England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Sutton St John

The Parish

The parish of Sutton lies in central West Sussex at the foot of the South Downs. Sutton is located about 5 miles south of the large Wealden village of Petworth. Sutton is a linear settlement built largely along a narrow lane running north to south and about 2 miles east of the A285 road which links Petworth with the city of Chichester. Sutton is a rather picturesque settlement with a hotchpotch of stiles and much use of timber framing throughout. Sutton would have had a largely mixed farming regime at the time of this transcript, the parish being elongated on a north to south bases to include a range of landuse types. The parish is drained by a series of small brooks which run northwards to join the River Rother only to double back to cut through The South Dons and reach the English Channel at Littlehampton. Sutton sits on a little shelf of land at around 60 metres above the sea, land falls away 30 metres or so to the east but rises at the edge of the Downs to heights of over 200 metres on Barlavington Down and Glatting Beacon to west & south respectively. The Downs edge settlements have narrow parishes running north to south and Sutton fits that pattern, it was fairly small for the area covering 2,600 acres and supporting a population of just over 400 parishioners. In Domesday times Sutton was held by one Earl Roger of Shrewsbury and could offer 9 ploughs, some meadows & woodland and an impressive 3 mills.

The Church

St John's church sits almost at the northern end of its main and meandering lane and to its west. The church is an ancient structure with parts dating back to the 11th century although just traces of herringbone masonry highlight that fact. The aisles are slightly later & 12th century whilst the chancel and western tower are 13th. For much of the building to predate the perpendicular period is testimony to its great age. The Victorians did, however, get to work and they largely rebuilt the western end. The church sits in a slightly elevated position fronted by a low stone wall, at the southern end a metal gateway grants access to a rising path. The churchyard is, however, much dominated by trees which limit the angles available for photography.