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Location
50°47'N
0°09'E
BN26 |
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Litlington
(Secret marriage of George IV)
Name Derivation
Litlington is one of those Saxon fortified hill villages probably settled by
Aelle after 477AD .
The name is derived from Wlitu(white) el(people) ington(fortified village on a hill) so becomes
"The White fortified village on the hill" originally these ingtons were located at the
top of the hills as defensive positions but moved lower down into the more productive
lowlands once the area was under Saxon control. The white village probably refers to the
chalk land surrounding the village.
This Saxon village was probably a supplier of food to the port of
Exceat and West Dean about 3 miles further south.
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)
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General Details
Litlington which lies in the Cuckmere valley between Alfriston and West Dean
is a very small village.
The church was started in 1150 and is built of flint , like many of the
other buildings in the area. The church was once served by nearby Wilmington
Priory.
In 1786 Mrs Maria Fitzherbert who lived at Clapham house in the village,
secretly married as Mr and Mrs Payne the Prince Regent who became George IV.
One of their children was born at Clapham, before George abandoned her for
the Princess of Brunswick. It is said that the Prince regularly rode from
Brighton to see his future wife.
At the end of the 1800's a horse was cut into the downs on the other side
of the valley above the village at Hindover (High and Over) probably to
attract tourists from nearby Brighton , brought down to the coast by train..
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Services
 Litlington has a few tourist services , with a public house and garden centre.
The nearest shopping centre is at Lewes about 7 miles to the north west.
The local train service stops at Berwick about 3 miles north, and provides
services to Lewes , Brighton and Hastings .
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Views
 The village has all around it the hills of the South Downs with their
many walks and views.
The river Cuckmere runs about 100metres away from the village which is
higher up from the valley floor.
Opposite Litlington on the top of the hill is the White Horse , a 19th
century creation.
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Page Last Updated: 2012-02-02 21:17:37
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