Site of Special Historic Interest
The site of the medieval Oratory, Priest House, Chapel of Ease and the old Church of St John the Baptist
The old church site in centre of the village was the focus of religious worship for around 500 years and during that time it was the location of a medieval Oratory, Priest House, Chapel of Ease and a Victorian church. In the 1890’s a magnificent new church was planned for the site, designed by esteemed architect Rowland Plumbe, and paid for by Loxwood’s wealthy patrons.
So one may ask; how did the site evolve from its early Roman Catholic origins to eventually become the site of a Victorian Church and why after such a long history of religious worship, is this area now known as Station Road and the church is in a different part of the village?
Church Cottage and the Chapel of Ease depicted in 1791. Village pond in foreground with Willetts in the background.
© Andy Gammon. Watercolour painted in the style of Swiss artist Samuel Hieronymus Grimm.
The early beginnings
Loxwood was a far corner of Wisborough Green parish, known as “Loxwood End” or “Greene”. In the 14th Century everyone was expected to attend their parish church each week, however the dense woods and marshy land in this area made the 3-mile journey to Wisborough Green church very difficult, and so the villagers went to the nearby Alfold Church, which was in a different parish.
This was a stirring time in England. In 1399 Richard II was deposed, Henry IV was the new monarch governing under the perpetual threat of war with France, continual rebellions in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and in England different factions were rising that would eventually lead to the War of the Roses. The biblical doctrines of John Wycliffe the Christian reformer, was threatening the established order of the monarchy as well as the Church, and with all that turmoil the succeeding period saw great political uncertainty.
The Pope in Rome was the Head of the church in England, and by the start of the 15th century the church’s power and influence was at its height. Roman Catholic Canon Law was a crucial part of everyday life, and Catholic Bishops played key roles in Government, advising the monarch on the decisions of State. The church had its own court system to judge crime, and controlled the moral and legal framework of the Country based on catholic biblical principles, including education, marriage, inheritance and divorce, and that often overlapped with secular law.
Every parish had a church and to expand the reach of the church to more distant areas, chapels were being constructed as a type of ‘annex’ to a parish church, and these were known as “Chapels of Ease”.
Drungewick Manor was about one mile from Loxwood and was the favourite rural retreat of the Bishops of Chichester. In 1404 Lord Bishop Robert Rede was regularly visiting Drungewick and at one of his visits, the Vicar of Wisborough Green Rev Walter Dysworth (Whitchurch) and eight “Petitioners” approached the Lord Bishop for permission to build a place of worship in Loxwood.
The eight Petitioners were John Okehurst the Member of Parliament for Chichester, Richard Napper, Richard Threel, Philip Naldred, Nicholas Nicoll, Thomas Pally, John Schudd and William Atthall. John Okehurst had been one of the first people to pay homage to Robert Rede when he was ordained as Bishop of Chichester in 1397, which demonstrates the weight of importance that was given to this matter.
Under Canon Law, only a Bishop had the right to grant such a request. Lord Bishop Rede duly gave a Grant permitting an Oratory or Chapel to be built “at a convenient place” in Loxwood on the condition that the villagers found and sustained their own chaplain, provided all things necessary to perform “Masse and other Divine Services”, and always looked after and maintained the building at their cost. The Grant also stipulated that all burials would take place at Wisborough Green Church so the site would not have a burial ground, however according to the ancient parish records baptisms and marriages were carried out in Loxwood.
A transcript of that original Grant is held at Surrey Record office in Woking, and is a rare example of a medieval planning permission.
This would be the first ecclesiastical building to be constructed in this area of Sussex for over 300 years, with all the surrounding village churches having been built around 1100 AD. The responsibility to carry out the Lord Bishops instruction was taken extremely seriously, and the work started immediately.
The Sacred Place
The north east corner of the Parish was sparsely populated and the Petitioners decided to build an oratory to cater for the immediate needs of the villagers. The design included a hipped roof because the intention was to convert the building into a priest house once the population numbers justified the building of a chapel of ease and rebuilding the roof would have been costly and unnecessary.
The word “oratory” comes from the Latin word orare meaning to pray and an Oratory is a small place of worship other than a church set aside for a community for celebrating Masse and other religious services. Under Canon law an Oratory had to be in a location that was accessible by the community and the site chosen was part of the moated manor house known as “Loxwood Place” which was on high ground above the River Lox.
The Oratory would be constructed a short distance from the front of the house, on ‘green’ undeveloped land. Canon Law stated that the Altar of an Oratory was ‘moveable’, in other words it wasn’t fixed to the floor, which was an important aspect of the Grant because the Altar could be moved into a new chapel at a later date whilst maintaining its sacred link with God, for continuity of worship and for the villagers acceptance.
The Altar was formed from a slab of “Henley Hill” sandstone, an area 13 miles south west of Loxwood, and this was the same stone that was used to build the Parish Church at Wisborough Green. The top of the stone measured 76″ x 31″ and the 12″ tapered sides reduced the base to 63″ x 25.5″. This Altar was relatively small compared to a church Altar, which were usually 8ft to 10ft in length, however despite its small size, moving the stone from Wisborough Green to Loxwood would have been quite a task because it weighed over a Ton!
It is said that the ideal size of an Altar is around one third of the width of a church, but it appears that this stone was actually used to determine the footprint and other aspects of the Oratory, “to put God at the heart the building”. The orientation was set East to West the same axis as a church, a cross was pushed into the ground to show the position of the Altar and the building was then marked out 380″ x 189″; being 5 x the 76″ top, and 3 x the 63″ base.
Lord Bishop Robert Rede would have visited the site to see the plans and to check that under Canon Law the location was suitable. The site was blessed as a “Sacred Place” and was then under the control of the Ecclesiastical Authority, and protected under Canon Law. Thereafter only those things that served the exercise or promotion of worship, piety, or religion was permitted and anything not consistent with the holiness of the place was forbidden.
A short time after the blessing the oak trees were felled on the site, and work started to build the Oratory. After the trees had been felled they were probably left to weather until the early spring, when they were cut to form the main beams and braces because as the weather warmed and the moisture content dried out, the oak would have been too hard and brittle to work with.
From the dendrochronology report it was found that the main structure was being formed in the winter of 1404, however the work appears to have been slow and entries from Lord Bishop Rede’s diary show that in July 1406, the Vicar of Wisborough Green Walter Dysworth met Lord Bishop Rede in The Old Temple London. Reverend Dysworth was moved to the Vicarage at Lucknore, Oxfordshire and on July 21st Adam Wrocwardyn met Lord Bishop Rede at the Old Temple and was given the Vicarage of Wisborough Green. Adam Wrocwardyn was vicar of Wisborough Green for around 40 years, and he took over the project to complete the oratory.
The building was completed
The final part of the structure to be formed was the rood beam, framing and chancel arch. The arch was carved from a substantial oak tree and the span across the building was 16ft. The arch was finally lifted into place in 1407 and with the complete Canon Law dictated that a ceremony to consecrate the building and the Altar would have been conducted straight away. The ceremony may have been conducted by Lord Bishop Rede, or in his absence by Reverend Wrocwardyn. The Oratory was given the title of St John the Baptist and the Altar was dedicated to God and marked with 5 crosses on the top by stonemasons. The building was also marked with consecration crosses and the Oratory was then reserved for Divine Worship alone free from all domestic use.
As a point of interest, the title St John the Baptist has passed down through the centuries to the current Loxwood Church, signifying that the old site was used continuously for religious purposes across 500 years.
The Oratory consisted of three bays, which were for the Narthex, Nave and Chancel, and being “at ease” of the church at Wisborough Green, there were design elements taken from the church for consistency of worship.
On the outside of the western bay were two large curved braces, which were unusual because there were inverted to form an equilateral triangle, being the sign of the Holy Trinity. On the north and south elevations there were also inverted braces and they pointed east towards the Altar, the most holy part of the Oratory. The upper floor of the western bay was for the chaplain’s use and the entrance to this floor was in the south west corner. There was an internal ladder and against the upper north wall was a small loft area with an enclosed space underneath and a central door. There were square windows in the west bay, indicating this was not considered a religious part of the oratory, and that matched the style at Wisborough Green Church.
The lower section of the west bay was the Narthex. This was a space that started a ‘spiritual journey’ transitioning from the outside world to the sacred world. The Narthex was for people who had not been baptised and even though this was a small building, the designers managed to incorporate the three sections of a Narthex into the building
c1404 Church Cottage was constructed in the Winter of that year as an Oratory. Illustrated with door to the priest house in the south west corner and door to Oratory on the north side below the windows.
The first section was the “Exonarthex”, which was a narrow porch on the north side, separated from the Nave by a solid wall, and was for people who were paying a penance or gathering to learn about christianity. The walls of the porch would have been decorated with biblical scenes, possibly depicting the Last Supper or another well known biblical story.
The entrance to second section of the Narthex was on the south side of the western bay and was was a small rectangular atrium, with a 16″ window above. On entering there was a door to the right to the Nave, and another door in front to the “Esonarthex”, or “inner Narthex”. Inside was the Font which was a small ecclesiastical bowl and acted as a visual reminder of baptism. At the front of the Narthex running across the building was an oak rail dividing the Narthex from the Nave, so people could watch and hear some of the service, but they couldn’t access the Nave until they had been baptised.
The Bell & the Water Well
The bell was crucial for calling parishioners to services, marking the hours, and announcing important events. The position of church bells was often dictated by the architectural style of the building and the bell for the Oratory was housed in a ‘bell cote’, fixed to the centre of the south wall. The joints for the structure are still visible in the wall beam and show the bell cote was 51″ wide, with the the bell hung from a dovetail jointed beam. The apex roof of the bell cote was directly below the south window and falls 190″ from either end, which was the centre of the building. The sound of the bell must have carried long distances in this rural location, and would have been a welcome and essential part of everyday life.
The water Well was 10ft from the south wall, slightly to the right of the bell cote. The Well measures 31″ internally and was approximately 36″ externally. The Well was the water source for the Oratory and may also have been used for baptisms.
Inside the Oratory
The entrance to the nave, was on the north side of the centre bay, which was the same orientation as the entrance to the parish church at Wisborough Green. Above the oak door were two arched windows, also similar to Wisborough Green, and the oak frames can still be seen today. The left hand window was opposite the widow on the south and the original door head is still below the two window frames and remarkably the door has survived and is inside the cottage.
The stone Altar had a flat back and was set against the east wall under a small arched east window which again was reminiscent of Wisborough Green Church. The division of the chancel and Nave was marked by a Rood Beam which was morticed into the north and south wall beams. There were two posts under the beam at 42″ from the north and south walls, leaving a central 100″ gap, meaning the 76″ Altar was 12″ inside the posts on the east wall.
Seven inches above the lower Rood Beam was an upper beam which was chamfered and partly walled for biblical paintings. The 56″ oak Cross was morticed into the centre of the lower Rood Beam and rose up directly under the chancel arch and the figures of Mary and St John were either side of the cross. A spectacular king post roof, sprang from the chancel arch and throughout the oratory paintings of bible stories adorned the walls to describe the biblical stories to the congregation, who were largely illiterate.
Above the wall that divided the narthex and nave was a ‘significant’ and large oak cross, enclosed within a substantial oak frame. The cross measured 76″ across the width and the height was also 76″, the internal frame was 63″ across the diagonal taken through the centre of the cross. It appears that this spectacular symbol was constructed around the measurements of the Altar, and represented Jesus overlooking the nave and chancel, enclosed in a symbol representing the holy trinity or heaven.
The oak pews
Some years later, oak pews were carved using only an axe and adze, (which was a primitive tool). Eight of those ancient pews have survived and can be seen in Loxwood Parish Church and are said to be some of the finest examples in the Country.
The pews are 63″ wide which was 1/3rd of the width of the Oratory, and three have ancient brass name plates of the Petitioners from 1404; “Nicoales” (Nicholas Nicholl), “Malham” (Richard Napper) and “Hurst” (John Okehurst MP for Chichester). Its remarkable to think that they were made at a time when pews were a new introduction to churches and were for the petitioners who obtained the Grant from Lord Bishop Rede.
Lord Bishop Robert Rede
Robert Rede died in June 1415. He bore his high office with grace and dignity, but also with personal humility, and with an untarnished reputation. At each of his manors the Bishop had his Chapel and hall of audience. He seems to have been very accessible, not only to the great and noble, but to any poor person who had a request to make or a grievance needing the Bishop’s intervention. He had a compassionate manner and the satisfaction which he felt by helping people who worked faithfully on his estates is very evident in his personal diaries.
His Will was dated August 10th 1414 and begins: “I, Robert Rede, Bishop, of Chichester, being healthy in mind and body at Aldyngborne, August 1414, bequeath my soul to Almighty God, and my body to be buried in the Choir of Chichester Cathedral at the foot of the tomb of Bishop William Rede my predecessor, of good memory, before the high altar of the same Cathedral”.
For visitors to Chichester Cathedral the two burial chambers are located at the left of the High Altar, when walking from the front of the Cathedral. As a footnote; On February 17th 1861 the medieval spire that was built in 1400 when Robert Rede was Bishop, collapsed on top of the High Altar causing significant damage and so it is remarkable that the two Bishops tombs survived under the substantial pile of rubble, and even more remarkable to see that they are in a line, with one clearly lying at the foot of the other.
Having a place of worship in the corner of the parish encouraged more people to settle and allowed landowners to find tenant farmers, to work on their land. As the number of settlers grew a larger place of worship was needed, and in 1447 around forty years after building the Oratory the trustees wanted to build a Chapel of Ease, and convert the oratory into the priest house as was originally planned.
Confirmation of the Grant in 1447
However before work commenced, the trustees approached Bishop Adam Moleyns of Chichester for his confirmation of the Grant that was given by Lord Bishop Rede in 1404. They asked for Bishop Moleyns assurance that the original grant allowed them to build a new chapel on the sacred place. Confirmation was given and the chapel was constructed 16ft from the west end of the oratory, inline with the south elevation, so in effect the new chapel sat outside the ‘shadow’ of the oratory.
The footprint of the Chapel was once again determined by the length of the top of the Altar at 5 x 76″ and 3 x 76″, with the chapel being 31ft 8″ Long x 18ft 6″ Wide. The Altar was moved from the Oratory to the Chapel and didn’t require a new blessing, because the Altar of an Oratory was moveable under Canon Law. From paintings held by the British Library and plans discovered at Lambeth Palace it is apparent that the front of the chapel was designed to resemble the internal oak patterning of the Oratory, for continuity of worship and to provide a consistent message to the congregation
c1447 New Oak framed Chapel of Ease was built 16ft from Church Cottage, inline with the south elevation, so it sat outside the ‘shadow’ of the oratory. Church Cottage was then converted to be the chaplain’s cottage.
Towards the end of the fifteenth century an oak framed building was built between the Chapel of Ease and the chaplain’s cottage, to form a chancel which created a “T shaped” chapel. That building was 30ft wide x 10ft deep, and effectively increased the length of the chapel by 10ft. A short bridge linked the upper floor of the chancel to the upper floor of the west end of the cottage, to provide access for the chaplain between the buildings. In the east end of the cottage there were stairs that led to an upper floor which covered half of the bay but the centre bay was still open to the rafters with an open fire, and smoke windows on the north and south elevations.
The Will of William Awtekeper 1488
On May 16th 1488 William Awtekeper (Whitaker) of Chiddingfold who was of a humble position, bequeathed 12d to the Chapel of St John the Baptist “Lokkyswode” in his Will. That document is the earliest record of the Title of St John the Baptist, which has passed down from the Oratory, through 620 years to the current Loxwood Parish Church. The gift from William indicates he had a strong connection with Loxwood so perhaps he was born in the village and worshiped in the Oratory, and the Chapel, we may never know but its an intriguing thought.
The Will is one of the oldest Surrey will’s to have been preserved and reveals that William also bequeathed 12d for repairs to Chiddingfold Church, 2d to the “mother church” at Winchester, a brass pot and a basin to his son John, to his wife’s daughter Sibella another brass pot and to his wife Agnus the rest of his possessions.
The record is from the 1922, Surrey Record Society account of the ancient “Archdeaconry Court of Surrey”, which was an Ecclesiastical Court held in the Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, that had authority in testimony cases which were considered under Canon Law. The Ecclesiastical Courts operated for centuries until their authority was ended in 1857 and the family law and probate business was transferred to secular courts.
1534 The English Reformation and Henry VIII
The Oratory had been converted into the Priest House and the chapel of ease served the local community as its place of worship and a meeting place for the community. However these were turbulent times within the church because ‘reformers’ were starting to translate the bible into English, so everyone had a chance to read and understand God’s word. The Roman Catholic Church was heading towards a major conflict with the English Monarchy and dramatic events that occurred in Loxwood are covered in the next section “The Story of the Altar Stone“.
Bibliography of primary reference sources used to create this article:
Ancestry.com
Andy Gammon Art and Design
British Library
Buckwell, J, C. The Stories of Loxwood
English Heritage
Findmypast.co.uk
Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England
National Archives
Lambeth Palace Church Archive
Loxwood Church of St John the Baptist Archive
Loxwood History Archive
Oldmapsonline.org
Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory
Stevens, S. Archaeological investigations at the site of Loxwood Place Farm
Surrey History Centre
Sussex Record Society Bishop Robert Rede’s Register Volume I & II
West Sussex Record Office
Disclaimer:
This historical summary has been compiled from research using a wide range of sources. The information, dates and details are based on that research, but Loxwood History does not guarantee the original source contained accurate information. While Loxwood History uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information in its articles, Loxwood History makes no warranties or representations as to its accuracy. Loxwood History assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of this article and any reliance you place on the information is entirely at your own risk. Please contact us if you believe any of the details in this article are inaccurate, and we will review those details and where appropriate, amend the article accordingly.
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