STRETTINGTON 

STRETTINGTON appears in Domesday as three estates; the largest, rated at 10 hides, with 3 haws in Chichester, had been held of King Edward by four free men and was held in 1086 by William; the second, rated at 3 hides, with 1 haw, had been held by Godwin, a free man, and was then held by Austin; the third, of 2 hides, had also belonged to Godwin and was then held by Arnald, (fn. 111) who was probably the Ernald who held at Up-Waltham, Graffham, and South Stoke. William's estate seems to have been united to his chief manor of Halnaker and only appears as 'the manor of Stretehampton' in 1506, (fn. 112) 1536, (fn. 113) and 1566, (fn. 114) being elsewhere referred to only as tenements or lands. William de St. John in about 1187 gave to Boxgrove Priory the tithes of his rents in Strettington, amounting to 8s., and pasturage rights there. (fn. 115)

Tithes in Graffham and Strettington were given in about 1100 to the abbey of Troarn, (fn. 116) presumably by Ernald or his successor. Strettington seems to have come to Hugh de Falaise, who held 5 knights' fees of the honor of Arundel c. 1135. (fn. 117) Hugh left two daughters, Emma and Agnes, of whom the latter married Hugh de Gundevill and also had two daughters, Agnes who married Geoffrey son of Azo, and another who married Richard Murdac. (fn. 118) Hugh de Gundevill died in 1181, (fn. 119) holding land in Strettington, (fn. 120) and Henry II gave this land to Henry Turpin, who was his chamberlain. When Richard I went to the Holy Land Henry went with him, and in his absence Geoffrey son of Azo and Agnes brought a suit against him and obtained possession. Henry seems meanwhile to have died, as his son William Turpin sent to King Richard at Messina and recovered Strettington and held it until William, Earl of Arundel, 'knowing the ill will which King Richard had to the said William', disseised him. (fn. 121) Eventually, in 1207, William Turpin sold his claim to this knight's fee to Agnes de Gundevill. (fn. 122) In 1229 the Strettington fee was in dispute between the representatives of the two daughters of Hugh de Falaise, (fn. 123) and in 1235 the whole fee was assigned by William Aguillon, Richard de Grensted, and Gilbert Marshal and Cecily his wife, descendants of Emma de Falaise, to Margaret widow of Nicholas de Limesy, granddaughter of Agnes, and Walter de Limesy her son. (fn. 124) At about this time Margaret de Limesy and Walter made arrangements with the Prior of Boxgrove and the Vicar of Westhampnett by which they were allowed to have a chapel in their manor of 'Westrethampton', provided that their chaplain did not celebrate any offices but the mass and the blessing of bread and water, and that only for members of the household, not admitting parishioners. (fn. 125) On the partition of the Arundel fees after the death of Hugh d'Aubigny, Earl of Arundel, in 1243 John FitzAlan received 1⅓ fee in Strettington, and ½ fee which Walter de Cherleton held in the same vill, (fn. 126) but neither these fees nor this manor of (West) Strettington can be traced later.

In two lists of the fees attached to the honor of Halnaker is found 1/10 fee in Strettington held in 1337 by John Haket, Ralph St. Oweyn, and William atte Cleye, (fn. 127) and in 1347 by John Haket, Ralph St. Oweyn, and the Master of the Knights Hospitallers of Poling. (fn. 128) As these last three names are those of three of the holders of the manor of Islesham, which had been divided, c. 1233, between the four daughters of Reynold Aguillon, (fn. 129) it is probable that the 1/10 fee had been held by Reynold, but of its earlier and later history there seems to be no trace.

In 1327 the largest taxpayer, with the exception of John de St. John, in the vill of Halnaker was Thomas de Seuebech, (fn. 130) who died in 1329 holding land in Halnaker, Seabeach, and Boxgrove, (fn. 131) which constituted ¹/8 fee held in that year of the honor of Halnaker by the heirs of the said Thomas, (fn. 132) evidently Hugh de Seuebeche who appears in the subsidy of 1332. (fn. 133) Richard de Seuebech held 1/10 knight's fee in Seabeach in 1336 (fn. 134) and 1/16 fee in Halnaker in 1349. (fn. 135) In the subsidy of 1332 in the vill of Easthampnett occurs the name of Ralph atte Moure, (fn. 136) who in 1336 held 1/10 fee at Crocker Hill (fn. 137) and was presumably an ancestor of Thomas atte More who held part of a fee at Crocker Hill in 1349 (fn. 138) and died in 1374 holding of Sir Luke de Ponynges land at Oldbury and left a son John. (fn. 139) Lands in 'Oldebery alias Eldebery' and 'Seebeche alias Sewenbech' were held by Humphrey Hiberden at his death in 1517, when his son and heir John was aged 10. (fn. 140) In 1540 John and Thomas Hiberden sold to Richard Sackville the manors of OLDBURY and SEABEACH. (fn. 141) Sir Richard Sackville made certain leases of the manorial lands in 1551, (fn. 142) but shortly after this the manors seem to have come into the hands of Lord Clinton and to have been granted by him to Edward VI in exchange for other property. (fn. 143) A survey of the combined manors in 1608, (fn. 144) when they were in the tenure of John Holney under a lease for sixty years dating from 1551, shows at Oldbury a ruinous house and 60 acres of arable and pasture, at Seabeach a house and 61 acres, and grazing rights for sheep on the downs of Halnaker and Eartham. Further details are given in the Parliamentary Surveys of the two manors, treated separately, made in 1650. (fn. 145) They were at this time in the tenure of Sir William Morley of Halnaker. The manors were sold in 1650 to William Cawley of Chichester, (fn. 146) but at the Restoration reverted to the Crown, (fn. 147) and were leased during most of the 18th century to the Dukes of Leeds. (fn. 148)

from: http://www.british-history.ac.uk