| Worth | |
|---|---|
  Worth Location withinWest Sussex | |
| Area | 19.95 km2 (7.70 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 9,888 [1]2001 Census 10,378 (2011 Census)[2] |
| • Density | 496/km2 (1,280/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ298364 |
| • London | 27 miles (43 km)N |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CRAWLEY |
| Postcode district | RH10 |
| Dialling code | 01293 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | http://worth-pc.gov.uk/ |
| |
Worth is either a civil parish in theMid Sussex District ofWest Sussex, or a distinct but historically related village inCrawley.
Worth is a civil parish in theMid Sussex District ofWest Sussex, a county in southeast England. It includes the villages ofCopthorne andCrawley Down, and covers an area of 1,995 hectares (4,930 acres). The population at the time of the 2001 census was 9,888. In the 2011 census it had increased to 10,378.[2]
The parish of Worth was one of the larger West Sussex parishes, encompassing the entire area along the West Sussex/Surrey border between the town of Crawley, east of its High Street, andEast Grinstead. The creation ofTurners Hill civil parish brought Worth to a third of its original size.
Despite their names, neitherWorth Abbey, anEnglish Benedictine monastery, norWorth School are located in the modern Worth civil parish. They are in what is now Turners Hill civil parish.
Worth village is now an area within the neighbourhood ofPound Hill in theborough ofCrawley. It was formerly a separate village, and its name is still used for the civil parish in which it was originally situated.
Worth village hasSaxon origins:Worth Church still retains its Saxon floor plan. TheWealden iron industry flourished here in the 17th and 18th centuries. The coming of the railway in 1855 brought more employment to the area, but the line closed in 1967.
The place appears under Surrey in the Domesday book, with the old spelling "Orðe" (pronounced with a silent initial 'w' as in 'one', and including the Saxon letter 'ð' which sounds a soft 'th'. The Domesday book's entries for Sussex, by comparison, list Worthing as "Ordinges" and Petworth as "Peteorde").
With the creation of Crawley New Town, Worth village became part of it, in thePound Hill ward; the title of the ward was changed in 2004 toPound Hill South and Worth. It is common for signposts to be altered to use the Worth name instead of Pound Hill by local residents.
The ecclesiastical parish, part of theDiocese of Chichester, maintains the distinction, and is formally entitled "The Parish of Worth, Maidenbower and Pound Hill."
Worth Park House, a large country house, once stood on the Milton Mount housing estate, now part ofPound Hill, Crawley. The house was home to Sir Joseph Montefiore and his family. The gardens have recently been restored.
The 1654-1751 parish register for Worth[3] is notable for recording the burials of unbaptized infants. This gives a much fuller picture of the rate of new born deaths than is usually visible in records of the time.
