Hamsey

Coordinates: 50°54′N 0°00′E / 50.90°N 0.00°E / 50.90; 0.00

Hamsey is a civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located three miles (5 km) north of Lewes on the Prime Meridian. The original village, now abandoned apart from the church and a few cottages, lay on an island in the River Ouse; the parish consists of the villages of Hamsey with Offham and Cooksbridge being the main centres of population in the parish.

Offham

This village is on the A275 just north of Lewes and next to the Chalk Pit and the woods surrounding it. It has a pub, the Blacksmiths Arms.

Cooksbridge

Cooksbridge is centred on its railway station and has a primary school and a pub, the Rainbow.

It is believed that the village got its name from the cooks who fed the soldiers of Simon de Montfort from the bridge on their way to the Battle of Lewes in 1264 . The troops came from nearby Fletching where they spent the night in prayer on their way to the defeat of Henry III .

Landmarks

There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest that fall within the parish, Clayton to Offham Escarpment and Offham Marshes. Clayton to Offham Escarpment lies on the South Downs and stretches across many parishes. Its chalk grassland, woodland and scrub supporting a wide variety of breeding birds. Offham Marshes, fully contained within the parish, is an area of alluvial grazing marsh. Its biological interest is due to its large amphibian population and several other scarce insect life.