Latest research.

Blacks guide to Sussex (Southeast) 1861(Re Parham entry).

It is noted from this guide written in 1861, “Park and village population stands at 55, the latter a cluster of cottages on the outskirts of the Hon Mr.Curzons noble domain 1861”

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Is possible that the village had not been completely removed as had all thought to be the case

Parham. Year 1594, note this burial, Widow Duke on the common being excommunicated was laid in the churchyard on November 4^th...

New Photo.

This old aerial photo, shows up some interesting features around the church, its worth copying it and blowing it up for more features that show up.
What is interesting are the various pathways leading to and from the church, this area around the church is almost certainly the site of the village,more research is needed.

Update Parham research.

Update Parham research.

During the 1960s the Ha Ha that can be seen today in front of Parham house was constructed, during the excavating work a lot of pottery was discovered, it covered many periods from some late iron age pottery to Roman and through to Medieval and late 19^th century ware.

At present this pottery is stored at Parham, we plan over the coming winter months to examine this pottery, and then it is possible that it will give some information about periods of occupation in the area of the village. The site of the Ha Ha is within only a few hundred meters of the site of the village.

It is interesting that it was the late Con Ainsworh a local archaeologist, who undertook a watching brief of the building of the Ha Ha, and it is his name that appears on labels on the collection of pottery in store at Parham.

The other interesting bit of information is that he was given a very early map of the estate ,this it is understood marked the positions of the village, this map was not returned and has since been lost, but a line of investigation may reveal where it is !.

More to come.!

"Pear tree enclosure"

The name of Parham is derived from the residence of its first bearers either in the parish of that name in the County of Sussex, or Suffolk, England. The name had its origin in the Old English 'per', having reference to the pear tree, and 'ham' or 'hamm' meaning "a piece of land, enclosure". Thus, the literal meaning of the name is "Pear tree Enclosure".

In Sussex the name was written Perham as early as A.D. 959 and as late as the thirteen century. Other early spellings of the name were Parhame, Pearham, Parram, Parrum, Parum, Param, Parhom, Parham,

St. Dunsten bought the "Pear enclosure" about 950 and gave it to the Abbey of Westminster, so perhaps there was a early church on site before the present building of 1150s !!.

Visit journal on line for more information about Parham village. Village life.

Parish records.

Parish records, notes.

Registers seldom start as early as 1538.in Sussex Parham shares this earliest date with Birdham, Easebourne, Rudgwick, Stedham and Yapton.What the records show are that Parham was not such a poor village at the time of these early registers.

Sir Robert Palmer obtained the estate from Henry V111 in 1540 at the dissolution of the monasteries (Westminster in this case)

Though Robert lost his head through supporting Lady Jane Gray, his son Thomas consolidated the holding and built the great Elizabethan mansion there in 1577.

The village was at this point a thriving community, there being several gentlemen living there, some may have been friends of the family others were, prosperous tradesmen.

Some of the trades listed in these early records of the village, a miller, saddler, a tailor a smith, baker.

Between 1558 and 1599 it was recorded that there were some 318 baptisms, this being an average of about five per year over the 65 years, giving a population of around 150.

There were Epidemics and illness, and it affected all families, in 1557 not only George Shelley the rector died, but within a space of around fifty days Richard Shory lost his three daughters, Katherin, Annis and Jone.In 1583 a Jane Chancroft died of the plague.

This next extract from the records is interesting as it comes part way in explaining the true location of the village.

In 1575, a poor woman coming into the streets gave birth to a son who was christened Rychard. Did someone give her shelter?.

The village street was then close to the church but was later cleared away in the second half of the 18^th century, as being to close to the big house.

Another child was born in Mr Palmers barn, in 1583 Thomas Hall, a beggar child was buried in the churchyard.

There are many other interesting facts from the records, one being that a Richard Tupper was aged 105 years of age when he died in 1597, and the very strange remark at “Thos Weeks burial” in 1594 that he was a “natural child”( bourn out of wedlock) but “died a Christian with great sorrow for his sin”. It was not his fault!

How long people lived in Parham is impossible to know with any accuracy. By looking at the baptisms and corresponding burials, it is clear that six out of ten children survived, some to die later before reaching the age of 21 years. Childbirth was a great risk at this time, and it does not appear from the records that families were large.

What is interesting is that in the present churchyard there are no early graves visible, so was the grave yard at some point made smaller, thus what you now see are only the later family members of the great house buried there, just as the village was removed , thus the graves also of its inhabitants were removed.!

Given that the population of the village was at some points up to around 150 inhabitants, then there would have been a substantial number of burials in the church yard.

What is coming clear from the research is that the lost village of Parham, is not really lost, but survives in and round the present church, the village street being close to the church.

With resistivity it should be possible to locate the street, if this work does indeed find the village street, and then it should be possible to locate the dwellings of the inhabitants.

At the time of the Domesday survey (1086) the manor contained 600 acres of arable and sixteen families-probably less than 100 souls. What remained of the village, scattered about the church, was pulled down in 1778-9.Now there are 279 acres of woodland,320 acres of park,360 of downland, 295 acres of arable.

The Abbot of Westminster’s premises are described in a document of 1356/7 as consisting of a thatched hall with a chamber and kitchen, and a grange. There is some evidence that the stone walls of this or a subsequent building are incorporated in the east side of the one built in 1577.

The Abbots usually leased their houses to tenants, retaining certain manorial dues, and it this to which there are references to the Palmers possessing between 1540 and 1577.