England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Merston St Giles

The Parish

The parish of Merston lies in southwestern Sussex about 3 miles southeast of the cathedral city of Chichester. Merston is located just south of the A259 road which connects Chichester with Bognor Regis. There is very little to Merston, a straggle of farms and cottages lining Marsh Lane which meanders between the A259 and B2166 (the other road leading to Bognor Regis). Merston sits on Sussex' coastal fringe, an area of low-lying marshland which has been much man-influenced with drainage schemes and reclamation. In contrast to most of the county this coastal plain is dominated by pastures, albeit today the flat landscape is becoming crowded with glass-houses and poly-tunnels for growing of seasonal fruit & vegetables. Modern developments have come to Merston, the coastal rail line between Chichester & Arundel skirts the northern edge of the parish without providing a station and the former Arundel & Portsmouth Canal passes through but not used today. Merston is drained southwards by the Pagham Rife which makes its way the short distance to the English Channel arrving through Pagham Harbour. Merston is sited at just 5 metres above the sea, a typical height for this coastal fringe where land does not rise significantly for many miles. Merston parish was tiny by the standards of its county, covering barely 700 acres it would have supported a population of just 100 parishioners. In Domesday times Merston was a holding of Earl Roger of Shrewsbury, a small place offering 5 ploughs and a small meadow which was augmented by having 3 profitable mills.

The Church

St Giles' church sits on the southern side of Marsh Lane a few hundred yards south of the last property in the hamlet. The church has its origins in the 13th century, a fact indicated by the series of lancet windows of the early English Gothic style decorating both nave & chancel. The four-bay arcade is slightly more controversial, Pevsner favouring 13th century whilst others place it to the following century. The church is unusual in having the northern aisle roof "sweeping down to within a few feet of the ground" as Pevsner sees it, a consequence is the window-less northern face in rough-cast. The whole is topped by a western bellcote. A small parking area for church use only sits outside the entrance to a churchyard which is narrow from east to west with both ends of the church flush with the edges. This arrangement makes for tricky access to both east and west ends and does limit the angles available to the photographer somewhat.