Bramber - West Sussex

It is believed that the hill overlooking the village of Bramber and the river Adur had some sort of Saxon defences but this cannot really be proven. The name Bramber does come from an original Saxon name but even here there is disagreement, is it from the Saxon word for bramble thicket - brémer, or Brymmburh - a fortified hill.

The rape of Bramber was given to William de Braose after the battle of Hastings. He originally built a wooden fort on the hill but this was soon replaced by the much more impressive Bramber Castle. At the time of the Domesday Book the site was known as Brembre. William was certainly a good choice when it came to keeping the locals in their place. When given the task of bringing the Welsh in Gwent to heel, he simple invited the Welsh chieftains to a banquet at Abergavenny and then murdered them.

The castle was built around 1070 to 1073. William also built the nearby church of St Nicholas as a chapel for the castle. The reason the castle was built was to protect the Adur estuary and the port at Steyning. William also had a bridge built over the Adur, this became known as the Great Bridge and was considered very impressive with its four spans, unfortunately the bridge no longer exists. He built the bridge to give himself and his family a good income as he forced the vessels sailing to Steyning to pay a toll, this created a great deal of friction between himself and the port of Steyning. This occasionally led to open warfare between the castle and the port.

Williams de Braose son Philip founded the Knights Templars, when he died part of Bramber was donated to the Templars by Philips Widow, a short distance from the castle the Templars built their Chapel House. In 1312 the Knights Templars were charged with immorality and practising the black arts and their order destroyed. Their property in Bramber passed to the Priory de Sele (founded by William de Broase in 1080). The order kept the town for the next 200 years, then they were also charged with immorality and their order was dissolved as well. William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester then took charge of the Chapel house and developed it into the house we now know as St Mary's.

SPOOK SPOT: The four young children of the De Braose family haunt Bramber castle. They hold out their hands as if begging for food. After a falling out between the King and the de Braose family King John took the children hostage, eventually he simply locked them away and left them to starve to death.

The castle had a long history but was eventually destroyed by Cromwell’s forces in 1544. The Parliamentary forces used the nearby church as a gun emplacement. It is claimed that the church tower is shorter than it should be because a wall of the castle fell on it. The most impressive section of the castle still standing is a 75ft high stump; it is believed that this was once the wall of one of two towers defending the main gate.

Although the village of Bramber is in effect one street, it is a delightful place overlooked by the ruined castle on the hill. It also has another gem in St Mary’s.

Visitors enjoying a house that was almost demolished for its timber.

The only reason St Mary’s is here today is due to the efforts of Miss Dorothy Ellis. While visiting a hairdresser in London in 1944 she was browsing through a magazine when she saw an advert advertising the sale of the house. Without hesitation she made up her mind to buy St Mary's, and just as well she did, as the only other person at the auction who was interested in the house was a local builder who wanted to demolish the house so he could use the timber.

The house was in a terrible state when purchased, Dorothy Ellis dedicated the next 35 years of her life repairing and restoring the house. Eventually she was forced to sell the house but each new owner has continued the work she started.

The name St Mary’s originally referred to the Chapel House of the Knights Templars, when the Templars left the Chapel House was taken over by the Monks of Sele. The monks were also responsible for the upkeep of Bramber Bridge, this they failed to do. Eventually the Chapel House and bridge were in a state of disrepair and the monks almost destitute.


The small but delightful gardens at St Mary's, the front of the house (left) and the private gardens at the side of the house (right).

William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, founder of Magdalen College Oxford took over ownership of the Chapel House and around 1470 the Chapel house was extended to include an inn for travellers and pilgrims. As the religious importance of the site waned the inn not the Chapel House became known as St Mary’s. After much alteration and many owners the inn became the private residence we see today. Many claim that St Mary’s is "the best 15th Century timber framing in Sussex".

SPOOK SPOT: Maud of Ditchling and William de Lindfield, Mauds lover also haunts the castle. When Mauds husband Lord Herbert de Hurst found out about their relationship he had William bricked up in a cell and left to die, but to punish his wife he took her down to the wall and made her listen to the moans of her lover as he starved. It is said that Maud died shortly after William of a broken heart, years later the wall was taken down a skeleton was found crouched in a corner of the cell.

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©1998 NavTech B.V. All rights reserved. Based on Ordnance Survey electronic data; used with permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. ©Crown Copyright 1997.


Sadly this 75ft section of wall is all that remains of the castles towers.


As one would expect, the Castle still provides an excellent view of the surrounding countryside.

Visit the official web site of Bramber Parish Church (St.Nicholas)