England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Withyham St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Withyham lies in the extreme north of East Sussex, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Kent and is also not far from Surrey. Withyham is located roughly midway between East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells and sits on the B2110 road which connects the latter with Hartfield & Forest Row. Today Withyham is little more than a hamlet whereas at the time of this transcript it was a bustling centre for the Weald. The area was predominantly arable with much pasture and meadow too but substantial tracts were still forested (almost 20% of the area of the parish) or set to "waste". Today Withyham is a quiet spot traversed by trails such as The Wealdway and just north the Sussex Border Path. Withyham is drained by sundry tributaries of the upper Medway which makes its way to the Thames Estuary through the port of Chatham. Withyham is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in a valley setting with rolling Wealden countryside rising to local heights of 110 metres within a mile or two. Wealden parishes are extensive and Withyham parish fitted that model, it covered just over 7,900 acres making it more reminiscent of northern upland parish than one in the south, the parish would have supported a population of about 1,600 parishioners albeit it was dropping steadily and today holds many fewer. There is no mention of Withyham in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Michael's church sits about 200 yards south of the B2110 reached by the surfaced lane which is followed by the Weald Way, a small sign points the way. A grave accident during a storm when lightning struck the church causing much damage in 1663 resulted in an almost complete rebuild which was completed 9 years later except for the chapel for the Sackville family which added a further 8 years. The original church dated largely from the 14th century and much of the materials were reused in the rebuild, the tower and chancel, in particular, show the style of the original church. Much else was added and 17th century in style. Despite this relatively recent origin the church received substantial improvement in early Victorian times, the southern aisle being added in 1841 whence a northern arcade was also removed and much else "Victorianised" to quote Pevsner. The access track is driveable to small parking area with a pathway through trees into what is a crowded churchyard making for a tricky piece to adequately photograph.