Welcome to
The Manor of Eastbourne Medsey
Alias Medes, Meades or Meads
An historic Sussex lordship
Today held as an incorporeal hereditament
Preserving and Protecting the Past for the Future
Welcome
As the present and 25th Lord of Eastbourne Medsey, I welcome you to my Manorial web site. I hope you will find it interesting and informative and that it will afford you a glimpse into an interesting and unique part of English history.
The Right Revd Dr
Damien Steven Robert Mead
HonDD FRSA MSGB
What is the Manor of Eastbourne Medsey?
An Introduction
The Present (and 25th) Lord of Eastbourne Medsey
The History of the Manor
The Manor of Eastbourne Medsey is one of the historic manorial interests associated with the ancient parish and later town of Eastbourne in Sussex.
Quite often people assume that 'Manor' is simply a reference to a physical building. However, as you will see it is far more complex than that.
The surviving Lordship is today held separately from the land which historically comprised the Manor of Eastbourne Medsey. It is an incorporeal hereditament: a form of intangible property recognised by English law.
This website exists principally to preserve, examine and make accessible the history of Eastbourne Medsey; to bring together documentary and archival sources concerning the Manor; and to record its continuing story under its present stewardship.
Modern possession of the Lordship carries no claim to ownership of the historic manorial lands and no feudal jurisdiction or manorial rights are exercised by the present Lord.
However, the present Lord believes that to hold a manorial lordship in the twenty-first century is not merely to inherit or possess an historic dignity, but to accept a corresponding duty of service. In the spirit of noblesse oblige, such a position should be expressed through stewardship, generosity, support for the local community, respect for heritage, and a willingness to use whatever influence or resources one has for the benefit of others through Stewardship & Service.
The History of the Manor
The Present (and 25th) Lord of Eastbourne Medsey
The History of the Manor
The historic manorial landscape associated with The Lordship of Eastbourne Medsey, alias Meades, Meads, or Medes, lay in and around what is now Meads and the adjoining Eastbourne Downland.
The Village of Meads is southwest of Eastbourne town centre, and between it and the famous cliffs of Beachy Head.
Medsey has been referred to as the place "Where the Downs meet the Sea".
Until the middle of the 19th century this was open country with a few farms. Records show that the downland known as Bullock Down and South Down (which is not to be confused by the geographical area which eventually became the South Downs National Park), or 'Meads Tenantry Down', was used by the tenants of Medsey to pasture their livestock.
Until the town of Eastbourne was developed in the 19th century, this area was distinctly rural.
In a description for visitors written in 1858,
Homely Herbert writes
“…the small village at the foot of the lofty hill through which we are passing in The Meads.; it consists, as you see, of a few scattered houses, inhabited chiefly by farmers and fishermen.”
Through its history many nobles have held the Manor of Eastbourne Medsey - including the Earls and Dukes of Dorset and, most recently, the Earls De La Warr.
The reconstructed medieval history of Eastbourne Medsey associates the Manor with the endowments of Michelham Priory, although a continuous documentary trail has not yet been established.
(A more detailed history in pdf format may be viewed below).
Sources & References
The Present (and 25th) Lord of Eastbourne Medsey
The Present (and 25th) Lord of Eastbourne Medsey
Research into the history of Eastbourne Medsey draws upon material held by national and regional archives and libraries.
The Manorial Documents Register is a register of surviving manorial documents and should not be understood as a register of present ownership of lordships.
Where documentary evidence remains incomplete, this is stated openly.
Further discoveries will be incorporated into the history of the Manor as research continues.
Another useful resource for The Manor of Eastbourne Medsey, and indeed other local Manors, is the book published in 1912 'Old Eastbourne - its Church, Its Clergy, Its People' by The Rev. Walter Budgen, MA. (Appendix A pp329-334).
The documentary history of Eastbourne Medsey becomes particularly substantial during the later medieval and Tudor periods and, especially, through its association with the Sackville family.
Surviving archival material includes surveys and records relating specifically to Eastbourne Medsey. Among these is a British Library catalogue entry for a “Survey of Estborne Medsey manor, annexed to Wilmington: 1571–1668”, demonstrating the Manor’s established documentary identity during the Sackville period.
The purpose of this website is not to embellish the history of the Manor, but to distinguish as carefully as possible between what is documented, reasonably reconstructed, traditionally received, and modern.
The Present (and 25th) Lord of Eastbourne Medsey
The Present (and 25th) Lord of Eastbourne Medsey
The Present (and 25th) Lord of Eastbourne Medsey
The Right Revd Dr Damien Steven Robert Mead
is the present holder of the Lordship of the Manor of Eastbourne Medsey and is reckoned as the twenty-fifth Lord in the traditional succession adopted by the Manor.
Since succeeding to the title in 2022, he has sought to
preserve and document its history while giving its modern stewardship a practical expression through support for appropriate local heritage, community and charitable causes.
He regards possession of Eastbourne Medsey not as an attempt to recreate the privileges or jurisdiction of the historic manor, but as an opportunity for stewardship: preserving its record, encouraging further historical research and maintaining a connection between the Manor’s past and the community occupying its former landscape today.
Dr Mead is also a bishop of the Anglican Catholic Church, within the Continuing Anglican tradition, and serves in its Diocese of the United Kingdom.
In August 2000 he co-founded what is now Credo Care Fostering Limited, an independent fostering organisation specialising in placements for disabled children and young people, including those with autism, complex medical needs and life-limiting conditions. He continues to serve as its Chairman.
He lives in an historic house, circa 1420, in the Cinque Port Town of Lydd, on the Romney Marsh, Kent, some 30 miles along the coast, to the East of Eastbourne Medsey.
To find out more about the Present Lord of Eastbourne Medsey please click the link below.