STEYNING, a borough and market-town and parish,
in the hundred of STEYNING, rape of BRAMBER, county
of SUSSEX, 24 miles (E. by N.) from Chichester, and
49 (S. by W.) from London, containing 1324 inhabitants.
The name is supposed to be derived from the
Steyne-street, an ancient road which passed through
this part of the county from Arundel to Dorking. Camden
considers it to have been mentioned in Alfred's
will by the name of Steyningham. It appears in the
Saxon age to have been a place of considerable note;
a church, or monastery, having been here built, wherein
St. Cadman was buried; and in the Catalogue of Religious
Houses, ascribed to Gervase of Canterbury, in
the time of Richard I., mentioa is made of a Dean and
Secular canons. It is more certain that King Edward
the Confessor gave lands to the monastery of Feschamp
in Normandy, which included this place j these being
taken away by Earl Godwin, and restored by William
the Conqueror, some Benedictine monks were sent from
that house, who erected an Alien priory here, which
was given to the monastery of Sion by Edward IV., and
continued part of its possessions till the dissolution.
Speed says, the conventual church was dedicated to St.
Mary Magdalene, and contained the sacred relics of St.
Cuthman (Cadman), and Ethelwulph, father of Alfred
the Great: here anciently was also a parochial church
of St.Cuthman. Camden speaks of its market as well
frequented in his time: the town afterwards became
reduced, and is, in the Magna Britannia, a century later,
mentioned as " a mean, contemptible place, with hardly
a building fit to put a horse in," being said then to have
contained not more than one hundred and fifty families;
but since that period it has been considerably enlarged.
It stands at the foot of a lofty hill near the river Adur,
over which is a bridge, and consists of four streets,
crossing each other. It is supplied with water by a celebrated
spring, issuing from a mountain half a mile
distant, its stream turning two mills belonging to the
town. Great improvement in the buildings and general
appearance of the town has been lately made, through the
liberality of the Duke of Norfolk. Here were extensive
barracks for infantry, which have been pulled down; and
within one mile of the town, on the downs, is a racecourse,
but races have not been held for the last fifty
years. The land in the vicinity of the town is fertile,
and the adjoining downs afford good pasturage for sheep.
The chief traffic is in cattle, for which there is a monthly
market: great numbers are also sold at the fairs. The
market is on Wednesday; the fairs are June 9th, September
20th, and October 10th; at the Michaelmas fair
more than three thousand head of Welch oxen alone
have been disposed of, exclusively of other kinds,
together with sheep, horses, hogs, wheat, seeds, &c.
Steyning is a borough by prescription, under the
authority of a constable, appointed at the court leet
of the lord of the manor. It sends two members to
parliament: the right of election, which has been frequently
contested, is in the inhabitant rrjuscholders
paying scot and lot, about eighty in number: the
constable is the returning officer. The members were
formerly elected in conjunction with Bramber but
at present each town is entitled to return two retire,
sentatives, although one part of Bramber is in the
centre of Steyning.
The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese
of Chichester, rated in the king's books at £15
and in the patronage of Sir J. C. Honywood, Bart. The
church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, consists of
the nave only of a larger cruciform structure, presenting
beautiful specimens of the Norman style of architecture.
The interior is magnificently enriched; four
diagonally ornamented circular arches, surmounted, or
terminated, each with a small round-headed window
form the south side of the nave, have, for their beauty
and variety, been copied in the repairs of Arundel
Castle 5 the side aisles are much and disproportiouably
lower. At the east end, where the transept is intersected,
are clusters of columns, and arches for supporting a
central tower; a lofty Norman arch leads into the
chancel. The present tower on the west, of more modern
date, is of flint and rubble stone, laid checquer-wise,
with angular buttresses. The free school was founded
and endowed, in 1614, by William Holland, a uativeand
alderman of Chichester, who bequeathed for that purpose
to trustees a garden and messuage, called " Brotherhood
Hall," then used as a school-house, together
with his manor of Festoes, &c., to pay from the proceeds
of the latter £20 yearly to a schoolmaster, for the instruction
of children of persons dwelling within Sterning
and its liberty; the master not to board more than
six pay-scholars; the income is £81 10. per annum,
and ten boys receive a classical education.  Brotherhood
Hall is still standing, and most likely received its
name from having been the hall of some guild, or fraternity,
prior to the dissolution. It consists of a centre,
with a large arched entrance and two wings, the roofs
split into five divisions and pointed, with large square
windows of the time of Henry VIII. No children have
been elected to this foundation for some years. A National
school is supported by voluntary contributions.
John Pell, the mathematician, was educated here.