was originally of Saxon foundation, and is believed to be the remains of a large edifice, with a choir and transcepts.

Mr. Thomas Wharton, describing some old Norman-built parochial churches, speaks thus of Steyning Church :-" The most curious one with aisles, that I recollect, as complete in its plan, although small, is the church of Steyning in Sussex; the middle aisle has on each side four Norman round arches, zig-zagged, surmounted with as many round-headed small windows; the two side aisles are much, and disproportionably lower, as was the custom; the roof is of rafter, stone vaulting being either not known, or not common, in the Norman system; a lofty Norman arch leads into the chan+ cel, only the tower is additional."

This tower has large buttresses, and is partly built of flint; it is modern. The church has still many architectural beauties; the remains of King Ethelwulf are still supposed to lie beneath the flags of the nave. Ethelwulf was Sainted, and reigned twenty years, having succeeded his father Egbert, A.D. 837. He was by no means of so great a character as Egbert, but had the glory of being father of four princes, who successively mounted the English throne-Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred; and lastly, Alfred, the youngest, who was confessedly the greatest king of the Saxon line, and who, as a law-giver and a warrior, served his

country essentially. Here also, it is said, St. Cuthman was interred, and that a new dedication of the church was made to him. Steyning appears

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to have been a royal domain at this period; for Ethelwald, a brother's son of Alfred the Great, possessed, by the bequest of King Alfred his uncle, the Vill of Steningham.

According to the history of the kingdom of Sussex, or of the South Saxons, and within the first century of the Heptarchy, we find that this immediate neighbourhood was the residence of King Cissa, who inherited Sussex on the decease of Ella, his father, in 514. "The kingdom of the South Saxons descended to Cissa, who is said to have governed it for the space of no less than seventysix years, without one memorable act, except the building of Chichester and Chisbury; the onè a city for the resort of his people, the other a place of repose for himself; which last he fortified about with a strong trench, as an additional defence against all danger."-SPEED. Cissa died without leaving issue, A. D. 590, at a very great age, and is computed to have been above one hundred years old; his name appears to be incorporated in that of Chichester, Cissa-Chester. As to Cissbury-hill, near Steyning, the tradition is various; some say that the ditch to be seen round the hill is the trench made by Cissa, others that it was made by Cæsar. In Plate 99, we refer to the encampment of Cæsar

on Chankbury-hill, at a short distance; and the circumstance of the Roman road shews, that if Cæsar did not actually encamp here, yet that some succeeding Roman commanders did so. We may also take into consideration, that the early Saxon conquerors of Britain could not find any better places to reside at than the Roman camps and towns; that Steyning, and its neighbour Cissbury-hill, should have been settled, first by the Romans, and next by King Cissa, accounts for the early consequence of the town, which was at that time watered by a deep and navigable river, although, in modern times, both the borough and the stream are much diminished in size:

William I. granted the manor of Staninges to William de Braose, as part of his rape and lordship of Bramber, but with a reservation of the property which the Abbey of Fescamp had therein, which William I. confirmed to the church of the Holy Trinity of Fescamp. There was, accordingly, at Steyning, a cell to that foreign Abbey, which church was exempt from the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. From the conflicting claims of De Braose and the monks, to the real possession of this manor, a legal dispute at length árose; and the parties, appearing before William I. the abbot was secured by the king's and barons" judgment in the possession of this manor; but, on that king's death, Philip de Braase again entered into

the occupation of the manor; the abbot citing Philip to appear before King Henry in 1103, and Philip de Braose not appearing, the king gave judgment in favour of the monks. Some of the points in dispute related to the right of killing hares, and the free passage of the river; it appearing that there were obstructions at Steyning Bridge, which prevented ships, as formerly, sailing up to the castle of the said Philip, at Bramber. Whatever the divided possession and rights of the two parties were in this manor, they each appear to have retained possession of their property; for the Tower Records, and different inquisitions, mention both the Abbey of Fescamp, and de Braose, as holding possessions at Steyning.

The Benedictine Priory of Steyning was a cell to the Abbey of Fescamp, in Normandy; and the monks and church of Steyning, claimed to be free from the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It seems a mistake to imagine that Edward the Confessor was the founder of this monastery, who obtained the crown upon the death of Hardicanute, A. D. 1041; he may have been a benefactor, but not the original founder, (if St. Ethelwulf, King of England, was interredhere so early as A. D. 857,) unless there were more monastic foundations than one, which we do not presume, although this inconsiderable borough has the reputation of having once been an exten

sive town; its name refers to the Steyne road, made by the Romans betwixt Dorking and Arundel, which circumstance leads us to suppose this to have been a Roman station. It was possessed by Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, in the reign of Richard II. in whose family it remained vested until the defeat of Richard III. being in the possession of John, Duke of Norfolk, slain at Bosworth. was included in the grant to Lord Delaware.

It

In 1790, Charles, Duke of Norfolk, possessed the manor and borough of Steyning, being part of Bramber rape. This borough returns two members to Parliament, and is a market town; it is a mile from Bramber Castle.

The Free Grammar School was originally founded by Mr. Holland, a tradesman of Steyning; the lands of this foundation provide the master thirty pounds per annum, for instructing gratis the boys of the town and parish.

The tumulus at the cross roads, and adjoining the road to Brighton, called the "Heathen Buryals," is supposed to have been formed by the practice of there interring suicides; although there is also a supposition that many victims of a pestilential visitation were the first buried there.