The Church of St. Mary at Yapton
Yapton, England

1. Photos: Outside and Inside

Photos OUTSIDE:
page 1  page 2  page 3  page 4

INSIDE:
page 1  page 2

2. The Winstead-Church Connection
Direct-line Ancestors starting in 1500s

3. The Church

Thanks to current church members Allen Misselbrook and Elaine Cordingley! Allen Misselbrook is also the Chairman of the Yapton & Ford Local History Group.  The brief summary information below comes from information from materials given to me by Allen Misselbrook and Elaine Cordingley - as well as the internet.

The Anglo-Saxon period in Britain spans approximately the six centuries from 410-1066AD. The Anglo-Saxons were actually immigrants from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden).

The Normans that invaded England in 1066 came from Normandy on the northern coast of France. The Normans are the descendants of Viking explorers from Scandinavia who settled in Normandy. More specifically, in the 9th and 10th centuries, the Vikings made their way from Norway to settle in what is now known as Normandy.

The Normans succeeded in conquering England, bringing an end to Anglo-Saxon England. This is known as the Norman Conquest.

The current church building was primarily constructed between 1180 and 1220 and continues today to actively serve the parish of Yapton as a part of The Church of England. There is physical evidence in the church that an earlier church building located on this same site was Saxon.

"St Mary’s Church is an example of an Early English Church dating from circa 1180. It is noted for its column capitals, the bell tower and its Saxon font. “Although there was a church on the site in the Saxon period, all that remains of this is the lower part of the tower: the north wall is the south wall of the Saxon nave. Most of the structure dates from 1180-1220; the nave and tower date from 1180-1200 and the chancel from 1200-1220. The pretty porch was added some time after 1400, along with the west window. The additional buttressing of the tower to counter evident subsidence may also have been added in this period.” David J. ‘Churches to Visit in the UK’ (online publication)

The external walls are constructed mainly with typical Sussex flint facing with some rendering. The interior of the church features an unusual Saxon font with arcaded decoration, exposed beams in the chancel. The chancel arch rests on two fluted corbels, and the chancel has pairs of lancets to north and south. There are two small side aisles, north and south, with three small windows in the south aisle, two of which contain early plain glass. Two of these windows have a quatrefoil shape. The Early English window at the east end was replaced with a triple window in 1909. The stained glass depicts the life of Christ and is dedicated to the memory of John Boniface and his wife, Sarah Baker Collins.

The chancel walls are covered with beautiful marble memorial tablets associated with the wealthy Thomas and Edmonds families, who numbered amongst them high ranking government officials and owned plantations in the West Indies. Above the pulpit is a memorial tablet with a poem in honour of Stephen Roe, who established a charity in the 1760s for educating a number of boys and girls in the parish and for giving to the poor. The charity still exists to this day. The church is entered through a flint and timber porch. The church organ is now situated on the right of the entrance door and was restored in 1984.

The bell tower, which was a later addition to the church, houses 6 bells. It is joined to the main church but now leans at an angle, supported by the brick buttresses. A massive original oak frame supports the bells." Source

"Sussex is not a county of stone-quarries, although there were some in the Weald, but the sea shore provided ample building material in the shape of the large flints thrown up by the waves, and the walling of Yapton Church, like most of the churches in the plain between the downs and the sea, is built of these flints." *

“The tower is several degrees out of the perpendicular, and is supported by massive buttresses built in the 14th and 16th century and some beautifully moulded stones that appear to have been part of the late 13th century door or window are built into its face.” *

“The font which stands on a modern circular base of York stone, is remarkably interesting and one of the treasures of the church. It is large round basin made of hard freshwater limestone, with a lining of lead. . . . There is little doubt that this font is pre-Conquest, and stood in the original Saxon Church.” *

“By 1872 an organ had been installed.” Source  “The organ in St Mary’s was originally located at the entrance to the Chancel, but was moved in 1954 to its current location just inside the West door.” Source “The church organ is now situated on the right of the entrance door and was restored in 1984.” Source

The stained glass window “Peace” was dedicated in 2018. See dedication articles and photo: One, Two, Three.

* “The Parish Church of St Mary Yapton” 2023, published by the Docese of Chichester, The Church of England.