Middleton on Sea

According to the Domesday Book there was a Manor of Middleton in 1066, which was apparently valued at £4.00. The original church was lost beneath the waves by the 1840s.

Sadly none of this particular area remains today.

Looking at the parish today it is difficult to understand some of the reports from the past, for example it was reported that in 1588 there was a beacon placed on the low cliffs of Middleton - to give warning of the Spanish Armada. By 1745 smuggling was being reported at Elmer when apparently five tons of tea was brought ashore. During this incident 36 smugglers were apprehended. This trend seemed to continue when 28 casks of brandy were ‘captured by the Revenue Officers in 1788.’
The subscription church of St. Nicholas was dedicated on Sunday 22nd April 1849 and had a seating capacity of 120 people. By 1870 the Rev. Conder, Rector of Middleton, could regularly be seen taking groups of boys to church by wagonette and for a number of years these boys formed a major part of the congregation. By 1906 the population of this area had fallen to just 35 people, but this figure has now risen to over 5,000 at the start of the 21st Century.

The area is now a very busy and thriving community. It is quite interesting how this area has been perceived over the years, as in 1951 one series of articles, asked, “Do you really know your parish?” The article commences with a reference to the “high-class residential neighbourhood, which is known today as Middleton-on-sea.” Interestingly the article continues, as do many others by reference to the area as either Middleton or Middleton and Elmer.

At this time it was thought that the name of Middleton originated from the fact that it was situated between Clymping, Cudlow and Felpham. Elmer is a part of the parish of Middleton but seems to be included or not according to the whim of the writer. The population had grown by 1951 until it was believed to be in the region of 2,500 and its income in 1951 was considered to be primarily from its location to the sea rather than the income from the farmlands during the 1800’s.

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