However shortly after the South Saxons were conquered by the Kingdom of Wessex and it was their king, Cædwalla who confirmed the land grant of 87 hides that enabled Wilfrid to found the local monastery.

It is thought that the motive for the production of a fabricated charter, was to enable Brihthelm to support his claim for the restoration of land, on the Manhood, that had been seized by a third party.

[9][10] After the Norman conquest the area became a barony, by which tenure the Bishop of Chichester sat as a peer in parliament.

[14] During Norman times the hundred would pay geld (a form of land tax) based on the number of hides.

[15] Possibly from the 10th century onwards, Manwood had its own hundred court and it also dealt with matters that a local authority of today would deal with, such as dispute resolution and highways.

[16][17] Roger Montgomery was one of the kingdoms most powerful lords, at the time, with extensive landholdings around the country including nearly all of what is now West Sussex.

[9][16][b] In 1524 the Earl of Arundel was informed by some of his servants that he could claim the right of distraining cattle found in a certain part of Manwood Hundred.

[11] To settle the dispute a meeting was held at the Hundred court-house between Robert Sherborne, Bishop of Chichester and John Stilman, the Earl's counsel.

The bishop produced the charter of Cædwalla,[c] which "expressly stated the circuit of the liberties of the Manwooda".

[16] According to The Placenames of Sussex, Somerley is the Old English for a "clearing used in summer" and an earlier version of steddle was probably staddle, the name Hundredsteddle would be a reference to the floor on which the Hundred court would have sat.

[5] The 300 hectares (740 acres) Medmerry managed realignment scheme for coastal defence from flooding was completed in 2013.

By 2100, broader areas including the Witterings, Bracklesham, Selsey, Birdham, Almodington[g] and Sidlesham will be subject to permanent inundation.