Barton Manor is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest continuously inhabited house in Britain, and as such has a rich history.
We have created a detailed timeline of events in and surrounding the Manor, which we hope will be of captivating interest if you are thinking of staying with us.
If you’d prefer to read a more detailed history document, please click here to download.
Following on from the Bronze Age, the Iron Age of Britain covers the period from about 800 BC to the Roman invasion of 43 AD. The Roman era lasted from the conquest by Julius Caesar to attacks from Saxons in the 4th Century.
Discover More
A British Celtic tribe occupying modern Berkshire and Hampshire, along with areas of West Sussex, western Surrey, and north-east Wiltshire.
The Cantiaci or Cantii were an Iron Age Celtic people living in Britain before the Roman conquest and they lived in the area now called Kent. Their capital was Durovernum Cantiacorum, now Canterbury.
Cassivellaunus was a historical British tribal chief who led the defence against Julius Caesar's second expedition to Britain in 54 BC. He led an alliance of tribes against Roman forces, but eventually surrendered after his location was revealed to Julius Caesar by defeated Britons.
Commius was a king of the Atrebates, initially in Gaul, then in Britain, in the 1st century BC. The Winchester Hoard (c. 50 BC). This jewellery might have been a diplomatic gift to a Chieftain ruling in southern Britain, possibly related to Commius of the Atrebates.
Tincomarus was a king of the Iron Age Belgic tribe of the Atrebates who lived in southern central Britain shortly before the Roman invasion. His name was previously reconstructed as Tincommius, based on abbreviated coin legends and a damaged mention in Augustus's Res Gestae, but since 1996 coins have been discovered which give his full name.
Eppillus (Celtic: "little horse") was the name of a Roman client king of the Atrebates tribe of the British Iron Age. He appears to have ruled part of the territory that had previously been held by Commius, Noviomagus (Chichester) in the south of the kingdom.
From 410 to 1066, Anglo-Saxon history in the UK saw the arrival of Germanic tribes, the establishment of powerful kingdoms, Viking invasions, and the eventual Norman Conquest, marking the end of Anglo-Saxon rule. This period was marked by migration, warfare, and cultural transformation, leaving a lasting legacy on English language, institutions, and identity.
Discover More
Ælle is regarded as the first king of the South Saxons, reigning in what is now called Sussex, England, from 477 to 514.
The Ġewisse were a tribe or clan of Anglo-Saxon England, based in the upper Thames region around Dorchester on Thames.
Cædwalla was the King of Wessex from approximately 685 until he abdicated in 688. His name is derived from the Welsh Cadwallon. He was exiled from Wessex as a youth and during this period gathered forces and attacked the South Saxons, killing their king, Æthelwealh, in what is now Sussex.
Æthelwealh was the first historical king of Sussex. Æthelwealh became the first Christian king of Sussex and was king when Sussex was converted to Christianity in 681.
Æthelwealh gave Barton Manor and lands to St Wilfred.
St Wilfred ownership of Barton Manor and area confirmed by Cædwalla.
St Wilfred gives Barton Manor to Archbishop of Canterbury in gratitude for Archbishopric of York.
Canute (the anglicized form of his name) born 995, son of Svein Forkbeard King of Denmark was the King of England, Norway and Denmark. An effective leader with an ethos and system of government which would last the test of time. He was thought of so highly by his subjects they persuaded him to attempt to control the waves. This is thought to have been at Bosham and was as expected unsuccessful.
From 1066 to 1485, Norman history in the UK saw the consolidation of Norman rule under William the Conqueror, the establishment of feudalism, the centralization of power, and the emergence of English identity through intermingling Norman and Anglo-Saxon cultures, culminating in the Tudor dynasty's reign and the onset of the Renaissance.
Discover More
The Doomsday Book states that Barton Manor and the land around Pagham is the richest area in West Sussex.
St Anselm consecrated the Bishop elect of London at Barton Manor, at the request of King Henry I.
Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III.
Archbishop of Canterbury in the years 1279–1292. He was a native of Sussex who was educated at Lewes Priory and became a Friar Minor about 1250. Peckham came from a humble family, possibly from Patcham in Sussex. He was born about 1230 and was educated at Lewes Priory.
From 1485 to 1714, Tudor and Stuart history in the UK was marked by religious upheaval, civil war, and the emergence of parliamentary sovereignty, culminating in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the establishment of constitutional monarchy, shaping the modern British state.
Discover More
Henry VIII’s reformation and dissolution of the monasteries means the Manor was owned by the Crown.
Queen Elizabeth I granted Barton Manor to Edward Darell who was clerk of the Queens Acatry.
From 1714 to the present day, Hanoverian and Windsor history in the UK saw the growth of the British Empire, the challenges of two World Wars, and the evolution of the monarchy amidst societal changes, culminating in the modern constitutional monarchy and the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, amidst debates over its role in contemporary society.
Discover More
William Holland Ballett Fletcher was born on October 29, 1852, in Broadwater, West Sussex, and was only 11 years old when his father died. With the guidance of his mother, he went on to St John’s College in Cambridge from where, in 1875, he obtained his BA and an MA in 1879. Fletcher resided at what is now Hotham Park House for over 40 years.
William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, GCVO, PC (31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945), known as Cosmo Gordon Lang, was a Scottish Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942).
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle visited Barton Manor in 1878. Barton Manor is thought to have been the Hurlstone Manor House in ‘The Musgrave Ritual’.
Frank Trelawny Arthur Ashton-Gwatkin CB CMG (14 April 1889 – 30 January 1976) was a British diplomat and Foreign Office official. He was a significant influence on the British foreign policy in the Far East in the early 20th century. He also published a number of novels and other works under the pseudonym John Paris.
Manor was restored by William Fletcher (a descendant of James Ballet) who also owned nearby Hotham House.
Archbishop of Canterbury, William Cosmo Lang visited the chapel at Barton Manor while visiting King George V.
Queen Mary regularly visited St Thomas a Beckett Church in Pagham while King George V convalesced at Craigwell House.
Barton Manor is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest continuously inhabited house in Britain, and as such, has a rich history. We have created a detailed timeline of events in and surrounding the Manor, which we hope will be of captivating interest if you are thinking of staying with us.
Unique Roman mosaics can be seen in the village of Fishbourne and King Canute's daughter is buried in the Parish Church of Bosham, nearby.
© Barton Manor 2024. All rights reserved.