Herstmonceux is a village and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Wealden

Wealden

For the stone, see Wealden GroupWealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England: its name comes from the Weald, the area of high land which occupies the centre of its area.-History:...

 District of East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

, 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 Herstmonceux Castle

Herstmonceux Castle

Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built Tudor castle near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, United Kingdom. From 1957 to 1988 its grounds were the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory...

, the village of Cowbeech

Cowbeech

Cowbeech is a small village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Its nearest town is Hailsham, which lies approximately south-west from the village....

 and a number of smaller hamlets

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

.

History

The name ’’Herstmonceux’’ comes from Anglo-Saxon hyrst, "wooded hill", plus the name of the Monceux family who were 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 in the 12th century.

Geography

The village (previously called Gardner Street) is part of the larger Herstmonceux civil parish, which includes Cowbeech and the hamlets of Foul Mile, Trolliloes, Cowbeech Hill, Stunts Green, Ginger's Green, Flowers Green and part of Windmill Hill. Cowbeech village is located to the north-west of the parish.

Landmarks

Herstmonceux Castle

Herstmonceux Castle

Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built Tudor castle near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, United Kingdom. From 1957 to 1988 its grounds were the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory...

 (some 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of the village) is a former site of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It is now home to the Bader International Study Centre of Queen's University

Queen's University

Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...

, Kingston, Canada, and the area therefore enjoys an influx of Canadian and other international students each school year. The castle grounds are also home to the Observatory Science Centre which is operated by Science Projects

Science Projects Limited

Science Projects Limited is a company with charitable status founded by Stephen Pizzey 1986 to aid public understanding of science through interactive exhibits. It operates The Observatory Science Centre in the south east of England at the former home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory which moved...

 Limited and the Herstmonceux Mediaeval Festival.

There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the Parish. Herstmonceux Park

Herstmonceux Park

Herstmonceux Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex, England. It is of importance because of its wetland habitat and fen vegetation. It is the only known location of Milk Parsley Peucedanum palustre in the south-east....

 is of importance because of its wetland habitat and fen vegetation. It is the only known location of Milk Parsley

Milk Parsley

Milk Parsley is a plant in the family Apiaceae. Also known as Marsh Hog's Fennel.It resides on wetlands, mires etc., shallow riverbanks, occasionally on ditches and other smaller water features. It's relatively shadow-tolerant. It requires seasonal submerging of the site to compete with other...

 Peucedanum palustre in the south-east. The second site, Pevensey Levels

Pevensey Levels

The area known as the Pevensey Levels is a Site of Special Scientific Interest notified under Section 28 of theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an area of marshland situated between Bexhill in the east, Pevensey in the west and Hailsham in the north...

, lies partially in the parish. The site is of biological interest consisting of low-lying grazing meadows, hosting a wide variety of wetland flora and fauna.

Religion

All Saints (Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

) parish church, with its 12th century west tower and 13th/14th century nave

Nave

In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...

, overlooks the Castle. Herstmonceux Congregational Church

Congregational church

Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....

, located just outside the village on the way to the castle, was erected in 1811 and is now a listed building.

Economy

The Herstmonceux area is famous for the making of trugs

Sussex trug

A Sussex Trug is a wooden basket mainly used for gardening. It is made from a handle and rim of coppiced sweet chestnut wood which is hand-cleft then shaved using a drawknife. The body of the trug is made of five or seven thin boards of cricket bat willow, also hand-shaved with a drawknife. Most...

 – baskets made from split willow

Willow

Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...

 boards set in an ash

Ash tree

Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...

 or chestnut

Chestnut

Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...

frame. A number of local people continue this tradition.

External links

• Cowbeech village website