Steyning Hundred
Hundred in the County of Sussex
Historical Forms
- Staninges 1086 DB 1178 P 1265 Misc
- Stenigges 1272 RH
- Steyninge 1316 FA
Etymology
See further under Steyning infra 234. In 1168 (P) the hundred is called Bremble from Bramber infra 222. Steyning was central for the hundred, except for its outlying member Horsham up in the Weald. In modern days two new hundreds have been carved out of Steyning Hundred, viz. Singlecross Hundred (first mentioned in the Parliamentary Survey of 1650), containing the parishes of Nuthurst, Rusper and Warnham, and Horsham Hundred containing the Borough of Horsham and Horsham Rural parish. The Singlecross is probably the Shyngledecrouche of 1304 (Ass 933 m. 1). The first element must be the adj. shingled (NED a. 1), descriptive of something covered with tiles or shingles. Such shingles are very common in Sussex and the reference is perhaps to some small protective roof for the cross. We may compare Singlewell (K), Shyngeldwell in 1331 (Ch), where we seem to have a spring similarly pro- tected.