Page:Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey.djvu/305

247 lost in about a century from the period, when the building seems to have been still employed for sacred purposes. 150. .—A.D. 519 Cerdic, founder of the kingdom of Wessex, or the West Saxons, is stated to have fought a grand battle with the Britons at a place, afterwards called, from this circumstance, Cerdices-ford. This is deemed to be Charford in Hampshire; but, unless the locality should be considered inconsistent with the incidents of the history, the spot may possibly be more correctly identified in Kirdford. However the latter name appears in (N.R.) as "Keuredeford." See the Note below on Plaistow.—"In this parish," Kirdford, "are found excellent quarries of the Sussex, or, as it is more commonly called, Petworth marble." (Horsfield's Suss. II, 184.)

151. .—The church and great part of the street of this village are in Kent, in which county accordingly it is included; but the principal portion of the land is stated, by Horsfield (Suss. I, 410), to lie in Sussex. In this parish was one of the last worked of all the iron-furnaces, once numerous in the county (there were some also in Surrey), as the "Furnace Ponds," deposits of furnace-cinders, and still existing names testify, until the decrease and clearness of the wood, the only available fuel, rendered the ironmasters of Sussex unable to compete with the rival establishments in the coal districts. It is perhaps not generally known, that the iron railings round St. Paul's Cathedral were cast at Lamberhurst; which fact Horsfield (in his Sussex) quotes from Amsink (Tonbridge Wells). Cannon were formerly cast at the Lamberhurst furnace, which was noted for the excellence of the metal it turned out.

152. .—It may be admitted a probable conjecture perhaps, that this place derives its name from Wlencing, one of the sons of Ælle or Ella, the founder of the kingdom of the South Saxons.—A tessellated pavement, foundations of buildings, a bath, coins, and interments were discovered on Lancing Down A.D. 1828; the whole however were dug up and destroyed by the proprietor of the ground. (Horsfield's Suss. II, 207.)

153. .—The church comprises chancel, nave, south porch, and western tower. The former has been rebuilt within a short period. The nave walls, retaining three E.E. windows, appear to be late in that style. The other windows are of two lights, trefoil ogée-headed, under square hoods, of Perp. character, but with some Dec. features: these must be insertions. A peculiarity is, that of one window on each side of the nave,