This website is a spin-off from the local history section of the main Dallington parish website which inspired so much interest from people researching their family history that we created a dedicated site for this topic. It is a work in progress and we are currently in the process of organising and categorising the various queries and items of information that have been received since the site was set up.
How to find what you are looking for:
- Top menu (above the picture at the top of each page) The tabs will take you to the main information page for each section.
- Side menu (right hand side bar) Has links to articles and queries relating to particular family or place names. However, this can never be a complete listing so you can also use the search box to find names that may be mentioned in passing.
- Search box (top right) Use this if you are unsure where to find something or to get there quickly.
If you have any questions or information to share about the history of the village or its residents, please leave a message in the “Leave a Reply” box at the end of this page or any individual article. (Please note that to avoid spam, your first message will be held for checking by the editor; once you’ve been approved, future messages will be published immediately).
The Local History Group meets several times a year in the Old School village hall. Wherever possible we will publish material from their talks here on this site.
The header image is a detail from a postcard ( c.1900) kindly supplied by Judy Jeremy, showing the Dallington Stores in its previous location, now known as the White House, in The Street .
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Page last updated March 2018
Hello, Does anyone have details as to the extent of the boundary of the rural deanery of Dallington? It seems to form the eastern boundary of what was the Rape of Pevensey and the Rape of Hastings. Forgive the question, but why was a small hamlet accorded such a prestigious title of a Rural Deanery? Any dates as to its formation, map(s) and anything of note would be much appreciated.
Interesting question Kevin. The deanery has its own website at https://dallingtondeanery.org/ but the map that is mentioned there no longer works, and the map that is available only shows local churches not the boundary of the deanery. It covers a much wider area, with Hailsham as the largest town, I believe.
Theres a reference to 19thc reorganisation here https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/335040ae-a450-4293-a4b4-b1fab1287035
Ill keep looking for earlier information – and please share anything you find!
This site has a map https://www.chichester.anglican.org/deaneries/ ignore the rather crude one at the top of the page and scroll down to “Deanery Boundaries” and click the link to a google map showing the boundaries – will need enlarging. This site also notes that “In this Diocese the deaneries have ancient names, after some of the oldest parishes. Churches were established in various parts of the diocese between the seventh century (Chichester) and the thirteenth (Dallington, Eastbourne).” which may be a partial answer to your question
Hi, Pauline – we’ve both found the same map of the boundary!! 🙂 I’ve come at this from the Hundreds as well as the boundaries of the Sussex Rapes. From looking at how the old Rapes were organised they appear to have at least 10 “Hundreds” in each and that may be an explanation, each could muster a force of 100 men from each Hundred, giving a fighting force of 1,000 to repel any attacker in their territory. Each would be based on a fortified position, suggesting that Hastings (or Bulverhythe) was a “castle” or burgage long before the Conquest. Of course, Pevensey was a Roman fortress, as well, It’s tempting to think that this was a boundary between the South Saxons of Pevensey and the Hastingas sub tribe.
But I still don’t understand why a Deanery would have been centred around Dallington, was it really a hotbed of early Christianity 🙂 ? Your church may be old and interesting but nothing as grand as a Cathedral or monastery??? It also covered a huge area which I could accept as a mainly rural area but I’d still expect some grand Christian edifice!! 🙂
Hello!
I have in my collection of old family photographs, portraits taken of my maternal Great grandparents, John And Mary Hobden when they lived at Old Castle before they moved to Warbleton Priory in 1904. I seem to remember my Gran Grace Funnell (`nee Hobden) saying most date back to the late 1880s.
If you are interested I would like to share them with you.
Kind regards
Steve Ziegler
Hello Stephen. We’d love to see your photographs and with your permission publish them on this site.
Hello Pauline.
Your guidance is required!
I am having problems navigating WordPress. I have never used this system before.
I would like to send you the photographs I mentioned re Dallington Old Castle.
However, I am a little confused as to how to go about this.
I use Gmail, which I find easy to use all the time for work and private use.
Thank you so much.
Kind Regards
Steve Ziegler
Hi Steve – you can’t upload photos directly to the site (only editors can add content) but if you email them to me at p.ridley@brighton.ac.uk I’ll put them up.
Can you tell me what the original name of Frog House was please, or has it always been known as that? Many thanks, Karen Cook
Hi Karen I’m not sure but will try to find out. According to the English Heritage listing, Frog House and the neighbouring Bear House (formerly listed as Sunnyside) were originally one dwelling, now converted to two dwellings with rear and side extensions; Frog House to right and Bear House to left. Early C17 with early to mid C19 alterations, late C20 alterations and extensions. I had an email from someone a few years ago with a photo of the house taken in the 1950s but I can’t remember whether the name was the same then or locate the photo right now. What period or former residents are you interested in?
Hi Pauline, the house is for sale and we’re interested in buying it! I’m a historian and we’ve lived in our present house in Rushlake Green for almost 25 years, and I’ve researched the history of it. I was wondering if the whole house was known as Sunnyside, though that’s not really an historic name. I can’t work out from the various census who might have lived there or been narrow the house down to specific families. Do you think Mr Iremonger may have any ideas? Or should I buy Karen B-M’s 1999 book? Thanks for your help, much appreciated. Karen
Hi Karen – I just found the email I mentioned about a former resident of Frog House. Her name was Louise Morgan, an American born editor, journalist and author, who happened to have interviewed [someone my correspondent was researching] in 1940. This lady sent me a link to a photograph of Louise Morgan held by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University
http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3952194
According to the inscription on the back it was taken in 1958 and shows Louise and her husband Otto Theis who was a literary agent and Nancy Cunard, who was a very close friend of the family. They are standing by the front door at the time (since closed up when the houses were split). I think they lived mainly in London and used Dallington as a weekend retreat.
I’ve let my ancestry subscription lapse so don’t currently have access to the census records, but I don’t remember if Frog House was the name in 19th century. If you like to email me at p.ridley@brighton.ac.uk I’ll pass on anything I can find
Does anyone remember Phyl and Eddie Embleton who lived in Rowland’s Cottage from 1962-2000?
Yes we lived next door to them from 1985 when we moved to the village. Other residents may have memories of Eddie and Phyl from further back.
Eddie, as you may know, had had an important role in managing the production of wartime government posters and other publicity. Some of this material went to the V&A museum, and some is in the Design Archive held at the University of Brighton.