THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF BUXTED & HADLOW DOWN
Administrator
Diocese of Chichester
Notable features of St Margaret's
Sir Britellus Avenel
Under the carpet on the floor of the chancel, just outside the altar rail, is the brass commemorating Britellus Avenel, Rector of Buxted with Uckfield, who was also a Canon of Windsor.
The brass monument is now in poor condition, but the illustration here below shows how it would have looked originally.
It consists of a floral embellished cross just over two metres long (6ft 10inches), standing on a calvary base. In the head of the cross is the half figure of Avenel dressed in eucharistic vestments.
The surrounding narrow frame has the symbols of the Evangelists at the corners (a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle) with an engraved Latin inscription, which translates as:
"Here lies Dominus Britellus Avenel formerly Rector of the church of Bukstede who died on the feast of St Mary Magdalene, Anno Domini...."
The final words are missing but previously recorded (Burrell Manuscripts at the British Museum) as "13.......God, Amen". The complete date is unknown. Avenel was Rector in 1361, then again from 1366 until 1385, but there is no information giving the year of his death.
The Chancel Ceiling
The fine panelling of the plaster ceiling was reputedly given by Dr Anthony Sauders, Rector of Buxted from 1673 to 1715, in the reign of Queen Anne, as a thanksgiving for a particularly abundant hop harvest.
Each of the four rows of upper panels are square, with fleur-de-lis in each corner and either side of horizontal and verticle divisors of equal length, which join a circle with a single central boss.
At the base on both sides, in oblong panels, each has a central urn from which runs festoons of hop-bines together with sylised marguerite daisies - in homage to St Margaret.
The Chapel of the Ascension Window
The stained glass, by the company of Heaton, Butler and Bayne, was presented by the Vernon-Harcourt family in 1853, as a memorial to the 3rd Earl of Liverpool, Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson, who died in October 1851.
It is believed to have been designed by his daughter, Lady Catherine Vernon-Harcourt.
The central upper four tracery lights depict the Evangelists: St Matthew (man), St Mark (lion), St Luke (ox) and St John (eagle).
The three trefoiled lower lights portray the ascension.
On a brass scroll beneath the window is an inscription in Latin:
In vitro supra plcto in memoriam optimi Patris Curoli CeeilJi Cope, Coraitis Liverpool, Monumentuni pise recordationisetliictus fieri feceruntliberi ejus. A.D. 1853."
(more or less translates as: "The glass above, in memory of the best father, Charles Cecil Cope, Earl of Liverpool, given by his children")
St Georges' Chapel - Role of Honour
Among the seventeen names commemorating those from St Margaret's who died in the First World War, is that of Captain The Hon. Fergus Bowes-Lyon, of the 8th Battalion, Black Watch, who died on 27th September 1915, aged 26, at the battle of Hohenzollern Redoubt in the Battle of Loos. He was the older brother of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and she was a bridesmad at his marriage to Lady Christian Norah Dawson-Damer, which took place in St Margaret's on 17th September 1914.
Lady Elizabeth later married the then Duke of York, becoming queen consort after her husband was crowned as King George VI, following the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII, in 1936. After the death of her husband in 1952, she was officially known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The name of Fergus's brother-in-law, George Dawson-Damer, appears immediately below his. George was killed in a cavalry charge at Monchy, near Arras, on 12 April 1917, aged 24.
St George's Chapel Window
Given in 1875 by Lady Catherine Veron-Harcourt. It is not stained glass, but painted by the donor and likely designed by her as well.
The window has three main lights, with the two quatrefoils above surrounded by six other tracery lights.
The six scenes of the elongated lower lights depict St Margaret tending to the sick and needy.
Lady Catherine had talents as both a musician and an artist. Several of her paintings are held in the Royal Collection, including the watercolour below, of St Margaret's, dated April 1831.
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023
Lady Catherine Vernon- Harcourt.
dated 1869
St George's Chapel - Millennium Kneeler
Created by the Buxted Women's Institute and begun in 1998, the magnificent Millennium Kneeler was presented to the church in 2001.
Comprising three separate sections, it shows the events of the last millennium from 1000AD. It starts where 'Boc Stede' (the place of beech trees) is being cleared for habitation, up to the erection of a mobile phone mast in Buxted in 1999.
Other scenes include the church, Ralph Hogge (gunmaker to the King), the original Buxted Park mansion and a number of parts of the village as it has expanded.
The Altar Rails
WIlliam Laud was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I, in 1633.
Laud was not universally liked, as his High Church ideals were at odds with post-Reformation views, especially amongst the Puritan wing of the Anglican Church. He wanted strict uniformity and was not prepared to deviate from his intent.
At that time, in many churches the communion table was kept at the east end of the chancel and moved into the middle of the chancel or nave (rotated east-west) for communion. The Puritan view was that it should remain there, in the body of the church. However, as the communion table then had no protection, it was often put to use for other purposes - such as for schooling children or a convenient place for workmen to set out their tools.
Laud directed that the altar should at all times occupy the same position against the east wall and be railed-in, as a means of both protection and as visible reminder of its sanctity. It was stipulated that the rails were to be 'neare one yard in height, so thick with pillars that dogs may not get in'. In the 1700s, dogs were a problem as many were free to roam through the village and often entered churches. And back in 1588, one unruly parisioner of St Margaret's, Walter Cushman, amongst other sacrilegious deeds, was accused of leading 'his horse up and down the Church and about the Communion Table in the Chancel.' He was made to publicly repent (which he did on 2nd June 1588) before again receiving the sacrament).
The alter rails in St Margaret's date from around 1633 and it is clear from the design of the thick turned 'dumb-bell' style balusters that they were in keeping with the edict issued by Archbishop Laud.
The East Window
In relation to its height, the east window is broad, taking up nearly the width of the wall. It is a fine example of the early Decorated period, with five trefoiled lower lights and fifteen tracery lights above.
The stained glass was presented to the church in 1878 by Colonel Francis Vernon-Harcourt, as a memorial to his wife, Catherine Julia (née Jenkinson, the daughter of the 3rd Earl of Liverpool), who had died the previous year.
From the top, the third row of tracery lights represents St Margaret in the centre, dressed in robes similar to those worn by the choir members today, flanked by St Lydia and St Dorcas, who are assumed to have been her handmaidens.
Beneath St Margaret are four depictions of angels, cherubs and seraphs.
Of the main lights, across the bottom of all five lights, is shown the Last Supper, while above shows (from left to right) the Transfiguration of Christ, Christ and his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, Christ's crucifixion, the open tomb and the ascension.
Bishop's Chair
The chair was made by Patrick Letschka in 1993.
It was commissioned to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the death of St Margaret the Queen.
The central motif in the chair back is a marguerite, in honour of St Margaret.
The Lectern
At first glance, this may seem to resemble the traditional eagle, its wings outspread in representation of St John the Evangelist carrying the gospel to the world.
However, on closer inspection, its head is fronted with a strange flat shield, its beak is unlike any eagle (more like that of a parrot), it has rings on its legs and its feet are webbed!
Instead of an eagle, it is thought to represent the mythical Liver Bird, adopted by the owner of Buxted Park, the 3rd Earl of Liverpool and who is likely to have donated the lectern and similar others at St Cross, Winchester, St Catherine's Birtles and St Peter's Selsey.
The rings on the bird's legs denote the Earl's other title as Earl of Hawkesbury. At one time, there was probably a coat of arms or a coronet on the flat headpiece.
The Pulpit
The oak pulpit is of Jacobean origin (1603 - 1625). Its fine carving contains the marguerite motif, in honour of St Margaret the Queen, as seen in many features of the church, together with those of tulips, acantus and other floral designs.
The pulpit is of a slightly irregular shape, possibly due to having been assembled from a number of individually carved panels.
Fictile Sepulchral Vessel
In May 1868, when trenches were being dug in the nave for the installation fo heating pipes, a lidded ceramic pot, known as at Fictile Vessel, was discovered buried near the pulpit - a very rare find in Sussex.
Buried about 5cm below the flooring level of the nave, the vessel had been placed on a plain black encaustic tile. Including its lid, it was approximately 21cm high and 61cm in diameter at its widest and of thin earthenware. The jar itself had been partially glazed inside, of a greenish colour, with the rim and lid being totally glazed brown. The difference in the colours of the glaze may well have been a result of the firing process, rather that differing glazes being used.
Unfortunately, not knowing it was there, the workmen had broken it into many pieces before it was seen. The fragments were carefully collected and sent to Rev. Edward Turner, Rector of Maresfield and Vice-President of the Sussex Archaeological Society, who then assembled it as best he could.
Image of the re-assembled vessel
Fictile Vessels were used to contain the heart and/or viscera of some notable person, who may have died abroad. The vessel, as found, contained only dust but at one time it is likely that the visera of some person important to Buxted were placed in the jar before it was hermetically sealed for travel, prior to burial at St Margaret's.
Rectors Board
On the west wall of the Nave, against the tower, is a long list of the Rectors of Buxted, of whom some became bishops, 7 became archdeacons and 22 became canons.
The board was designed and prepared by Christina Warren and installed in St Margaret's in January 2024.
Hatchments
On the west wall of the Nave there hang five funerary hatchments - heraldic paintings displaying the coat of arms of the deceased.
From the end of the 17th century it became customary to place a hatchment, portraying the arms of a person who had died, on the front of their house, where it remained, either until the deceased was buried, or for between 40 days and twelve months. After that time the hatchment would be hung in the local parish church, possibly until being replaced by a more permanent monument, thought quite often the hatchments were left in place after the monument had been installed.
Click on the tabs below for information about each hatchment.
Julia Evelyn Medley Shuckburgh-Evelyn, born on 5th October 1790, was the daughter of Sir George Augustus William, 6th Baronet of Shuckburgh and Julia Annabella (née Evelyn). Her great-grandfather, on here mother's side, was Thomas Medley, who had at one time owned of Hogge House, Buxted. When James Evelyn died in 1793, Shuckburgh added Evelyn to his own surname.
On 19th July 1810, Julia, still a minor at 19 years of age, married Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson, the future 3rd Earl of Liverpool. Both her parents having died - her mother in 1797 and her father in 1804 - her guardians, as appointed in a codicil of the will of her father, namely Jane Medley (widow of George Medley, Julia's great-uncle) and Jacob Renardson Esquire and his wife, Ann, of Holywell Hall, gave their consent to the marriage, which took place in St George's Hanover Square.
Credit: Ancestry.co.uk
The couple went on to have three daughters: Born in 1811, Lady Catherine Julia, who inherited the Buxted Place estate after the death of her father, Lady Selina Charlotte born July 1812 and Lady Louisa Harriet, born March 1814.
Julia died in April 1814, at just 23 years of age, shortly after the birth of their youngest child. After his wife's death, Jenkinson became somewhat of a recluse and remained a widower until his death in October 1851, aged 67.
Charles Jenkinson, Lord Hawkesbury, 1st Earl of Liverpool. Born 26th April 1729* in Winchester, the eldest son of Colonel Charles Jenkinson and Amarantha Corenwall.
He entered parliament in 1761 as MP for Cockermouth and held various offices of state during his career, successively becoming, in 1766, Lord of the Admiralty, Lord of the Treasury in 1767 and Secretary at War in 1778. In 1786 he became Baron Hawkesbury (of Gloucester), succeeded his cousin in 1790 as the 7th Baronet of Walcot and was created Earl of Liverpool in 1796. He lived at Addiscombe Place, Surrey and in Hawkesbury.
He married, firstly, Amelia Watts in February 1769, but she died in July 1770, one month after the birth of their son, Robert Banks Jenkinson - the future 2nd Earl of Liverpool and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827.
©National Portrait Gallery
Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool c1786-1788
Artist: George Romney
On 22nd June 1782, Charles married Catherine (née Bishopp), the widow of Charles Cope, 2nd Baronet of Bruen. They had a son, also Charles, born in 1784, who went on to become the 3rd Earl of Liverpool, and a daughter, Charlotte.
The Earl died at his house in Hertford Street, Mayfair, London on 17 December 1808, aged 79. He was buried on 30th December 1808 at St Mary's, Hawkesbury.
His hatchment bears the motto "Palma non sine pulvere" - "No reward without effort".
* the white marble memorial tablet in the church of St Mary, Hawksbury, gives his birth date as 16th May 1729 - this was in fact the date of his baptism at the church of St Thomas, Winchester.
Jane Medley, née Waldo. The only child of Sir Timothy Waldo, owner since 1749 of Hever Castle, and his wife Catherine Wakefield. Jane was baptised at St Peter le Poer, Broad Street, in the City of London on 5th September 1739.
Credit: Ancestry.co.uk
Her father died in January 1763 and was buried in St Margaret's. His daughter inherited Hever Castle.
By then Jane had married, as his second wife, George Medley of Buxted Place, a future MP for East Grinstead, his first wife, Elizabeth Jemima Palmer, having died in 1757 within a month of their marriage. There were no children from either marriage.
Credit: Ancestry.co.uk
Marriage record of George Medley and Jane Waldo.
Holy Trinity, Clapham.
8th November 1762.
George Medley died on 1st June 1796 and was buried eight days later at St Margaret's.
Credit: Ancestry.co.uk
Burial: George Medley 9th June 1796
from the Buxted Parish Register 1723-1806
Some 33 years later, on 14th December 1829, Jane died aged 90. She left her estate to her cousin (also named Jane Waldo), and on whose death in 1841, Buxted Place and its lands passed to George Medley's niece, Julia Annabella Shuckburgh (nee Evelyn).
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool. The only son of Charles, 1st Earl of Liverpool and his wife Amelia (née Watts), Robert was born on 7th June 1770 and baptised on 29th of that month, at St Margarets' Westminster.
© National Portrait Gallery
Robert Banks Jenkinson
2nd Earl of Liverpool
1827
Artist: Sir Thomas Lawrence
He was educated at Charterhouse and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1787. He was elected as MP for Rye in 1790, but was not old enough to take his seat until the following summer.
His father was vehemently opposed to Robert's proposed marriage to Lady Louisa Theodoria Hervey, third daughter of Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, and Elizabeth (nee Davers) It took the intervention of the then Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger and King George III, before the marriage took place, at St Mary's, Wimbledon, in March 1795.
Louisa died on 12th June 1821. The following year, Robert married his second wife, Mary Chester, daughter of Charles Chester and niece of the 1st Lord Bagot, on 24th September 1822. There were no children from either marriage.
Jenkinson held a number of offices of State (Foreign Secretary, 1801-1804; Home Secretary, 1804-1809; War Secretary: 1809-1812) before becoming Prime Minister in May 1812, after the assassination in the Lobby of the House of Commons of the then Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval.
On the morning of 17th February 1827, still in office as Prime Minister, he suffered a severe stroke. He resigned on 9th April 1827 and lingered on until, after a third stroke, he died on 4th December 1828 at Fife House, Whitehall. He was buried in St Mary's, Hawkesbury, on 18th December 1828.
Having died childless, he was succeeded by his half-brother, Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson, who became the 3rd Earl of Liverpool.
Catherine, Countess of Liverpool, (née Bishopp). Born 16 November 1744, baptised 13 December 1744 at St George's Hanover Square, London, the youngest daughter, of the twelve children of Sir Cecil Bishopp and the Hon. Anne (née Boscawen).
Credit; Ancestry.co.uk
Her first husband was Sir Charles Cope, 2nd Baronet (of Bruen), whom she married in June 1760. He died in June 1781. The following year, on 22nd June, Catherine married Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool.
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Credit; Ancestry.co.uk
Catherine died in Mayfair, London on 1st October 1827, at the age of 82. She is buried in St Margaret's.
The following information was provided in 1982 by Peter Drummond-Murray, Slains Pursuivant of Arms
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C
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E
The Nave Roof
With its timbers and tiebeams, the splendid barrel roof above the nave is of 15th Century orgin. A similar roof is still in place above the chancel, but the timbers covered with the addition of the late 17th Century decorative plasterwork.
The brass chandelier which hangs in the nave is late 17th/early 18th century.
The Bell Tower
The Bell Tower houses a ring of eight bells, which are rung for Sunday worship, weddings and other special occasions. The combined weight of all eight bells is over three tons.
Bells have been rung at St Margaret's since 1686, when three bells were installed. This was increased to four in 1757, to six in 1761 and to the current eight bells in 1885. In 2008, all eight bells were sent away for restoration and retuning.
Click on each bell name to reveal more information....
Bell Name | Note | Cast By |
|---|---|---|
Treble | F | John Warner & Sons of London |
No. 2 | E | John Warner & Sons of London |
No. 3 | D | Lester & Pack of London |
No. 4 | C | William Hull of South Malling |
No. 5 | B♭ | William Hull of South Malling |
No. 6 | A | Lester & Pack of London |
No. 7 | G | William Hull of South Malling |
Tenor | F | Lester & Pack of London |
Bell Name |
|---|
Treble |
No. 2 |
No. 3 |
No. 4 |
No. 5 |
No. 6 |
No. 7 |
Tenor |
Treble
Year Cast:
1885
Note:
F
Weight (kg):
Diameter (cm):
70.8
152
Inscription:
Cast by John Warner & Sons, London 1885
Year Recast:
N/A
Recasting
Inscription:
N/A
Year Overhauled:
2008
Overhauled By:
Whites of Appleton
Notes:
The Spire
The spire was completely re-shingled in 2009/10, with the top being raised by around 1.2 metres to gain its original height, having twice been truncated on successive repair jobs.
The guilded weather vane was made in 1665, the date being engraved onto the flag.
Looking up: the wooden interior framework.
The East and West Windows
On either side of the porch there are two small windows which, for many years, were blocked up with rubble. They were restored in 1927 and stained glass, added - to the west the window shows St Margaret and to the east St Nicolas, the former given by parishoners, the latter given by the children of the parish.
St Nicolas: Patron Saint of Children
St Margaret The Queen
The Alchorne Rebus
In the 15th century, the north porch was added to the church by the Alchorne family who were long established in the area.
The white circle in the photograph indicates where, at the top of the outer arch, a carved stone figure of a girl with a churn was placed - thought to be a rebus of the second syllable of the name Alchorne.
The sandstone has eroded but the drawing below shows how it would have looked originally.
Parish Chest
A large oak chest sits at the back of the north aisle. Dendrochronology of its timber has dated it to between 1318 and 1350.
The chest is, understandably, showing its age, but the illustration shows how it looked around 1850 and was then described by Rev. Henry Rosehurst Hoare:
"In front, just below the lid, is a row of trefoil heads, chamfered, similar in shape to those of the fond; between them are rude eight-foiled rosettes. The front feet have sunk trefoils; and along the centre of the lid is a triple roll-moulding; the lid is partially decayed, seeming to have been exposed to the weather. The lock has a long slip of iron turning into a staple on the lid at each end; there are no traces of hinges on the lid only holes at each corner as if for bolts, and tenons fitting into mortises."
Rev. Hoare also notes: "The chest for a long time stood in a corner of the tower, serving as the sexton's depository; but it has been taken out and cleaned, and is to be place in the vestry."
Chests were one of the most important items of mediaeval furniture. Constructed to be solid (to deter vermin) and immovable (to deter thieves), their purpose was to provided secure storage for items such as vestments, church plate, documents or dole (alms for the poor).
As many chests held sacred items, they too were made sacrosanct and originally were often placed next to the altar. During the Reformation, many chests and their contents were destroyed or sold. Those which survived were often those located in rural or remote villages.
The Font
Dating from the late 13th century, the font is notable for its rounded corners, which allow the carved trefoiled arches of the arcade to be continuous. This is a rare feature in fonts.
Carved from a solid block, similar to Purbeck stone, the square bowl sits on four shafts and a central stem - thought to represent God and the four Evangelists - below which is a low plinth.
The wooden carved cover, counter-weighted and raised by a chain, was made in 1931. It was designed by John Leopold Denman, who has been described as "the leading church architect of his time in Sussex".
The Yew Tree
It was confirmed in 1990 that the Yew Tree in the churchyard was over 2000 years old. A certificate from the Conservation Foundation , now hanging on the north wall in the Bell Tower, is signed by, among other, Robert Runcie, the then Archbishop of Canterbury and David Bellamy, botanist, author and televsion presenter.
At the start of the new millennium, some 800 cuttings were taken from the tree and distributed all over the country.
The War Memorial
Erected in 1921, the stone memorial commemorates the seventy one men - 69 military and 2 civilians - of Buxted and High Hurstwood who lost their lives in the conflicts of the First (1914-1918) and Second (1939-1945) World Wars.
The carving on the north facing lantern depicts an angel with two children, while the opposite features St George slaying the dragon.
All Photos: ©David Larkin
Winston Graham
born 30th June 1908, died 10th July 2003
Born Winston Grime, he was a sucessful novelist best known for the Poldark series of historical novels set in Cornwall. He lived in Perranorth from 1925 until 1960, before settling in Buxted.
The Poldark novels were made into a BBC television series in the 1970s. It was so popular, it is said that vicars moved or cancelled church services rather than try to compete with that week's episode of Poldark.
Winston is buried in the churchyard, beside his wife of some 53 years, Jean, who died in 1992.
Christopher Wordsworth
born 9th June 1774, died 2nd February 1846
The brother of the poet William Wordsworth, Christopher was made Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, by the then Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, in June 1820.
Credit: Trinity College, Cambridge.
Christopher Wordsworth.
The portrait was given as a gift by Wordsworth to Trinity College, Cambridge on resigning the Mastership.
His grave can be found by the East wall of the churchyard.
He received the living of Buxted with Uckfield, being Rector of Buxted from 1820 until his death in 1846.
Bell Ringing
Bells have been rung in Buxted for 335 years. In order to keep this tradition alive, we need new generations to learn the skill and pass it on to future generations.
Learning to ring cannot be achieved overnight - it takes several weeks of teaching and practice to be able to control a bell and to ring as a member of the team. But once learnt, bell ringing is a skill that you never forget.
If you are interested in seeing if bell ringing is for you, we will gladly arrange a session for you to try your hand. You can then decide if you would like to add this skill to your other talents.
Bell ringers range in age from 10 to 80 or beyond, so please discuss this with your family and use our Contact Us page to get in touch with the Tower Captain if you are interested in learning this fascinating hobby.