THE HUNDRED OF BUTTINGHILL
containing the parishes of Ardingly; Balcombe; Bolney; Clayton; Crawley;
Cuckfield with Haywards Heath; West Hoathly; Hurstpierpoint;
Keymer with Burgess Hill; Slaugham; Twineham; Worth
In 1086 Buttinghill Hundred [Botingelle (xi cent.); Buttyngehulle (xiv
cent.)] (fn. 1) consisted only of Hurst, Clayton, Wickham (in Clayton), and
Keymer. (fn. 2) Worth was included in Reigate Hundred, Surrey, and Twineham was in the half-hundred of Wyndham. In 1296 there were three
'vills' in the hundred, Keymer and Clayton, Hurst and Cuckfield, and Crawley. (fn. 3)
In 1316 the 'vills' were Hurstpierpoint, Wyndham, Clayton, Cuckfield, and
Worth and Crawley. (fn. 4) By 1327 the grouping was Crawley, Worth, and Burleigh as one; Hurst; Clayton; Cuckfield; and Slaugham. (fn. 5) In 1332 these were
in four groups, Clayton going with Keymer and Hurst, Cuckfield with
Slaugham, and Worth and Burleigh separately. (fn. 6)
By the beginning of the 17th century there were nine 'boroughs', viz.
Worth, Crawley, Keymer, Hurst, Clayton, Cuckfield, Wyndham, Slaugham,
and Burleigh Arches. (fn. 7) For the purpose of electing the four constables of the
hundred these were divided into four groups. One constable was chosen by
Keymer, Hurst, and Clayton, another by Cuckfield and Slaugham, a third by
Worth and Crawley, while the fourth was chosen 'for the halfe hundred of
Windham contayninge' Bolney and Twineham. Burleigh Arches seems to
have had no part in these elections, and for certain purposes was included in
Lindfield, in Streat Hundred. (fn. 8) For the collection of the subsidy of 1621 the
half-hundred of Wyndham, containing Bolney and Twineham, was separately
assessed, and the grouping of the Buttinghill vills was: north part, Slaugham,
Cuckfield, Worth, and Crawley, with the addition of Balcombe; south part,
Hurstpierpoint, Keymer, and Clayton. (fn. 9) In 1665 the composition of the
hundred was still the same. (fn. 10) By 1724, however, the parishes in Buttinghill
Hundred were Ardingly, Balcombe, Bolney, Clayton, Crawley, Cuckfield,
Hurstpierpoint, Keymer, Slaugham, Twineham, West Hoathly, and Worth. (fn. 11)
The hundred courts were held sometimes at Buttinghill, the mound beside
Ham Farm in the parish of Clayton, and sometimes at Cuckfield. (fn. 12)
The hundred belonged to the Earls Warenne and descended with the rape
and barony of Lewes. (fn. 13) It came into the possession of the lords of Hurstpier
point, apparently as subtenants, for in 1468 the king granted return of writs and
other privileges in the hundred to Richard Fiennes, Lord Dacre. (fn. 14) It followed
the descent of the manor of Hurstpierpoint and passed to the Gorings, (fn. 15) but
instead of passing with the manor of Hurstpierpoint to the Shaws, Buttinghill
Hundred was apparently acquired by another branch of the family, the Gorings
of Highden. It descended in that family in the 18th century (fn. 16) and was still
held by Sir Charles Foster Goring and his son in 1828. (fn. 17)