St George's Church, Trotton

St. George's Church, Trotton
50°59′45″N 0°48′35″W / 50.995893°N 0.809682°W / 50.995893; -0.809682Coordinates: 50°59′45″N 0°48′35″W / 50.995893°N 0.809682°W / 50.995893; -0.809682
Location Petersfield Road, Trotton, West Sussex GU31 5EN, United Kingdom
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Anglican
Website St George, Trotton
History
Founded Disputed (c. 1240 or 14th century)
Dedication St George
Architecture
Status Parish church
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Grade I
Designated 18 June 1959
Architectural type Church
Style Decorated[1]
Administration
Parish Trotton
Deanery Midhurst
Archdeaconry Horsham
Diocese Chichester
Province Canterbury
Clergy
Rector Revd Edward Doyle

St. George's Church is an Anglican church in Trotton, a village in the district of Chichester, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Most of the structure was built in the early 14th century. However, some parts date to around 1230,[2] and there is evidence suggesting an earlier church on the same site. In 1904, a largely intact and unusually detailed painting was found on the west wall depicting the Last Judgment as described in Matthew 25:31–46.

The church is dedicated to St. George, patron saint of England. The rector of St George's also oversees the parish of Rogate with Terwick, and most services are held at St. Bartholomew's church in Rogate: just two services a month take place at Trotton.[3] The church is also used once a month by the British Orthodox Church.[3] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building for its architectural and historical importance.[4]

History

Historians have disagreed about its age, and the existence of an older church on the same site. The tower has been dated by its architecture to between 1230 and 1240,[5][6] but other historians question this date and suggest the tower and the body of the church both date to the 14th century.[7][8] The porch appears to be a 17th century addition.[9] There is a tomb of Margaret de Camois in the nave. It has been suggested that its location there, rather than the chancel as would be expected for the family of the lord of the manor (which her surname suggests she was), may indicate that the church was built on the site of an earlier, smaller, church and the tomb was in the chancel of that church.[9] Local historian Roger Chatterton-Newman disagrees, saying there would be no need for a church on the site any earlier.[7]

A comprehensive restoration was undertaken by Philip Mainwaring Johnston[10] in 1904. The work cost £700 (£67,000 as of 2016),[11] and a time capsule containing details of the builders, church officials and contemporary world events was buried at the end of the job.[12]

Description and architecture

The church is situated in the village of Trotton, West Sussex, just off the A272 near the River Rother. It stands between the early 15th-century bridge over the river and the 16th-century manor house.[9][13]

The church has a plain, simple Decorated-style exterior, apart from the tower which is Early English style.[1][13] The nave and chancel are in a single chamber, separated by a narrow step instead of a chancel arch.[5][9] The tower stands at the western end of the church, and contains a ring of four bells hung for change ringing.[9][14] The tenor (largest) bell dates from 1908, the others from 1913; all were cast by John Taylor & Co.[14] The church is built of rubble with ashlar dressings. The roof of the main body is tiled; during the 14th century it had a thatched roof, but this was replaced in about 1400.[5] The tower roof is a shingled octagonal cap.[9]

Wall paintings

Wall painting on the west wall

In 1904, the whitewash was removed from the west wall and a wall painting from the very early days of the church was discovered.[2] This, in itself, is not remarkable. Plenty of early churches have wall paintings; however, this one was unusually rich and detailed. In the centre is Jesus Christ, beneath him is Moses and on his right is the "Carnal Man" surrounded by the Seven Deadly Sins. On his left is the "Spiritual Man" surrounded by the Seven Acts of Mercy.[9] These two characters are depicted on the opposite sides of Christ than is usual in such depictions of the Last Judgement.[2] The red paintwork is mostly in good condition, although the Seven Deadly Sins have started to fade.[15]

There are also paintings on the north and south walls depicting the Camoys family. Camoys was the lord of the manor and it appears he had the church built primarily for his family. This would explain the unusual detail in the paintings. They were intended as rich decoration rather than simply for educating an illiterate congregation.[2]

Tombs

Tomb of Thomas and Elizabeth de Camoys

A 9-foot (2.7 m) table-tomb in the middle of the chancel contains the remains of Thomas de Camoys, 1st Baron Camoys (died 1421, although the inscription says 1419) and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March. Baron Camoys fought at the Battle of Agincourt, and his wife was the inspiration for the character of Gentle Kate in William Shakespeare's play Henry IV.[12] The sides of the brass memorial are decorated with quatrefoil- and shield-shaped ornamentation, which enhance the comparatively plain figures. The baron and baroness are depicted holding hands and only slightly smaller than life-size.[15] Ian Nairn and Nikolaus Pevsner described the memorial as "one of the biggest, most ornate and best preserved brasses in England".[15]

The nave contains a leger slab with a brass of Margaret de Camois (died 1310).[2] This is the oldest known brass of a woman in England.[2][15] There used to be a 15th-century niche-tomb in the south wall, but it had been largely removed by 1780.[9][15] The table-tomb of Sir Roger Lewknor (died c. 1478) is in the northeast corner of the chancel. Its sides have festoon motifs and slender carved niches.[15] In the southeast corner is the pilastered tomb of Anthony Foster (died 1643).[15]

The church today

St George's Church was listed at Grade I on 18 June 1959.[4] Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance.[16] As of February 2001, it was one of 80 Grade I listed buildings, and 3,251 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Chichester.[17]

The present ecclesiastical parish of Trotton covers a large north–south area of countryside, includes the village of Trotton and the hamlets of Chithurst and Ingrams Green, and is served by St Mary's Church at Chithurst as well as St George's.[18] Both churches are in the Rural Deanery of Midhurst, one of eight deaneries in the Archdeaconry of Horsham in the Diocese of Chichester.[19][20]

Eucharistic services are held on the second and fourth Sundays every month. The church is open during the day for visitors.[3]

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Beevers, Marks & Roles 1989, p. 159.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chatterton-Newman 1991
  3. 1 2 3 "St George, Trotton". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  4. 1 2 Historic England, "The Parish Church of St George, Trotton with Chithurst (1221344)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 11 November 2013
  5. 1 2 3 2003, p. 25.
  6. ↑ Pé 1998, p. 78.
  7. 1 2 Chatterton-Newman, Roger (1997). Camoys of Trotton. Rogate, UK: Rogate Society Occasional Papers.
  8. ↑ Salter 2000, p. 138.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Salzman, L. F. (ed) (1953). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 4: The Rape of Chichester. Trotton". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 32–39. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  10. ↑ Allen, John (28 March 2013). "Architects and Artists I–J–K". Sussex Parish Churches website. Sussex Parish Churches (www.sussexparishchurches.org). Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  11. ↑ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Gregory Clark (2015), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)" MeasuringWorth.
  12. 1 2 Wales 1999, p. 213.
  13. 1 2 Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 355.
  14. 1 2 "Trotton—S George". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 356.
  16. ↑ "Listed Buildings". Historic England. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Images of England — Statistics by County (West Sussex)". Images of England. English Heritage. 2007. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  18. ↑ "Trotton". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  19. ↑ "Rural Deanery of Midhurst". Diocese of Chichester. 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  20. ↑ "Archdeaconry of Horsham". Diocese of Chichester. 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.

Bibliography

  • Beevers, David; Marks, Richard; Roles, John (1989). Sussex Churches and Chapels. Brighton: The Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery and Museums. ISBN 0-948723-11-4. 
  • Chatterton-Newman, Roger (1991). Betwixt Petersfield and Midhurst. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 0-906520-94-0. 
  • Coppin, Paul (2006). 101 Medieval Churches of West Sussex. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-306-5. 
  • Nairn, Ian; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1965). The Buildings of England: Sussex. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071028-0.  Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  • Pé, Diana (2008). West Sussex Church Walks. PP (Pé Publishing). ISBN 0-9543690-0-9. 
  • Salter, Mike (2000). The Old Parish Churches of Sussex. Malvern: Folly Publications. ISBN 1-871731-40-2. 
  • Vigar, John (1986). Exploring Sussex Churches. Rainham: Meresborough Books. ISBN 0-948193-09-3. 
  • Wales, Tony (1999). The West Sussex Village Book. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 1-85306-581-1. 
  • Whiteman, Ken; Whiteman, Joyce (1998). Ancient Churches of Sussex. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-154-2. 
  • Wilkinson, Edwin (2003). Looking Towards West Sussex Country Churches. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-277-8. 

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