It is now classified as an abandoned village and former civil parish, and appears to have been less inhabited since the 18th century, except for a few cottages and some larger houses. In 1931 the whole parish (larger than the village) had a population of 102.[1]
St Leonard's church is a remaining building from the pre-18th century village. It is on the West side of a lake, as seen in the picture.
Hartley Mauditt is mainly agricultural of some Шаблон:Convert with several farms.
The medieval village was larger than present housing which now consists of the parish church of St Leonard and a few houses to the north of the church. These include a 17th-century thatched cottage, a rectory, and a house which was the village school on the parish boundary adjoining West Worldham.[2]
History
Hartley Mauditt was first documented in the Domesday Book as "Herlege" (meaning hartland or woodland); "Hartley" signifies a pasture for deer. The manor had been granted to William de Maldoit (by corruption rendered Mauditt) by William the Conqueror.[3] Later, it was in the possession of John of Gaunt, the Duchy of Lancaster, the Crown, and then in 1603 to Nicholas Steward (1547-1633).[4]
In 1790, the 4th Baronet of Hartley Mauditt, Sir Simeon Henry Stuart, sold the manor to Henry Bilson-Legge. Bilson-Lagge's son son pulled down the manor house in 1798, presumably because it was in a poor state and would have been expensive to re-furbish.[5] After the demolition of the manor house, the village declined. Today, the church is one of the few remaining buildings.
On 1 April 1932 the parish was incorporated into the larger parish of Worldham.[6]
