Ockley Hamlet

A brief History of the Ockley estate

The Rape of Lewes

Through the mediaeval period the estate sat within the Rape of Lewes, a sub-division of the historic county of Sussex. The Barony of Lewes (an administrative unit based on several Manors) was given by William the Conqueror to William de Warenne, who died in 1240. The estate passed to his son John, and by his death in 1304 he held lands in Keymer, Clayton and Ditchling. The estate passed to his son, another John, Earl of Surrey. Through the 1300s the estate passed through the Earl of Arundel until in 1398 King Richard II granted the lands to his half-brother John, Duke of Exeter.

In 1400 the Duke was beheaded, and the honor (the lands) passed to Thomas Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel and Surrey, passing down through family until split in to thirds, with one third passing to Edmund Lenthall. This comprised the following Manors: Houndean, Keymer and Cuckfield.

Manors

The Manor was a basic feudal unit of land tenure, on which Knight’s Fees were assessed, based on the size and value of the holding.

Ockley formed part of the substantial holdings of Edmund Lenthall and his wife until her death in 1489. These were people of considerable status, with many properties at their disposal, including Arundel Castle. It is unlikely that Ockley was ever a manorial seat.

The tenanted property was owned in 1279 by Walter de Okeleue, giving his name to the building and its farm lands

17th Century

Although there is mention of a house at Ockley in 1559, the earliest evidence of the current buildings comes after the Barnham family’s purchase in 1602. This includes the Pigeon House (dovecote), and brickwork on the rear range of the main house and doorways typical of the style of the 17th Century. The fireplace in the main hall bears the date 1676.

The single aisle barn, the dovecote and the granary range to the North each share the 17th Century brickwork. The similarity of the brickwork, along with doorway details and chimney stack form point to a core 17th Century farmstead formed of the main house, barn, dovecote and granary. The official listings, managed by Historic England, in error place the dates of origin for the house, barn and dovecote as 18th Century.

18th Century

After the Wood family took ownership of the properties in 1718, the main house was re-fashioned by alterations to the principal range (the front of the house) - presumed to be around 1730. Further additions were carried out through the century to the rear range.

The house sits at the high point of the Estate lands, in order to offer a commanding view of the owner’s source of considerable income.

19th Century

An estate plan was prepared for John Wood in 1808-1813, providing the layout for each of the field names of the agricultural estate, corroborating lists of names existing from previous centuries. These field shapes have remained largely unaltered until today.

Between this period and 1845, the farmstead to the North of the main house was developed to a courtyard plan and cottages added, both to the North and on the opposite side of the lane. This was the middle of the high farming period (1750-1880), with considerable agricultural growth and innovation, driven by an expanding population, the introduction of fertilisers and higher prices attainable as a result of higher demand for meat and dairy products.

By 1851 the main farmhouse was inhabited by James Wood, a ‘farmer of 700 acres’, employing 46 men and 13 boys. In the 1861 census, records show Hawthorn Cottage, a cottage further South on Ockley Lane (Ockley Lodge) and the two pairs of semi-detached cottages (1-4 Ockley Cottages), all occupied by the farm’s labourers and their families.

1871 sees the main house recorded for the first time as Ockley Manor, still occupied by James Wood, with its holding of 278 acres, with 15 men and 14 boys, now down from the previous 700 acres. Ockley Lodge houses the gardener, Ockley New Cottages the bailiff and the additional cottages all housing the farm labourers and staff for Ockley Manor.

In 1882 the farm was conveyed to the Stanford family, with the Manor House retained by James Wood, but still with considerable inter-tenancy of the land and residents of the cottages being employed by both the farm and the Manor House.

20th Century

With ownership passing to Randall George Davidson, a descendant of the Wood family, in 1910, further conversion work is carried out to the Manor House and the Dovecote, the latter including the addition of a substantial picture window, to create a garden room.

The layout and connection of the Manor House and the farm with its land remains undisturbed throughout this period, though the Stanford family constructed a new farm house at Ockley Hill, situated in an elevated position, much as was Ockley Manor, in order to look out across the farm and its fields.

The farm was conveyed to Thurston Matthews in 1941, passing to his son Edgar on his death. Little has changed since that time, with the farm layout remaining much as it was then to this present day.

21st Century

The significant changes have been the development and sale of the farm courtyard barns (malthouse barn, Ockley Farm barn and The Granary) in the early 2000s as private dwellings, and more recently the sale of 7-8 Ockley Manor farm cottages and the two farm buildings - a cowshed and cart barn in 2015. These are now back in the same ownership as Ockley Manor and the other listed buildings, with the Rayner family, bringing the history of joined ownership of Ockley Manor and the farm buildings immediately to its North back full circle.