The civil parish is named for the small village of Aldingbourne, but most of the population is in Westergate, and the smaller settlements of Norton, Nyton, Woodgate, Lidsey and part of Shripney.

First documented in 683 AD as Aldingburne, then 200 years later as Ealdingburnan, the name describes a stream or bourne (now known as Aldingbourne Rife)[5] belonging to Ealda, a Saxon settler.

[6] Aldingeborne is described in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having 69 households (28 villagers, 38 smallholders and three slaves), a value to the lord of the manor of £18 and in the largest 20 per cent of settlements recorded in the survey; as well as agricultural holdings and resources, the church was listed, and the tenant in chief was the bishop of Chichester.

Other key industries include food and hospitality, general retail, the public sector, care, science and automotive-related careers.

[12] In the parish is Fontwell Park Racecourse, a venue in horse racing which has a compact figure-of-eight chase course and an oval hurdles course.