Botolphs
| Botolphs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Basic data | |||
| status | Village | ||
| region | South East England | ||
| Ceremony county | West Sussex | ||
| District | Horsham District | ||
| surface | ? km² | ||
| population | 50-60 | ||
| ONS code | 45UF | ||
Botolphs ( formerly Annington ) is a small town in the Horsham District in West Sussex , England . It is located in the valley of the Adur River near the towns of Steyning and Coombes and belongs to the Civil Parish Bramber .
History and sights
The most important sight of the place is the Saxon parish church from the year 950. Large parts of the original building, especially parts of the pulpit wall and the arched vault, are still standing today. The Saxon apse was replaced by a new church tower in the 13th century. Presumably the church was dedicated to St. Botolph from the beginning . In Norman records, however, there is talk of a dedication to Saint Peter . Here the community is also called Annington . It is believed that the Norman conquerors followed a widely accepted practice and, in their opinion, changed obscure church dedications to suit them. The place name Botolph was later adopted in the course of an approximation process . However, the name Annington was retained for a small patch between Bramber and Botolphs.
Like many other places in the area, Botolphs experienced an attractive growth, which was mainly due to the shipping on the Adur and the nearby salt production. With the silting up of the river, however, Botolphs lost its importance and large parts of its population. This loss of population meant that the once independent parish followed the example of its own parish and merged with the nearby Bramber.
In the following years Botolphs apparently played a subordinate role. The patients of the Saint Mary Magdalene leprosy hospital in Bramber , who were not allowed to visit the castle church in Bramber, were sent to St. Peter Church in Botolphs. Here two slits in the pulpit wall, through which the sick could watch the mass, remind of this time.
Web links
- Botolphs. In: British History Online , originally published in: A History of the County of Sussex. Volume 6, Part 1: Bramber Rape (Southern Part). Victoria County History, London 1980, pp. 195-199.
Coordinates: 50 ° 52 ′ 18.3 " N , 0 ° 18 ′ 22.8" W.