Country Churches

87. St Mary's, Billingshurst

Climbing up to this church which stands proudly and imposingly over Roman Stone Street, one‘s eye is immediately caught by the towering spire 120 feet high. Dating from the 15th century it is eight sided and covered with wooden shingles. The weathervane on top was added in 1812. At the base of the 12th century tower there are grooves in the sandstone possibly made by parishioners sharpening arrows in the sixteenth century. Away to the south a beautiful churchyard slopes down for a hundred yards or more.

Entering by the west porch rebuilt in 1660, the entrance to the nave is blocked by two oak doors which are a family memorial to the two sons of Robert Morris of Five Oaks, killed in the First World War. John, a lieutenant in the 8 Welch Regiment was killed at Chunuk Bair in Gallipoli in August 1915, whilst his brother Francis, a Second Lieutenant in the Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment, was killed at Nasiryeh in Mesopotamia in September 1916.

The nave is spacious with an impressive late 15th century oak wagon roof. The square panels contain 125 carved bosses showing the arms of the Beaufort, Percy and Neville families. The tie beams are even older. There are two squint holes either side of the western arch. At the west end of the north aisle is a fascinating map showing the landholders of Billingshurst in the sixteenth century as well as a list of the 16th century worshippers extracted (presumably) from the Church Registers. In fact the Churchwardens Accounts dating back to 1520 are some of the earliest known in Sussex.

The chancel was rebuilt in 1866 but does contain a fine 17th century memorial of Edward and Elizabeth Goringe of Oakhurst. It is dated 1617. They are shown kneeling towards each other with their five children shown below. The Victorian east window shows the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Last Supper. Judas with his money bags can be seen leaving the table to betray Jesus. Below the chancel steps is a brass dated January 1499 in memory of Thomas and Elizabeth Bartlett.

The south aisle was probably added c 1280. In the chapel is a memorial to Richard Luxford of Windmill Hill who died in 1674 and another to an 18th century vicar. The glass shows an angel telling Mary Magdalene the news of the Resurrection. On the south wall is a memorial to a City of London merchant Thomas Ritterworth who died in 1795.

All other stained glass in the north and south aisles depicts various bible scenes. Other furnishings such as the pulpit, pews and font date from the restoration of 1866. A small arch high in the west wall looks into the belfry which contains a peal of eight bells. The clock in the tower was placed there in 1884, its mechanism being a ½ size replica of that of Big Ben at Westminster.

John Symonds