Home to actor and music executive Peter Grant for many years, Hellingly is now also his burial site following a funeral in the parish church in 1995. Grant lived at Horselunge’s Manor which was used for the opening scene of Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains The Same. The church in which Peter Grant now rests originates from around 1190, however the chancel is the only remaining piece of architecture from this period. The rest of the building was rebuilt in the 14th century.
The church was built on the only remaining ciric in Sussex that is still in one piece. A ciric is a Celtic burial ground which is built above ground level to protect the dead from getting wet. It is built in a circle which is the Celtic symbol for immortality. However, the ciric at Hellingly is in an oval shape. It was built during the 13th century.
In 1541 a monumental event occurred in Hellingly. An illegal deerhunt which was taking place on Sir Nicholas Pelham’s land was discovered and a brutal fight ensued in which the Lord’s gamekeeper, John Busbrig, was killed. The hunting party was found guilty of murder and Lord Thomas and his three companions were hung for their crimes. This was the first time in the history of England that a nobleman was executed for killing a commoner.
Hellingly was witness to even further bloodshed in 1557 when Queen Mary had the Reverend John Mills, a resident of the village, burned at the stake for his Protestant beliefs. Hellingly possesses a beautiful grade II listed building, the Sussex Barn, which is an Oak framed barn on a working farm. The village is also home to Horselunge’s Manor which is a moated Tudor Manor House and Blackstock Country Estate and is fairly close to Wellshurst Golf Club.