St Mary's Church, Slaugham
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church is an Anglican
church in the village of Slaugham
in Mid Sussex
, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The 12th- and 13th-century church, restored
in the Victorian era
, serves a large rural area of the Sussex Weald
, covering three villages (each with current or former chapels of ease of their own) as well as the ancient settlement of Slaugham. It also controlled the church
in the market town
of Crawley
—now one of the area's largest towns—for the first few centuries of its existence. A locally important family built a private chapel in the church in the 17th century, and a series of memorials to deceased family members are considered to be excellent examples of their type. English Heritage
has listed the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
was divided into six areas called rapes, each based on a town with a castle. One such division was the Rape of Lewes, which covered a large part of eastern and central Sussex bounded (clockwise from the north) by Surrey
, the Rape of Pevensey, the English Channel
coast and the Rape of Bramber
. The parish of Slaugham, long from north to south but narrow, followed the western boundary of the rape for a long distance. Its manor
and village existed in the 11th century: although not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086
, it was held by William de Warenne's
Lewes Priory
by 1098 (and possibly from as early as 1091), in common with many manors and estates in central Sussex.
William de Warenne and his wife Gundred supported the construction of churches in the Rape of Lewes, and may have founded a church at Slaugham. No trace of any 11th-century building remains, though, and the existence of a church at that time is a matter of conjecture. The present structure is presumed to be built on top of its foundations. The oldest parts date from the early 12th century and consist of the north wall, a single doorway and other fragmentary remains in the nave
, and the font
. A chancel
would have been built at that time as well to make a simple two-cell church, but no 12th-century fabric survives: it was rebuilt in the early 14th century. Earlier, in the late 13th century, the first stage of the tower had been added at the west end of the church. Its simple entrance door in the west wall is chamfer
ed. The chancel arch, also 13th-century and unusually broad, similarly has chamfering to the walls of the nave. The 13th-century layout of the church was completed when a two-bay
south aisle was built in about 1290. It was connected to the nave by means of an unusally wide arcade with chamfered arches. A single lancet window
was inserted in the west wall.
The simple layout was gradually added to over the centuries. The east window in the chancel, in the Decorated Gothic style, dates from the early 14th century. Buttress
es were added at the northwest and southwest corners of the tower a century later; and in the 16th century, two square-headed windows were added to the north wall of the nave, flanking the blocked Norman doorway. A major change came in 1613: William Covert, a member of the family who had held the manor
of Slaugham since the late 15th century, built a private chapel (the Covert Chapel) on the south side next to the chancel. Its main feature is a memorial of "exceptional quality", considered one of the best in Sussex: it depicts Richard Covert (who died in 1579) kneeling with seventeen other figures representing his wives, sons and daughters. The first letter of each person's name is shown above their head. The intricately carved stone wall-tomb has Corinthian columns
, pilaster
s and a moulded
frame, and a straight balustraded top section consisting of an entablature
and frieze
with carved flowers. Richard Covert himself wears a suit of armour, while his three adult sons have military dress. Both wives are reading prayer books on lecterns. At the top are three funeral helms, two of which bear versions of the Covert coat of arms
.
Many churches in Sussex, including Slaugham's, were restored
or rebuilt in the Victorian era
. Some work had already been carried out on the south aisle in 1827—it was enlarged to hold an extra 200 seats— but most of the work was done between 1857 and 1860 by Gothic Revival architect
Joseph Clarke
. He added the top section of the tower, widened the south aisle further and removed most of the wall between it and the Covert Chapel (creating an archway instead), added a third bay
between the chancel and the Covert Chapel, and built a vestry
and organ chamber on the north side. In the west wall of the south aisle, a 13th-century lancet window
remains, but Clarke added a rose window
. Alterations continued later in the 19th century: a second vestry was built on the north side in 1879, the organ was moved again, and the tower was given a clock-face in 1881. A 17th-century pulpit was donated to the church and installed in 1890.
The churchyard is very large, reflecting the size of the parish. Burials include Catherine Matcham, one of Lord Nelson's
sisters; and a table-tomb dated 1615 is one of the oldest such graves in Sussex. There are also wooden graveboards, sometimes used as a cheaper alternative to gravestones, and a pair of gate-like iron grave-markers. The lychgate
at the north entrance was erected in 1903. A very broad yew tree, known to be over 600 years old, occupies part of the churchyard behind the church.
Eccentric and bad behaviour by clergy and parishioners was a common theme at Slaugham in earlier centuries. Church attendance was made compulsory after the changes brought about by the English Reformation
of the late 16th century, and especially in the early years detailed records would be kept of non-attendance or inappropriate behaviour in church. Ecclesiastical court
records show that St Mary's Church was the scene of a violent crime in 1601, when Richard Woods was "charged with breaking Thomas Mutton's head in the churche" ; while on 29 June 1621 another man was found beating his wife instead of attending the Sunday service. In 1857, when Reverend Sergison was the vicar at St Mary's, a disagreement developed over some of the pew
s. He overcame the problem by paying some boys to enter the church and burn the pews in question. The half-crown
bribe was successful in keeping his actions secret until after his death.
St Mary's Church was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage on 28 October 1957. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 54 Grade II* listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.
St Mary's Church does not have a homogeneous external appearance and cannot be attributed to one era: the gradual change and growth of the building over the centuries is more apparent. The plan consists of a west tower with an entrance, chancel with a wide chancel arch, nave with an aisle on the south side, south (Covert) chapel next to the chancel, south porch, two vestries and an organ chamber. Sussex stone rubble
is the main building material, although there is some ashlar
as well (for instance in the walls of the Covert Chapel). Slates and tiles, some of Horsham stone, are laid on the roofs. The chancel roof retains a single 14th-century tie-beam
but has otherwise been renewed.
The east window of the chancel is an early 14th-century lancet
with three trefoils. The exterior is hood-moulded
. The north wall of the chancel also has a lancet window: this has quatrefoil
s and ogee
headings. The Covert Chapel has three windows, all with pointed-arched heads: that in the east wall has three cinquefoils (five-lobed lights), while the two in the south wall are simpler two-light windows. The nave's north wall has one 19th-century window flanked by two dating from the 16th century and the blocked Norman doorway. All three are simple two-light windows with straight heads. Two windows in the south aisle also date from the Victorian restoration
, as does the single window in the west wall. Charles Eamer Kempe
designed several stained glass
windows for the church in the 1890s.
The tower rises in three stages, of which the lower two are local rubble and the upper (Victorian) part is of ashlar. The horizontal divide can still be discerned. Diagonally splayed buttress
es were added at the northwest and southwest corners in the 15th century. Only the lowest and highest storey have windows. There is a single-light trefoiled lancet above the entrance and small round-arched windows in the side wall on the lowest storey; at the top the north wall has a clock and there are 19th-century lancets in the other three faces. This section also holds a ring of eight bells
hung for change ringing
. There were originally five bells cast in 1773 by Thomas Janaway; two of these remain as the second and third of the present ring of eight, for which the other bells were cast in 1934 by Gillett & Johnston
. The tower is topped by a pyramid-style tiled roof.
Memorials and monuments are the principal architectural feature of the church. As well as the 1579 memorial to Richard Covert (designed by a sculptor called Flynton at a cost of £30 (£ as of )), the Covert Chapel has a 26 inches (66 cm) brass monument representing John Covert (who died in 1503); it sits below a brass canopy. In the chancel, a recess forms an Easter sepulchre
containing brass monuments to an earlier Richard Covert (who died in 1546) and his three wives with a depiction of the Resurrection of Jesus
, and next to it a memorial to his granddaughter Jane Covert in a columned surround topped with a pediment
. Nelson's sister Catherine Matcham has a wall-mounted memorial in the east end of the chancel.
The interior had 12th-century wall paintings
, a common feature of Sussex churches. These do not survive, but illustrations of the scenes (which represented the Passion
) exist. One surviving feature from the 12th century is the square font
of local marble
, which now stands on a modern base but retains many original features including a carved fish design (unique in Sussex), arcades and tendril
-style ornamentation. A 15th-century altarpiece
was removed from the church and installed in St Laurence's Church in Goring-by-Sea near Worthing
when that church was built in the 1930s.
en countryside. The three other villages in the parish—Handcross
, Pease Pottage
and Warninglid
—each had their own chapel of ease
for Anglican worship, controlled from St Mary's Church; the three buildings survive, but only one is still in religious use.
Handcross
is a linear village
of mostly Victorian buildings
on the old London–Brighton road. All Saints Church, at 51.0525°N 0.2023°W on the road to Horsham
, is a small structure of red brick with a large, distinctive bell-turret
at its west end. When the A23 London–Brighton road
was diverted in the late 1950s to run past the village and widened at the same time, the church had to give up some of its land. The tiny building now sits next to an overbridge and overhangs the bypass.
Warninglid
, a hamlet
with one main street, is 1.25 miles (2 km) south of Slaugham in the south of the parish. Architect Francis G. Troup designed a basic chapel of ease for the community in 1935, about a century after one had first been suggested. The cruciform
structure was of brick and had some vividly coloured stained glass
by J. Hogan of the firm J. Powell & Son, a long-established London-based stained glass company. The chapel, which cost £1,200 (£ as of ) and had a tall vaulted interior lit by lancet
s, was sold in 2009, and Mid Sussex District Council gave planning permission
for its conversion into a house. It stands at 51.0206°N 0.2179°W on the road to Cuckfield
.
Pease Pottage
is a small village on the southern edge of Crawley
, separated from it only by the A264 road
. A chapel of ease to St Mary's, later called the Church of the Ascension, was granted a licence in 1875. The small Gothic Revival-style
building, at 51.0831°N 0.2030°W, has been converted into an office. It has multicoloured brickwork, a bell-turret and round-arched windows.
Crawley
, north of Pease Pottage on the London–Brighton road, developed as a market town
from 1202, when its market charter was granted. It was just within the Rape of Lewes (the boundary with the Rape of Bramber
ran up the middle of the London–Brighton road), and at first lay within Slaugham's parish. Soon after the market was founded, the long-established Poynings family were granted most of the land in the area by the descendants of William de Warenne; and by 1267, they had founded a chapel of ease
at Crawley. It later became a chantry
for the benefit of the Poynings family, members of which held the manor
and lordship of Crawley until 1429 when the last descendant died. The church was later dedicated to St John the Baptist
and opened for public worship in the growing town. It remained a daughter church to St Mary's Church at Slaugham until the 16th century, although in practice the relationship lapsed somewhat earlier and St John the Baptist's was effectively an independent parish church
. St John the Baptist's Church is still the Anglican parish church of Crawley, and has Grade II* listed status.
The approximate north and east boundaries of Slaugham's present-day parish are the M23 motorway
, part of the main railway line
between Balcombe
and Three Bridges
, the B2110 road
and the A23 road
; on the south and west sides, field boundaries and minor roads form the border with adjacent parishes.
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 village of Slaugham
Slaugham
Slaugham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located seven miles to the south of Crawley, on the A23 road to Brighton...
in Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The 12th- and 13th-century church, restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, serves a large rural area of the Sussex Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
, covering three villages (each with current or former chapels of ease of their own) as well as the ancient settlement of Slaugham. It also controlled the church
St John the Baptist's Church, Crawley
St John the Baptist's Church is an Anglican church in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is the parish church of Crawley, and is the oldest building in the town centre, dating from the 13th century—although many alterations have been made since, and only one wall remains of...
in the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
—now one of the area's largest towns—for the first few centuries of its existence. A locally important family built a private chapel in the church in the 17th century, and a series of memorials to deceased family members are considered to be excellent examples of their type. 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 the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
History
By the time of the Norman Conquest, the historic county of SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
was divided into six areas called rapes, each based on a town with a castle. One such division was the Rape of Lewes, which covered a large part of eastern and central Sussex bounded (clockwise from the north) by Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, the Rape of Pevensey, the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast and 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:...
. The parish of Slaugham, long from north to south but narrow, followed the western boundary of the rape for a long distance. Its 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...
and village existed in the 11th century: although not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086
Domesday 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...
, it was held by William de Warenne's
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Seigneur de Varennes is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066...
Lewes Priory
Lewes Priory
The Priory of St Pancras was the first Cluniac house in England and had one of the largest monastic churches in the country. It was set within an extensive walled and gated precinct laid out in a commanding location fronting the tidal shore-line at the head of the Ouse valley to the south of Lewes...
by 1098 (and possibly from as early as 1091), in common with many manors and estates in central Sussex.
William de Warenne and his wife Gundred supported the construction of churches in the Rape of Lewes, and may have founded a church at Slaugham. No trace of any 11th-century building remains, though, and the existence of a church at that time is a matter of conjecture. The present structure is presumed to be built on top of its foundations. The oldest parts date from the early 12th century and consist of the north wall, a single doorway and other fragmentary remains in 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 the font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
. A 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...
would have been built at that time as well to make a simple two-cell church, but no 12th-century fabric survives: it was rebuilt in the early 14th century. Earlier, in the late 13th century, the first stage of the tower had been added at the west end of the church. Its simple entrance door in the west wall is 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...
ed. The chancel arch, also 13th-century and unusually broad, similarly has chamfering to the walls of the nave. The 13th-century layout of the church was completed when a two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
south aisle was built in about 1290. It was connected to the nave by means of an unusally wide arcade with chamfered arches. A single 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...
was inserted in the west wall.
The simple layout was gradually added to over the centuries. The east window in the chancel, in the Decorated Gothic style, dates from the early 14th century. Buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es were added at the northwest and southwest corners of the tower a century later; and in the 16th century, two square-headed windows were added to the north wall of the nave, flanking the blocked Norman doorway. A major change came in 1613: William Covert, a member of the family who had held the 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...
of Slaugham since the late 15th century, built a private chapel (the Covert Chapel) on the south side next to the chancel. Its main feature is a memorial of "exceptional quality", considered one of the best in Sussex: it depicts Richard Covert (who died in 1579) kneeling with seventeen other figures representing his wives, sons and daughters. The first letter of each person's name is shown above their head. The intricately carved stone wall-tomb has Corinthian columns
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
, pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s and a moulded
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...
frame, and a straight balustraded top section consisting of an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
and frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
with carved flowers. Richard Covert himself wears a suit of armour, while his three adult sons have military dress. Both wives are reading prayer books on lecterns. At the top are three funeral helms, two of which bear versions of the Covert coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
.
Many churches in Sussex, including Slaugham's, were restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
or rebuilt in the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. Some work had already been carried out on the south aisle in 1827—it was enlarged to hold an extra 200 seats— but most of the work was done between 1857 and 1860 by Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Joseph Clarke
Joseph Clarke (architect)
Joseph Clarke, FRIBA was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in London, England.-Career:In 1839 Clarke exhibited an antiquarian drawing with the Oxford Society for Promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture. Clarke was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in...
. He added the top section of the tower, widened the south aisle further and removed most of the wall between it and the Covert Chapel (creating an archway instead), added a third bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
between the chancel and the Covert Chapel, and built a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and organ chamber on the north side. In the west wall of the south aisle, a 13th-century 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...
remains, but Clarke added a rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
. Alterations continued later in the 19th century: a second vestry was built on the north side in 1879, the organ was moved again, and the tower was given a clock-face in 1881. A 17th-century pulpit was donated to the church and installed in 1890.
The churchyard is very large, reflecting the size of the parish. Burials include Catherine Matcham, one of Lord Nelson's
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
sisters; and a table-tomb dated 1615 is one of the oldest such graves in Sussex. There are also wooden graveboards, sometimes used as a cheaper alternative to gravestones, and a pair of gate-like iron grave-markers. The lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
at the north entrance was erected in 1903. A very broad yew tree, known to be over 600 years old, occupies part of the churchyard behind the church.
Eccentric and bad behaviour by clergy and parishioners was a common theme at Slaugham in earlier centuries. Church attendance was made compulsory after the changes brought about by the English 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....
of the late 16th century, and especially in the early years detailed records would be kept of non-attendance or inappropriate behaviour in church. Ecclesiastical court
Ecclesiastical court
An ecclesiastical court is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages in many areas of Europe these courts had much wider powers than before the development of nation states...
records show that St Mary's Church was the scene of a violent crime in 1601, when Richard Woods was "charged with breaking Thomas Mutton's head in the churche" ; while on 29 June 1621 another man was found beating his wife instead of attending the Sunday service. In 1857, when Reverend Sergison was the vicar at St Mary's, a disagreement developed over some of the pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s. He overcame the problem by paying some boys to enter the church and burn the pews in question. The half-crown
Half crown (British coin)
The half crown was a denomination of British money worth half of a crown, equivalent to two and a half shillings , or one-eighth of a pound. The half crown was first issued in 1549, in the reign of Edward VI...
bribe was successful in keeping his actions secret until after his death.
St Mary's Church was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage on 28 October 1957. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 54 Grade II* listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.
Architecture and fittings
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
is the main building material, although there is some 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...
as well (for instance in the walls of the Covert Chapel). Slates and tiles, some of Horsham stone, are laid on the roofs. The chancel roof retains a single 14th-century tie-beam
Tie (engineering)
A tie, structural tie, connector, or structural connector is a structural component designed to resist tension. It is the opposite of a strut, which is designed to resist compression. Ties are generally made of galvanized steel...
but has otherwise been renewed.
The east window of the chancel is an early 14th-century lancet
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...
with three trefoils. The exterior is hood-moulded
Hood mould
In architecture, a hood mould, also called a label mould or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater...
. The north wall of the chancel also has a lancet window: this has quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
s and ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
headings. The Covert Chapel has three windows, all with pointed-arched heads: that in the east wall has three cinquefoils (five-lobed lights), while the two in the south wall are simpler two-light windows. The nave's north wall has one 19th-century window flanked by two dating from the 16th century and the blocked Norman doorway. All three are simple two-light windows with straight heads. Two windows in the south aisle also date from the Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
, as does the single window in the west wall. Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
designed several stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows for the church in the 1890s.
The tower rises in three stages, of which the lower two are local rubble and the upper (Victorian) part is of ashlar. The horizontal divide can still be discerned. Diagonally splayed buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es were added at the northwest and southwest corners in the 15th century. Only the lowest and highest storey have windows. There is a single-light trefoiled lancet above the entrance and small round-arched windows in the side wall on the lowest storey; at the top the north wall has a clock and there are 19th-century lancets in the other three faces. This section also holds a ring of eight bells
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
. There were originally five bells cast in 1773 by Thomas Janaway; two of these remain as the second and third of the present ring of eight, for which the other bells were cast in 1934 by Gillett & Johnston
Gillett & Johnston
Gillett and Johnston is a clock and formerly bell manufacturing business in Croydon, England.-History:William Gillett started a clock making business on Union Road in Croydon, England in 1844. Charles Bland became a partner in 1854 and the company became known as Gillet and Bland. In 1877, Arthur...
. The tower is topped by a pyramid-style tiled roof.
Memorials and monuments are the principal architectural feature of the church. As well as the 1579 memorial to Richard Covert (designed by a sculptor called Flynton at a cost of £30 (£ as of )), the Covert Chapel has a 26 inches (66 cm) brass monument representing John Covert (who died in 1503); it sits below a brass canopy. In the chancel, a recess forms an Easter sepulchre
Easter Sepulchre
An Easter Sepulchre is a feature of English church architecture .-Description:The Easter Sepulchre is an arched recess generally in the north wall of the chancel, in which from Good Friday to Easter day were deposited the crucifix and sacred elements in commemoration of Christ's entombment and...
containing brass monuments to an earlier Richard Covert (who died in 1546) and his three wives with a depiction of the Resurrection of Jesus
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
, and next to it a memorial to his granddaughter Jane Covert in a columned surround topped with a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. Nelson's sister Catherine Matcham has a wall-mounted memorial in the east end of the chancel.
The interior had 12th-century wall paintings
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
, a common feature of Sussex churches. These do not survive, but illustrations of the scenes (which represented the Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
) exist. One surviving feature from the 12th century is the square font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
of local marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, which now stands on a modern base but retains many original features including a carved fish design (unique in Sussex), arcades and tendril
Tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts. They do not have a lamina or blade, but they can photosynthesize...
-style ornamentation. A 15th-century altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
was removed from the church and installed in St Laurence's Church in Goring-by-Sea near Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
when that church was built in the 1930s.
Parish
Slaugham has always been a large parish: it covered 5482 acres (2,218.5 ha) in 1940, most of which was sparsely populated WealdWeald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
en countryside. The three other villages in the parish—Handcross
Handcross
Handcross is a village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A23 road 4.2 miles south of Crawley.Nymans Garden, of parklands run by the National Trust, is near to Handcross, as are of woodland and water gardens at High Beeches Garden.Handcross has two public houses,...
, Pease Pottage
Pease Pottage
Pease Pottage is a small village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Crawley built up area, in the civil parish of Slaugham....
and Warninglid
Warninglid
Warninglid is a small village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2115 road west of Haywards Heath. The name Warninglid is believed to originate from two words meaning "Werna's Path"....
—each had their own 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....
for Anglican worship, controlled from St Mary's Church; the three buildings survive, but only one is still in religious use.
Handcross
Handcross
Handcross is a village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A23 road 4.2 miles south of Crawley.Nymans Garden, of parklands run by the National Trust, is near to Handcross, as are of woodland and water gardens at High Beeches Garden.Handcross has two public houses,...
is a linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
of mostly Victorian buildings
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
on the old London–Brighton road. All Saints Church, at 51.0525°N 0.2023°W on the road to Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, is a small structure of red brick with a large, distinctive bell-turret
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
at its west end. When the A23 London–Brighton road
A23 road
The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
was diverted in the late 1950s to run past the village and widened at the same time, the church had to give up some of its land. The tiny building now sits next to an overbridge and overhangs the bypass.
Warninglid
Warninglid
Warninglid is a small village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2115 road west of Haywards Heath. The name Warninglid is believed to originate from two words meaning "Werna's Path"....
, a 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...
with one main street, is 1.25 miles (2 km) south of Slaugham in the south of the parish. Architect Francis G. Troup designed a basic chapel of ease for the community in 1935, about a century after one had first been suggested. The cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
structure was of brick and had some vividly coloured stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
by J. Hogan of the firm J. Powell & Son, a long-established London-based stained glass company. The chapel, which cost £1,200 (£ as of ) and had a tall vaulted interior lit by lancet
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, was sold in 2009, and Mid Sussex District Council gave planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
for its conversion into a house. It stands at 51.0206°N 0.2179°W on the road to Cuckfield
Cuckfield
Cuckfield is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess...
.
Pease Pottage
Pease Pottage
Pease Pottage is a small village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Crawley built up area, in the civil parish of Slaugham....
is a small village on the southern edge of Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, separated from it only by the A264 road
A264 road
The A264 is an east-west road in southern England that runs from Pembury in west Kent to Five Oaks in West Sussex.There have been a number of notable changes in this important east-west route which follows the north Sussex border with Kent and Surrey....
. A chapel of ease to St Mary's, later called the Church of the Ascension, was granted a licence in 1875. The small Gothic Revival-style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
building, at 51.0831°N 0.2030°W, has been converted into an office. It has multicoloured brickwork, a bell-turret and round-arched windows.
Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, north of Pease Pottage on the London–Brighton road, developed as a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
from 1202, when its market charter was granted. It was just within the Rape of Lewes (the boundary with 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:...
ran up the middle of the London–Brighton road), and at first lay within Slaugham's parish. Soon after the market was founded, the long-established Poynings family were granted most of the land in the area by the descendants of William de Warenne; and by 1267, they had founded 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....
at Crawley. It later became a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
for the benefit of the Poynings family, members of which held the 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...
and lordship of Crawley until 1429 when the last descendant died. The church was later dedicated to St John the Baptist
St John the Baptist's Church, Crawley
St John the Baptist's Church is an Anglican church in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is the parish church of Crawley, and is the oldest building in the town centre, dating from the 13th century—although many alterations have been made since, and only one wall remains of...
and opened for public worship in the growing town. It remained a daughter church to St Mary's Church at Slaugham until the 16th century, although in practice the relationship lapsed somewhat earlier and St John the Baptist's was effectively an independent 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....
. St John the Baptist's Church is still the Anglican parish church of Crawley, and has Grade II* listed status.
The approximate north and east boundaries of Slaugham's present-day parish are the M23 motorway
M23 motorway
The M23 motorway is a motorway in England. The motorway runs from south of Hooley in Surrey, where it splits from the A23, to Pease Pottage, south of Crawley in West Sussex where it rejoins the A23. The northern end of the motorway starts at junction 7 on what is effectively a spur north from...
, part of the main railway line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
between Balcombe
Balcombe, West Sussex
Balcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the northwest and Haywards Heath to the south southeast...
and Three Bridges
Three Bridges
Three Bridges is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley, in the county of West Sussex in England.-History:Three Bridges was a tiny hamlet, which first began to grow with the coming of the London and Brighton Railway in 1841...
, the B2110 road
B roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.- Zone 2 :- Zone 2 :-Notes:...
and the A23 road
A23 road
The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
; on the south and west sides, field boundaries and minor roads form the border with adjacent parishes.