Hurstpierpoint is a village in the
Mid SussexMid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
district of
West SussexWest 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...
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Together with
Sayers CommonSayers Common is a village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. With Hurstpierpoint it forms one of the Mid Sussex parishes. It is located two miles west of Hurstpierpoint. Situated until the 1990s on the main London to Brighton A23 road it has become a more popular residential...
it forms one of the Mid Sussex
civil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
es, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons.
It is located southwest of
Burgess HillBurgess Hill is a town and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex. Located
38 miles south of London,
10 miles north of Brighton and...
, and west of the nearest railway station at
HassocksHassocks railway station serves Hassocks in West Sussex. It is on the Brighton Main Line 12 km north of Brighton railway station, and train services are provided by Southern and First Capital Connect.-History:...
, from where Brighton and London are approximately 10 minutes and one hour away respectively. There is also an hourly bus service to
Haywards HeathHaywards Heath is a town in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawley north...
.
The name derives from 'Hurst', the Saxon name for a wood, and 'Pierpoint' after the de Pierpoint family who arrived with William the Conqueror in 1066.
Hurstpierpoint is a village in the
Mid SussexMid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
district of
West SussexWest 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...
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Together with
Sayers CommonSayers Common is a village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. With Hurstpierpoint it forms one of the Mid Sussex parishes. It is located two miles west of Hurstpierpoint. Situated until the 1990s on the main London to Brighton A23 road it has become a more popular residential...
it forms one of the Mid Sussex
civil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
es, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons.
It is located southwest of
Burgess HillBurgess Hill is a town and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex. Located
38 miles south of London,
10 miles north of Brighton and...
, and west of the nearest railway station at
HassocksHassocks railway station serves Hassocks in West Sussex. It is on the Brighton Main Line 12 km north of Brighton railway station, and train services are provided by Southern and First Capital Connect.-History:...
, from where Brighton and London are approximately 10 minutes and one hour away respectively. There is also an hourly bus service to
Haywards HeathHaywards Heath is a town in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawley north...
.
Toponymy
The name derives from 'Hurst', the Saxon name for a wood, and 'Pierpoint' after the de Pierpoint family who arrived with William the Conqueror in 1066. The settlement was mentioned in the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
. Throughout the centuries there have been several variants on the Hurstpierpoint name e.g. Herst (11th century); Herstperpunt (14th century); Perpondesherst (15th century).
The village is chiefly one long street running east and west and most of the buildings in it are of the 18th century or later.
Manors
The manor of Hurstpierpoint was held before the Norman Conquest by Earl Godwin, when it was an estate assessed at 41 hides, of which 3½ hides in the Rape of
PevenseyPevensey 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...
and 19 hides in the Rape of
BramberBramber is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the northern edge of the South Downs and on the west side of the River Adur. Nearby are the communities of Steyning to the west and Upper Beeding to the east, and the other side of the river....
were detached. After the Conquest, the remaining 18½ hides were held in 1086 by Robert de Pierpoint of
William de WarenneWilliam de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, was one of the Norman nobles who fought at the Battle of Hastings and became great landowners in England.-Life:...
. There was a church and 3 mills. The overlordship descended with the rape until the division after the death of Beatrice, Countess of
ArundelArundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
, in 1439, when the 10 fees late of Robert de Pierpoint passed to the
Duke of NorfolkThe Duke of Norfolk is the Premier Duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the Premier Earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
. Subsequently the overlordship of Hurstpierpoint came into the hands of the Lords Bergavenny, and the manor was said in 1602 to have been held of their manor of
DitchlingDitchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. An artistic community founded by the artist Eric Gill during the early 20th century, and known as The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic survived until 1989.-Location:...
.
Geography
The village is built on a slight
sandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow,...
ridge, above sea level, running east and west across the parish, on the road from
LewesLewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it lies. The settlement has a long history as a bridging point and as a market town, and is today an important communications hub, and tourist-orientated town.-History:The site that is...
to
AlbourneAlbourne is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the A23 road three miles east of Henfield. The parish has a land area of 772.9 hectares...
, and this is crossed in the centre of the village by Cuckfield Road which goes north to
CuckfieldCuckfield is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess...
. The village is well known for the public school
Hurstpierpoint CollegeHurstpierpoint College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the village of Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex. The College was founded in 1849 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard and is a member of the Woodard Corporation.-History and overview:The school was...
, situated to the north east of the village.
Landmarks
To the south of Hurstpierpoint is
Danny HouseDanny is an impressive Grade I listed Elizabethan red brick Mansion near Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, England. It lies at the northern foot of Wolstonbury Hill and one of the finest stately houses in Sussex, with 56 bedrooms and 28 apartments. The present house was built 1593-95 by George...
a magnificent Elizabethan Mansion at the foot of
Wolstonbury HillWolstonbury Hill is a chalk prominence approximately north of Brighton and west of Clayton, in the parish of Pyecombe, West Sussex, England...
which forms part of the
South DownsThe South Downs is one of the four areas of chalk downland in southern England. They extend from the eastern side of Hampshire through Sussex, culminating in the cliffs at Beachy Head...
Holy Trinity
The parish church consists of a chancel with arcades of two bays, north chapel, south chapel (now organ chamber and vestry), nave, north and south transepts, north arcade and aisle of four bays, south arcade and aisle of five bays, and a north-west tower with an octagonal spire of stone. The base of the tower serves as a porch and there is a small porch to the north chapel. The nave has a clearstory.
The church was completely rebuilt from the designs of Sir Charles Barry in 1843–5,who most famously designed the Houses of Parliament
In 1854 the north chapel was added, and in 1874 the south chapel; the last has a dated foundation-stone in the east wall. The north transept has been fitted up as a chapel in memory of those who died in the War of 1914–18. The church which it replaced consisted of a chancel with a south chapel (the Danny chapel - see
Danny HouseDanny is an impressive Grade I listed Elizabethan red brick Mansion near Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, England. It lies at the northern foot of Wolstonbury Hill and one of the finest stately houses in Sussex, with 56 bedrooms and 28 apartments. The present house was built 1593-95 by George...
) of approximately equal dimensions, a nave with south aisle and north porch, and a west tower with a shingled spire. It had been almost rebuilt by a rector,
John UrryJohn Urry may refer to:*John Hurry , Scottish royalist soldier*John Urry , literary editor, younger brother of the above*John Urry...
, about 1420, but the tracery of the windows and most other ancient features had vanished under 'churchwarden improvements' before 1835.
A number of funeral monuments and fittings were preserved from the old church. The font is probably of c. 1200, but the heavy round bowl has been reworked and painted; the stem is plain; the base has a late 12th or early 13th century mould. Near by, a broken mortar, brought from a local farmyard, has been set on a stem and base as if to represent a font. The enclosure around the font has turned balusters and moulded handrail of the 18th century and may have been the former communion rails.
In the east window of the south chapel are set fifteen medallions of German or Flemish glass of the 16th and 17th centuries; five are circular, the others oval; they mostly depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments and include a Nativity, and the placing of our Lord in the sepulchre. There are also four similar oval cartouches in the west window of the tower-porch, all collected and placed here by Canon Borrer in 1845.
In the south chapel is a much weathered recumbent effigy, long, of a cross-legged knight in chain armour, of c. 1260; he bears his heater-shaped shield on his left arm and his right hand grasps the hilt of his sword. The feet rest against a lion.
At the west end of the north aisle is a much mutilated effigy of a knight of c. 1340 wearing a bascinet, mail gorget, close-fitting gypon with scalloped lower edge, a baudrick, and plate armour with knee-caps to the legs. The head rests on his helm, which has a lion crest; the feet also rest against a recumbent lion. The figure now rests on an altar-tomb against the north wall; the exposed south side has four quatrefoil panels each enclosing a plain shield, and the east end a single panel. The tomb is enclosed by an iron railing, high, which has three diagonal standards treated with buttresses and with moulded and embattled caps and spikes for candles; these are of early 16th century date.
In the churchyard by the west wall are five tapering coffin lids of the 12th or 13th century with hollow chamfered edges. One shows faint traces of a raised cross.
Relaid in the pavement outside the west doorway are about 150 inlaid slip tiles, square; of two patterns, one has a fish in a vesica piscis, four of the tiles forming a complete circular design, the other has a whorl of foliage forming part, probably, of a border pattern: late 13th or early 14th century, they are suffering from wear in their present position.
There are eight bells, of which three date from 1775, and the others from 1846. The church registers date from 1558.
St Lawrence Fair
Every July the St Lawrence Fair takes place in Hurstpierpoint. The fair was granted a royal charter in 1313 and is still an important event in the life of the village. The fair takes place on the first Saturday in July and begins with a procession of floats through the high street. These are made by groups such as playschools, primary schools, scouts and brownies and have a different theme each year. Other popular events of the day are the family fun run and the tug-o-war where the local pubs battle it out for a barrel of beer. In 2007 and 2008 it was won by the White Horse of Albourne Road. The fair is home to Harris fun fair and usually has a chair-o-plane amongst its rides as well as different stalls such as a coconut shy. Charities and businesses from around the area place stalls, tombolas and raffles around the centre, and on the other side is the beer tent and pig roast.
Local societies
Hurstpierpoint is the home of Shine, a theatre group. It also has a thriving music scene with local bands such as Apocalypse Cow gigging regularly, and a weekly 'Acousticlub' held on Wednesdays at the White Horse Inn, on Albourne Road.
Notable people
A notable local resident is
Jimmy HillJames William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Personal life:Hill was born in...
, who is generous of his time for local events, clubs and societies.
Greta Scacchi-Early life:Scacchi was born Greta Gracco in Milan, Italy on February 18, 1960, the daughter of Luca Scacchi Gracco, an Italian art dealer and painter, and Pamela Carsaniga, an English dancer and antiques dealer...
also lives in the village as does
Gwyneth PowellGwyneth Powell is an English actress who portrayed the role of Bridget McCluskey in the TV series Grange Hill for eleven seasons from 1981-1991...
, an actress who portrayed the role of Mrs McCluskey in the TV series
Grange HillGrange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
. Two more well known men from the world of sport live in the village. BBC Radio Sports presenter Jonathan Pearce and ex-Arsenal manager Terry Neil.