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

The Parish

The parish of Horsham lies in the north of Sussex not too far from its border with neighbouring Surrey. Horsham is located about 36 miles south of the city of London and sits on the A24 road which connects the capital with the south coast at Worthing. Horsham is a market town and regional capital for the West Sussex Weald and a substantial trading and business centre. Said to have been founded by Horsa, of historical legend killed in battle nearby. Horsham was granted a market soon after the conquest and this still flourishes today. The district around Horsham was a royal hunting forest and little populated until the discovery of iron-rich sandstones lead to boom in smelting. Much of the region is nowadays under agriculture albeit the heavy clay soils merit the use of heavy machinery to work. Horsham has the typical rural services of a regional market as well being a brewing town with Harveys prominent in the town. Modern developments have helped Horsham grow in recent times, rail lines to London have encouraged commuting to the capital and its proximity to Gatwick Airport has enhanced its ability to retain high-tech businesses. Modern Horsham has grown to encompass an area almost 3 miles in diameter making it one of the major centres of the western Weald. Horsham is drained by the River Arun which initially heads westwards before turning south to penetrate through the South Downs at Arundel and reach the English Channel at Littlehampton. Horsham is sited at around 40 metres above the sea in the hummocky terrain of the Weald where local heights rise to almost 150 metres within St Leonard's Forest to Horsham's east. Horsham parish was extensive, one of the largest in the county, covering almost 10,000 acres, albeit much is described as waste with the above-mentioned forest, and supported almost 5,800 parishioners. Strangely Horsham is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book, possibly as it was within the empty quarter of the royal forest.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the southern edge of the town, which is truncated by the Arun's valley and is reached along the narrow lane of Causeway. The church has been altered, modified and restored so many times since its initial build it is often difficult to determine the exact sequence of events. Pevsner goes into minuscule detail but essentially the church was first built in the 12th century with Romanesque traces detectable in the northwestern corner of the nave and the base of the tower. In 1231 the church passed into the hands of the priors of Rusper and was almost completely rebuilt following that change in ownership, both early English Gothic and later Decorated styles, particularly in the chancel, are shown. Chantry chapels were constructed to the north in the early 14th century and south in the 15th century and a sacristy was added at the end of that century. A major restoration of 1865 saw not only restoration and refurbishment but also the addition of the outer southern aisle. As Pevsner rightly states "the grand original design is well and truly wrought around". The Causeway runs southwestwards from the centre of the town towards the Arun, there is limited parking here so a town centre car park is better sense for an extended visit, for a short visit street parking is available in Normandy to the church's south. Paved pathways crisscross the churchyard from either main entrance but the whole is a little tight to the building for perfect picturing.