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Sompting
/ Cokeham / Lancing, Sussex
Situated between
Brighton to the East, and Worthing to the West, the villages of
Lancing, Cokeham and Sompting lie to the west of the river Adur,
and form the western half of the Adur District. The A27 passes through
the villages, separating them from the tranquility of the South
Downs.
The area appears
to have been continuously occupied for of 3500 years. During the
Bronze Age (1500 to 500 BC) much of the coastal plain was still
submerged by the sea and the mouth of the river Adur was more than
mile wide. There appears to have been a prehistoric downland track
linking Lancing Ring to Cissbury and Chanctonbury, and what appears
to be a sacred place exists near Lancing clump - an incense cup
and fragments of pottery from this spot are now in the British Museum
- there are also a number of prehistoric Roman sites on the downlands
areas near Sompting.
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A Roman
settlement appears to have existing in the area around AD
400 and when - during this period - Chichester became an important
city, and a road was constructed along the coastal plain through
Lancing and Sompting - based on the prehistoric track. Part
of it can still be traced at North Lancing by the name The
Street, which actually runs parallel to and a few yards south
of the present road.
According
to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in AD 477 three Saxon ships arrived
in this part of Britain which was called - at the time - Cymenes
ora. King Aelle (d. abt 514) was accompanied from Gaul by
three sons Cymen, Wlenca and Cissa. In 485 they apparently
besieged Anderitum (now Pevensey) and killed all the Britons
living there. This area of Sussex was broadly inhabited by
the Saxon during this period. This is supported by the predominance
of towns ending in "ing in the area - it is generally
accepted that the use of
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Old Cottage Lancing
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'ingas' was common
to 7th century Saxon settlements, particularly in the small area between
the Rivers Adur (at Shoreham) and Arun. Whilst use of the suffix "ham"
was synonymous with a homestead. Many villages in this area, have
Saxon origins, including nearby towns of, Tarring and Worthing. The
Saxons in this area became known as the South Saxons.
The Townships
The town of Lancing
traces it origins back to Wlenca the son of Aelle . The settlement
was originally called Wlencing - means ' Landing-place of or settlment
of Wiencing, son of Ella.' and a few miles further to the west,
Cissbury Ring acquired its name (at a later date) from Cissa, another
son of Aella. It is possible that the Saxons arrived as settlers
rather than an invasion force. The warrior status of the Saxons
may have been embellished as the text was written at a later date,
maybe 9th or 10th century, this would be more consistent with the
use of "ingas" suffix.
Cokeham and
Sompting also appear to have derived their names from Saxon warlords
or notables - at some later date. Sompting is derived from either
'Sultinges' or 'Suntinga'. Sult is either saxon for 'marsh' or 'pool',
or the name of a tribe, with -ingas meaning 'tribe or group of people'.
As such, the name means "People of the Marsh" or "Sults
People". A proposed alternate meaning is 'Abode of Sunting,'
or 'Sunte's meadow.' Cokeham on the other hand is understood to
have been derived from Coccaehame meaning "Cocca's Homestead'.
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only 1km between Lancing and Sompting with Cokeham sitting in
the middle Sompting
continues to be a small village
of less than 10,000 and lies on the south facing slope of the
South Downs in the Adur District of West Sussex on the South
Coast of England. It is located about 3.5km to the east of Worthing
the second largest town in West Sussex, 2 km from Broadwater
and approximately 4km from Old Shoreham. The Parish includes
both downland and flat agricultural areas, as well as built-up,
largely residential, areas. The old part of the Village follows
the line of the old coastal road from Brighton to the north
of Worthing and westwards and |
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hence the road
is called West Street. Cokeham lies on the eastern side of the parish
on the flatter coastal plain.
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parish church, St Marys is thought to have been built around
960AD and contains remains of Saxon Work (though later era after
they had been converted to Christianity). The church, which
is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, was expanded by the
Normans, and is now a is a rare example of Norman architecture.
The church is famous for being the only remaining example of
the distinctive "Rhenish Helm", or "Rhineland Helmet". At the
time of the Crusades, the church was granted to the Order of
the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, otherwise known as the Knights
Templar. The church was extended again during the late Tudor
period. There are a number of |
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memorials to the
Crofts and Tristram families, who have a long association with Sompting
and its church. In the north-east corner there is a wooden cross from
the French battlefields of the First World War, where one of the Tristram
family perished. Returning the the chancel, on the north wall there
is the carved tomb of Richard Burré, a member of the London Guild
Companies, who died in 1527. Its intended use was as an Easter Sepulchre,
to replace an earlier one. The original Manor House - like the church
- had strong links with the Knights Templars in the 12th century.
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The Old
Cottage in Lancing is thought to date back to the 15th century,
it is the oldest non religious building in Lancing and one
of the oldest is Sussex . Some of the time used in the building
has been carbon dated to 1410-80. An interesting history surround
the builing. The cottage has a 'Priest Hole' where Catholic
ministers could conceal themselves after the 16th century
Reformation - Sussex was a common departure point for priest
fleeing to France during this period. In the 1600s the farm
was owned by Sir William Goring and local legend has it that
the cottage was heavily associated with smuggling activities,
particularly the illegal importing of tobacco and brandy.
From the
late 1700s onwards, the towns were synonymous with Market
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Lancing
Manor - 1920 |
Gardens, this continued
until the 1930's when the areas become primarily residential
Lancing College
is a familiar landmark in the area, having been founded in 1848
by Reverend Nathaniel Woodard and was the first of the "Woodward
Schools". The College sits high on a spur of the South Downs,
overlooking the sea to the south and the Weald to the north. The
college grounds comprise about 550 acres and include the largest
school Chapel in the UK, which was built in 1868. The Lancing Manor
was acquired as a boarding house for the school in the 1920s.
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The townships
were incorporated into the Borough of Worthing in 1933.These
days the western end and northern parts of Sompting remain
predominantly rural with an abundance of flint walls, older
houses and cottages. It is now a conservation area that covers,
not just the cottages, but also West Street, and St. Mary's
Church.
The picture
left shows the Lancing College as seen from St Mary's Church
in Sompting.
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