England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wivelsfield St Peter & St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Wivelsfield lies almost centrally in Sussex being within East Sussex but close to its border with the modern county of West Sussex. Wivelsfield is located just over 2 miles south of the modern town of Hayward's Heath and is a curiously distributed and dispersed village spread over a wide area. Two main centres of property exist, the larger, today, being Wivelsfield Green which sits a mile east of the B2112 connecting Hayward's Heath with Ditchling whist the smaller namely Wivelsfield, itself, sits on and either side of that road; in all the built area spread eastwards from the B2112 for almost one and a half miles. Wivelsfield sits within the Sussex Weald on generally unproductive soils which encourage forest management as the main economic activity, backed by pastoral farming with token amounts of arable on the more productive areas. Today the area is dominated by the twin new towns of Hayward's Heath and Burgess Hill where growth has been significant partly due to "new town" over-spill and helped by the London to Brighton railway line. Small brooks drain Wivelsfield northeastwards eventually emerging as the Sussex Ouse, the latter eventually turns back south to pass through the South Downs and reach the English Channel through Lewes and Newhaven. Wivelsfield Green is sited at 50 metres above the sea with Wivelsfield some 20 metres lower, land undulates between these two heights for some distance until the South Downs are reached away to the south. Wivelsfield parish was rather large, as are many in The Weald, covering just under 2,800 acres it would have supported a population of close to 750 parishioners. In Domesday times Wivelsfield was not specifically mentioned albeit the manor of Berth within the parish acreage merited an entry, a tiny place of 9 properties held by William de Broase it could offer merely 4 ploughs.

The Church

St Peter & St John the Baptist's church occupies the small portion of Wivelsfield which sits west of the B2112 and sits, tucked away behind fronting properties on the southern side of Church Lane, a dead-end lane leading to both church and Lunces Hall. The church has early origins and despite Wivelsfield's lack of mention in Domesday Book there undoubtedly was a church on this site pre-Conquest. The small northern doorway and two tiny windows in the tower show 11th century styles which may be Saxon or very early Norman work. Further work dates the chancel to the 13th century and the Early English Gothic period, lancet windows in both the chancel and the southern chapel are indicative of this 13th century period. Both the nave and the unusually set southwestern tower date from a century later either late 14th or early 15th century work and Perpendicular in style. A major Victorian restoration of 1869 saw much change including the resetting of the earlier work of the 11th century, the northern aisle is the major piece which was added during what was a thorough refresh of the church. Whilst Church Lane is narrow it carries very little through traffic but parking should still be considerate. The church is well screened behind fronting properties with a belt of conifers looming above the brick-walled churchyard, metal gates grant entry to a rather crowded and cramped churchyard which requires skill from the photographer to find adequate angles to capture the church.