Bibliography - Bramber, Horsham District, West Sussex
Bibliography Home

Rambles in the Vicinity of Brighton, to Lewes, Eastbourne, Worthing, Bramber, Devil's Dyke, Arundel, etc., with an itinery of the roads, by Charles Wright, published 1818 (112 pp., published by the author) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

History of the Western Division of the County of Sussex, 1, Rape of Bramber, edited by Edmund Cartwright and James Dallaway, published 1830 accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2394] & West Sussex Libraries

Parliamentary History - Bramber, by William Durrant Cooper, published 1835 in The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex (appendix III, article, pp.33-35) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2397][Lib 3212] & The Keep [LIB/507380][Lib/500088] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Borough of Bramber, by Thomas Walker Horsfield, published 1835 in The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex (vol. II, rape of Bramber, pp.226-227) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2397][Lib 3212] & The Keep [LIB/507380][Lib/500088] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

On the ancient Bridge discovered at Bramber in the year 1839, by Rev. Edward Turner, published 1849 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 2, article, pp.63-77) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2087] & The Keep [LIB/500221] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Historic Notices of Bramber Castle and of the Family of De Braose, by Rev. T. Grantham, published 1852 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 5, article, pp.147-154) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2090] & The Keep [LIB/500224] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Chapel of St Peter de Veteri Ponte, by Rev. Edward Turner, published 1856 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 8, notes & queries, p.273) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2093] & The Keep [LIB/500227] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Bramber, by Mark Antony Lower, M.A., published 1870 in A Compendious History of Sussex, Topographical, Archaeological & Anecdotal (vol. I, pp.72-74, Lewes: George P. Bacon) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8946][Lib 3314] & The Keep [LIB/500159]   View Online

Bramber Bridge and Chapel, by The Editor, published 1870 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 22, notes & queries, pp.232-233) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2017] & The Keep [LIB/500240] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Ordnance Survey Book of Reference to the plan of the Parish of Bramber, published 1876 (article, London: H.M.S.O. & printed at George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode)   View Online

Pleasant Days in Pleasant Places, by Edward Walford, M.A., published 1878 (London: Hardwicke & Bogue)   View Online

Sir Thomas Bowyer, Bart., MP for Bramber, and his Family, by John Patching, published 1902 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 45, notes & queries, pp.209-211) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2130] & The Keep [LIB/500263] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Steyning and Bramber, by E. V. Lucas with illustrations by Frederick L. Griggs, published 1904 in Highways and Byways in Sussex (Chapter XV, London: Macmillan & Co.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 41][Lib 12792][Lib 15825] & The Keep [LIB/500142]   View Online

Recent Finds at Bramber Castle., by Frank Duke and E. Cecil Curwen, M.A., published 1927 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 68, article, pp.241-244) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2153] & The Keep [LIB/500286] & S.A.S. library

Bramber Castle, by Colonel H. C. Evans, published 1928 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. II no. 9, article, pp.391-394) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9327] & The Keep [LIB/500138]

The Place-names of Sussex, Part I: The Rapes of Chichester, Arundel and Bramber, by Allen Mawer and Frank Merry Stenton, published 1929 (Cambridge University Press) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10138][Lib 8294] & The Keep [LIB/500116][Lib/504721] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The publication by the English Place-Name Society of the first of the two volumes which it is devoting to Sussex is an event of very great importance for all students of Sussex History and indeed for everyone interested in whatever capacity in the topography of Sussex: and there can be no doubt that this volume and its companion dealing with East Sussex will rank high amongst the records of the county.

Two Old Prints of Bramber Church, by Colonel H. C. Evans, published 1929 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. III no. 2, article, pp.88-90) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2307] & The Keep [LIB/500139]

Bridlington Church and Hospital, by Colonel H. C. Evans, published 1931 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. V no. 4, article, pp.264-267) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2310] & The Keep [LIB/500174]

Sussex Church Plans XV: St. Botolph (next Bramber) , by W. H. G. [W. H. Godfrey], published August 1931 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. III no. 7, article, pp.218-219) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8952][Lib 8221] & The Keep [LIB/500205] & S.A.S. library

St. Nicholas, Bramber, by E. F. Salmon, published 1932 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 73, article, pp.187-192) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2158] & The Keep [LIB/500356] & S.A.S. library

Over the Downs to Bramber, by James Turle, published 1932 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. VI no. 2, article, pp.94-96) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9325] & The Keep [LIB/500175]

The Boundary between the Rapes of Lewes and Bramber, by Frank Bentham Stevens, published 1933 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 74, notes & queries, pp.243-244) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2159] & The Keep [LIB/500355] & S.A.S. library

The Story of St Mary's, Bramber, by Rev. H. E. B. Arnold, M.A., published 1933 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. VII no. 8, article, pp.496-501) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2312] & The Keep [LIB/500176]

Capital in Bramber Church, by G. C. Druce, published August 1935 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. V no. 7, reply, p.224) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2204][Lib 8223][Lib 8862] & The Keep [LIB/500207] & S.A.S. library

Bramber Castle , by Ernest F. Salmon, published May 1937 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. VI no. 6, article, pp.173-176) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12537][Lib 8863][Lib 8224] & The Keep [LIB/500208] & S.A.S. library

St Botolph's [Bramber], by H. E. B. Arnold, published 1938 (booklet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10212]

History of Bramber Castle, by Herbert E Erredge, published 1940 (pamphlet, 48 pp., H. Crowhurst) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4816][Lib 4829] & West Sussex Libraries

A "Ghost" Token of Bramber, by J. B. C. [J. B. Caldecott], published November 1942 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. IX no. 4, note, pp.89-90) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8227][Lib 2208] & The Keep [LIB/500211] & S.A.S. library

St Mary's and Priory Cottage, Bramber, by Walter H. Godfrey, published 1947 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 86, article, pp.102-117) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2171] & The Keep [LIB/500343] & S.A.S. library

St Nicholas Bramber, by H. E. B. Arnold, published 1948 accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6522]

6th edition

The Parliamentary Representation of the Sussex Boroughs: Bramber, Midhurst, Lewes, Rye and Winchelsea, 175401768, by Margaret M. Cramp, 1953 at Manchester University (M.A. thesis)

Cats, shell & skulls [at Potter's Museum, Bramber], by G. Grigson, published 25 October 1956 in Country Life (article, pp.938-939)

An Old Causeway or Bridge at Bramber, by P. N. B. Mabey, published May 1957 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIV nos. 13 & 14, note, pp.239-240) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8232][Lib 2213] & The Keep [LIB/500216] & S.A.S. library

St. Mary's, Bramber, by E. W. and H. G. Holden, published May 1961 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XV no. 7, note, pp.238-240) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8233] & The Keep [LIB/500217] & S.A.S. library

The Cemetery of St Mary Magdalen, Bidlington, by Geoffrey D. Lewis, published 1964 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 102, article, pp.1-8) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2187] & The Keep [LIB/500327] & S.A.S. library

St Nicholas Church, Bramber, published 1965 (pamphlet, St Nicholas Church Bramber) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7220]

St Botolph's Church, Bramber, published c.1965 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17611]

History and Legend of Bramber Castle, edited by Herbert E Erredge, published 1965 (pamphlet, 52 pp., Sussex: Potter's Museum) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4190] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Excavations at Bramber Castle: First Season's work, 13th-30th August, 1966, by K. J. Barton and E. W. Holden, published November 1966 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XVI no. 8, article, pp.256-258) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8234] & The Keep [LIB/500218] & S.A.S. library

Excavations at Bramber Castle: Second Season's work, 12th-29th August, 1967, by K. J. Barton and E. W. Holden, published November 1967 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XVI no. 10, article, pp.333-335) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8234] & The Keep [LIB/500218] & S.A.S. library

Excavations 1974: Bramber, by E. W. Holden, published September 1974 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 14, article, p.58) accessible at: S.A.S. library   Download PDF

The Parish of Bramber, published 1975 (pamphlet, Horsham District Council) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10313]

St Nicholas Church, Bramber, by E. Colston Shepherd, published c.1975 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4861][Lib 5957]

St Botolph's Church, Bramber, by E. Colston Shepherd, published c.1975 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4853]

New Evidence Relating to Bramber Bridge, by Eric W. Holden, published 1975 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 113, article, pp.104-117) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6177] & The Keep [LIB/500316] & S.A.S. library

A possible Moated Site and medieval salterns at Bramber, by Eric W. Holden, published 1975 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 113, shorter notice, p.191) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6177] & The Keep [LIB/500316] & S.A.S. library

Bramber, by E. W. Holden, published March 1975 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 15, article, p.68) accessible at: S.A.S. library   Download PDF

St Mary's, Bramber: Illustrated Souvenir Guide Book, published c.1976 (pamphlet, St Mary's Bramber) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6175]

Excavations at Bramber Castle, Sussex 1966-1967 (part of Five Castle Excavations), by K. J. Barton and E. W. Holden, published 1977 in The Archaeological Journal (vol. 134, article, pp.11-79) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7001]   View Online

Reports on the Institute's Research Project into The Origins of the Castle in England

Steyning, Bramber and Upper Beeding Local Plan, 1978-1988, published 1978 (booklet, Horsham District Council) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8588]

Southern History Vol 2, published 1980 (periodical) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7591]

p11-29 The Origins of Steyning and Bramber, Sussex - T P Hudson
p73-91 The Parliamentary Enclosure of West Sussex - J Chapman
p129-177 The Immediate Impact of the Second Reform Act on a Southern County Town, 1865 and 1868 - C E Brent

The Origins of Steyning and Bramber, Sussex, by T. P. Hudson, published 1980 in Southern History (vol. 2, article, pp.11-29) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7482] & West Sussex Libraries

The Victoria History of the County of Sussex, by A. P. Baggs, C. R. J. Currie, C. R. Elrington, S. M. Keeling, A. M. Rowland and edited by T. P. Huson, published 1 January 1980 (vol. 6, part 1: Southern part of the Rape of Bramber, xix + 307 pp. & 20 pp. of plates, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0197227538 & ISBN-13: 9780197227534) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7542][Lib 14778] & The Keep [LIB/500085] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

This volume describes the southern part of Bramber rape, the easternmost of the three rapes of West Sussex. It tells the history of 19 parishes lying along the coastal strip and over the South Downs. The rape takes its name from the castle at Bramber, which was the centre of the feudal honour and in whose shadow the de Braoses, the lords of the rape, planted a new town. Neighbouring Steyning, once one of the chief towns of the county, was a Saxon foundation with a college of secular canons and a port on the river Adur. The port gradually silted up and was replaced by that at New Shoreham, another Norman town planted in a corner of Old Shoreham parish. New Shoreham, once a major channel port and a centre for shipbuilding, has been much affected by changes in the coastline; the modern harbour lies in Kingston Bowsey and Southwick. The silting and reclamation of the Adur estuary has also changed the face of Lancing, where the college and chapel overlook the new ground. Sompting near by has one of the several noteworthy Romanesque churches is the area. The growth of Worthing was impeded in the 19th century by sanitary problems, but the town is now the second largest in Sussex. It was also formerly renowned for its glasshouse produce. It has swallowed its parent parish of Broadwater and the parishes of Durrington, Heene, and West Tarring, the last named including two fine medieval secular buildings. The urban sprawl takes in part of Findon, scene of the annual sheep fair, which like Clapham and Patching to the west retains extensive downland. Washington, north of the downs is noted for market gardening and sand quarrying, while at Wiston was one of the most important country houses in Sussex. The tally of parishes is completed by the deserted villages of Botolphs and Coombes.

The Rape of Bramber (Southern part), by A. P. Baggs, C. R. J. Currie, C. R. Elrington, S. M. Keeling, A. M. Rowland and edited by T. P. Huson, published 1 January 1980 in A History of the County of Sussex (vol. 6, part 1: Southern part of the Rape of Bramber, pp.1-7, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0197227538 & ISBN-13: 9780197227534) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7542][Lib 7543] & The Keep [LIB/500085] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

Parish of Bramber, by A. P. Baggs, C. R. J. Currie, C. R. Elrington, S. M. Keeling, A. M. Rowland and edited by T. P. Huson, published 1 January 1980 in A History of the County of Sussex (vol. 6, part 1: Southern part of the Rape of Bramber, pp.200-214, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0197227538 & ISBN-13: 9780197227534) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7542][Lib 7543] & The Keep [LIB/500085] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

Old Views of Steyning, Bramber and Beeding, by George Cockman, John Green and Stephen Harris, published 1981 (booklet, 28 pp., Steyning: Wests) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7766] & West Sussex Libraries

Bronze Age Founder's Hoard, Bramber, by F. G. Aldsworth, published December 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 35, article, p.251, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library   Download PDF

More Old Views of Steyning, Bramber and Beeding, by George Cockman, published 1983 (booklet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8884][Lib 12694] & West Sussex Libraries

Rape of Bramber (North-West part), by A. P. Baggs, C. R. J. Currie, C. R. Elrington, S. M. Keeling, A. M. Rowland and edited by T. P. Huson, published 1986 in A History of the County of Sussex (vol. 6, part 2: North-western part of the Rape of Bramber including Horsham, pp.1-4, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0197227678 & ISBN-13: 9780197227671) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9669][Lib 9670] & The Keep [LIB/500086] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

The Bramber - Beeding Causeway, by Eric W. Holden, published 1986 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 124, historical note, p.263) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9762] & The Keep [LIB/500311] & S.A.S. library

The Rape of Bramber (North-East part), by A. P. Baggs, C. R. J. Currie, C. R. Elrington, S. M. Keeling, A. M. Rowland and edited by T. P. Huson, published 1 January 1987 in A History of the County of Sussex (vol. 6, part 3: North-eastern part of the Rape of Bramber including Crawley New Town, pp.1-4, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0197227686 & ISBN-13: 9780197227688) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9945][Lib 9946] & The Keep [LIB/500077] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

Bygone Steyning, Bramber and Beeding, by Aylwin Guilmant, published 1988 (The History Press, ISBN-10: 0850336694 & ISBN-13: 9780850336696) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10115] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Steyning, Bramber, and Beeding are now quiet backwaters. It is a large part of their present charm that they preserve much of the atmosphere of a past age. Yet, paradoxically, the three adjacent communities were relatively busier. Bustling river trade on the Adur combined with their position as centers for a thriving agricultural community, with markets, fairs, a castle, a priory, a great collegiate church and, by the 10th century, even a mint; all these made them places of importance in the Middle Ages.

An Anglo Saxon and Mediaeval Settlement at Botolphs, Bramber, West Sussex, by Mark Gardiner, Caroline Cartwright and others, published 1990 in The Archaeological Journal (vol. 147, article, pp.216-275)   View Online

Three early Anglo-Saxon sunken-featured buildings dating to the late fifth or early sixth century were discovered during excavation. Finds suggest that stamp-decorated and grass-tempered pottery was made in the settlement. Burnt daub with a lime-washed surface was found, possibly from other, larger buildings. In the late tenth or early eleventh century the site was reoccupied. Traces of five timber buildings from this second phase of activity were recorded to the south of the parish church, which was built (or rebuilt) during this period. Other structures including a well and fence-line were excavated. During the later medieval period the area examined was probably part of the glebe of the parish of Botolphs. A ditch and rubbish pits of the later thirteenth and fourteenth centuries found here are to be associated with the nearby vicarage.

Guide to Steyning and Bramber, published c.1992 (pamphlet, Steyning Chamber of Trade) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12217]

Bramber Glimpses of a Village, edited by Alison Noble, published 1996 (booklet, 68 pp., Beeding and Bamber Local History Society, ISBN-10: 0952829401 & ISBN-13: 9780952829409) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13205] & Steyning Museum & West Sussex Libraries

Bramber Castle Hotel or the White Lion Rediscovered, by Janet Pennington, published 1996 in Glimpses of a Village, Bramber (article, pp.28-33, Beeding and Bamber Local History Society)

Sussex Hearth Tax Assessments 1662: Bramber Rape, by Timothy Patrick Mitchell, published 31 July 1996 (booklet, 40 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 095238812X & ISBN-13: 9780952388128) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13244] & The Keep [LIB/501294]

Adur Valley. Bramber and Beeding, by Graham Kean and Tony Ketteman, published 1997 (Steyning Museum Trust) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Sussex Militia Deserters, by A. M. J. Chapman, published September 1999 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 13 no. 7, article, pp.225-232) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14880] & The Keep [LIB/508822] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Lists of deserters for 1820 and 1821 in the Rapes of Chichester, Arundel, Bramber, Lewes, Pevensey and Hastings

A medieval saltern mound at Millfields Caravan Park, Bramber, West Sussex, by Victoria Ridgeway, published 2000 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 138, article, pp.135-152) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14509] & The Keep [LIB/500298] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Archaeological evaluation and excavation work in advance of redevelopment at the former Millfields Caravan Park, Bramber, West Sussex in 1997, revealed evidence of sporadic occupation dating from the medieval period to the present. The site was located adjacent to the strongly tidal, and originally estuarine, River Adur, approximately 6.4 kilometres inland from Shoreham-by-Sea.
Although residual prehistoric flintwork was recovered, the earliest excavated feature was a ditch of probable early medieval date which suggests attempts to drain the open marshland of the estuarine floodplain. Subsequently, washed silts and sands deriving from medieval salt manufacture were deposited, forming a saltern mound used intermittently from the 13th into the 16th century. The mound showed evidence of sporadic flooding until the mid-16th century, by which time the River Adur had been fully embanked and the land was used as pasture. A saw-pit was in operation by the early 19th century, possibly in connection with a wharf known from documentary sources.
This paper is primarily concerned with the evidence for salt manufacture. The saltern mound, buried beneath alluvium and previously undocumented, joins the many examples known to have been in operation in the valley during the late Saxon and medieval periods, but is the first to be extensively excavated and the first to produce evidence of buildings.

Bramber, Historic Character Assessment Report, compiled by Roland B. Harris, published August 2004 (Sussex Extensive Urban Survey (EUS), 48 pp., E.S.C.C., W.S.C.C. & Brighton and Hove City, funded by English Heritage) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries   Download PDF

The windmill 'betweene the Bridges of Bramber', by Janet Pennington, published 2006 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 144, short article, pp.213-215) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15759] & The Keep [LIB/500362] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Beeding and Bramber, Two Sussex Villages: A Study of the Probate Inventories, Wills and Accounts, 1613-1775, edited by Janet Pennington, A. Noble and Joyce Sleight, published 2007 (52 pp., Beeding and Bamber Local History Society, ISBN-10: 0952829428 & ISBN-13: 9780952829423) accessible at: Steyning Museum & West Sussex Libraries

The People of Beeding and Bramber in the Great War, by Pat Nightingale and Ken Wilson-Wheeler, published 9 September 2016 (179 pp. + 110 illus., Beeding and Bamber Local History Society) accessible at: Henfield Museum & Steyning Museum

Covers the stories of soldiers who were killed in WW1, and those that survived, from the villages of Upper Beeding, Bramber, Botolphs, Small Dole, Edburton and Fulking.

An Interesting and Descriptive Guide to Steyning, Bramber, Beeding, Wiston, Ashurst and District, published (no date) (booklet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4312]

St Mary's, Bramber: A Gem of Early English Architecture [guide], published (no date) (booklet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5132]

The Parish Church of St Nicholas in Bramber, Sussex, published (no date) (pamphlet, St Nicholas Bramber) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9524]

Bramber Parish Register, published (no date) by the Sussex Family History Group and Parish Register Transcription Society (Ref: SXW123, CD-ROM)

Baptisms and Burials 1585 -1901. Marriages 1585-1650, 1670-1901. Banns 1755-1827. Indexed Transcription. Includes 20 photographs Vol.123.