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This tenement represents the core of the demesne land, the land retained for his own use by the manorial lord, of the manor of Barcombe. There is no evidence that the lord of the manor of Barcombe ever resided here. Although there is no evidence for the earlier medieval period it is possible that the demesne let to tenants on lease. Those tenants may well have occupied the house, but the evidence is lacking. Edward Cooke, who owned property in Barcombe and also leased the demesne in the mid to late 16th-century gave his name to Cooksbridge. Until 1728, when Nathaniel Garland (grandfather of the Nathaniel who owned the land in 1840) purchased the remaining demesne from Elizabeth, widow of George Goring, the evidence is sporadic. The name Court House suggests that the manor courts continued to be held there, possibly early in it's history when a manorial reeve or similar officer was living there and representing the lord. The rather unusual lay-out of the house may reflect that role. The position of the manor and church immediately adjacent to the site of the Roman Villa suggests the possibility that the existence of the villa estate may have influenced the administration and possibly the settlement pattern in Barcombe. Barcombe was the administrative centre of the hundred, a local administrative district, which encompassed both Hamsey and Newick. Certainly the Saxon successors to the villa estate were aware of the Roman origins of the site. The name Barcombe itself, earlier recorded as Bercamp, Berecomp, contains the element 'camp' which is frequently associated with Roman settlement (61). The archaeological evidence for late Saxon activity on the villa site confirms their use of the site. Azor, who held the manor before the Conquest, was a significant thegn, holder of several manors in the rape of Lewes and obviously a man of substance. By 1086 the Norman William of Watteville held the manor. The subsequent descent of the manor is obscure until 1536. For a discussion of the problems and the later descent of the manor see The Victoria County History of Sussex (24). In 1840 Nathaniel Garland also owned Spithurst House and Farm see P113/29/1 TA 550. |
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