Botolphs

Botolph (formerly Annington ) is a small town in the district of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It lies in the valley of the River Adur near the cities of Steyning and Coombes.

History and Sights

The most important attraction of the village is derived from the year 950 Saxon parish church. Until now, large parts of the original building, in particular parts of the pulpit wall and the arch vault. The Saxon apse was replaced by a new church tower in the 13th century. Presumably, the Church from the beginning was dedicated to the Holy Botolph. In Norman records, however, is a dedication to the Saint Peter 's speech. Here the church is also called Annington. It is assumed that the Norman conquerors of a well- established practice followed in their opinion, obscure church dedications changed in their favor. Later, it was adopted as part of a convergence process of the place name Botolph. However, the name Annington remained for a small patch between Bramber and Botolph.

Like many other places in the area learned Botolph an attractive growth that was mainly due to the navigation on the Adur and the nearby salt production. With the silting up of the river, however Botolph lost its importance and also large parts of its population. This population loss resulted in the once independent municipality followed the example of their own parish and merged with the nearby Bramber.

In the aftermath Botolph apparently played a minor role. Thus, the patients of leprosy hospital located in Bramber Saint Mary Magdalene, which was not allowed were to visit the castle church at Bramber, sent to St. Peter Church after Botolph. Here recall two slots in the pulpit wall through which the patients were able to follow the Mass at this time.