Herstmonceux

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.