fn. 30)
The chief manor of Eartham (possibly the original
Sanzaver holding) remained with the earls (fn. 31) and was
among the estates granted by William, Earl of Arundel,
in 1541 to Henry VIII in exchange for the property
of the dissolved priory of Michelham. (fn. 32) It was, however, regranted to Henry, Earl of Arundel, in 1554–5 (fn. 33)
and settled on John, Lord Lumley, and Jane his wife
in 1566. (fn. 34) In 1587 Lord Lumley conveyed the manor
to George Grove, John Watersfield, and John Page. (fn. 35)
Meanwhile, after the suppression of the college of
Arundel, the manor of Eartham Bowdon had been
given in 1546 to Sir Richard Lee, (fn. 36) who immediately
sold it to John Page. (fn. 37) He died in 1551, holding the
manor as 1/60 fee, (fn. 38) and his son William died in 1571,
leaving three daughters, Agnes, Elizabeth, and Jane. (fn. 39)
They evidently married respectively John Watersfield,
Thomas Knight, and Edward Rose. The two latter
with their wives in 1592 conveyed to John Watersfield
2/3 of the manor of Bowdens and tenements in Eartham. (fn. 40)
In 1594 John Watersfield died and left the manors of
Eartham and Bowdens to his younger son John, (fn. 41) and
in 1603 Agnes Watersfield, widow of John, and her
sons Thomas and John sold to Garett Kempe the two
manors of Eartham and Eartham alias Bowden. (fn. 42) The
united manor of Eartham remained in the Kempe
family (fn. 43) and in 1750 Anthony Kempe (who died in
1753 at the age of 81) gave it to his daughter Barbara
and her husband James Radcliffe, Lord Kenaird and
later Earl of Newburgh. (fn. 44) He died in 1786 and his
son, the 2nd earl, died in 1814 without issue; his estates
passed to his cousin Francis Eyre, and in 1852 to his
daughter Dorothea Eyre (wrongly styled) Countess of
Newburgh. (fn. 45) She died in 1853 and Eartham passed
to her husband Colonel Charles Leslie, who died in
1870, leaving the manor to his son (by a previous
marriage), Charles Stephen Leslie. (fn. 46)
CHURCH
The church of ST. MARGARET
(fn. 47)
consists of chancel, nave with bell-cote,
south aisle, and west porch; it is built of
flint rubble with freestone dressings, the 12th-century
ashlar being wide-jointed, and is roofed with tile,
except the bell-cote, which is shingled. The 12thcentury church consisted of chancel and nave; early in
the 13th century the chancel was rebuilt and the aisle
added; the porch is modern.
In the east wall of the chancel is a single lancet with
concentric splay, the inner jambs being ancient work,
the outer a modern renewal. In each side wall is a twolight window and a one-light window west of it; these
are all modern. The roof has a single tie-beam and
braced collars between each couple of rafters, and is
entirely modern.
At the north-east corner of the nave is a modern
buttress, behind which the 12th-century quoin is
visible; the quoin at the north-west resembles it. The
chancel arch (12th-century) has shafts attached to
square responds; the shafts have moulded bases and
crude Ionic capitals, on the inner face of which, between the volutes, are carved grotesques, the head of
a hare on the north, that of a bearded man on the
south. The abacus is continued on to the square
respond as an impost. The arch is of two orders, each
square in section. Below the impost, on the west side
of the north respond, is an ancient plain corbel. On
each side of the chancel arch is a plain round-headed
opening, of one order, made in the 19th century.
The south arcade is of two bays, with a long respond
to the east. The single pier is cylindrical, with moulded
base and capital; each respond is in the form of a halfpier. The arches are pointed, of one order. In the
north wall are two windows, the eastern of one light,
the western of two, both modern. In the west wall is
a 12th-century doorway of one order with plain
jambs and semicircular arch; across the spring of this
is a stone lintel and the tympanum is filled with ashlar.
Above this, over the roof of the porch, is a modern
two-light window. The roof (modern) has rafters like
those of the chancel, one tie-beam at the east, and three
at the west, cross-beams resting on these support the
bell-cote.
The south aisle has a modern buttress at the southeast corner, a single lancet, also modern, at each end,
and, in the south side, a plain pointed doorway, the
inner jambs and outer hoodmould ancient, presumably
13th-century, the outer jambs and arch a modern
restoration. The roof is modern. A small vestry is
screened off at the west end of the aisle.
Parish Church of St Margaret Eartham
The west porch is entirely modern, as are the font
and other fittings.
There are three bells, two uninscribed, the third
dated 1674. (fn. 48)
The communion plate (fn. 49) includes a fine silver cup
and paten cover of 1568, decorated with floral straps,
and a flat silver paten of 1723.
The existing registers of marriages begin in 1754;
those of baptisms and burials in 1785. (fn. 50)
ADVOWSON
The church is first mentioned when
Bishop Hilary, between 1157 and
1169, with the consent of Alured its
patron gave it to Richard the chaplain of Chichester
with two houses, 5 acres of land, and specified tithes,
Richard undertaking to have mass said weekly for the
bishop's brother Robert. (fn. 51) A dispute arose as to
the status of the church, and Bishop John Greenford
converted the rectory into a prebend; (fn. 52) as such it was
valued at £10 in 1291, (fn. 53) the endowment having been
augmented with tithes elsewhere. (fn. 54) In 1318 Bishop
John de Langton ordained a vicarage, assigning to the
vicar certain tithes and a plot of land for a manse; (fn. 55)
this was augmented by Bishop Robert Sherborne in
1522, (fn. 56) and was rated at £7 5s. 2d. in 1535. (fn. 57) The
patronage of the vicarage continued with the prebendary until the death of George Shiffner (prebendary
from 1829 until 1863) when presumably, under the
Act of 1840, it came to the bishop. He seems to have
parted with it to the Crown, as in 1900 the Lord
Chancellor exchanged it to the Dean and Chapter of
Chichester for the benefice of Appleshaw (Hants),
formerly a chapel-of-ease to their living of Amport. (fn. 58)