Stanmer
Encyclopedia
Stanmer is a small village on the eastern outskirts of Brighton
, in East Sussex
, England
.
stones, which accounts for the place-name, Old English for 'stone pond'. The stones are not in their original situation, but have been gathered on the Downs
and landscaped into the park's appearance. There have been rather inconclusive archaeological excavations at Pudding Bag Wood and Rocky Clump in the north of the park, and in Stanmer Great Wood, producing evidence of occupation from Neolithic
times onwards.
The village is first recorded in about 765 A.D. when (if the document is authentic) land there was granted by king Ealdwulf
of Sussex to Hunlaf in order that he might found a college of secular canons at South Malling near Lewes
. In the Middle Ages
it had the curious distinction of forming a detached part of the Rape of Pevensey
, which is otherwise east of the Ouse
.
in 1801 in addition to the Baron Pelham of Stanmer they had had since from 1762. They lived in the mansion called Stanmer House
, built in its present Palladian form in 1722, a grade I listed building. It stands at the centre of Stanmer Park
, landscaped by Humphry Repton
, which was awarded grade 2 "park of special historic interest" status by English Heritage
in 1983. In the eastern portion of the park was built, from 1960 onwards, the University of Sussex
.
Stanmer Church
, with a narrow spire unusual in Sussex downland, is adjacent to the pond and to Stanmer House. Its historic dedication is unknown. It was built in 1838 on the site of a 14th-century predecessor destroyed by fire.
Stanmer has a working farm at its centre. Near the church is an unusual survival, a donkey-wheel, i.e. a treadmill formerly operated by a donkey. There are 18th-century lodge-houses at the upper and lower ends of the park. The village also possesses former almshouses in the Chichester name, built around 1900.
The Stanmer Preservation Society has been responsible, over the years, for the maintenance and upkeep of many of the agricultural artifacts which were discovered and excavated in the Stanmer Park locality. Included in with some of these include those from Rocky Clump, first discovered by Walter Gorton and Charlie Yeates in the 1950s. It also now maintains the church, Rural museum and Donkey wheel.
council in 1947. The park is now a major public space for the residents of the city of Brighton and Hove, and regularly hosts such events as kite
-flying and combined driving
(horse-driving trials). Stanmer House was used as offices by the university in the 1960s and 70s, but was recently derelict and in need of restoration. It is now partly open to the public again and is licensed as a wedding venue.
An important documentary source, the estate accounts from 1769–1950, is housed in East Sussex Record Office, Lewes
.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, in 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...
.
History
Stanmer village pond is surrounded by sarsenSarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stones, which accounts for the place-name, Old English for 'stone pond'. The stones are not in their original situation, but have been gathered on the Downs
Downs
-Places:In the 'hill' context, the word 'down' derives from Celtic dun "hill, hill fort".*Downland, a geographical feature*The North Downs and the South Downs, England, as a collective term*North Wessex Downs AONB, England...
and landscaped into the park's appearance. There have been rather inconclusive archaeological excavations at Pudding Bag Wood and Rocky Clump in the north of the park, and in Stanmer Great Wood, producing evidence of occupation from Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
times onwards.
The village is first recorded in about 765 A.D. when (if the document is authentic) land there was granted by king Ealdwulf
Ealdwulf of Sussex
Ealdwulf was a King of Sussex, but is known only from his charters. He reigned jointly with Ælfwald and Oslac.Ealdwulf issued an undated charter, believed to be from about 765, as Alduulf rex ....
of Sussex to Hunlaf in order that he might found a college of secular canons at South Malling near Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it had the curious distinction of forming a detached part of the Rape of Pevensey
Pevensey
Pevensey is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located 5 miles north-east of Eastbourne, one mile inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of the parish.-Geography:The village of Pevensey is located on...
, which is otherwise east of the Ouse
River Ouse, Sussex
The River Ouse is a river in the counties of West and East Sussex in England.-Course:The river rises near Lower Beeding and runs eastwards into East Sussex, meandering narrowly and turning slowly southward...
.
Landmarks
It was for long a closed village ruled by the resident lords of Stanmer, with a population static at just over 100. From the eighteenth century onwards the lords were the Pelham family who received the title Earl of ChichesterEarl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times in British history. It was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1644 when Francis Leigh, 1st Baron Dunsmore, was made Earl of Chichester, in the County of Sussex, with remainder to his son-in-law Thomas Wriothesley,...
in 1801 in addition to the Baron Pelham of Stanmer they had had since from 1762. They lived in the mansion called Stanmer House
Stanmer House
Stanmer House is a Grade I listed mansion west of the village of Falmer and north-east of the city of Brighton and Hove.It stands very close to Stanmer village and Church, within the Stanmer Park...
, built in its present Palladian form in 1722, a grade I listed building. It stands at the centre of Stanmer Park
Stanmer Park
Stanmer Park is a large open park immediately to the west of the University of Sussex, and to the north-east of the town of Brighton in the county of East Sussex, England, UK....
, landscaped by Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
, which was awarded grade 2 "park of special historic interest" status by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
in 1983. In the eastern portion of the park was built, from 1960 onwards, the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
.
Stanmer Church
Stanmer Church
Stanmer Church is a former Anglican church in Stanmer village, on the northeastern edge of the English city of Brighton and Hove. The ancient village stands within Stanmer Park, the former private estate of the Earl of Chichester, which the Brighton Corporation acquired for the benefit of...
, with a narrow spire unusual in Sussex downland, is adjacent to the pond and to Stanmer House. Its historic dedication is unknown. It was built in 1838 on the site of a 14th-century predecessor destroyed by fire.
Stanmer has a working farm at its centre. Near the church is an unusual survival, a donkey-wheel, i.e. a treadmill formerly operated by a donkey. There are 18th-century lodge-houses at the upper and lower ends of the park. The village also possesses former almshouses in the Chichester name, built around 1900.
The Stanmer Preservation Society has been responsible, over the years, for the maintenance and upkeep of many of the agricultural artifacts which were discovered and excavated in the Stanmer Park locality. Included in with some of these include those from Rocky Clump, first discovered by Walter Gorton and Charlie Yeates in the 1950s. It also now maintains the church, Rural museum and Donkey wheel.
Stanmer and Brighton
The village was incorporated into Brighton in 1928, and the park passed into the hands of the county boroughCounty borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
council in 1947. The park is now a major public space for the residents of the city of Brighton and Hove, and regularly hosts such events as kite
Kite
A kite is a tethered aircraft. The necessary lift that makes the kite wing fly is generated when air flows over and under the kite's wing, producing low pressure above the wing and high pressure below it. This deflection also generates horizontal drag along the direction of the wind...
-flying and combined driving
Combined driving
Combined driving also known as Horse Driving Trials is an equestrian sport involving carriage driving. In this discipline the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. The sport has three phases: Dressage, Cross-country Marathon and Obstacle Cone Driving and is...
(horse-driving trials). Stanmer House was used as offices by the university in the 1960s and 70s, but was recently derelict and in need of restoration. It is now partly open to the public again and is licensed as a wedding venue.
Sources
- Berry, Sue (2005) Stanmer House and Park, East Sussex : the evolution of a small downland country house and its setting c.1710-1805. Sussex Archaeological Collections 143, 239-55.
- Brighton Archaeological Society (2000) Field Unit Archive 2000, http://www.brightonarch.org.uk/13_1.htm (scroll down).
- Carder, Tim (1990) Encyclopaedia of Brighton. Lewes: East Sussex County Libraries.
- Funnell, John (2000) Excavations at Rocky Clump, Stanmer. Flint 43.
- Gorton, W.C.L. & Yeates, C.W. (1988) Rocky Clump, Stanmer: a forgotten shrine? Stanmer Preservation Society.
- Warne, Heather (1989) Stanmer: a restructured settlement. Sussex Archaeological Collections 127, 189-210. [Deals with the period 1600-1700.]
- Yeates, C.W. and others (?1980s) Stanmer, 2nd edn. [Ditchling]: Stanmer Preservation Society.
- Yeates, C.W. (1986) Hovel in the wood. Privately published. [Partly reminiscence, partly archaeology.]
An important documentary source, the estate accounts from 1769–1950, is housed in East Sussex Record Office, Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
.