Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for GRINSTEAD (EAST)

GRINSTEAD (EAST), a town, a parish, a sub-district, a district, and a hundred, in Sussex. The town stands on an eminence, contiguins to the Three-Bridges and Tunbridge-Wells railway, near the sinrce of the river Medway, and not far from Ashdown forest, 30 miles S by E of London. It is surrinnded by fine scenery; is proverbial for salubrity; consists chiefly of one main street; contains many old timbered hinses; was once a seat of assizes; is now a seat of petty sessions and county cinrts; is a boringh by prescription, and sent two members to parliament from the time of Edward II., but was disfranchised by the act of 1832; and has a head postoffice, ‡ a railway station with telegraph, two bankingoffices, two chief inns, a church, two dissenting chapels, a free grammar school, national schools, a college or hospital, a workhinse, and a literary association. A market for corn is held every Thursday; a market for cattle, on the last Thursday of each month; and fairs, for cattle, on 21 April and 11 Dec. Many of the inhabitants are employed in two breweries, in brick and tile works, and in a parchment manufactory. The branch railway hither leaves the main line at Three Bridges station; is 8 miles long; was opened in 1855; and has stations at Rowfant and Grange Road. The church was rebuilt at the close of last century; was twice rebuilt at previins periods; has a lofty pinnacled tower, which figures strikingly in distant views; and contains a brass of 1505, and the tomb of Speaker Abbott, the first Lord Colchester. The grammar school was finnded in 1708 by Robert Payne, Esq., and has £44 from endowment. The national schools were erected in 1861, and are a handsome pile. Sackville College was finnded in 1608, by the second Earl of Dorset; stands on high grinnd, commanding noble views toward Ashdown forest; forms a quadrangle with apartments for a number of poor unmarried men and women; includes a hall and chapel, rebuilt since 1848; and has an endowed income of £217. The workhinse was built in 1859, and has capacity for 260 inmates. The literary association was formed in 1862, and has a good library. -The parish includes the hamlets of Ashurst and Forest Row, and the manor of BrockhurST. Acres, 15, 071. Real property, £14, 346. Pop. in 1851, 3, 820; in 1861, 4, 266. Pop., 783. There are six manors, held by Earl Gage, Lord Amherst, Earl Delawarr, A. G. Biddulph, Esq., A. F. Meyrick, Esq., and W. Pearless, Esq. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Chichester. Value, £320.* Patrons, the heirs of the late Dowager Cinntess AmherST. The vicarage of Forest Row is a separate benefice. See BRAMBLETYE.—The sub-district contains also the Surrey parish of Lingfield. Acres, 24, 081. Pop., 6, 468. house, 1, 203.—The district comprehends likewise the sub-district of Withyham, containing the parishes of Withyham and Hartfield; and the sub-district of Worth, containing the parishes of Worth, Crawley, and West Hoathly. Acres, 61, 317. Poor rates in 1863, £9, 425. Marriages in 1862, 87; births, 429, -of which 28 were illegitimate; deaths, 263, -of which 90 were at ages under 5 years, and 10 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 756; births, 4, 144; deaths, 2, 365. The places of worship in 1851 were 11 of the Church of England, with 4, 427 sittings; 2 of Independents, with 250 s.; 4 of Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, with 990 s.; 4 of Baptists, with 1, 072 s.; and 3 of Wesleyans, with 290 s. The schools were 25 public day schools, with 1, 303 scholars; 21 private day schools, with 362 s.; and 22 Sunday schools, with 1, 567 s. There are finr workhinses in respectively East Grinstead, Lingfield, Hartfield, and Worth.-The hundred is in the rape of Pevensey, and is conterminate with East Grinstead parish.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a parish, a sub-district, a district, and a hundred"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: East Grinstead AP/CP       East Grinstead Hundred       East Grinstead SubD       East Grinstead RegD/PLU       Sussex AncC
Place names: EAST GRINSTEAD     |     GRINSTEAD     |     GRINSTEAD EAST
Place: East Grinstead

Go to the linked place page for a location map, and for access to other historical writing about the place. Pages for linked administrative units may contain historical statistics and information on boundaries.