LETTER: Early spelling of Dedisham

Concerning the article in the County Times of November 3 about the Tudor map, I think '˜Delsham' may be an early spelling of Dedisham, an old farmhouse on the river bank at Roman Gate across the fields before the turning to Five Oaks on the Guildford Road between Broadbridge Heath and Bucks Green.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Nov 2016, 07:00 GMT
Updated 16th Nov 2016, 16:20 GMT
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HILDA CRAVEN

Hurst Road, Horsham

Editor’s note - Roger Nash, chairman of Rudgwick Preservation Society, kindly sent the following to the County Times:

You refer in your interesting article on Speed’s map of Sussex to Delsham. This place is most definitely on modern maps, and is a place of some historical importance.

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The problem is with the spelling as you say in your piece.

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The ‘correct’ old spelling was Detsham. Perhaps you misread an ‘l’ for a ‘t’. Spelling was of course not standardised until quite recently.

The modern spelling is Dedisham. Dedisham is a farm in Slinfold parish, very close to the Rudgwick boundary and to the junction of the A281 and A29, known as Roman Gate.

The house is a magnificent old manor house, and nearby are the archaeological sites of Alfoldean Roman station, once featured on BBC’s Timeteam, and the many signs of iron industry activity from Elizabethan times.

Perhaps most significant is the use of a park symbol on Speed’s map as Dedisham had three parks spread across eastern Rudgwick and northern Slinfold, and was the seat of the manor of Dets(h)am, Detsum, or Dedisham. Those of us who are interested in local history and live in the Rudgwick/Slinfold area are very familiar with its importance.

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Related topics:Tudor