Manor Profile
Bosham, West Sussex· Bosham Hundred· 1066 – 2019
Also known as: Boseham, Bosham Manor
Bosham sits at the head of Bosham Channel, one of the principal inlets of Chichester Harbour. The parish covers three miles north to south by two miles east to west, and includes 116 acres of tidal water and 609 acres of foreshore. The manor was the administrative centre of the Bosham Hundred, which encompassed Bosham itself along with Thorney, Chidham, Funtington, West Stoke, Fishbourne, and Appledram (VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 182-188).
Before the Conquest, Earl Godwin held Bosham as a great lordship rated at 56 and a half hides. From here in 1064, Harold Godwinson set out on the voyage that ended in his capture by William of Normandy. The church and hall at Bosham are depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry. After Hastings, William the Conqueror retained Bosham as the only Sussex estate in his own hands. The Domesday Book records eight mills, two fisheries, woodland yielding six swine, and 11 hawks in Chichester. The manor was appraised at 40 pounds but leased for 50 pounds of assayed money, equivalent to 65 pounds by tale (VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, p. 183).
William fitz Aucher held the manor from the Crown at a fee farm rent of 42 pounds (57 pounds by tale). The manor reverted to the Crown under Henry I, who granted portions of the lordship to Battle Abbey. Between 1165 and 1167, the sheriffs of Sussex farmed the manor. By 1190, John Marshal answered for the rent, and his brother William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, held the manor from 1194 until his death in 1219. William Marshal was licensed to export 400 quarters of corn from Bosham in 1206 and obtained a grant of a weekly market in 1218 (VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 183-184).
The manor passed through the Marshal heirs. Richard, the second son, held Bosham until Henry III, during a violent quarrel, ordered the destruction of Richard's houses, gardens, and park at Bosham in October 1233. After Richard's death in 1234, Margaret, widow of Earl Walter Marshal (the fourth son), was assigned Bosham as dower. The manor was valued at 97 pounds 3 shillings and 5 and three quarter pence after deducting the fee farm rent (VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, p. 184).
Hugh Bigod the Justiciar acquired Bosham through the Marshal inheritance, as the son of Maud, eldest daughter of William Marshal, who had married Hugh Bigod. In 1262, it was confirmed that Bosham was ancient demesne of the Crown and that Hugh could tallage it, including Buckfold in Petworth. Hugh died in 1266. His son Roger Bigod succeeded to the earldom of Norfolk and the marshalcy in 1270. Roger led baronial opposition to Edward I. In 1301, he transferred all his estates to the king, receiving them back as tenant for life, with the 42 pound rent for Bosham excused. Roger died in 1306 holding the manor with Funtington hamlet, including two chief messuages and two watermills (VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 184-185).
Thomas of Brotherton, Edward I's son, received the Bigod titles and estates. His son Edward was granted Bosham but died without issue. The manor passed through Edward's widow Beatrice de Braose and then to Margaret, Countess of Norfolk, Thomas of Brotherton's elder daughter. Margaret was raised to Duchess of Norfolk in 1398 and died in 1399. Her grandson Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, died in exile the same year. The Mowbray dukes held the manor through the fifteenth century. John Mowbray (d. 1476) married Elizabeth Talbot. Their only child Anne Mowbray was married at age five to Richard, Duke of York. Anne died in 1481. The Mowbray line ended with her (VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 185-186).
The manor was divided between William, Lord Howard, created Duke of Norfolk in 1483, and William, Lord Berkeley, created Earl of Nottingham and Marquess Berkeley in 1489. After William Berkeley died without issue in 1492, his brother Maurice disputed the settlement and recovered the manor. The Berkeley earls held Bosham through their descendants until 1810. Frederick Augustus, 5th Earl of Berkeley, devised the manor to his second son Captain Maurice Fitzhardinge Berkeley. The lordship passed through the Fitzhardinge family to Edric Frederick, Lord Gifford, V.C., who died in 1911. Before 1937, the lordship was purchased by the Earl of Iveagh. The VCH, published in 1953, records the Earl of Iveagh as the present owner (VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 186-187).
The Guinness family held the lordship through the Burhill Group until 2019, when it was sold to Franck Petitgas, a local Bosham resident and former trustee of the Chichester Harbour Trust. The manor now operates as The Manor of Bosham and The Hundred Limited (Company No. 12192174). The full title is the Hundred and Manor of Bosham and Chidham and Manor of Bosham Buckfold. The last Court of the Hundreds was held in 1914. The manor includes Bosham Quay, over 800 moorings, and foreshore and seabed rights in Chichester Harbour.
| # | Name | From | To | Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Earl Godwin(Earl of Wessex) | 1053 | Held the great lordship of Bosham covering the parish plus Thorney, Chidham, Funtington, West Stoke, Fishbourne, and Appledram. Rated at 56 and a half hides. | ||
| 2 | Harold Godwinson(Earl of Wessex, later King of England) | 1053 | 1066 | inheritance | Set out from Bosham in 1064 on the voyage that led to his capture by William of Normandy. The church and hall at Bosham are depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry. |
| 3 | King William I(King of England) | 1066 | 1087 | conquest | Retained Bosham as the only Sussex estate in royal hands. Appraised at 40 pounds, leased for 50 pounds assayed money (65 pounds by tale). |
| 4 | William fitz Aucher | fee farm from the Crown | Held at a fee farm rent of 42 pounds (57 pounds by tale). | ||
| 5 | The Crown (Henry I)(Crown) | reversion | Manor reverted to the Crown. Henry I granted Funtington and then Appledram to Battle Abbey. | ||
| 6 | Sheriffs of Sussex | 1165 | 1167 | farm | Farmed the manor. Receipts varied from 12 pounds 11 shillings 4 pence to 62 pounds 5 shillings 6 pence per year. |
| 7 | Saulf | 1170 | 1178 | farm | Answered for the farm of the manor. |
| 8 | John Marshal | 1190 | 1194 | grant | Elder son of the Marshal family. Answered for the rent. |
| 9 | William Marshal(Earl of Pembroke) | 1194 | 1219 | inheritance | Held manor subject to 42 pounds fee farm rent. Licensed to export 400 quarters of corn from Bosham in 1206. Granted a weekly Thursday market in 1218. |
| 10 | William Marshal (the younger)(Earl of Pembroke) | 1219 | 1231 | inheritance | Eldest son of William Marshal. Held the manor until his death without issue. |
The Crown
Fee farm rent of 42 pounds (57 pounds by tale), including lastage from Langstone to Pevensey.
Source: VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 183-185. Rent excused for Roger Bigod in 1301.
The Crown
crown · held · 1066
MANOR OF BOSHAM LIMITED
company · corporate_holder · 1929
Companies House 00239504
THE CHICHESTER DIOCESAN FUND AND BOARD OF FINANCE (INCORPORATED)
charity · ecclesiastical_holder · 1965
Charity Commission 243134
THE MANOR OF BOSHAM ESTATES LIMITED
company · corporate_holder · 1996
Companies House 03165208
THE MANOR OF BOSHAM AND THE HUNDRED LIMITED
company · corporate_holder · 2019
Companies House 12192174
BOSHAM MANOR LIMITED
company · corporate_holder · 2019
Companies House 12101293
Battle Abbey
Old Fishbourne was held of the great manor of Bosham. Engeler held two hides at Fishbourne from Bosham in 1086. Old Fishbourne lay within the Bosham Hundred.
Both manors lay within the ancient Bosham Hundred. Seven tithings attended the Bosham court baron, including Fishbourne.
Southwick Priory held lands in both Bosham Hundred (Old Fishbourne) and in Southwick. The priory was the institutional link between these manors from c.1120 to 1538.
New Fishbourne lies in the hundred of Stockbridge, adjacent to the Bosham hundred. Fishbourne was listed among the outlying portions of the pre-Conquest Bosham lordship. Earl Tostig held Fishbourne before the Conquest, when the Bosham estate was held by Earl Godwin and then Harold Godwinson.
Manages Chichester diocesan properties. Several manors in area held by bishops of Chichester/Selsey from before the Conquest.
Sussex folios. Bosham recorded as held by King William in demesne. 56 and a half hides rated at 38. Eight mills, two fisheries, woodland for six swine.
…TINGHAM LIMITED 05539583 (D4) 09/09/2019 MANOR COURT MANAGEMENT COMPANY 04064150 (D4) 06/09/2019 THE MANOR OF BOSHAM AND THE 12192174 (B1) 05/09/2019 (HARROGATE) LIMITED HUNDRED LIMITED MANOR COURT (NEW MILTON) LIMIT…
…3... Bignor Down R.O. Billingshurst ... C.L. 183... Adversane GreenO. Bosham C.L. 153...Waste of the Manors of Bosham , Bosham Buckfold and ChidhamO. C.L. 176... Waste of the Manor of BoshamO. Chidham C.L. 153...Waste …
VCH Closing Statement
“Before 1937 the lordship of the manor had been bought by the Earl of Iveagh, the present owner.”
VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 182-188
Henry I grants of Funtington and Appledram
Chidham formed part of the Bishop of Exeter's estate within the chapelry of Bosham. Tenants owed suit to the Bosham hundred court. The full title of the Bosham lordship includes Chidham: the Hundred and Manor of Bosham and Chidham.
…EWS PROPERTY LTD 13879343 MANOR MIX CONCRETE LIMITED 06477243 MANOR NURSERY ESTATES LTD 12348458 THE MANOR OF BOSHAM AND THE 12192174 HUNDRED LIMITED THE MANOR OF BOSHAM ESTATES LIMITED 03165208 MANOR PACKAGING LIMIT…
…rs' Districts. Whereas a vacancy has occurred in the office of Franchise Coroner for the Hundred and Manor of Bosham : And whereas by the operation of Section 4 (i) of the Coroners (Amendment) Act, 1926, the ?area in …
…hipton Green (part) O. C.L. 23 ... Shipton Green (part) O. WestThorney ... C.L. 153 ... Waste of the Manors of Bosham , Bosham Buckfold and Chidham O. Wisborough Green... C.L. 56 ... Collins Marsh R.O. C.L. 155 ... Bri…
…-DEARING CONSULTING LTD 12481841 SCOTT DELIVERY LTD 12917368 SCOTT DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED/THE 03165208 MANOR OF BOSHAM ESTATES LIMITED SCOTT DM LTD 10681900 SCOTT DOUTHWAITE BUILDING SERVICES 07598446 LIMITED SCOTT DYS…
…NAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED MANORCROFT HOUSE (WALTON ON 04297842 THAMES) MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED THE MANOR OF BOSHAM AND THE 12192174 HUNDRED LIMITED MANOR PARK FISHERIES LTD 07817162 MANOR PARK SPROWSTON RESIDENTS 0…
…COMPANY 04019664 (C2) 15/08/2019 MANORMAKER (NOMINEE NO. 2) LIMITED 09906240 (C2) 19/08/2019 LIMITED MANOR OF BOSHAM LIMITED 00239504 (D1) 14/08/2019 MANOR CROFT MANAGEMENT COMPANY 04019664 (D4) 16/08/2019 MANOR PAIN…
Depicts the church and hall at Bosham. Harold Godwinson is shown setting out from Bosham on his voyage to Normandy in 1064.
Admittance of Joan Silverlock, widow on the death of Edward Andrews the younger, her brother A messuage and garden of boardland in East Ashling, at an annual rent of 1/- Lord: Augustus, Earl of Berkeley. Steward: John Farhill
Admission of Mary Staker, wid., as only dau. of Thomas Lewknor, decd Parcel of boardland lying in Long Gasson and Hammersfield, containing 1a. in Long Gasson and three stitches in Hammersfield in the tithing of Walton; land (1a.) in the tithing of Creed parcel of a cotland 'late William Fosters'; 6a. of 'boardland' called Creed lying in the tithing of Walton, whereof 2a. are lying in a field called Cheekfield, 1a. in a common field called Brook Field, 1a. in a common field called Burrfield, 1a.
Admission of Henry Browning of Bosham, yeo., upon the surrender (made 1 July 1699) of William Burry, gent., and John Hamond (youngest son and next heir of John Hamond of Bosham, decd.) Messuage, barn, smith's shop and land (4a. and 1 stitch) of 'boardland' in the tithing of Walton; land (8a.) of 'forrep' in the tithing of Broadbridge called Syblecocks Court of Charles 2nd Earl of Berkeley Steward: Francis Doyly, jun., gent
Memorandum of mortgage to secure £399 between (a) William Pearce the elder and Richard Luffe of Farnhurt, yeo. and (b) Woodruffe Drinkwater of West Ashling, mealman Property as in Add Mss 12,494 Steward: George Parker, esq Endorsed with receipt dated 26 November 1733 Witnesses: George Parker, John Farhille
Admission of William Bawcombe upon the surrender (made 21 Jan. 1675/6) of Roger Goldick Messuage and half a yardland of 'boardland' in the tithing of Walton Court of George 9th Baron and later 1st Earl of Berkeley Steward: Thomas Petit, esq
Memorandum of surrender of Richard Drinkwater and settlement on the marriage of Woodroff Drinkwater, son of Richard Drinkwater and Ann Costellow, daughter of John Costellowe, citizen and alderman of Chichester (i) A moor of forrep of 2 acres in the tithing of West Ashling at an annual rent of 2d (ii) A parcel of moor of boardland in the tithing of West Ashling at an annual rent of 1/-, abutting on Northbrook Millpond on the east, the moor late of George Green, now of on the west, the Mill Green
Admission of Thomas Lewkenor of Chichester, barber, upon the surrender (made 11 Dec. 1695) of William Jelley All his (Jelly's) lands of 'boardland' lying in Long Gasson and Hamers Feild formerly surrendered to him by Joseph Colpis see Add Mss 12,482, containing 1a. in Long Gasson and 3 stitches in Hamers Feild, in the tithing of Walton Court of Charles 10th Baron Berkeley Deputy Steward: George Parker, gent
Admission of Richard Drinkwater Property as in Add Mss 12,682 Lord: James 3rd Earl of Berkeley. Steward: George Parker
Admission of John Jelley under the terms of a surrender (made 15 Apr. 1663) by him I Messuage and land (2a.) of 'forrepp' in the tithing of Creed, lying in 'Le feild' called Wheateland & Nortons II Land (1a.) lying in Cotmanhearne parcel of a cotland in the tithing of Creed III Land (1a.) in the tithing of Creed, parcel of a cotland 'late William Fosters' To hold for life, then to Elizabeth Goldwicke, dau. of Roger Goldwicke for life, and to her heirs, and in default of such issue to the right h
Surrender of Henry Matthews gent. and admission of William Coles of Funtington, farmer (i) a cotland and 5 acres of land, lately Sellers and now Marchants in tithing of Funtington, rent 5/- p.a (ii) a messuage and 9 acres of forrep, called Hoggscrofts in tithing of Funtington, rent 3/- p.a (iii) a moor of forrep, called Upbrooks, in tithing of Funtington, rent 2/2d. p.a (iv) a close of forrep, called Merryfield in Le Hill in tithing of East Ashling, rent 7/- p.a Lady: Elizabethe Dowager Countess
Surrender by Laurence Merchant and Mary his wife and admission of Richard Matheway. Close of forrep land called Merryfeilde in Le Hill in tithing of East Ashling Rent 7d. p.a. Admission 7d Lady: Elizabeth Lady Berkley Steward: Nicholas Holborne
Mortgage to secure £525 by (a) William Skinner to (b) Mary Ward of Halnaker, spinster (i) A moor of forrep (2a.) in tithing of West Ashling, rent 2d. p.a (ii) a parcel of moor of boardland in tithing of West Ashling, rent 1/- p.a.; abutting on Northbrook Millpond on E.; Moor formerly of George Green and now of Richard Challen on N., and Millgreen on S Witnesses: Henry Hownsome?, John Andrews Chamberlain: George Parker, jun
Admission of Peter Lawrence of Whitechapel, London, gent. and w. Frances (by George Parker, their attorney) upon the surrender (made 20 Oct. 1696) of William Bawcomb and Henry Richardson Messuage and half a yardland of 'boardland' in the tithing of Walton; messuage and land (8a.) of 'boardland' in the tithing of Walton; croft of 'boardland' in the tithing of Walton; cotland in the tithing of Creed To hold for their lives, then to the use of the heirs of Peter by Frances, and for want of such iss
Admission of Alice Gray widow and relict of Michaell Gray the elder, after the death of her husband Piece of forrep land called a Moore (2a.) in tithing of West Ashling Rent 2d. p.a. Admission 2d Lord: Hon, George Berkely, esq. Steward: Henry Peckham
Admission of Bold Markwick, gent., heir to William Markwick, gent., on the death of Ann Markwick his mother (i) forrep called Northleaze in tithing of West Ashling, rent 6s. 10d. p.a (ii) messuage and virgate of boardland in tithing of Walton, rent 1s. 10d. p.a (iii) 3 acres and a hilve in Wabberheath in tithing of Walton, rent (iv) 1 cotland in tithing of Creed, rent 8s. 8d. p.a (v) 1 acre parcel of 1 cotland in tithing of Creed, in field called Westbrooke, rent 1s. 8d. p.a (vi) messuage and 2
Admission of George Pescod, as younger bro. of William Pescod, decd, who was admitted tenant in reversion, upon the death of Elizabeth Pescod, wid Hilve and orchard of 'forrep' in the tithing of Creed; messuage and 4s. parcel of a cotland in the tithing aforesaid Court of Augustus 44 Earl of Berkeley Steward: John Farhill, esq
Admission of John Martin of Bosham, yeo., upon the surrender of Sir Thomas Miller, bart Piece of arable land (1½a.) of 'forrep' in occ. of John Bilgrim sic Boorne lying in a common field called the Common Ham in the tithing of Old Fishbourne, and bounded on E. by lands of Richard Sydenham, on W. by Ham lane, on N. by lands of John Martin and on S. by a highway leading from Chichester to Havant; piece of arable land (½a.) of 'forrep', also in occ. of said John Pilgrim Boorne lying in the common f
Surrender of Peter Marden and Mary his wife, and admission of William Pearce of Bosham A messuage and 1½ virgates of boardland called Hove? in tithing of Southwood Rent 2/10, Admission 13/4 Lord: Charles, Lord Berkley Steward: Daniele Forster
Principal source for the manorial descent of Bosham, including the sub-manors of Broadbridge and Old Fishbourne.
print in the National Gallery of Art (NGA 8974). Type: print
painting by Fred Castle (1912–1996), Brampton Museum. Type: painting
former electoral ward in Chichester, West Sussex, England. Type: ward
harborside village in West Sussex, England, UK. Type: village
Wikimedia duplicated page. Type: Wikimedia duplicated page
