Etchingham

Etchingham
Population
OS grid reference	TQ709260
District	Rother
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Etchingham
Postcode district	TN19
Dialling code	01580
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Bexhill and Battle

Etchingham is a village and civil parish in the Rother District located in East Sussex, southern England. The village is located approximately 12 miles (20km) north-west of Hastings,on the A265, half a mile west of its junction with the A21.

History

Etchingham was a manor a long time before the Norman conquest of 1066, after this time the manor was taken over by the Normans, in 1166 it was left to the De Achyngham (Etchingham) family, who were well known landowners of the time. The Etchingham family papers record that William was so pleased with his right-hand man that he gave him the land now known as Etchingham.

The moated manor house, long since demolished, stood at the point now occupied by the London to Hastings railway line, some of the stone from the manor was probably used in the construction of the station buildings. There is one legend that a great bell lay at the bottom of the moat surrounding the church and manor, and that it would never be seen until six yoke of white oxen were brought to drag it up. Centuries have passed by, the moat is long gone and no bell has surfaced. The 14th century church was originally built within the grounds of the manor, evidence of the moat can still be seen. Misericords are small 'comfort' ledges fitted under tip up stalls, designed to give a resting point for monks and others who had to stand for long periods during long medieval services. These were often ornately carved with leaves or decoration, look closely at those in Etchingham Church and you will find one that depicts a fox preaching to geese.

Village name

The name Etchingham is probably derived from Old English, and roughly translates as "The homestead or enclosure of family and followers of a man called Ecci". 'inga' in a place name usually refers to 'people of' or 'dwellers at', and 'ham' refers to a homestead or settlement, so this explanation seems the most probable.

There is a second, less likely derivation of the name, it could come from the Anglo Saxon 'ECEN', meaning great + 'HAM' (homestead), but the former explanation is the most likely.

The Church

The Parish Church in snow.

The 14th century parish church is dedicated to The Assumption of Blessed Mary and St Nicholas, and holds the distinction of having what is probably England's oldest brass weather vane, which can be seen on the village church spire. It also has the second largest series of misericords in the county.

Etchingham village sign

Village sign

The village sign, the design is based on the de Etchingham family Coat of Arms. A similar design is used for the Parish Council logo, the Primary School badge and the ChurchWeathervane.

Famous former residents

Among the famous former residents of Etchingham is the regicide, James Temple who lived at Haremere Hall in the 1620s. He was a judge at the trial of Charles I and signed the execution warrant.

Another famous ex resident is the novelist and critic Anthony Burgess, who resided at the house called "Applegarth" on the south side of the A256 road.

Village Organisations

The village has an old village hall, which serves as the meeting place for the Under 5's Playgroup and a Toddlers Group. Other groups in the village include Brownies, The Etchingham Military & Aviation Preservation Group, The Women's Institute and a Darby & Joan Club. A Social Club exists that serves as the base for the village branch of the Royal British Legion and the Clubhouse for the Etchingham & Fontridge Cricket Club.

Philatelic Connections

Commemorative cover produced by Etchingham PCC, to mark the 150th Anniversay of the Penny Black, signed by Sarah Godwin and Father Butler, the Rector at the time.

One notable feature of the village history is of interest to philatelists (stamp collectors) around the world.
Stamp collecting has been a popular hobby with many for well over a hundred years, the hobby was given a boost in 1990 with the celebrations of the 150th Anniversay of the first postage stamp.
Henry Corbould FSA, whose design was used for the worlds very first postage stamp "The Penny Black", was travelling back to London from the coast, along what is now the A21. He was taken ill near Hurst Green and was given rest and shelter at a local hostelry, sadly he never recovered from his illness and died in his room at the public house. So, Henry Corbould was buried in the Parish Church of Etchingham, The Assumption of Blessed Mary and St Nicolas, there is a memorial tablet on the wall of the church, this is believed to be the only known likeness of Corbould.

The design on the cover is based on architectural detail in the Church, the pictorial handstamp for the Etchingham Stamp Festival is based on the ChurchWeathervane.

In 1990, as part of the 150th anniversary of the postage stamp, the village took advantage of this philatelic connection, producing two First Day Covers to mark the Corbould connection, and held the Etchingham Stamp Festival to help raise funds for church repairs. The Stamp Festival was held over the weekend following the issue of the Miniature Sheet in May, held in the Church and Village Hall, various activities connected to philately took place and many stamp dealers had stands in the Village Hall, the children from the village Primary School produced artwork representing their ideas for stamp designs. One cover was issued in January with the full set of the 'double headed' commemorative stamps and another for the miniature sheet issued in May, both covers bearing First day of issue special handstamps, featuring detail from the church weathervane. Both covers were limited editions, Sarah Godwin, the designer of the 1987 Isaac Newton stamps designed the cover, her family home being in Etchingham.

Village shop saved

Opening day of the Community Stores

A shop had been trading at the Etchingham Stores site for over 150 years, it has been a general grocery shop for many years, but in the past also served as the Post Office, and in the early days of the telephone arriving in the village it housed the first Telephone Exchange in the village Along with several other properties in the village, the premises suffered flooding in October 2000, the then owners decided not to re-open the shop. The Etchingham Community Stores opened for business on Saturday June 14th 2003, as a community owned and run shop, owned by the shareholders of the Etchingham Community Shop Association Ltd.

The newly formed team after their first match

Cricket

Echingham last had an active cricket team in 1939, the Etchingham & Fontridge Cricket Club, when the start of World War Two brought play to an abrupt end. After the war the cricket field was not brought back into use. In early 2006, a group of cricket enthusiasts decided to revive the tradition of a Cricket Club.

Sources

• Etchingham, Past and Present, published by the Hurst Green Historical Society, 1994
• ESCIS {East Sussex Community Information Service}
• Etchingham Parish Appraisal, Etchingham Parish Council 1990
• Etchingham Parish Church Guide, 1983 (revised 1994), compiled by Ilse M. Baker BA
• "Hidden Sussex" & "People of Hidden Sussex",Warden Swinfen & David Arscott

External links

• Parish website
• Parish church
• East Sussex Community Information Service