Ovingdean

OVINGDEAN, a parish, in the union of Newhaven, hundred of Younsmere, rape of Lewes, E. division of Sussex, 3 miles (E. by S.) from Brighton; containing 116 inhabitants. It lies on the coast, and comprises 1618 acres, of which a large portion is arable, and the rest down land and waste: the village is situated in a pleasant valley about a mile from the sea. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 5. 6.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. A. Stead: the tithes have been commuted for £382; and there is a glebe-house, with about an acre and a half of land. The church is in the early English style, and from the remains of pointed arches now built up on the south side, is supposed to have been formerly much larger than at present. Not far from it is an ancient farmhouse, recently modernised, in which Charles II., sought refuge prior to his escape to the continent.