St James Church

 
Although the law was re-enacted in Edward V1's reign, the chapel of Heyshott seems to have been unaffected as, thirteen years after Elizabeth came to the throne, a return of rents included the following
 
Going out of the land of William Yalden in the parish of Heyshott given for one pound of wax for the light there, by the year....4d.
 
This was in spite of the fact that endowments in rememberance of the dead were regarded as abhorrent by the Reformed Church.
 
Although practically all the old records give a clear impression that Heyshott was definitley junior to Stedham, there is one example of when it appears to have been the senior. In 1563 the Privy Council ordered a review of the state of all church dioceses and, within the Midhurst Deanery, it shows that Heyshott had a rector while Steadham had only a curate.
 
The condition of the church buildings was often poor, to say the least. an entry in the book of reparations of churches and chancels in the Archdeanery of Chichester records that Archbishop Laud ordered a Visitation to be made in 1636 and the record for Heyshott states;
 
    Nicholas Austen and Nicholas Combes, wardens , appear in person and report: '
    There wants a new Communion Table. There is no carpett for Communion table.
    The church wants whitening throughout. The Chancell wants whitening and Sentences of the Scriptures there are quite worn out.
    The Chancell wants much repairing in the walls both inside and outside.
    They have not the Service Booke for the 5th of November nor the book of Cannons.
    They want another flagon for the Communion wyne and a more comely surplace for the Minister.
    The church wants paveing. They have not a note indented in parchment of the utensils of the Church.
    The North isle of the church wants paveing and the walls want plaistring.
    There is noe chest for Almes for the poore.
    There are twoe seats in the Chauncell which stand and the people sett with theire backs to the communion Table.
    They want a new register Booke'.
    The wardens appeared and are charged to repair by the feast of the Purification'
 
About 100 years later, in the Rev John Peachey's time, things were rather better, but there was still much to be done,7 An inspection by the Diocesan authorities stated that the church was 'not very decent, and some cracks in it.'
 
    It continued:
    Books good. A silver chalice and linen cloth good. Chest [was this the same chest stolen from the vestry in 1995?].
    3 bells. Chancell in good repair. Families 25. No papist; one Presbyterian. Divine service once every Sunday,
    by the incumbent or a curate , Mr Heatherly. sacraments 4 times a year.
    Communicants, about 15. Glebe, about 8 acres of plaine land.
    [ It is clear that Heyshott's clergy were not overworked!]

 
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About another 100 years later, in 1951, there was a census of all church goers in the land. Although the congregation seems quite good, it appears that the church itself was worse then ever;
 
    'Population 432. Attendance at church was a.m. 50 adults and 40 Sunday School children, p.m. 150 adults and 40 children.
    This is a very poor agricultural parish.
    A new church is in contemplation of being built if funds sufficient can be raised by voluntary contributions'.
 
Caleb Collins was Rector of Stedham cum Heyshott for the longest period from 1826 to 1879 and during his time, in 1850, the church was said to be ' in a ruinous state, the tower having fallen down many years ago'. However, over the next six years it was largely rebuilt. The north aisle, which previously had been only a passage on the north side of the arcade, was widened.
This necessitated a roof and a lead valley gutter between it and the roof over the nave. As the lead became brittle it leaked and damaged the wall above the arcade. It was renewed in the early 1970s.
The chancel was also rebuilt at the same time and may have been extended eastwards. It is not known whether the perpendicular window in the south wall was part of these restorations or whether it was part of an earlier rebuilding in the 15th century as its style would suggest.
 
The repairs to the chancel were done on very inadequate foundations consisting only of large stones. This fact became apparent in the drought years of 1975 and 1976 when the chancel suffered serious subsidence. A two to three inch gap appeared between the chancel arch and the adjacent ceiling and the key stone over the vestry door nearly fell out. Repairs were done by Bayley Bros, the firm of builders from Marden who a few years ago previously had done excellent repairs to the west window of the north aisle - the mullion was clearly part of the mid 19th century rebuilding because it was reinforced with iron rods which rusted and split the stone.
 
The 1970s repairs to the chancel necessitated the construction of four reinforced concrete piers over two metres deep. Two ground beams were inserted between these at forty-five degrees to the walls across the corners. The slight gaps between these beams and the walls above were carefully grouted up and, in spite of very dry years since, there has been no further movement although other buildings in the village have suffered serious subsidence.
 
At about the same time the vestry was in very poor condition with a rusty corrugated iron roof which cut across the east window of the aisle. This had been criticised in an earlier reparations report. It was redesigned slightly enlarged and roofed in a way which avoided obscuring the lower part of the aisle window. The small area under the lower ceiling was used for hanging the cassocks and surplices of the choir.
Funds were limited and it was built of tongue and grooved cedar boarding, to match the cedar shingles on the bell 'tower'. The fact that it also had a felt roof prompted a remark from one of the farmers in the village, who said to the architect 'You designed that chicken house on the side of the church didn't you?'