The Rest of Up Sydling; Milton Abbey and Beyond

 

In 934 AD, King Athelstan granted the Abbott of Milton Abbey 30 hides of land at Sydling as provision for the abbey table. In 1086, the Domesday book confirmed this holding.

 

 In 1311, the charter of King Edward 2nd to the Abbott and Convent of Milton confirmed to them possession of Broad Sydling, with its appurtenances namely Hilfield, La Halvehide, Up Sydling and Elyston, Chalmington and Blakemore, advowson of the church with the chapels at Hilfield and Up Sydling annexed

 

That is, Milton Abbey held BroadSydling, and the land stretching north as far as Up Sydling manor. But over Up Sydling manor, of course they had no jurisdiction, apart from the running of the chapel. So whenever Milton Abbey records refer to Up Sydling, they mean the area roughly from the present day Marrs Cross, to the end of the road at Upper Sydling Farm, and specifically the settlement between the ford and Upper Sydling

 

And to complicate things further, this area is also known as Sydling Fifehead.

 

Fifehead is the area between Sydling St Nicholas and Upper Sydling Farm. It was a tithing, a township, and its name was lost in the 19th century.