St James, Heyshott, Sussex

I Location

Site Location: Heyshott
National Grid Reference: SU 897 180
County: traditional: Sussex
now: West Sussex
Diocese: medieval: Chichester
now: Chichester
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St James
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

The church comprises a nave with a W bell-turret, a S porch, a N aisle, and a chancel with a modern flat-roofed vestry on its N side. The three-bay N arcade, which has moulded capitals and chamfered, pointed arches, is Early English in style.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font.

: Font, central column, fragment.

The font is located at the W end of the nave. The bowl forms a transition from a square at its base to a circle, with a prominent moulded rim, at the top. On each corner of the square is a moulded capital. The result is a tub font with a spade-shape carved on four sides. The interior is lead lined. A piece of the central shaft, with a drain hole drilled through the centre, is kept inside the bowl. The capitals now stand directly upon a low, square, chamfered plinth rather than upon shafts, which would have been the original arrangement.

Dimensions

h. of font	0.735 m
h. of bowl, including capitals	0.54 m
diam of int	0.47 m
depth of int	0.36 m
length of shaft fragment	0.245 m
circ. of shaft fragment	0.83 m
circ. of bowl	2.19 m

VII History

VIII Comments/Opinions

This font dates from the early 13thc. It seems contemporary with the capitals of the S arcade (three bays). Fonts with moulded capitals which form part of a square bowl are also found at Cuckfield, Iford, Ripe, Slindon (qv), West Hoathly (qv) and Woodmancote (qv). The font at Selmeston and the disused font at Maresfield (qv), although both circular, also have this feature.

IX Bibliography

M. F. Drummond-Roberts, Some Sussex Fonts Photographed and Described. Brighton 1935, 44.
A. K. Walker, An Introduction to the Study of English Fonts with Details of those in Sussex. London 1908, 48-49.