Category:Bulverhythe

Etymology[edit]

The name of Bulverhythe possibly comes from the adjacent haven, called Bollifride (Cole gives a spelling of 'Bulwer Hythe'^[1]) alternatively, Bulverhythe, or Bull’s-hide, takes its name from the circumstance of William the Conqueror granting to the ancestor of the Pelham family as much land as he could cover with a Bull’s hide: he very ingeniously cut the hide into throngs, by which means he secured to himself a considerable parcel of ground.^[2] Ross writes in his guide 'Here was a haven called bollefride, where some writers claim the Conqueror landed'^[3]. The area was formerly part of the manor of Bolinton^[4].

Pre-History[edit]

An iguanadon fossil was discovered in the sandstone cliff here^[5], together with numerous smaller fossils.

1800s[edit]

A visitor's guide published in the Hastings & St Leonards Observer during 1869 states the following^[6]:

Bulverhithe(sic), four miles from Hastings, the road westward through St. Leonards, was formerly a haven under the name of Bollifride; a pleasant ride, undisturbed by either or toll-gates.