Hamsey

Part of the ‘Once Existed’ Project – Visited by the ODOmatt on the 10th February 2018

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Splashing through muddy lanes and traversing crumbling roads, it soon became clear that Fiat 500s were not made for hunting lost villages.

The car largely in one piece, I eventually found my own form of unofficial parking outside the only surviving building in Hamsey: St. Peter’s Church.

Ever since I was a teenager I’ve spied glimpses of the secluded island church when entering Lewes from the elevated, and colourfully named, Earwig Corner near Malling Down and always wondered how it was possible to get there. Turns out ‘by Fiat’ isn’t the recommended method.

History

What remains of Hamsey is accessible just north of Lewes via the village of Offham, so named as it’s quite literally ‘off’ Hamsey. The site is on a low hillock at a sharp bend in the river ouse, a promising place for a conurbation. On a clear sunny day – probably not in February – there are commanding views of Lewes and the south downs. I imagine.

Surprisingly little is known of the village’s past. Many sources claim that in 925AD King Aethelstan once held a council in Hamsey, so we can assume it was once an important stop for any passing river traffic.

The Doomesday book provides clear evidence of the church and informs us that Hamsey was under the care of one Ralph de Chesney, supporting a solid 13 hides of land. It’s recorded under the name ‘Hamm’ – the Sey family, later indulgently sticking their name on the end.

A contract survives detailing the building of a manor hall in 1321 but whether completed or not, a grand manor home is certainly no longer standing. Foundations to the east of the church were supposedly visible until the 18th century.

The contract, now residing in the Westminster Abbey archives, reveals that there were two fireplaces planned for the great hall, an usual and surprising fact particularly impressing local historian John E. Vigar.

As with many lost villages it may well be the case that the Black Death decimated the small population and forced the survivors to up sticks. Legend has it the residents of Hamsey shut off contact with the outside world and slowly died of hunger and the plague.

In all likelihood, however, the proximity to the river meant frequent flooding led to relocation to Offham. An alternative theory posits the population outgrew the narrow hill and simply decided to move further inland. The case is still open.