Crowhurst: Once the home of an English King
It never ceases to amaze me that there are parts of the South East that are still remote despite the population boom and the mass exodus of people seeking property in the countryside. East Sussex in general is remarkably undeveloped in places; even though the area is popular with tourists few venture off the beaten track to visit places like Crowhurst.
Crowhurst at first glance appears to be remote, cut off from the outside world by a stunning landscape that has changed very little over the years. Winding lanes lead the casual visitor through ancient woodland and across green patchwork meadows that have been farmed continuously for centuries and just when you think things couldn’t get better you catch a glimpse of the sea!
Crowhurst is one of only a few unique, villages remaining at heart true to rural Sussex life and culture. So much so, that if it were not for the railway station, the odd, occasionally visible TV aerial or satellite dish, you could easily believe that you stepped into a time warp and transported back through time beyond the Victorian era and much further! There is definitely more to Crowhurst than is immediately apparent; having witnessed some of the bloodiest battles in history as well as helping with the preparations for battles to be fought elsewhere they must have left an indelible mark upon the place. So there is little wonder that there is more to this place than first meets the eye!
The name Crowhurst is derived from the Anglo Saxon “Crohha hyrst” which means muddy wooded hill and by the time of the Domesday book of 1087 it had become Croherst which isn’t to dissimilar to today’s name! The village was recorded in documents dating back to 771 when King Offa of Mercia gave the Bishop of Selsey eight hides of land within the village known as Croghyrst. In return for the gift the Bishop built a church in the village.
At certain times over the course of its history the population of the village has swelled considerably. During World War 2 it was home for Canadian troops preparing for the big push into Europe via the Normandy beaches and a thousand years ago it was home for a man who wanted to keep that same part of Europe at bay! It is now believed that Crowhurst, not Battle witnessed the mass assault of the Normans during the Battle of Hastings because of recent finds and documentary evidence.
The two major players in the Battle of Hastings were King Harold and William the Conqueror (who believed that he had a greater claim to the English throne) Unfortunately we have been force fed the PR of a regime that invaded this country and children have grown up believing that Harold had no claim upon the throne but this is simply not true. Edward the Confessor despite being married had taken a vow of celibacy and was unable to provide the country with a legitimate heir. He may well have preferred William over Harold but the throne of England wasn’t his to give away it was the responsibility of the Witan (a council consisting of Lords and Bishops). They had a choice of four candidates, William, Harold, Edgar Atheling and Harald Hardrada. They considered the merits of each person and decided that Harold was the most suitable candidate!
King Harold owned the manor at Crowhurst and spent most of his short reign defending the realm against attacks by Vikings also known as Norsemen. It was just his luck to win what was probably a far harder battle; that of Stamford Bridge. During the course of the battle the Norwegians were thoroughly trounced by the English and only 25 out of 300 ships returned to their homeland.
William was thoroughly peeved at having to fight for the crown of England and after winning the battle showed no mercy to the locals and completely destroyed the manor. For years the monks at Battle Abbey earned more than a meagre crust from the infamy of being the staging post of one of the turning points in English history. When everyone else in the country was weighed down under a heavy burden of taxes imposed by the new king the monks at Battle Abbey had none and the village of Crowhurst and its residents had suffered plenty for playing host to the English army!
Crowhurst has a history that stretches much further than the battle of 1066, in fact Crowhurst provided much of the Roman Empire with iron which was sourced from ironstone which was readily available. Crowhurst Park was the site of an extremely large “bloomery” (a forge used to process iron). The iron was transported down the Coombe Haven Valley to the port at Bulverhythe from where it was then shipped to the continent.
Over the years the residents of the village of Crowhurst have seen the very best and the worst that mankind can inflict upon themselves. It is amazing that such a peaceful idyllic spot hasn’t suffered outwardly, just a cannon ball fired errantly; found embedded within a four thousand year old yew tree bares witness to a passing civil war when Round Heads were battling against local Royalists. There are probably lots more secrets that Crowhurst is yet divulge, I wonder just how many of them will change the history that we know!
copyright© Wendy Stevenson 2011
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