Manor Profile
Oving, West Sussex· Box and Stockbridge Hundred· 956 – 1857
King Eadwy granted lands at Oving to Bishop Brihthelm of Selsey in 956. The estate was constituted as a prebend attached to the dignity of precentor of Chichester Cathedral from early times, probably by Bishop Ralph (1091-1123). It so remained until 1857, when the precentorship lost its endowments and the manor passed into the hands of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
During the Commonwealth the prebendal estate was acquired by Richard and John Downes. The Elson family held a lease from 1669 to 1730, when it lapsed through negligence. The vicarage was ordained in 1225 under Precentor Hugh de Talmaco, with the vicar receiving all tithes of the demesne, the small tithes throughout the parish, and certain obventions and legacies. In 1535 the manor was farmed for 19 pounds 2s. 1.5d. and rectorial tithes were worth 20 pounds. The advowson passed to the Bishop under the 1840 Act. The Merston benefice was annexed in 1931.
Probably included in Aldingbourne at the 1086 survey. No separate Domesday entry.
| # | Name | From | To | Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishop Brihthelm of Selsey | 956 | grant from King Eadwy | ||
| 2 | Precentor of Chichester Cathedral (prebend) | 1091 | 1857 | constituted as prebend by Bishop Ralph | Except during Commonwealth. |
| 3 | Ecclesiastical Commissioners | 1857 | from precentorship endowments |
Chichester Cathedral (Precentor)
diocese · held · 1091 – 1857
Prebendal manor attached to dignity of precentor from c.1091 to 1857.
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
crown · held · 1857
Took over precentorship endowments in 1857.
Church of St Andrew, Oving: chancel, nave, two transepts, west tower with shingled broach spire, north porch, vestry south of nave. Nave in knapped flint; remainder ordinary flint rubble with ashlar dressings in Caen stone and Binsted stone. 12th-century origins (chevron stones found 1881 in north transept west wall). Main existing structure 13th century. 1840 restoration "removed every vestige of antiquity." Four bells: Thomas Giles (1613), Brian Eldridge (1627, 1653), Clement Tosear (1702). 12th-century font fragments. Registers begin 1561.
VCH Closing Statement
“The precentorship lost its endowments and the manor passed to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.”
VCH Sussex, Vol. 4, pp. 165-170
