Beckley, East Sussex

Beckley

All Saints Church
Beckley
Beckley shown within East Sussex
Area 22.8 km2 (8.8 sq mi) [1]
Population 1,037 (Parish-2011)[2]
• Density 115/sq mi (44/km2)
OS grid reference TQ852239
• London 48 miles (77 km) NW
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town RYE
Postcode district TN31
Dialling code 01797
Police Sussex
Fire East Sussex
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament
Website Beckley Council

Beckley is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. It is located on the B2088 minor road above the Rother Levels five miles (8 km) northwest of Rye and ten miles (16 km) from Hastings. The northern border follows the river Rother.

History

Beckley was part of the Wealden iron industry.[3] An iron furnace was built in 1578, at the small settlement still called Beckley Furnace. A watermill powered the bellows. Production ceased in 1770.[4]

The 1830s saw a mass emigration of Beckley residents to New South Wales. At the time, the developing colony of New South Wales was in need of skilled agricultural labourers, whilst the English labourers were suffering hard times. Various schemes were introduced to provide finance for workers to emigrate. 165 Beckley residents took up the offer and emigrated. Amongst those residents were Thomas and Maria Ann Smith (née Sherwood), the cultivator of the Granny Smith apple.[5] Another of those residents who emigrated at this time was Henry Charles Packham, whose son Charles, in Molong, New South Wales, was the cultivator of the Packham pear.[6][7]

The parish church is the All Saints church, which is located at the far west end of the town. Its isolated position indicating that the main village has relocated during its history.

Governance

The lowest level of government is the Beckley parish council which meets once a month. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into the district council meetings. The parish council comprises seven councillors with elections being held every four years. The May 2007 election was uncontested.[8]

Current details about the Parish can be found on the official Parish Council website.[9]

Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Beckley lies within the Rother Levels ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned two Conservatives councillors.

East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Beckley falls within the Northern Rother ward. Peter Jones, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 49.7% of the vote.

The UK Parliament constituency for Beckley is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker was re-elected in the May 2005 election.

At European level, Beckley is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green, none of whom live in East Sussex.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Wealden Iron Series 2". Wealden Iron Research Group. 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  4. ↑ "Beckley Sussex". Villagenet.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  5. ↑ "Local History". Beckley History Society. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  6. ↑ Finn, Rosslyn. Packham, Charles Henry (1842–1909). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  7. ↑ "A village claims its slice of history: the birthplace of the Packham Pear". ABC Central West NSW. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Stevens, Derek (4 April 2007). "Election of seven councillors" (pdf). Rother District Council. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  9. ↑ "Beckley Parish Council". Beckley Parish Council. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  10. ↑ "UK MEP's". UK Office of the European Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 January 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.

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