Warbleton

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 Location within East Sussex
Area	29.1 km2 (11.2 sq mi) [1]
Population	1,375 (2011)[2]
• Density	112/sq mi (43/km2)
OS grid reference	TQ605186
• London	42 miles (68 km) NNW
District	Wealden
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HEATHFIELD
Postcode district	TN21
Dialling code	01435
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Bexhill and Battle
Website	http://www.warbletonparishcouncil.co.uk/community/warbleton-parish-council-18007/home/
List of places UK England East Sussex 50.94068°N 0.28933°E / 50.94068; 0.28933

Etymology

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

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. Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, once owned a house in the parish named Kingsley Hill.

Governance

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

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

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.