Herstmonceux

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Village and parish in East Sussex, England

title: "Herstmonceux" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["herstmonceux", "villages-in-east-sussex", "civil-parishes-in-east-sussex", "wealden-district"] description: "Village and parish in East Sussex, England" topic_path: "general/herstmonceux" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herstmonceux" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village and parish in East Sussex, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

FieldValue
official_nameHerstmonceux
countryEngland
typeVillage
regionSouth East England
static_image_nameWindmill at Windmill Hill.png
static_image_width180
static_image_captionWindmill Hill Mill, Herstmonceux
area_footnotes
area_total_km224.7
population2,613
population_ref(2011)
population_density273 /sqmi
os_grid_referenceTQ635125
coordinates
post_townHAILSHAM
postcode_areaBN
postcode_districtBN27
dial_code01323
constituency_westminsterBexhill and Battle
london_distance45 mi N
shire_districtWealden
shire_countyEast Sussex
websiteHerstmonceux Parish
::

| official_name = Herstmonceux | country = England | type = Village | region = South East England | static_image_name = Windmill at Windmill Hill.png | static_image_width = 180 | static_image_caption = Windmill Hill Mill, Herstmonceux | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 24.7 | population = 2,613 | population_ref = (2011) | population_density = 273 /sqmi | os_grid_reference = TQ635125 | coordinates = | post_town = HAILSHAM | postcode_area = BN | postcode_district = BN27 | dial_code = 01323 | constituency_westminster = Bexhill and Battle | london_distance = 45 mi N | shire_district = Wealden | shire_county = East Sussex | website = Herstmonceux Parish

Herstmonceux ( , , or ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, which includes Herstmonceux Castle.

The Herstmonceux Medieval Festival is held annually in August.

History

The name comes from Anglo-Saxon hyrst, "wooded hill", plus the name of the Monceux family who were lords of the manor in the 12th century. In 1086, the manor, simply called Herste, was in the ancient hundred of Foxearle.

In 1677, Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex, was paid £3 when he went to a cricket match played at "ye Dicker", a common near Herstmonceux, one of the earliest references to the sport.

The Herstmonceux area is known for the making of trugs, baskets made from split willow boards set in an ash or chestnut frame. A number of local people continue this tradition.

Governance

The parish council consists of eleven elected members. An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward had a population at the 2011 census of 2,852.

Education is provided at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School.

Geography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Herstmonceux_castle_aerialview.jpg" caption="[[Herstmonceux Castle]] from the air"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/RGO-Herstmonceux.jpg" caption="Royal Greenwich Observatory at Herstmonceux"] ::

The village (previously called Gardner Street) is part of the larger Herstmonceux civil parish, which includes Cowbeech and the hamlets of Foul Mile, Trolliloes, Cowbeech Hill, Stunts Green, Ginger's Green, Flowers Green and part of Windmill Hill where the Windmill Hill Windmill is situated. Cowbeech village is north-west of the parish. Eastbourne is 7 mi south-west of the village, and Brighton and Hove 21 mi south-west.

Herstmonceux Castle, 2 mi south-east of the village, is a former site of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. It is now home to the Bader International Study Centre of Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, and the area therefore enjoys an influx of Canadian and other international students each school year. The castle grounds are also home to the Observatory Science Centre and the Herstmonceux Mediaeval Festival. Buckwell Place was the seat of the Hare family.

There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the parish. Herstmonceux Park is of importance because of its wetland habitat and fen vegetation. It is the only known location of Milk Parsley (Peucedanum palustre) in the south-east. The second site, Pevensey Levels, lies partially in the parish. The site is of biological interest consisting of low-lying grazing meadows, hosting a wide variety of wetland flora and fauna.

Climate

| width = auto | metric first = yes | single line = yes | location = Herstmonceux West End (1991–2020) |Jan record high C = 15.5 |Feb record high C = 18.3 |Mar record high C = 20.8 |Apr record high C = 26.5 |May record high C = 27.3 |Jun record high C = 31.6 |Jul record high C = 38.1 |Aug record high C = 34.5 |Sep record high C = 31.2 |Oct record high C = 26.5 |Nov record high C = 18.1 |Dec record high C = 14.9 |year record high C = 38.1 | Jan high C = 7.9 | Feb high C = 8.3 | Mar high C = 10.8 | Apr high C = 13.9 | May high C = 16.9 | Jun high C = 19.5 | Jul high C = 21.6 | Aug high C = 21.7 | Sep high C = 19.1 | Oct high C = 15.3 | Nov high C = 11.4 | Dec high C = 8.6 | year high C = 14.6 | Jan mean C = 5.2 | Feb mean C = 5.2 | Mar mean C = 7.3 | Apr mean C = 9.6 | May mean C = 12.6 | Jun mean C = 15.2 | Jul mean C = 17.3 | Aug mean C = 17.4 | Sep mean C = 15.0 | Oct mean C = 11.8 | Nov mean C = 8.3 | Dec mean C = 5.7 | year mean C = 10.9 | Jan low C = 2.4 | Feb low C = 2.2 | Mar low C = 3.7 | Apr low C = 5.4 | May low C = 8.3 | Jun low C = 10.9 | Jul low C = 13.0 | Aug low C = 13.0 | Sep low C = 10.9 | Oct low C = 8.3 | Nov low C = 5.2 | Dec low C = 2.9 | year low C = 7.2 |Jan record low C = -8.9 |Feb record low C = -1.6 |Mar record low C = -5.4 |Apr record low C = -3.5 |May record low C = -0.4 |Jun record low C = 3.8 |Jul record low C = 4.9 |Aug record low C = 5.9 |Sep record low C = 2.5 |Oct record low C = -2.3 |Nov record low C = -4.5 |Dec record low C = -9.8 |year record low C = -9.8 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 90.9 | Feb precipitation mm = 63.8 | Mar precipitation mm = 51.6 | Apr precipitation mm = 50.1 | May precipitation mm = 50.1 | Jun precipitation mm = 55.2 | Jul precipitation mm = 59.0 | Aug precipitation mm = 69.4 | Sep precipitation mm = 64.1 | Oct precipitation mm = 100.1 | Nov precipitation mm = 106.4 | Dec precipitation mm = 103.1 | year precipitation mm = 863.7 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 13.4 | Feb precipitation days = 10.8 | Mar precipitation days = 9.5 | Apr precipitation days = 8.7 | May precipitation days = 8.5 | Jun precipitation days = 7.8 | Jul precipitation days = 8.1 | Aug precipitation days = 9.2 | Sep precipitation days = 9.3 | Oct precipitation days = 12.5 | Nov precipitation days = 13.6 | Dec precipitation days = 13.7 | year precipitation days = 125.0 | Jan sun = 60.1 | Feb sun = 80.0 | Mar sun = 131.8 | Apr sun = 188.8 | May sun = 223.0 | Jun sun = 227.6 | Jul sun = 233.5 | Aug sun = 210.0 | Sep sun = 159.7 | Oct sun = 114.6 | Nov sun = 66.3 | Dec sun = 52.7 | year sun = 1748.0 | source 1 = Met Office{{cite web |url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/u101x20r9 |title = Herstmonceux West End (East Sussex) UK climate averages - Met Office |publisher = Met Office |access-date = July 5, 2024}} |source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather |date=October 2025}}

Religion

Main article: List of current places of worship in Wealden

All Saints' (Church of England) parish church, with its 12th-century west tower and 13th/14th century nave, overlooks the Castle. Herstmonceux Congregational Church, just outside the village on the way to the castle, was erected in 1811 and is now a listed building.

Twinning

The village is twinned with Varengeville-sur-Mer, in Normandy, France.

References

References

  1. "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council.
  2. "Civil Parish 2011".
  3. Roach & Hartman, eds (1997) ''English Pronouncing Dictionary'', 15th edition. (Cambridge University Press). p. 234
  4. (1883). "A glossary of dialectal place-nomenclature, to which is appended a list of family surnames pronounced differently from what the spelling suggests".
  5. "England's Medieval Festival - Herstmonceux Castle 29th, 30th and 31st August 2015".
  6. [http://opendomesday.org/place/TQ6410/herstmonceux/ Open Domesday Online: Herste], accessed May 2017.
  7. McCann T (2004) ''Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century'', pp.xl. Sussex Record Society.
  8. "Ward population 2011".
  9. [http://www.herstmonceux.e-sussex.sch.uk/ Primary school]
  10. "WELCOME - THE OBSERVATORY SCIENCE CENTRE".
  11. "Herstmonceux Park SSSI".
  12. "Pevensey Levels SSSI".
  13. "Monthly Temperature Extremes".
  14. "Herstmonceux Parish Home Page".
  15. "Herstmonceux Parish Home Page".

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herstmonceuxvillages-in-east-sussexcivil-parishes-in-east-sussexwealden-district