Penhurst is a village and
civil parish, sharing a parish council with neighbouring
Ashburnham, in the
Rother district of
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
, England. It is located on the
Weald, 4 miles (7km) west of
Battle. The parish touches Ashburnham,
Battle,
Brightling and
Catsfield. Penhurst shares a parish council with Ashburnham.
The parish has few residents, according to the 2001 census Penhurst has just 52 inhabitants.
History
The name "Penhurst" means 'Pena's wooded hill'. Penhurst was recorded in the
Domesday Book as ''Penehest''.
In 1086, Penhurst was in the
hundred of Hailesaltede; the
Abbey of Battle was its tenant-in-chief.
[Open Domesday: Penhurst.]
Retrieved 11 June 2022. The two parishes, neither of which have many dwellings, were originally united in 1810.
Landmarks
There are 14
listed buildings in Penhurst.
Penhurst Manor is now a Christian retreat centre and is used much in the support of missionaries from overseas.
The 14th century parish church is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel. The actor
Harry H Corbett (1925-1982) lies buried in the churchyard.
Governance
At a local level, Penhurst and neighbouring Ashburnham have been governed by a joint parish council, The Parish Council of Ashburnham with Penhurst, since a Grouping Order was made in 1954. The parish council is made up of seven councillors, split into two wards: five councillors from Ashburnham ward and two from Penhurst ward. At the May 2019 election the Penhurst ward was uncontested. Since then two councillors were been co-opted to the Penhurst ward's two vacancies.
Rother District Council Rother may refer to:
General
*Rother (surname) (also sometimes spelled Röther)
*Rother District, a local government district in East Sussex, England
*Rother FM, an independent local radio station for Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England
*Rother Kup ...
provides the next level of government. Ashburnham and Penhurst are within the Crowhurst ward, along with the parishes of
Catsfield,
Crowhurst, and part of
Battle. In the May 2007 election Crowhurst ward was won by the Conservative candidate.
East Sussex County Council is the top tier of local government. Ashburnham with Penhurst falls within the Battle and Crowhurst ward. Kathryn Margaret Field, Liberal Democrat, was elected in the May 2005 election with 48.8% of the vote.
The UK Parliament constituency for Ashburnham and Penhurst is
Bexhill and Battle.
Prior to
Brexit in 2020, the villages were part of the
South East England constituency in the
European Parliament.
References
* {{cite web, url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southeastengland/admin/rother/E04003817__penhurst/, title=Penhurst, publisher=City Population, access-date=23 February 2021
External links
Parish Council and community website
Villages in East Sussex
Civil parishes in East Sussex
Rother District