St Paul, Elsted, Sussex

I Location

Site Location
Elsted
National Grid Reference
SU 816 198
County
traditional: Sussex
now: West Sussex
Diocese
medieval: Chichester
now: Chichester
Dedication
medieval: St Michael
now (or name of monument): St Paul
Type of building/monument
Parish church

II General Description

This small church, restored in 1951, has a single nave with exposed herringbone masonry in its E, W and N walls. Two blocked arches in the N wall indicate that an aisle has been added and subsequently demolished. The S porch bears a datestone, 1622. The Early English chancel, entered through an 11thc. arch with large imposts, appears to be very restored. There is a modern vestry on its S side. The font was given by St Olave's, Chichester in 1956.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

Font (original from St Olave Chichester).

Font (original from St Olave Chichester).

Situated at W end of nave. This limestone and Sussex marble font appears to be Victorian. It comprises a square limestone bowl with arcaded sides, and is supported by a thick central limestone shaft and four slender Sussex marble angle shafts, without capitals or bases. The interior is not lead lined. The chamfered square plinth appears to be much older than the rest of the ensemble. It probably represents the remains of a Romanesque font, upon which the Victorian font was based.

Dimensions
h. of font 1.02 m
h. of bowl 0.30 m
diam. of int. 0.465 m
length of sides 0.59 m

VII History

Elsted was held by Bishop Osbern of Exeter in 1086, and had a church. Osbern the cleric held half a hide; Ralph the priest 1 hide 'which belongs to the church'.

The font was given to Elsted church by St Olave's, Chichester in 1956 (L Fleming 'The Little Churches of Chichester', Chichester Papers 5, 1957, 10). At St Olave's it had stood 'partly on the gravestone of Richard Young' (Chichester Papers, 10), and a photograph shows it in situ (NMR Red Boxes). St Olave's church is now a bookshop.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The font, of which only a fragment survives, would have dated from the late 12th or early 13thc.

IX Bibliography

  • L Fleming, 'The Little Churches of Chichester' Chichester Papers 5, 1957.
  • St Paul's Church, Elsted, Sussex, n.d.
  • J. Morris and J. Mothersill (ed.), Domesday Book: Sussex. Chichester 1976, 6, 2.
  • I. Nairn and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Sussex. Harmondsworth 1965, 218 (no mention of the font).
  • Victoria County History: Sussex. 4 (Chichester Rape) 1953, 9-10 with plan.