Church of The Holy Sepulchre, Warminghurst, West Sussex

About Warminghurst Church
Warminghurst church stands in an elevated and isolated
position 15 km north of Worthing. A church is mentioned
here in Domesday Book (1086) serving a scattered
farming community. In the 17th century Warminghurst
House was home of the Quaker, William Penn, who
drafted the first Constitution for Pennsylvania here. His
house was subsequently purchased, and demolished, by
James Butler, who carried out many improvements to the
church in 1707.
The church as it now stands is a complete rebuild of
about 1220. It takes the form of a rectangle with (originally)
north and south doorways. The simple lancet windows
date from this time. Fifty years later the large east window
was inserted and a double piscina built into the south wall.
In the 17th century Henry Shelley (ancestor of the poet)
constructed a burial chapel on the north side of the
church, now used as a vestry.
The estate was purchased by James Butler in 1702 and
five years later he remodelled the church. It appears that
Butler replaced all the doorways in the church using late
medieval stonework from Warminghurst Place, his huge
mansion that stood across the lane to the west of the
church, which Butler demolished soon after purchasing
the estate. Most of the pews, the pulpit and screen date
from the same period, as does the present entrance door.
From 1845 there were no resident clergy, and the church
was little used. After falling into disrepair it was declared
redundant in 1980 and vested in the care of The Churches
Conservation Trust, which is today assisted in its work by
the Friends of Warminghurst Church.
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Access
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your church tour
Church of
TheHoly
Sepulchre
Warminghurst, Sussex

1 Three 18th-century hatchments on the nave north wall
7 Set into the north wall of the chancel is the most
9 Below the Elizabeth Benet monument may be seen
were carried at funerals of members of the Butler family,
important monument in the church (cover). This inset
two narrow rectangular recesses. These form the
who owned the estate from 1702 to 1805.
brass commemorates Edward Shelley (d. 1554), his wife
base of a double piscina – a 13th-century feature that
2 A large marble monument
commemorates John
Riches, a London
merchant, who was
Trustee of James Butler
and lived at Warminghurst.
and children. It is particularly interesting for two reasons.
First, the (now lost) central depiction above the figures
was of The Holy Trinity and was one of the last
constructed in England as the policy of Elizabeth I
(who came to the throne in 1558) was very much
against such representations. Second, the children
along the base are identified by the first letter of their
comprised two drains
for the washing of the
priest’s fingers and the
chalice during the
medieval mass. They
may have been filled in
when the monument
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8
3 The pine box pews date
from the 18th century.
Of varying sizes, they were
rented to reflect the social
status of their occupants.
Those nearest the screen
have drawers to contain
the prayer-books. The plain benches, without doors,
Christian names. The boy on the left, Edward Shelley
Junior, has had his head cut
off very cleanly and
deliberately. This would have
been done after he brought
disgrace on the family by
Vestry
being executed in 1588 for
harbouring a Catholic priest.
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above was erected.
To the left of the pulpit
is a memorial tablet to
George Freeman
(d. 1938) who founded
The Times Educational
Supplement.
were free and were for those unable to
11 The three-decker pulpit of pine and
afford the pews.
oak is well lit by the lancet window in
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the south wall. The Clerk’s desk has a
delightful book rest and a gargantuan
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chair of elm. From here the parish
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clerk led the service.
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The chancel and nave are divided by an
18th-century pine screen of three
arches, topped by the Royal Arms of
Queen Anne, painted on plaster after
1707 when England and Scotland were
joined by the Act of Union. They were
repainted in 1845 by E Martin, who signed
his work in the bottom right-hand corner.
The doorway into the burial chapel of
Henry Shelley is of considerable interest.
Although placed here in the early 17th
century the stonework is at least one
hundred years older. The sides and step
of the doorway show signs of excessive
wear, suggesting that it started
life as a main thoroughfare in
Warminghurst Place before
being moved here as part of
Butler’s remodelling of the
church in 1707 when the big
house was demolished.
The altar rails are an especially
good example of late 17thcentury
work with turned
wooden balusters.
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South
Vestry
Nave 4
6 Chancel
N
On the south wall of the chancel is a large marble
monument to Dame Elizabeth Benet who died in 1721.
She was married to the James Butler who remodelled
the church in 1707. The monument is signed at the base
of the left-hand column ‘Stanton & Horsn London’.
Edward Stanton and Christopher Horsenaile are
considered the most important sculptors of their period.
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The font dates from the
1707 rebuilding. Above it is
an iron crane to support
an elaborate cover.
Behind the font is a fine
16th-century iron chest.
The south vestry was originally built
as a porch, but was converted into a
schoolroom by the construction of a
high brick floor in the 19th century.
However, its doorway is 13th century
and original to the church. On the
left-hand side (viewed from inside
the vestry) is the remains of a
medieval mass dial (a sundial to tell
the times of service when this was an
outside door) and on the right the
remains of a holy water stoup
(to contain water blessed for
personal devotion).
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