Burpham

infobox UK place
country = England
static_

static_image_caption=
latitude= 50.87056
longitude= -0.52473
official_name =Burpham
population =
shire_district= Arun
shire_county= West Sussex
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Arundel and South Downs
post_town=
postcode_district =
postcode_area=
dial_code=
os_grid_reference= TQ039089:"There is also a Burpham in Surrey, a part of Guildford"

Burpham is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is located two miles (3.2km) north of Arundel, on an arm of the River Arun. The village church is dedicated to St Mary and is of Saxon origin.

Burpham stands on the site of a Saxon fortified village with striking earthworks to protect against Viking invasion from the river Arun. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon 'Burgh' or Burh, or fortification, and it is one of a series of many such defensive sites built by Alfred the Great or his successor, Edward the Elder in about 800 AD, and listed in the 'Burghal Hidage'. Burpham has one main street, mainly of thatched Sussex flint and thatched cottages, a century-old cricket pitch where W G Grace played, and a renowned gastro-pub, the George and Dragon, built in 1736. Burpham has stunning views across the Arun and its watermeadows back towards Arundel Castle, cathedral and the priory. The church has a 'lepers window' so that passing lepers could participate to a limited extent in services.

Folklore has it that nearby Harrow Hill was the last place in Britain where fairies lived, until disturbed by archæologists. Certainly the surrounding area is rich in Iron Age and Neolithic finds, including the bones of an elephant near Peppering farm. Burpham has a 'lost' twin village, 'Bargham or Barpham, the remains of which can be seen on walks in the surrounding hills. It was destroyed in the plague.

Burpham has a rich literary history. Mervyn Peake and his family lived here, and walked the South Downs while inventing the rich fantasy characters of Gormenghast. The turrets of Arundel castle may well have been its inspiration. John Cowper Powys was brought up here, and wrote warmly of Burpham in his memoirs. The Rev Tickner Edwardes, who lived in Burpham House when Vicar of Burpham, was a noted naturalist, and wrote many books including "The Lore of the Honey-Bee", as well as authoring romantic novels and early films of the 1920s, such as 'Tansy', the story of a love triangle between a village girl and two brothers. Both Mervyn Peake and the Reverend Tickner Edwardes are buried in the local churchyard.

The civil parish covers an area of 1245.24ha (3098 acres) and has a population of 193 persons living in 95 households of whom 94 were economically active. (2001 census).

External links

* [http://www.britannia.com/tours/ssxchurch/burpham.html St Mary's church]

* [http://www.familytreedesigns.co.uk/angmering.htm Angmering Project] has all of Angmering census returns and surrounding villages including Burpham available to view.