England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Kingston by Lewes St Pancras

The Parish

The parish of Kingston by Lewes, as its name suggests lies around 1 1/2 miles southwest of the town of Lewes in southern Sussex, not too far from its English Channel coastline, the suffix being needed to distinguish it from Kingston by Sea. Kingston sits around a mile south of the bust A27 road, Sussex' main coastal highway linking Brighton eastwards to Lewes & Bexhill. At the time of this transcript there was very little to Kingston, early maps show the single lane of The Street heading into the Downs from the valley of the Sussex Ouse, that lane lined by properties including inn & church. The village has expanded in the 20th century acquiring a square of modern development to the north of The Street. Much of the parish acreage of Kingston was set to sheep-run, the South Downs being largely used for sheep raising, a few small areas of arable could be found in the valley, today much more arable is found due to modern machinery & fertilisers. Kingston is drained into the nearby Ouse and thence through to the English Channel through the port of Newhaven. Kingston is sited at 30 metres in the older parts rising to 60 for the northern edges, immediately west lies the South Downs, topped by the South Downs Way National Trail, which rise almost to 200 metres on nearby Swanborough Hill. Kingston parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering close to 1,700 acres it would have supported a population of around 150 parishioners. Sadly its marriages are under-represented here due to loss of their early registers, around 80 marriages would have been expected rather than the meagre 14 found. In Domesday times Kingston was not specifically mentioned although the manor of Winterbourne was within the parish area it was a tiny place, held by William de Warenne, which could merit only a half share in a plough and a small meadow.

The Church

St Pancras' church sits on the northern side of The Street and towards its western end. The church is a simple aisleless nave and chancel with a western tower, as befits a relatively small congregation. It is seemingly all of the early 14th century and also almost entirely built in the Decorated style of that period. Pevsner has a few doubts regarding the tower, it is possible it comes from the late 13th century as it shows a narrow slit-like window on its southern face just below the pyramidal roof. The close dating of the remainder imply a single phase of building and remarkably little change since completion, a rare phenomenon. For once Pevsner fails to mention a Victorian restoration and it is likely that one never occurred, also a rare phenomenon. The Street is narrow but carries little traffic so careful street parking is possible. Flint rubble walling surrounds the churchyard which is approached by a semi-enclosed path at the eastern edges, the churchyard is amenable to the photographer with few obstacles and easily avoided.