St. Mary The Virgin Church, Hartfield.

Church History

• Brief History of the Parish
• The Church Building
• Recent Works
• Illustrations

A Brief History of the Parish of Hartfield

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin has certainly been here for 700 years and it is likely that a church has been upon the site for 300 years before that.  Hartfield is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1085, and it is reasonable to imagine that there would have been a church, perhaps of wood, at this date.

We may surmise that the present Church was first built between 1244 and 1253; the first mention of a Rector is in 1263 and the names of the Rectors are recorded thereafter.

In the Medieval period Hartfield grew in importance from a poor agricultural village to a centre of the iron and timber trade.  The church was enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries and the oldest parts of the former Rectory date from that time together with the Lych Gate Cottage.

Undoubtedly the two centuries of Reformation and religious conflict which started in 1534 when Henry VIII separated the Church of England from the Catholic Church would have caused local conflict and required large scale alteration to the interior of the Church as the nature of worship changed with the introduction of services in English.  However we have no record of precisely how alterations were made.

Up until the 17th century, the Parish had both a Rector and a Vicar.  However in 1730 the two positions were united. 

The Parish of Hartfield has been much larger than it is now, taking in much of the Ashdown Forest and extending west to East Grinstead.  However the northern part of the parish became separated and was then united with Cowden. 

In 1913 the separate parish of Coleman's Hatch was formed with its own incumbent.  Since 1978 the two benefices have been united, so that although the parishes remain separate, the Rector of Hartfield is also the Vicar of Coleman's Hatch.

There are a number of significant parish charities dating back to the 17th century some of which remain active.

The Church Building

The ancient Parish Church is approached from Church Street and under the Lych Gate which form part of the adjoining cottage.  The building of local sandstone has a tower with a shingled spire and is a mixture of styles dating from the 13th - 15th century.

The oldest parts are the lower parts of the tower and the north wall of the nave where the traces of two 13th century windows are visible. 

Inside there is no chancel arch between the main body of the church and the present altar area, but there would have been a wooden screen before the Reformation.  There is a tall arched recess in the north wall which is believed to be the remains of a stairway to the top of this screen.

The South aisle dates from the 14th century and incorporates the 'Lady Chapel' which was renovated after the 2nd. World War.  From the outside a blocked door is visible in the south wall - possibly a priest's door or where the sick entered. 

It is clear from architectural evidence that there has been a large scale alteration to the interior of the Church during the 15th - 16th centuries.  Some suggest this may have been as a result of a fire - possibly made more likely by the older Church having a thatched roof.  Others postulate it was carried out in order to open the inside of the Church following the Reformation. 

Certainly a new roof was installed over the entire church in the 15th century.

In the 19th. century there was a large scale restoration of the Church with most of the woodwork and pews being restored and the entrance porch being added.

Recent Works

The Church was first floodlit for the Millennium - the Church is now illuminated nightly.

Pews at the back of the Church have been removed to create a meeting area.

The churchyard has been re-ordered with the removal of grave surrounds in order to make maintenance possible. 

A nature trail has been established in the churchyard.

Paths have been resurfaced and lights installed along the path from the school.

The bells have been repaired and rehung.  All bell-ringers are welcome to join the ringers for Thursday evening practice or on Sunday mornings.

Illustrations
 

• The Interior of the Church
• An Aerial view of the Church