Warbleton is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England.[3] Within its bounds are three other settlements. It is located south-east of Heathfield on the slopes of the Weald.

Warbleton
St Mary's church
Warbleton is located in East Sussex
Warbleton
Warbleton
Location within East Sussex
Area29.1 km2 (11.2 sq mi) [1]
Population1,375 (2011)[2]
• Density112/sq mi (43/km2)
OS grid referenceTQ605186
• London42 miles (68 km) NNW
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHEATHFIELD
Postcode districtTN21
Dialling code01435
PoliceSussex
FireEast Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
Websitehttp://www.warbletonparishcouncil.co.uk/community/warbleton-parish-council-18007/home/
List of places
UK
England
East Sussex
50°56′26″N 0°17′22″E / 50.94068°N 0.28933°E / 50.94068; 0.28933

Etymology

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The place-name Warbleton, derived from the Old English Wǣrburhe tūn, means the farmstead or village of a woman called Wǣrburh. In the Domesday Book (1086) the name is recorded as 'Warborgetone'. It is subsequently recorded as Warberton (1166), Walberton (1340), and Warbleton (1404).[4] Wǣrburh is said to be one of the half-dozen or so women who owned property in the land of the South Saxons.[5]

History

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The manor of Warbleton was held by the Levett family of Sussex for several centuries. The same family held Salehurst, and had earlier held Firle, Catsfield, Hollington and other manors across Sussex.[6] The family is of Anglo-Norman descent, and members of the family were vicars, ironmasters, and landowners. The Levetts of Salehurst, Warbleton and Fittleworth owned Bodiam Castle and sold it to Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet.[7] Some of the Levett family's property was forfeited due to the bankruptcy of an early heir, and other lands were carried by marriage into other prominent Sussex and Kent families.[citation needed] Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, once owned a house in the parish named Kingsley Hill.

Governance

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Richard Woodman was a local Ironmaster who was one of the 17 Lewes martyrs burned during the Marian persecutions of Protestants during the 1550s.

The parish council consists of eleven members.[8]

Geography

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The parish consists of two villages, Rushlake Green and Bodle Street Green; and two hamlets, Warbleton and Three Cups. They lie in an area of the Weald between the A267 road between Hailsham and Heathfield to the west and the B2096 Hailsham to Battle road to the north.

Principal buildings

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There are two churches in the civil parish, St Mary the Virgin at Warbleton; and St John the Evangelist at Bodle Street Green. The two form a united benefice under one vicar. Chapel services are held at Three Cups.[9] Warbleton has a village hall; and a second, Dunn Village Hall, is at Rushlake Green.

References

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  1. ^ "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  3. ^ Parish council website
  4. ^ Mills, A.D. (1998). A Guide to English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  5. ^ Glover, Judith (1986). The Place Names of Sussex. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd.
  6. ^ Attree, F. W. T. (1894). "Lists of Gentry at Various Dates, with Descriptions of the Arms of a Few Families Not Previously Noticed". Sussex Archaeological Collections. 39: 122. doi:10.5284/1086058.
  7. ^ Valuation of Bodiam Castle and manor and of Broomham manor preparatory to its purchase by Sir Nicholas Tufton from John Levett, East Sussex Record Office, The National Archives, nationalarchives.gov.uk
  8. ^ Parish Councillors
  9. ^ Churches