Bulverhythe (St. Mary)

BULVERHYTHE (St. Mary), an ancient parish, and a member of the town and port of Hastings, in the union and rape of Hastings, hundred of Bexhill, E. division of Sussex, 1½ mile (E.) from Bexhill; containing 37 inhabitants. This place, formerly a haven called Bollifridé, is said to derive its name from the circumstance of William the Conqueror, who is supposed to have landed here, having granted to an ancestor of the Pelham family as much land as he could cover with a bull's hide, which was made extensive by the expedient of cutting it into slips. The parish is bounded on the south by the English Channel, which has considerably encroached on the land; and is intersected by the road from Dovor to Brighton, by way of Hastings: along the coast are several martello towers, and there are some remains of an ancient church or chapel.