England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Terwick St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Terwick lies in northwestern Sussex not too far from its border with neighbouring Hampshire. Terwick is located roughly 5 miles east of the Hampshire market town of Petersfield and sits on the A272 road which connects Petersfield with Midhurst. Terwick is not really "on" that road as there is no village of Terwick at all, the road merely passes through the parish which consists purely of scattered farms and cottages with no real centre. The parish covers a strip of land running northwards from the River Rother, across the A272 to Terwick Common before dropping away abruptly into The Weald proper. This area was largely poor in its soil quality but despite this roughly 2/3rds of the parish acreage was set to arable, as estimated by early gazetteers. Terwick is drained eastwards by the River Rother which turns south at Pulborough to find a gap through the chalk ridge of the South Downs arriving at the English Channel through the port of Littlehampton. Terwick is sited at 50 metres above the sea at St Peter's church with Terwick Common some 50 metres higher, the southern view is dominated by the escarpment of the South Downs which summits at 242 metres on Beacon Hill. At only a little over 700 acres Terwick was one of the county's smallest parishes and that acreage would have supported around 100 parishioners. Terwick is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Peter's church sits south of the A272 accessed by an increasingly narrowing lane which deteriorates into footpaths beyond the church. Like many tiny and isolated church the building has been left to itself largely since its construction in the earliest of times. From the 12th century, Norman Romanesque in style, one finds the nave and chancel, a simple worshiping box, albeit inevitably touched by the hands of the Victorians. Also from the 12th century is the plain western doorway and the window above the same. Medieval work inserted lancet style windows of the Early English Gothic period in the 13th century and also Perpendicular styles in the 14th or early 15th century but it wasn't until the 19th century when over-enthusiastic Victorian restorers updated the church to the building we find today. The church has a white sign post on the A272 indicating its access road which becomes narrower as you progress, after a left fork it becomes rough with grass growing down the centre before arriving at a turning circles with a rough parking area. A small wooden gate grants entry to a churchyard which has no obstacles for the photographer.