Category:Bulverhythe

From Historical Hastings

Etymology

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

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

1800s

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.

  1. The Antiquities of Hastings and the Battlefield (Thomas Cole 1864) Pg. 28 Google Books - 1864 ESCC Library. A later edition is also available: ESCC Library - 1884
  2. Osborne's Visitor's Guide to Hastings and St Leonards c1854 3rd ed. Pg. 67 Google Books
  3. A Guide to Hastings & St Leonards (Thomas Ross 1835) pg.40 Google Books
  4. Internet Archive Sussex archaeological collections relating to the history and antiquities of the county Pg. 19
  5. Hastings past and present with notices of the most remarkable places in the neighbourhood (Mary Matilda Howard) pg. 269 Google Books
  6. Hastings & St Leonards Observer 12 March 1869 pg. 4