Chalvington with Ripe

Coordinates: 50°51′52″N 0°09′33″E / 50.864436°N 0.159125°E / 50.864436; 0.159125

Chalvington with Ripe
Chalvington with Ripe  Chalvington with Ripe shown within East Sussex
Area	11.12 km2 (4.29 sq mi) [1]
Population	1,082 (2007)[1]
- Density	252 /sq mi (97 /km2)
OS grid reference	TQ520094
- London	46 miles (74 km) NNW
District	Wealden
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAILSHAM
Postcode district	BN27
Dialling code	01323
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Lewes
Website	Chalvington with Ripe
List of places: UK • England • East Sussex

The civil parish of Chalvington with Ripe, in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, is made up of the two villages, Chalvington and Ripe. They are located in the upper Rivers Cuckmere and Ouse joint valley north of the South Downs, between the A27 and the A22 roads, and some 15 miles (24 km) north-west of Eastbourne. Ripe is the larger of the two ecclesiastical parishes: 1120 acres (448 ha) against 729 acres (292 ha) of Chalvington.

History of the villages

The Romans built a road through the two villages^{[citation needed]}, and remains of the layout can still be seen.

In medieval times the area had a profitable wool trade ^[2]

The villages

Chalvington

The village of Chalvington, East Sussex, England is named Calvintone or Caveltone in the Domesday Book. It is located in the area between the A27 and the A22 roads, some 15 miles (24 km) north-west of Eastbourne. The name Chalvington, comes from the Saxon Caelfa's farm, and many local names derive from their occupation of the area.

There is one public house in the village, the Yew Tree Inn. The parish church is dedicated to St Bartholomew^[3].

Ripe

Ripe is a village within the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is located eight miles (13 km) east of Lewes in the valley north of the South Downs. The two villages are adjacent to one another, Ripe ecclesiastical parish being the larger of the two in area. There is limited public transport to the village.

The village, in a mainly rural area, is mentioned in Domesday Book and has had a number of names, including Alchitone, Achiltone, Achintone, Echentone and Eckington. The 13th-century parish church is dedicated to St John the Baptist^[4]. There is limited public transport to the village.

Before 1066 it was owned by Earl Harold, later to become King Harold (the second) who was killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Domesday Book mentions 'Rype' and 'Echentone' which were owned by Richard de Aquila, and the church is also mentioned in the 1291 Pope Nicholas IV Taxatio ecclesiastical tax assessment survey.

The novelist Malcolm Lowry, best known for Under the Volcano, died at age 48 in a boarding house in Ripe on 26 June 1957. Lowry is buried in the village churchyard. Ripe was also the retirement home of the tattooed performer Horace Ridler (the Great Omi) who died there in 1969.^[5]

There is one public house in the village, the Lamb Inn.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. http://www.eastsussexinfigures.org.uk/webview/. Retrieved 26 April 2008. 
2. ^ A brief history of the parish
3. ^ St Bartholomew's church
4. ^ Photographs of Ripe church
5. ^ Eccles, John (2006-01-26). "Villagers made strange Omi one of their own". Sussex Express (Johnston Press Digital Publishing). http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?PageID=55889&sectionID=4075. Retrieved 4 May 2008. ^{[dead link]}