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

The Parish

The parish of Sullington lies in southern Sussex roughly 8 1/2 miles north of the coastal town of Worthing. Sullington sits a half mile south of the A283 road which links Pulborough with Washington. Sullington, today, is a tiny place, there is a farm and some cottages gathered around the church at the end of a dead-end lane, a few properties on the A283 and some of neighbouring Storrington has expanded into the parish around Sullington Warren. Sullington parish covered a wide range of habitats leading to a diverse farming regime, the heath of Sullington Warren is betrayed by its name, it would have been managed for rabbits as well as for typical heathland products, around the church there would have been arable and to its south the escarpment of the South Downs rises abruptly, now also arable but at the time of this transcript the haunt of sheep. Current Ordnance Survey maps also show more modern exploitation of the Warren, sand pits excavated to provide material for road-building. Sullington is drained northwestwards by small brooks which eventually coalesce into the River Stor, at Pulborough the Stor is captured by the Arun and water turns south, breaches the Downs and reaches the English Channel at Littlehampton. Sullington is sited at around 80 metres above the sea at the church, 60 metres on the Warren but the escarpment of the South Downs, capped by the South Downs Way National Trail, reaches 213 metres on Chantry Hill filling southern views. Sullington parish covered close to 1,700 acres and this would have supported a population of close to 250 parishioners. It is difficult to reconcile the tiny hamlet of today with the 35 household settlement of Domesday times, just sufficient to place Sullington in the top 20% of settlements by population in the land, held by William de Braose its assets of 9 ploughs backed by a small meadow, some woodland and a mill are more typical of a small to middling farming manor.

The Church

Sullington Lane leads south from the A283 a half to reach the cluster of cottages, farms and the parish church of St Mary beyond the church it becomes a popular footpath rising up the left hand side of a deeply incised valley to reach the crest of the escarpment. Like many small and very rural churches St Mary retains its earliest fabric, modified it is true but retaining sufficient to identify the church as a pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon foundation. The nave has typically tall and thin walls, they are just 2 feet and a half inch thick, whilst the stubby tower shows long-and-short stonework characteristic of the 11th century Saxo-Norman period, similar work appears in the chancel. The 12th century saw a western doorway inserted into the tower whilst its upper stages were rebuilt. The modification of the early church began in earnest in the 13th century Early English Gothic period, an exceptionally wide chancel arch was inserted as was the tower arch modified, the chancel windows were replaced with the lancet version of the Gothic style and a northern aisle added. The Decorated era saw an elegant new east window created whilst the chantry chapel was added in the Perpendicular style at the end of the 14th century. The tower's distinctive pyramidal roof was a 17th century creation. Finally a typical Victorian restoration of 1873 replaced many windows and the roofs and added the vestry. The lane sweeps around the churchyard and ends as a surfaced road at a rough car park. The churchyard has some fine examples of yew trees which do restrict views but enough angles remain to satisfy the photographer.