Part 1: Given in Hamsey Church

We have the distinction in this Parish of having two unique churches both dedicated to St Peter which span a thousand years of Christian worship.

It is difficult to accurately assess the date on which this church at Hamsey was built.

It is not classified as a Saxon church, of which there are 61 in Sussex, as I can vouch, having done a survey of them all for the Diocese some years ago.

The reason for this is that there is no evidence of a pre-Norman structure.

Nevertheless we know that there was a building on this site in 925 when the Saxon King Athelston held a meeting of his counsellors here.

It has been a parish church since the Norman conquest in 1066 and is recorded as a church in Doomsday Book which was prepared in 1086.

At that time Hamsey was recorded as having had 25 hides under King Edward but now there were only 14 due to the other 11 having been allocated to two other Norman knights.

A hide, incidentally, was enough land to maintain one family and varied between 100 and 160 acres.

The church was shown to have 200 acres of meadowland which may have adjoined the river Ouse.

The basic structure of the nave and chancel is therefore Norman as you can see from the chancel arch under which I am standing.

There is further evidence of the Norman influence with the arches over the main door to the church on the south side of the nave, and the former door now sealed on the north side, together with another small sealed door on the north side of the chancel.

It is my opinion that it may well have been built by French masons on the site of an earlier timber framed building of which there is now no evidence.

These stone masons came over from Normandy and built the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras in Lewes for William de Warrene’s, before they finished Lewes castle for him, prior his death in 1158.

The Cluniac Priory of St Pancras had one of the largest monastic churches to be built in England and was larger than Chichester cathedral.

It was destroyed by Thomas Cromwell at the dissolution of the monasteries.

One of the mason’s mark can still be seen on the east side of the left hand reveal of the chancel arch, with a circle and a point in the middle of it.

This still has Masonic significance today.

The stonework in this church is similar to the Caen stone that was used in the Priory.

It was imported from France, often in exchange for flour.

The French were the operative stone masons of Europe and they specialised in ecclesiastical buildings and were responsible for most of our cathedrals and monastic buildings in the church building “boom” of the 11th 12th and 13th Centuries which included the building of Canterbury, Norwich, Salisbury, Winchester and many other cathedrals and monastic institutions.

For example the Master mason responsible for Canterbury cathedral was de Soissons.

These chaps tended to experiment with the building of arches and vaulted roofs as they had no knowledge of the theory of structures.

The vaulted stone roof and arches over the choir at Canterbury collapsed twice before he got it right.

One day he unfortunately stepped back too far on the timber scaffold and fell to his death.

In this building there have been later alterations and additions since the original Norman building.

For example the original chancel was extended eastwards in 14th Century.

The only original Norman window is to be seen in the north wall of the chancel which has a typical rounded arch over.

The others were remodelled in the Gothic style at later stages.

The large three light traceried window at the east end of the chancel dates from about 1350 with the extension of the chancel.

The other great window, at the west end of the tower, dates from the 14th Century. when the massive tower structure was added in the Perpendicular style.

This is of random flint and stone construction having four substantial buttresses with stone dressings topped with a battlemented parapet and a tiled roof over.

There are also interesting gargoyles below the parapet.

The word “gargoyle” comes from the latin gurgulio meaning a throat.

The purpose of gargoyles was to discharge rainwater away from the structure below.

They are carved to represent monstrous beings to scare away the Devil and symbolically represent the bedevilled world outside the church and the sanctuary within it.

The weathervane has the letters HS and WL, and the date 1848 outlined on it.

They were the initials of the two churchwardens at that time Sir Henry Shiffner Bart and William Lambe.

In 1724 the churchwardens reported that “the steeple and four bells to be in good order” but by 1860 there were only two bells one of which was re-hung in 1995.

It bears the inscription “William*Hull*made*mee*Anno*Domini* 1682DC*TB*CW.”

The other tenor bell was transferred to Offham.

One unusual feature in the timber-framed belfry is an OS Bench Mark on the post at the west end of the frame.

Normally they are inscribed on the stonework on the outside of the church.

On the inside of the tower can be seen the pudlock holes where the ends of the timber scaffolding were inserted during the building of the tower.

The buttresses on the outside of the tower, and at the east end of the church, also have holes through them which remain somewhat of a mystery.

They may have been former padlock holes or they may have had a chain through them for the tethering of horses during services.

The porch on the south side was built in the 14th. century and still contains on the east wall a water stoup with an octagonal bowl.

This would have contained holy water with which worshippers would have crossed themselves on entering and leaving the church.

The stoup is the descendant of the Jewish custom of washing the hands, face and sometimes feet.

This custom was carried forward into our earliest churches which had a fountain at the entrance for washing.

There are also three piscinas in the church which contained holy water.

It must be remembered that for over 400 years, until the Reformation, this was a Roman Catholic church.

The church porch, when this was added in the 14th Century, was used for secular business and had important community functions.

They often contained an altar on which agreements were sworn and if large enough they were used for dispensing justice.

In the Middle Ages a couple getting married were met at the porch entrance by the priest and had to formally agree to the wedding, and exchanged rings, before they could be admitted for the Nuptial Mass solemnizing the wedding.

Some churches have larger porches with a room over which is used as the Parish office and where records are kept and meetings of the PCC are held.

In the chancel is the stone altar erected as a memorial to those who died in the 1914/18 war, together with the names of those who died in the Second World War are inscribed on the sides.

It is an interesting fact that most Roman Catholic churches have altars made of stone, with a few in wood, whilst Protestant churches have wooden tables.

The former remembers its sacrificial role whilst the latter is a table repeating the Last Supper.

You will note when we go to Offham that the altar there is a wooden table.

To the north of the altar is the canopied tomb to Edward Markwick who died in 1538.

In his Will he stipulated the design of his tomb with an effigy, heraldic shields and biblical texts but for some reason it was never completed.

The same applies to an almost identical tomb to him in Selmeston church.

This form of tomb adjacent to the altar was sometimes known as an Easter Sepulchre where the sacraments were placed during Easter week.

On the south wall of the chancel are numerous memorial tablets to the Shiffner family, two of whom were Rectors of this parish for almost a hundred years, between 1818 – 1906, and at least one was a churchwarden.

Several members of the family died in action during various wars, but Elsie, Lady Shiffner OBE, wife of Sir John Shiffner, outlived them all living for a hundred years from 1872 until 1972.

She came from Rhode Island, USA.

She did a lot to restore and maintain this church in the 19th Century.

The Shiffner family claim a relationship with Capt Nicholas Tattersall who took Charles II to Fecamp in France from Shoreham in his ship the “Surprise”, later named “The Royal Surprise”, after his escape following the battle of Worcester in 1651.

After the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 Capt Tattersall was well rewarded by the King and his family soon rose in the world.

This may have been the start of the Shiffner family’s fortunes although many served their country with distinction from the time of the Napoleonic wars.

On the south side of the chancel arch there is a wide squint below which is the remains of a 16th Century aumbury or niche, which formerly held the holy vessels with two doors in front.

This is on the chancel side of the arch.

Although there is this chancel arch it is unusual as there is no step between the laity in the nave and the clergy in the chancel.

The plain tiled floor is undoubtedly a later addition as the floor would have been plain earth covered with rushes without any pews until the 17th Century.

Pews were a fairly modern innovation after the Reformation in the 17th Century with the introduction of long sermons.

Prior to this there were only a few seats which were to be found around the walls for the elderly and infirm, hence the expression “with backs to the wall”.

The roof over the nave and the chancel is a fine example of early 14th Century trussed and crown post oak construction.

There are three trusses over the nave and one over the chancel.

These were required to carry more weight when the roof was originally covered with Sussex stone slabs which are now only on the verges with plain clay tiles above.

On the north and south walls of the nave you see the diamond shaped funeral hatchments of the Shiffner and Bridges families.

They are usually about four or five feet square.

They were carried in the funeral procession and were later exhibited on the house of the deceased for several months then placed in the church.

The background, black or black and white denotes whether the deceased was married, widower or widow, bachelor or spinster.

They were introduced in the second half of the 17th Century and continued into the 19th Century.

Above the chancel arch are the Royal Arms of George III.

When the Pope’s jurisdiction over the English church was repudiated in 1536, Henry VIII made himself head of the church and the Royal Arms were required to be displayed in all churches.

In Queen Mary’s reign, and during the Commonwealth, many were destroyed but in 1660 it became compulsory for them to be displayed again, but in the 19th Century the practice fell into disuse.

Many, like this one, show the royal arms of King George III.

At the west end of the nave and aisle is a fine 15th Century octagonal limestone font in perpendicular style with cusped panels on the sides.

It has an oak cover with iron fastenings and a lead lining.

Fonts are situated at the west end of the church, usually at the west end of the aisle symbolically to represent the start of a Christian life starting at the west and proceeding to the altar in the east.

In Mediaeval times the baptismal service began outside the church, or in the porch, and ended at the font.

In Saxon times adults stood in the font and water was poured over them, but later when they were mainly children being baptised they were immersed in the water so they were raised on a stand for convenience.

When later the pouring of water over the candidate became the custom the bowls were made smaller and raised still higher on pillars.

In the 15th Century the pedestal sometimes stood on a flight of steps.

Early fonts did not have covers but in the 13th Century the Archbishop ordered that covers, which should be flat, be fitted and be locked.

Lids came to be used, and became compulsory in 1226,as the water in the font was then blessed only once a year on Easter day and it had to remain there for a whole year and had to be protected from dirt and dust.

That is why they were also lead lined.

Today the water is blessed on the day.

On the north wall of the chancel opposite the main door there is a sealed doorway.

It has often been suggested that this lead into a former chapel.

As there is no external evidence of any such building having existed it is my opinion that it was formerly a “Devil’s door”.

At christenings, and on other occasions, it was used as a form of exorcism by entering from the south and driving the forces of evil out through this north doorway before making a clockwise circumambulation of the church and re-entering by the main south door for the completion of the service.

Even in today’s Order of Service for Baptism the godparents are asked to declare “Do you renounce the Devil?”.

Before completing our tour at Hamsey we must not forget its churchyard.

It remains the burial ground for the parish.

To the east of the church there is evidence of the foundations of a substantial manor house which was built in 1321.

No doubt it disappeared with the decline of Hamsey as a settlement.

Like many other rural settlements in Sussex, such as Beddingham, Alciston, Berwick, and many others in the Middle Ages resulting from the Black Death and its recurrence between 1348 and 1500.

There was decimation of the rural population with poor folk and few.

In many cases all that remained was the church, as at Hamsey which fortunately was maintained by the owners of Coombe Place and others.

By 1851 there were two well attended services at Hamsey with 121 at the morning service and 58 in the afternoon causing the Rector to write in the religious census for Sussex in 1851: “The present church is most inconveniently placed being so remote from from the habitations of the people ………a new church is much needed”

As result the new church of St Peter was built and consecrated at Offham in 1860 which we will examine in detail in the second part of this talk.

From 1860 this church was demoted to the status of a chapel at ease and used as a mortuary chapel.

Fortunately the original intention to demolish it was never carried out and it escaped the ravages of the Victorians.

As a result it fell into disrepair but in the 1920s considerable funds were raised to repair it.

As a result of that sensitive restoration work it has remained a good example of a Mediaeval church used as the parish church for 800 years.

It now plays a full part in the life of the parish with monthly services in the summer months together with weddings and funerals apart from concerts throughout the summer months and a well attended carol service in December when it is floodlit until twelfth night.

© Christopher Apps – Churchwarden 21st. July 2004.