All Saints Church, Buncton
Encyclopedia
All Saints Church is an Anglican
church in the hamlet
of Buncton
in the district of Horsham
, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. Built in the 11th or 12th century as a small chapel of ease
to a nearby parish church
, and hardly changed or restored since, the stone chapel stands behind a "delightful ... wooded ravine" beneath the South Downs
and has been called "a real piece of hidden Sussex". The chancel
arch, between the nave
and chancel which made up the simple two-room building, had a bizarre 12th-century carving of a person of indeterminate sex exposing their genitalia—until 2004, when an unknown vandal destroyed it with a chisel. The church is still used for Christian worship, and English Heritage
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
in 1086, when it was called Bongetune. Its origins lie in a manor
whose land lay within two exclaves of the parish of Ashington
within the Rape of Bramber
, one of the six ancient subdivisions of Sussex. The medieval manor house
has vanished, but a 17th-century replacement still stands.
The settlement's church was built on a rural site, considered a "picturesque setting", at an unknown date during the Norman period
. Most sources date its construction to the late 11th or early 12th century; others offer no more confident attribution than 12th-century, "1066 to 1200" or "mostly Norman". An article published in volume 38 of the Sussex Archaeological Collections (1892) dated it to 1150–1180 and attributed its construction to the monks of Sele Priory
at nearby Beeding
, although a wide-ranging study of Sussex church architecture 15 years later suggested a date of 1070 for the nave and chancel arch—partly based on the lack of buttress
es. This date would make the church a Saxon–Norman transitional building.
The church had a chancel with a squared-off east end and a nave with no aisles, with a chancel arch between them. This "two-cell" style was characteristic of small Sussex churches of the 11th and 12th centuries, especially those around the South Downs. The walls of both parts are quite high, and have been called "too tall for so small a church". Some rubble and tiles from a nearby Roman building were used in its construction; an east–west Roman road
, the Sussex Greensand Way, on the lower part of the Greensand Ridge
passed close to the chapel, and a large villa
stood about 1/2 mi away, near the original Buncton manor house. (The villa's hypocaust
was discovered in 1848.)
The chancel was altered in the 13th century, and the east end was further changed a century later. It was shortened, the east wall was rebuilt with square masonry blocks, and a Decorated Gothic window was inserted. The church also gained an aumbry
and a piscina
at this time, and some richly decorative Norman-era masonry arches were inserted in the exterior walls on the north and south sides. They came from another building—possibly Sele Priory—at some point between the 14th century and the Reformation
. The only significant structural alteration was a 19th-century bellcote
; compared to many ancient churches in Sussex, the church remains "delightfully unrestored". Some modest renovation was also carried out in 1906. Ancient churches which have survived intact or with minimal alteration often indicate a moribund local economy and loss of local population: local worshippers neither needed nor could afford to update their church.
There have been many changes in the parochial arrangements of the church, and for most of its existence it has been a subordinate church within a larger parish. It was recorded as a parish church
in 1323, and its rectors occasionally administered the church at nearby Wiston
. In the 15th century, though, All Saints lost its parish status as it was linked with St Peter and St Paul's Church in neighbouring Ashington
. Thereafter it served as a chapel of ease
to that church. (Ashington had been split from the parish of nearby Washington
in about the 12th century.) By 1535, the parish and benefice
name was Ashington with Buncton. In 1977, Ashington with Buncton and Washington with Wiston parishes were united into a single large benefice; this legal entity still exists, but by the end of the 20th century All Saints was in the parish of St Mary's Church in Wiston. St Mary's was declared redundant by the Diocese of Chichester at the end of 2009.
The north impost of the chancel arch had a strange carved stone figure dating from the 12th century. Although it is common for Norman churches to have carved or painted representations of human faces or figures, Buncton's was a very unusual example: an 8 inches (20.3 cm) sculpture of a person of indeterminate sex showing its genitals. It was similar to a Sheela na Gig
—typically a smiling naked woman with exposed genitalia, common in churches in the Republic of Ireland but rarely seen elsewhere, and reputedly associated with pagan sites, Celtic fertility rites or medieval anti-immorality teaching. About 30 such carvings exist in Britain. In December 2004, an unknown person entered the church and destroyed the carving with a chisel, smashing it into dozens of pieces.
The outside of the north wall of the chancel incorporates a pair of Romanesque-style
Norman-era blocked arches, described as "extraordinary" by Nikolaus Pevsner
(who dated them to 1160). One has beakhead
shapes, while the other is made up of insersecting arches and has elaborate decoration and mouldings
, with some use of ashlar
. The arches serve no apparent structural purpose; their insertion, in the 14th century, was merely decorative.
The chancel measures 14.5 by 20 ft (4.4 by 6.1 m): these unusually short proportions are evidence of the work carried out in the 14th century to cut its length back. It is lower than the nave, which has original Norman doorways in its north and south walls. The latter is now blocked, and has a crude stone lintel with the remains of a segmental arch above. The doorway in the north wall survives in good condition, and is flat-arched with voussoir
s and wedge-shaped springers
. Three original windows survive in the nave; all are placed very high on the walls. The chancel's lancet window
s, in contrast, were inserted in the 13th century or later. Its larger east window is in the Decorated Gothic style and dates from the 14th century.
The chancel arch is large and contemporary with the nave. Square plinths with decorative moulding support shafts with unusual capitals
which have abaci
with such extensive chamfer
ing that they are almost circular. The imposts are carved with a series of characteristic Norman designs such as squares and herringbone pattern
s— although the mysterious carved figure with exposed genitals no longer exists. Paintings on the adjacent wall of the nave have mostly been lost as well. The maximum height of the chancel arch is 14.8 feet (4.5 m).
Interior fittings include a piscina
inserted in the 14th century. Pevsner observed that it "manages to get a lot of character into tiny dimensions".
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
Services at the church have rarely been more frequent than monthly in recent centuries. This frequency was recorded in 1724 and the early 19th century; for part of that century no services were held in winter, and worshippers travelled to Ashington instead. Weekly worship took place for a time later in that century, but in modern times services have reverted to monthly, with a Eucharistic service on the third Sunday of the month.
The parish, whose legal name is Wiston with Buncton, covers those two villages at the foot of the South Downs
and a large rural area between the A24 and A283 roads. It is one of two parishes in the wider benefice
of Ashington, Washington and Wiston with Buncton.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Buncton
Buncton
Buncton is a small village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, part of the civil parish of Wiston. It lies to the east of the A24 road, about 20 miles south of Horsham....
in the district of Horsham
Horsham (district)
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
, one of seven local government districts in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. Built in the 11th or 12th century as a small chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to a nearby parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, and hardly changed or restored since, the stone chapel stands behind a "delightful ... wooded ravine" beneath the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
and has been called "a real piece of hidden Sussex". The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch, between the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel which made up the simple two-room building, had a bizarre 12th-century carving of a person of indeterminate sex exposing their genitalia—until 2004, when an unknown vandal destroyed it with a chisel. The church is still used for Christian worship, and English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Buncton existed as a settlement at the time of the Domesday surveyDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086, when it was called Bongetune. Its origins lie in a manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
whose land lay within two exclaves of the parish of Ashington
Ashington, West Sussex
Ashington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A24 road 3 miles northeast of Storrington.The parish has a land area of 805 hectares...
within the Rape of Bramber
Rape of Bramber
The Rape of Bramber is one of the rapes, the traditional sub-divisions unique to the historic county of Sussex in England. Bramber is a former barony, originally based around the castle of Bramber and its village, overlooking the river Adur.-History:...
, one of the six ancient subdivisions of Sussex. The medieval manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
has vanished, but a 17th-century replacement still stands.
The settlement's church was built on a rural site, considered a "picturesque setting", at an unknown date during the Norman period
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. Most sources date its construction to the late 11th or early 12th century; others offer no more confident attribution than 12th-century, "1066 to 1200" or "mostly Norman". An article published in volume 38 of the Sussex Archaeological Collections (1892) dated it to 1150–1180 and attributed its construction to the monks of Sele Priory
Sele Priory
Sele Priory was a medieval monastic house in West Sussex, England.It was a Benedictine Order priory founded before 1126 and was dedicated to St Peter...
at nearby Beeding
Upper Beeding
Upper Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the northern end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea and has a land area of 1877 hectares...
, although a wide-ranging study of Sussex church architecture 15 years later suggested a date of 1070 for the nave and chancel arch—partly based on the lack of buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. This date would make the church a Saxon–Norman transitional building.
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
, the Sussex Greensand Way, on the lower part of the Greensand Ridge
Greensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge is an extensive, prominent, often heavily wooded, sandstone escarpment and range of hills in south-east England. It runs in a horseshoe shape around the Weald of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It reaches its highest elevation, , at Leith Hill in Surrey—the second highest point...
passed close to the chapel, and a large villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
stood about 1/2 mi away, near the original Buncton manor house. (The villa's hypocaust
Hypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
was discovered in 1848.)
The chancel was altered in the 13th century, and the east end was further changed a century later. It was shortened, the east wall was rebuilt with square masonry blocks, and a Decorated Gothic window was inserted. The church also gained an aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
and a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
at this time, and some richly decorative Norman-era masonry arches were inserted in the exterior walls on the north and south sides. They came from another building—possibly Sele Priory—at some point between the 14th century and the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. The only significant structural alteration was a 19th-century bellcote
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
; compared to many ancient churches in Sussex, the church remains "delightfully unrestored". Some modest renovation was also carried out in 1906. Ancient churches which have survived intact or with minimal alteration often indicate a moribund local economy and loss of local population: local worshippers neither needed nor could afford to update their church.
There have been many changes in the parochial arrangements of the church, and for most of its existence it has been a subordinate church within a larger parish. It was recorded as a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in 1323, and its rectors occasionally administered the church at nearby Wiston
Wiston, West Sussex
Wiston is a scattered village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A283 road northwest of Steyning.The parish covers an area of...
. In the 15th century, though, All Saints lost its parish status as it was linked with St Peter and St Paul's Church in neighbouring Ashington
Ashington, West Sussex
Ashington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A24 road 3 miles northeast of Storrington.The parish has a land area of 805 hectares...
. Thereafter it served as a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to that church. (Ashington had been split from the parish of nearby Washington
Washington, West Sussex
Washington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located five miles west of Steyning and three miles east of Storrington on the A24 between Horsham and Worthing. The parish covers an area of 1,276 hectares...
in about the 12th century.) By 1535, the parish and benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
name was Ashington with Buncton. In 1977, Ashington with Buncton and Washington with Wiston parishes were united into a single large benefice; this legal entity still exists, but by the end of the 20th century All Saints was in the parish of St Mary's Church in Wiston. St Mary's was declared redundant by the Diocese of Chichester at the end of 2009.
The north impost of the chancel arch had a strange carved stone figure dating from the 12th century. Although it is common for Norman churches to have carved or painted representations of human faces or figures, Buncton's was a very unusual example: an 8 inches (20.3 cm) sculpture of a person of indeterminate sex showing its genitals. It was similar to a Sheela na Gig
Sheela Na Gig
Sheela na gigs are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found on churches, castles and other buildings, particularly in Ireland and Britain, sometimes together with male figures. One of the best examples may be found in the Round Tower at Rattoo, in County...
—typically a smiling naked woman with exposed genitalia, common in churches in the Republic of Ireland but rarely seen elsewhere, and reputedly associated with pagan sites, Celtic fertility rites or medieval anti-immorality teaching. About 30 such carvings exist in Britain. In December 2004, an unknown person entered the church and destroyed the carving with a chisel, smashing it into dozens of pieces.
Architecture
All Saints Church is a small, simple building with a tall, narrow profile. It is built mostly of flint, in common with many Sussex downland churches; some stone rubble and masonry is also visible, and recycled Roman tiles can be seen. It has been described as being "a little like a stone barn", and its isolation is enhanced by its position in the middle of a field reached through a tree-lined hollow.The outside of the north wall of the chancel incorporates a pair of Romanesque-style
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
Norman-era blocked arches, described as "extraordinary" by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
(who dated them to 1160). One has beakhead
Beakhead
A beakhead is the protruding part of the foremost section of a sailing ship. It was fitted on sailing vessels from the 16th to the 18th century and served as a working platform by sailors working the sails of the bowsprit, the forward-pointing mast that carries the spritsails...
shapes, while the other is made up of insersecting arches and has elaborate decoration and mouldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
, with some use of ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
. The arches serve no apparent structural purpose; their insertion, in the 14th century, was merely decorative.
The chancel measures 14.5 by 20 ft (4.4 by 6.1 m): these unusually short proportions are evidence of the work carried out in the 14th century to cut its length back. It is lower than the nave, which has original Norman doorways in its north and south walls. The latter is now blocked, and has a crude stone lintel with the remains of a segmental arch above. The doorway in the north wall survives in good condition, and is flat-arched with voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s and wedge-shaped springers
Springer (architecture)
A springer is an architectural term for the lowest voussoir on each side of an arch. Since it is the bottom-most element of the arch, it is where the arch support terminates at the responds. It rests on the impost or pier of the arch, that is, the topmost part of the abutment, from which the arch...
. Three original windows survive in the nave; all are placed very high on the walls. The chancel's lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s, in contrast, were inserted in the 13th century or later. Its larger east window is in the Decorated Gothic style and dates from the 14th century.
The chancel arch is large and contemporary with the nave. Square plinths with decorative moulding support shafts with unusual capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
which have abaci
Abacus (architecture)
In architecture, an abacus is a flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column, above the bell. Its chief function is to provide a large supporting surface to receive the weight of the arch or the architrave above...
with such extensive chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ing that they are almost circular. The imposts are carved with a series of characteristic Norman designs such as squares and herringbone pattern
Herringbone pattern
The herringbone pattern is an arrangement of rectangles used for floor tilings and road pavement.The blocks can be rectangles or parallelograms...
s— although the mysterious carved figure with exposed genitals no longer exists. Paintings on the adjacent wall of the nave have mostly been lost as well. The maximum height of the chancel arch is 14.8 feet (4.5 m).
Interior fittings include a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
inserted in the 14th century. Pevsner observed that it "manages to get a lot of character into tiny dimensions".
The church today
All Saints Church was listed at Grade I by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
Services at the church have rarely been more frequent than monthly in recent centuries. This frequency was recorded in 1724 and the early 19th century; for part of that century no services were held in winter, and worshippers travelled to Ashington instead. Weekly worship took place for a time later in that century, but in modern times services have reverted to monthly, with a Eucharistic service on the third Sunday of the month.
The parish, whose legal name is Wiston with Buncton, covers those two villages at the foot of the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
and a large rural area between the A24 and A283 roads. It is one of two parishes in the wider benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Ashington, Washington and Wiston with Buncton.