Etchingham
| Etchingham | |
|---|---|
 Etchingham
|
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| Etchingham shown within East Sussex | |
| Area | 13.4 km2 (5.2 sq mi) |
| Population | 806 (2011) |
| • Density | 145/sq mi (56/km2) |
| OS grid reference | TQ709260 |
| • London | 42 miles (68 km) NW |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ETCHINGHAM |
| Postcode district | TN19 |
| Dialling code | 01580 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | East Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Etchingham Parish Council |
Etchingham is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex in southern England. The village is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Tunbridge Wells in Kent and 13 miles (21 km) north-west of Hastings, on the A265, half a mile west of its junction with the A21.
Etchingham railway station is on the Hastings Line to London Charing Cross and Cannon Street.
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.
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". In a place name, "inga" usually refers to 'people of' or 'dwellers at', and 'ham' to a homestead or settlement.
A second possible derivation of the name is that it could come from the Anglo-Saxon "ecen", meaning great and "ham" (homestead), but the former explanation is the most likely.
The 14th-century parish church is dedicated to The Assumption of Blessed Mary and St Nicholas. On its spire is what is probably England's oldest brass weather vane. It also has the second largest series of misericords in the county; one depicts a fox preaching to geese.
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Wikipedia