West Hoathly Bowls Club

The Story of the West Hoathly Swans by John Ralph

The swan is a rare bird in West Hoathly, although its image can be seen all over the village. It is used by the school, the Bowls Club and the Parish Council and can be seen as supporters on the coat of arms on the front of the Manor House.

Anne of Cleves used two swans as her personal emblem. She married Henry VIII in 1540 and was given the right to income from the Manor of West Hoathly and the Priest House along with other Sussex properties. She never visited or lived in either and her coat of arms after the marriage did not include swans.

Ursula Ridley was given the Manor by her father when she married in 1918 and she invented a coat of arms to decorate the front of the Manor House which showed a pair of swans supporting the proper Anne of Cleves version.