Earnley
Encyclopedia
Earnley is a civil and ecclesiastical parish
in the Chichester
District of West Sussex
, England
. It is located four miles (6.4 km) south-west of Chichester
, and lies on the south coast of England
. The parish includes the settlement of Almodington.
, after a locality in the parish which was the meeting place for the hundred moot and other hundred business. It lay in the ancient pre-Conquest division of Sussex known as the Rape (county subdivision) of Chichester.
The mediæval lords of the manor
here belonged to the Ernle
, Ernley, or Erneley
family, and derived their surname from a manor they held in this parish, which they were granted in 1166 by their kinsfolk in the de Lancinges family.
Earnley Church is a grade II* listed church and together with its small graveyard is contained within retaining stone walls of an interesting boat shaped island of land. The nave is of 13th century origin. A century later the chancel was added; an aumbry fitted with a carved door dates back to the 14th century. The first recorded rector was in office in 1365; parish registers survive from 1562, but there is no record of a dedication. It has always simply been “Earnley Church”.
Bracklesham Bay
runs along the coastline of the parish.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the Chichester
Chichester (district)
Chichester is a largely rural local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in the city of Chichester.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Chichester and the Rural Districts of...
District of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located four miles (6.4 km) south-west of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, and lies on the south coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The parish includes the settlement of Almodington.
History
Historically Earnley was situated in the hundred of La Manwode or Manwood, now known under the form ManhoodManhood Peninsula
The Manhood Peninsula is the southernmost part of Sussex in England. It has the English channel to its south and Chichester to the north.The peninsula is bordered to its west by Chichester Harbour and to its east by Pagham Harbour, its southern headland being Selsey Bill.-Name:The name Manhood has...
, after a locality in the parish which was the meeting place for the hundred moot and other hundred business. It lay in the ancient pre-Conquest division of Sussex known as the Rape (county subdivision) of Chichester.
The mediæval lords of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
here belonged to the Ernle
Ernle
Ernle was the surname of an English gentry or landed family descended from the lords of the manor of Earnley in Sussex who derived their surname from the name of the place where their estates lay.-Onomastic:...
, Ernley, or Erneley
Erneley
Erneley is a variant of the surname more commonly found as Ernle. This variant was employed by some of the Ernle Baronets, and was perhaps the preferred, but not exclusive, form of the name in the 18th century....
family, and derived their surname from a manor they held in this parish, which they were granted in 1166 by their kinsfolk in the de Lancinges family.
Earnley Church is a grade II* listed church and together with its small graveyard is contained within retaining stone walls of an interesting boat shaped island of land. The nave is of 13th century origin. A century later the chancel was added; an aumbry fitted with a carved door dates back to the 14th century. The first recorded rector was in office in 1365; parish registers survive from 1562, but there is no record of a dedication. It has always simply been “Earnley Church”.
Landmarks
Part of the Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
Bracklesham Bay
Bracklesham Bay
Bracklesham Bay is a coastal bay on the west side of the Manhood Peninsula in West Sussex, England. The bay looks out onto the English Channel and the Isle of Wight is visible from the beach, as is the Nab Tower lighthouse and the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.The bay is sandy and backed with...
runs along the coastline of the parish.