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  51°00'N
  0°26'E
  TN19
       
     
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    Etchingham
(The oldest Brass Weather Vane in the country)


Name Derivation
Etchingham is one of those Saxon fortified valley villages settled by Haesta around 475AD .

The name is probably derived from either Ac(oak) or Waecg(metal) and ingham(fortified village in a valley) so becomes either "The Metal fortified village in the valley" or "The Oak fortified village in the valley", this could be either as this location would have been deep in the forest of Andredsweald and much iron had been exported from here by the Romans for nearby Stonegate .

The place names ending in ington or ingham appear to be the second Saxon settlements after the (ing,inge or ings) and appear to be fortified villages either on a hill(ington) or in river valley(ingham)


General Details

 View of the church facing North
Etchingham was one of the first Anglo Saxon settlements in the area long before the Norman conquest in 1066 . The manor was taken over by the Normans, and in 1166 it was left to the De Achyngham family, who took their name from the place and were well known landowners.

The site was probably a manorial court site, not the De Achyngham living accomodation, which was at Udimore .

The manor used to stand at the point the main London Hastings train station is currently located.

The current church was built next to the manor probably in the 1358, when pope Innocenti VI directed that a burial ground be consecrated at Etchingham.

The main road in the village was a major military supply highway during the napoleonic wars taking iron products manufactured in the area towards Dover.

The 19th century artist Henry Corbould (the designer of the Penny Black) is is buried in the churchyard. He was travelling from Hastings to London when he was taken ill at Hurst Green where he died, and was buried at Etchingham which was the local parish Church.

Finally the oldest brass weather vane in England is to be found on the Church Spire, in 1990 it was the inspiration for the design of a special postmark organised by the village to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Postage Stamp. The church also has the largest series of Misericords in Sussex, apart from those in Chichester Cathedral. A Misericord is a "comfort" ledge under tip up seats designed to give a little support to those who had to stand there for long periods.

The Parish Council have provided some of their history on their pages Click here for
 the Parish Council Web Page


Services

At the Centre of the Village
The main London to Hastings Train Line stops in the village providing a 1 hour 10 minute journey to Cannon Street and Charing Cross. This service runs approximately every 20 minutes in the rush hour, and hourly in between.

An infrequent bus service stops in the village and travels to Heathfield and Hurst Green for further connections.

Various small shops are available in the village.

The main shopping centres are in Hastings and Tunbridge Wells , with a minor one in Battle .


Views

The village sign
From the station walk towards Hurst Green across the wide Rother Valley, and look North. The view across this low lying land towards the distant hills is magnificent. The place where you are now standing used to be regularly flooded to a depth of 3 to 4 feet in the winter even until the 1970's when water extraction reduced the Rother to a mere trickle.


Nearby Villages (within 6 miles)
 
Hurst Green (The Youngest Highwayman on record) 1.5 miles
Robertsbridge (The Home of Modern Cricket) 1.9 miles
Burwash (The home of Rudyard Kipling) 2.3 miles
Salehurst (Richard the Lion Hearts Gift) 2.6 miles
Flimwell (300 local people beheaded) 2.8 miles
Stonegate (Ancient Roman Cross Road) 3.0 miles
Ticehurst (UK) 3.1 miles
Mountfield (17th Century Coal !!) 3.6 miles
Brightling (Famous for Mad Jack Fuller) 3.9 miles
Hawkhurst (A Notorious Gang of Smugglers) 4.1 miles
Bodiam (The finest ruined castle in the Country) 4.4 miles
Burwash Weald (Roughest pub in the South East) 4.4 miles
Burwash Common (Roughest pub in the South East) 4.8 miles
Netherfield (Arthur Blackman visits school) 4.9 miles
Ewhurst Green (Great Fire of London contributions) 5.0 miles
Cripps Corner (Home Guard surprises the Army) 5.2 miles
Staplecross (Mothers grudge hangs son) 5.2 miles
Dallington (Custers Last Stand!) 5.4 miles
Sandhurst (Escape from the Great Plague) 5.4 miles
Kilndown (Charcoal for the Furnace) 5.5 miles
Whatlington (King Harold's Manor) 5.5 miles
Wadhurst (Last bare fisted Prize-Fight in England) 5.6 miles

 
       
 
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