England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Friston St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Friston lies in southern Sussex indeed it forms part of the coastline of the county with the English Channel, including part of the iconic Seven Sisters chalk coastline. Friston lies about 3 miles west of the seaside town of Eastbourne. Friston sits astride the busy A259 coastal road which links Eastbourne with Seaford & Newhaven. Friston is a tiny hamlet, almost absorbed by its larger neighbour East Dean, nowadays the buildings of the two settlements are contiguous. Friston's centre is at the junction of the A259 with a northward running lane that crosses over the South Downs to Polegate. This area nowadays is a mixture of sheep pastures and arable farming but would, at the time of this transcript, have been largely pastoral. Friston sits at about 110 metres above sea level despite being less than a mile from the English Channel, the Seven Sisters forms the southern edge of the parish and indeed England. The parish was rather small and supported fewer than 100 parishioners, hence the brevity of the transcript. There is no specific reference to Friston in Domesday Book one assumes it was recorded with East Dean.

The Church

St Mary's church sits to the south of the A259 at its junction with a track that heads over the Downs to the coast. The church rather puzzled Pevsner in that its earliest date was unclear. Various theories have been put forward the most plausible being that the building predates the Conquest and was extended during the Norman period. What is certain is that the chancel is 14th century. The building is rather small as befits a tiny parish with a simple layout lacking a tower. The initial few yards of the track (Crowlink Lane) are tarred and there is parking on that stretch close to the entrance. A low flint wall surrounds the site and large mature trees screen the church from the main road. Once inside, however, angles are clear for photography.