Iping

IPING

The parish, which has an area of 2,240 acres, is about 6 miles in length, stretching south from the Hampshire border, with an average width of less than ½ mile. The village of Iping lies rather over a mile from the south end of the parish at a crossing of the River Rother, 1 mile east of Chithurst and 2 miles north-west of Midhurst. The bridge over the Rother is partly of 17th-century date. It has four round arches, of which the two southern have each three square ribs. The piers have V-shaped cutwaters on the west, now reduced in height. Half a mile to the west a tributary, now called Hammer Stream, enters the Rother from the north. This forms the western boundary of the parish for about a mile, as far as New Bridge, a little below which it has been dammed to the Hammer Pond for former ironworks. It would seem that originally the boundary continued up the stream for another 1½ miles, as in 1544 Kingsham and Kingsham Wood, on the east side of the stream and now included in Chithurst, were described as in Iping. (fn. 1) Iping Marsh was inclosed under an Act of 1854. (fn. 2)

From the village, which lies on the 100-ft. contour line, the ground rises northwards for 1½ miles, reaching 360 ft. on Stub Hill, near which point is a cottage of early-17th-century timber-framing with freestone filling and a central chimney-stack of thin bricks. Beyond this the ground drops again to about 200 ft. at Iping Marsh and the hamlet of Wardley, where it rises steeply to over 460 ft. at Wardley Hanger. South of the churchyard is a farm-house with a 17th-century central chimney-stack, part of the east front being of coursed rubble with brick dressings and segmental-headed windows of that date. Near the southern edge of the parish is Fitzhall, originally built by Christopher Bettesworth in the time of Elizabeth, (fn. 3) but completely rebuilt in the 19th century, nothing remaining of the early house except a chamfered plinth on what was the main eastern front of an L-shaped house, but is now part of a back wing.

Just west of Iping Bridge are mill buildings, presumably on the site of the mill, valued at 3s. 4d. in Domesday Book. (fn. 4) By 1665 there was a water-mill containing a wheat-mill and a malt-mill under one roof, and the site of a former fulling-mill. (fn. 5) At the beginning of the 18th century this became a paper-mill and it continued to be used for this purpose until 1930, about which time it was burnt down. (fn. 6)

MANORS

IPING, which was held of the Confessor by Oualet, was not included in the lands given to Earl Roger, but in 1086 was held directly of King William by Eldred (of Winchester). It was rated at 4 hides; there was a mill, a quarry worth 9s. 4d., and extensive woodland; one haw in Chichester belonged to the manor, and 40d. was received from circet, or church-scot. (fn. 7) Towards the end of the 12th century the manor was in the hands of Richard Musard, who gave to Lewes Priory 'the hide of Trepeham with croft and meadow' in Iping. (fn. 8) In 1212 this gift was confirmed by Richard's son and heir William Musard, (fn. 9) who subsequently added 'the land which is called Hooe' in a charter to which his wife Joan and his heir William gave their consent. (fn. 10) The manor evidently descended in the family, as in 1330 William Musard died seised of the manor of Iping, then said to be held of Herbert de St. Quintin, (fn. 11) whose connexion with it is otherwise unknown; William's son and namesake was 'of Iping' in 1339, in which year Sir Henry Husee of Hastings acknowledged a debt to him of 100 marks. (fn. 12) It seems probable that this was for the purchase of the manor, which is next found, in 1370, in the hands of Sir Henry Husee, (fn. 13) and in 1390 in those of Ankarette his widow at the time of her death. (fn. 14) In 1412 Henry Husee held ²/3 of the manor, (fn. 15) the other ⅓ being dower of his mother Margaret, and he and the Prior of Lewes held jointly ½ knight's fee in Iping in 1428. (fn. 16) Henry Lovell, who had married Constance, one of the two daughters and coheirs of Nicholas Husee (d. 1472), (fn. 17) in 1499 quitclaimed all right in the manor and advowson to John Goring, (fn. 18) whose father John (d. 1495) had probably purchased them some years before, as he was patron of the church in 1483. (fn. 19) John's great-grandson George Goring sold in 1576 to John Selwyn of Friston, (fn. 20) who in 1588 mortgaged the manor to Richard May, (fn. 21) and next year sold it to Thomas Bettesworth. (fn. 22) Thomas died seised of the manor in 1594, (fn. 23) and his son Sir Peter mortgaged it in 1623 to Sir Robert Seymour and Henry Ades, (fn. 24) and then to Henry Hooke, (fn. 25) who evidently acquired it after the death of Sir Peter Bettesworth in 1635. In 1668 John Hooke sold the manor and advowson of Iping to Mary Box, widow, (fn. 26) and in 1694 Henry Box, her grandson, made a settlement of the estate. (fn. 27) He died in 1718, and in 1734 Martha Box, widow, presented to the living. (fn. 28) Charles Peyton, who married Henry Box's daughter Ruth, (fn. 29) was in possession by 1747 (fn. 30) and presented to the living, as Sir Charles Peyton, bart., in 1758. After his death, without issue, in 1760 the estate came to William Fawkener (whose father Sir Everard had married Mary daughter of Ralph Box, (fn. 31) and sister of Henry Box) and Georgiana Anne his wife, who in 1784 sold the manor and advowson to George, Earl of Egremont. (fn. 32) In 1798 he sold part of the estate north of the river to Lord Robert Spencer, who sold it to Admiral Sir Charles Hamilton, bart., about 1800. (fn. 33) Sir Charles died at Iping in 1849, aged 82; his son Sir Charles John James died in January 1892, aged 81, when the estate passed to his cousin Sir Edward Archibald Hamilton, (fn. 34) who died in 1915 and was succeeded by his son Sir Archibald Hamilton, from whom it passed to his brother Sir Sydney Hamilton.

The manor of DEAN in Iping and Stedham may represent, at least in part, the lands of Lewes Priory; for 'Trepeham' was given to Lewes by Richard Musard (fn. 35) and land called Traphams was in 1665 part of Dean manor. (fn. 36) The Lewes property in Iping, as elsewhere, was granted to Thomas Cromwell in 1538 (fn. 37) and on his attainder reverted to the Crown, but its subsequent history is obscure. Dean is first mentioned as a manor in 1571, when George Goring sold it to Thomas Bettesworth. (fn. 38) Thomas held the manor with that of Iping at his death in 1594, (fn. 39) and Sir Peter Bettesworth by his will of 1634 instructed his wife Elizabeth and his son Charles to sell both manors to pay his debts. (fn. 40) Accordingly in 1638 Elizabeth, then wife of John Harris, and Charles Bettesworth sold the manor of Dean to William Stewart and Sir John Meade, (fn. 41) acting apparently for Humphrey Stewart, who settled Pleystowe Hill in Iping and Stedham, and Mill Meade below Legett Mill, being parts of Dean manor, on his younger son William for life. (fn. 42) Humphrey Stewart's grandson Thomas conveyed the manor to Henry Box and Henry Aylwey in 1706. (fn. 43) In 1732 John Reeves, and Mary Reeves, spinster, sold ²/3 of the manor to Humphrey Ridge, to whom the other ⅓ was conveyed by John Reeves in 1738. (fn. 44) The manor is next found in 1776, when William Richardson and Mary his wife transferred it to Hester Gray, (fn. 45) presumably on a mortgage, as Richardson went bankrupt and his assigns sold the manor to John Utterson, (fn. 46) who was lord of the manor in 1784. (fn. 47) His children sold it in 1814 to Samuel Garland. (fn. 48)

Boxgrove Priory in 1535 held property in Iping producing £1 6s. 4d., (fn. 49) and in 1544 Kingsham and Kingsham Wood, formerly held by Boxgrove, were granted to Sir Henry Audley and John Cordell. (fn. 50) In 1548 estates called Wykewood, Reynoldes, and Noreland in Iping, late of Durford Abbey, were given to Robert Curson. (fn. 51)

CHURCH

The church of ST. MARY (fn. 52) stands south of the River Rother; it is built of stone and roofed with tile.

In 1782 it consisted of a small nave and chancel; (fn. 53) this was completely rebuilt in 1840 (fn. 54) and a tower added; with the exception of the latter it was again rebuilt in 1885, the date being carved on the south face of the porch. It now consists of chancel with north vestry, nave with south porch, and west tower, all in the style of the 13th century. The fittings are modern.

Built into the east wall of the porch is a small graveslab, perhaps 13th-century, with a stem resting on steps but having, instead of the usual cross, a head in the form of a fleur-de-lis.

There is one bell, dated 1616, by Roger Tapsil. (fn. 55)

The communion plate includes a fine Elizabethan chalice of 1568, with two bands of engraved ornament; a paten cover of the same date; and a plain chalice and paten cover of 1635, the latter inscribed— 'The gift of Arthur Bettesworth, citisen and stationer, of London'; also a square silver salver of 1724. (fn. 56)

The registers begin for burials and marriages in 1653 and for baptisms in 1664.

ADVOWSON

Iping was at first ecclesiastically part of Stedham, the church of which belonged to Lewes Priory, and it was probably to that church that the church-scot (circet) of 40d., mentioned in the Domesday Survey, (fn. 57) was paid; but in about 1190 Richard Musard, in return for his gift of land (see above), obtained from the prior and convent leave to dedicate a chapel at Iping and a cemetery for the burial of his men. For this the rector was to pay 2s. at Michaelmas to the monks of Lewes, and the rector of Stedham should have the burial fees, and also the tithes of Trepeham, which he had given to the priory. (fn. 58) Richard retained the patronage, (fn. 59) and this descended continuously with the manor (fn. 60) and is now held by Lord Leconfield.

The church of Iping was valued at £5 in 1291. (fn. 61) At some date between 1408 and 1482 the church of Chithurst (q.v.) was attached to it as a chapel, and has so continued. The two were valued together in 1535 at £5 17s. (fn. 62)