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MIDHURST

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 418 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MIDHURST , a See also:

market See also:town in the See also:north-western See also:parliamentary See also:division of See also:Sussex, See also:England, 12 M. N. by E. of See also:Chichester by the See also:London, See also:Brighton & See also:South See also:Coast railway; served also by the London & South Western railway. Pop. (19ox); 1674. It is pleasantly situated on slightly rising ground near the See also:river Rother. The See also:church of St See also:Mary Magdalen and St See also:Denis is a large Perpendicular See also:building. The town retains several picturesque old houses, and in the vicinity, by the river, are the ruins of the 16th See also:century See also:mansion of Cowdray, burnt down in 1793. A See also:grammar-school was founded at Midhurst in 1672 and attained some See also:eminence. After being closed for many years it was re-opened in 1880. In 1906 a magnificent See also:sanatorium for consumptives was opened about 4 M. from Midhurst; it bears the name of See also:King See also:Edward VII., who laid its See also:foundation See also:stone and opened it. The name of Midhurst (Middeherst, Mudhurst) first occurs in the reign of See also:Henry I. when Savaric Fitz-See also:Cana held it of the See also:honour of See also:Arundel, then presumably in the king's hands. The See also:charter of Henry I., although no longer extant, is quoted in later See also:confirmation charters of See also:Richard I., Henry III., Edward III. and Richard II.

Franco de See also:

Bohun inherited Midhurst from his See also:uncle Savaric Fitz-Savaric, and the De Bohuns held the lordship until 1499 when See also:Sir See also:David See also:Owen obtained it through his See also:marriage with the daughter of the last male See also:heir. He sold it to Sir See also:William Fitz-William, from whom it passed to Sir See also:Anthony See also:Browne and descended to the viscounts Montague. Midhurst is definitely called a See also:borough in the reign of Edward I., but the borough-See also:court and market were probably in existence much earlier. It was governed by a See also:bailiff, elected annually, until the See also:office lapsed, probably See also:early in the 19th century. In an See also:act of 1883 it is mentioned as one of the towns which had See also:long ceased to be municipal. No charter of See also:incorporation is known. Midhurst returned two members to See also:parliament from 1300–1301 till 1832, and from that date one member until 1885 when it was disfranchised. In the reign of Henry VI. a market was held by the burgesses every See also:Thursday, and a See also:fair on Whit-Tuesday, by See also:grant from Sir See also:John Bohun. In 1888 the fair-days were the 6th of See also:April, the 9th of May and the 29th of See also:October. The market-See also:day was Thursday. See also:Pleasure-fairs are still held on the 6th of April and the 29th of October, but there is no market.

End of Article: MIDHURST

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