England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Heyshott St James

The Parish

The parish of Heyshott lies in Western Sussex a little under 3 miles south east of the small town of Midhurst. Heyshott sits about a mile east of the A286 road which links Midhurst with Chichester. Heyshott is a fairly dispersed settlement stretching for almost a mile from Heyshott Green, at its northern end, along a north-south running lane to St James' church and then southeast for a further half mile, it sits in the shadow of the nearby escarpment of the South Downs. Like many Wealden parishes where the soils were relatively infertile the parish consisted largely of a mixture of pastures and woodland, the woodland managed by coppicing, today with the advent of modern fertilisers and machinery more arable has crept into the mix. Heyshott is drained northwards by several small streams all making their way to the River Rother which turns water eastwards as far as Pulborough before passing through the South Downs to reach the English Channel at Littlehampton. Heyshott occupies a rising site with Heyshott Green at 50 metres and rising a further 20 metres to the southern end, land rises dramatically to the ridge of the South Downs, capped by the route of the South Downs Way National Trail, at 233 metres on Heyshott Down. Wealden parish are often fairly large by southern standards and Heyshott at just under 2,200 acres was not atypical, within that acreage it would have supported a population of close to 400 parishioners. Heyshott is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St James' church stands where Heyshott's main lane performs it half right dog-leg turn on the eastern side of that lane. At its core St James is a product of the 13th century, the period when Early English Gothic flourished, with minor additions from the later medieval period plus some more modifications in modern times. The 14th century Perpendicular style saw the addition of what Pevsner saw as "a surprisingly elaborate" southern window and two further windows. It was in the 19th century that major significant change came as that century saw a new northern aisle added to the core whilst the 13th century chancel was largely rebuilt. Of the church's timber-clad mini-tower Pevsner says little but since it sits upon ancient timbers within the nave one presumes it is contemporary with the rest of the main core of the church. The lane passing is of sufficient width to allow careful road-side parking. Metal gates grant entry through a low flint wall surrounding a churchyard which has few obstacles to worry the photographer.