LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
Itchingfield was not
the name of a vill for taxation purposes in the Middle
Ages; the parish seems to have been in the vill and
tithing of Dishenhurst, which had its own headborough c. 1790. (fn. 19)
No courts of the manor of Sullington-in-Itchingfield are known, although c. 1800 the manor covered
about half the parish. (fn. 20) A court roll of Muntham
manor, including the Findon portion, for 1297 survives; business was entirely tenurial. (fn. 21) Court rolls of
the Itchingfield portion for 1625-49 survived in the
late 19th century; the manor received quitrents from
land in West Grinstead, Shipley, Storrington, and
Thakeham. (fn. 22)
Churchwardens are recorded from 1560; except
in 1615, there were always two as far as is known. (fn. 23)
There was no parish clerk in 1579, (fn. 24) but by 1640
there was a paid clerk. (fn. 25)
There was an almshouse, i.e. a poorhouse, in the
parish in 1662, (fn. 26) in 1724, when it housed two
families, (fn. 27) and in 1852 when one occupant paid rent.
He was evicted in 1853, and the almshouse was converted to a vestry room in 1854. (fn. 28) The almshouse
was a two-bayed timber-framed 16th- or 17thcentury building in the churchyard; (fn. 29) it still stood
in 1984. In 1812 the parish took a lease of a cottage
at Barns Green for the poor for 20 years. (fn. 30)
The parish joined Horsham union in 1835, (fn. 31) later
becoming part of Horsham rural sanitary district,
from 1894 of Horsham rural district, and from 1974
of Horsham district. (fn. 32)
CHURCH.
There was a church at Itchingfield by
the 12th century, (fn. 33) and rectors were recorded from
1270. (fn. 34)
In 1222 John de Keinon conveyed the advowson
to Robert le Savage. (fn. 35) It then descended with Broadwater. (fn. 36) The coheirs of Thomas Camoys, Lord
Camoys, presented jointly in 1441. (fn. 37) At the partition
of the Broadwater inheritance before 1457 the
advowson of Itchingfield was assigned to Roger
Lewknor. (fn. 38) Sir Thomas Lewknor forfeited it on his
attainder in 1484, (fn. 39) but Sir Roger Lewknor was
patron in 1520 and 1540. (fn. 40) He died in 1543 leaving
as his heirs his three daughters Catherine, who married successively John Mill and William Morgan,
Mabel, who married Anthony Stapley, and Constance, who married successively Thomas Foster and
Edward Glemham. Their claim to the advowson
descended with Warningore, in Chailey and East
Chiltington, until 1616, when it was settled on
Catherine's grandson John Mill. (fn. 41)
Meanwhile, however, the Crown presented in
1546 by lapse (fn. 42) and in 1547 granted the advowson to
Sir Richard Blount, Lieutenant of the Tower. (fn. 43) The
Crown again presented in 1557, and the bishop by
lapse in 1566. In 1590 both Richard Blount and the
Lewknor coheirs presented; the dispute was settled
for that turn by the coheirs' agreeing to present
Blount's nominee. The rival claims, however, were
maintained, Constance Glemham presenting in 1599
and Richard Blount in 1618. (fn. 44) Richard Blount,
grandson of Sir Richard, died in 1628 leaving as
heirs his four daughters, (fn. 45) three of whom, Mary,
wife of Sir Lewis Lewknor, Martha, later wife of Sir
George Ayloffe, and Anne, wife of William Duck,
agreed to a settlement in 1634 whereby they and
John Mill were to enjoy alternate turns. (fn. 46) Mary and
Martha in fact presented that year, and Alice Eburne,
presumably as Mill's assignee, in 1637. (fn. 47) Sir Richard
Onslow made a settlement presumably of a share of
the advowson in 1647 and bought the Ducks' share
later that year. (fn. 48) Sir Robert Mill still held a share in
1664. (fn. 49) Arthur Onslow of Clandon (Surr.) presented
in 1673 and Richard Onslow in 1696, although Sir
John Mill claimed that turn. In 1723 Thomas
Onslow, Lord Onslow, had two thirds of the advowson and Denzil Onslow one third; they sold it to
trustees for Thomas Lavender, who was admitted
rector in 1725. Lavender sold it in 1752 to John
Copley, and he in 1766 to Edward Tredcroft. (fn. 50)
By will proved 1768 Edward Tredcroft left the
advowson to his son E. W. Tredcroft, who was
admitted twice as rector, in 1776 and 1794, on the
presentation of his brother Nathaniel. (fn. 51) E. W.
Tredcroft by will proved 1822 left the advowson to
George Palmer with remainder to the children of
Anne Cartwright, one of whom, George Cartwright,
joined with Palmer in selling it to the rector, Edward
Elms, in 1835. Elms sold it in 1843 to Samuel Cartwright, whose son William was presented by trustees
in 1845. The advowson was then settled on William's
wife and children, who sold it in 1852 to Louisa
Scott. She presented her brother Thomas Scott in
that year, and in 1862 John Haworth Milne, who
bought the advowson. He sold it in 1871 to Marcus
Moses of Dublin, who presented his son John Moses
and left him the advowson by will proved 1882. (fn. 52)
Between 1910 and 1920 the advowson passed from
John Moses to the bishop, with whom it remained in
1974. (fn. 53)
Tithes in Itchingfield were confirmed to Sele
priory c. 1245; (fn. 54) they were valued at 6d. in 1255. (fn. 55)
The tithes seem to have derived from Sharpenhurst;
in 1285 John le Hunt of St. Leonard's Forest in
Lower Beeding agreed to pay a modus of 9s. to Sele
in lieu of corn tithes. (fn. 56) In 1412 Sele received a pension of 1s. 1d. from Itchingfield church for Sharpenhurst tithes. (fn. 57) No later evidence of tithes owned by
Sele or its successors in Itchingfield has been found.
The rectory was valued at £6 13s. 4d. in 1291. (fn. 58)
The income in 1340 included £2 13s. 4d. from glebe,
8s. 8d. from offerings and mortuaries, and 11s. 8d.
from various small tithes. (fn. 59) In 1535 the living was
worth £7 10s. 4d. net. (fn. 60) There were 60 a. of glebe in
1616. The rector in 1635 was allegedly entitled only
to small tithes, but in 1664 he also received great
tithes except for two thirds of those from Shiprods
farm. (fn. 61) They belonged to Ferring prebend, and had
been redeemed by c. 1830. (fn. 62) The living was valued
at £280 in 1838, (fn. 63) and the tithes were commuted in
1844 for £390, excluding £5 for the tithe from
Shiprods. The glebe was then 77 a. (fn. 64) The net income
was £445 in 1884. (fn. 65) Part of the glebe was conveyed
for an enlargement of the village school in 1886. (fn. 66)
There were still at least 66 a. in 1893. (fn. 67) The rectory
house mentioned in 1616 (fn. 68) was rebuilt in brick c.
1800 by E. W. Tredcroft and enlarged by his successor Edward Elms before 1830. (fn. 69) It stood south of
the church on the lane to Muntham. (fn. 70) It was sold
c. 1963 and a modern rectory built. (fn. 71)
Lands given to endow a clerk to help the mass
priest were sold in 1571. (fn. 72)
From the 14th to the 16th century rectors were
undistinguished but generally resident. (fn. 73) Assistant
curates were mentioned in 1548 and 1552. (fn. 74) Although
in 1579 and 1584 the parson was diligent and a
preacher (fn. 75) he employed an unlicensed substitute in
1587. (fn. 76) Between 1637 and 1845 there were only six
rectors, all graduates, and most were usually resident,
although curates were mentioned in the later 17th
century. (fn. 77) Alexander Hay, rector 1696-1725, was a
St. Andrews graduate, and was suspected of housing
Scottish rebels after 1715. From 1700 to 1706 he was
also headmaster of Collyer's school, Horsham. In
1724 he preached weekly and catechized in summer;
communion was thrice yearly, with c. 30 communicants. (fn. 78) Thomas Lavender in 1762 resided and
preached weekly. (fn. 79) The scandalous E. W. Tredcroft,
rector 1776-1821, at first resided but from 1797
employed a curate. (fn. 80) Communion was held five times
a year in 1844, eight times in 1865. (fn. 81) On Census
Sunday 1851 morning service was attended by 105,
and 85 came in the afternoon. The 'dirty state of the
country' reduced winter congregations. (fn. 82) By 1884
communion was held monthly and at the great
festivals; only c. 10 communicated except at Easter,
though in fine weather c. 70 came to Sunday morning
service and c. 170 to evensong. (fn. 83) Soon afterwards the
rector quarrelled with the owner of Muntham, who
allegedly encouraged a rival Sunday school; as a
result church attendance was still low in 1903. (fn. 84)
Mission services were held in the village hall at
Barns Green in 1917. (fn. 85)
The church of ST. NICHOLAS, so called by
1513, (fn. 86) is built of coursed rubble and has a chancel,
nave with south aisle, and timber west tower with
spire. The north and west walls of the nave with the
west doorway and one small north window are of the
late 11th or the 12th century. The chancel, which is
not divided from the nave, has windows of 12thcentury character in its north and south walls, but
they may have been introduced, and it has been so
much rebuilt that they are not a certain indication of
its age. A small 12th-century aumbry or lamp niche (fn. 87)
in the north wall of the chancel has also been reset.
A traceried window was placed above the west door
way in the earlier 14th century, and chancel and nave
were covered by a continuous single-framed roof in
the late Middle Ages. A much restored early 16thcentury window in the south aisle is perhaps that
formerly in the south wall of the nave. The chancel
screen and rood beam, although much restored, are
of similar date. Money was left for the church works
at Itchingfield in 1503. (fn. 88) The tower, which is buttressed by narrow aisles, is probably early 16thcentury; money was left for its repair in 1513. (fn. 89) It is
built on four vertical main posts strengthened with
parallel scissor braces and has walls of close studding
infilled with vertical planks.
A gallery was built in 1708. Alexander Hay rebuilt
the chancel in 1713, when a number of plain squareheaded windows were put in, and in 1717 apparently
provided an altarpiece, another gallery, and a pulpit.
A further gallery was built on the north side of the
church in 1727. (fn. 90) A partition, pierced by an arch on
Tuscan columns, which separated nave from chancel
in 1850, (fn. 91) may also have been erected during Hay's
incumbency.
The church was restored and enlarged under the
direction of Sir Gilbert Scott in 1865-6. He demolished a plain wooden south porch, the galleries, and
the screen, and added the south aisle with a threebayed arcade and the shingled spire. Scott refaced or
rebuilt the south and east walls of the chancel with
sandstone from St. Leonard's Forest, adding diagonal buttresses at the eastern corners and several
new windows. The old altar stone was rediscovered
and set in a wooden frame. A human skull found on
a tiebeam of the roof during the restoration has been
thought to be that of a Scotsman vainly sheltered by
Hay in 1715, (fn. 92) but was probably part of the Golgotha
of the rood. (fn. 93) A round Sussex marble font was discovered c. 1830; the present late medieval octagonal
font was by then already in use. (fn. 94) An organ was
provided in 1884. (fn. 95) In the chancel are mural tablets
to the rectors Alexander Hay (d. 1725) and Thomas
Lavender (d. 1776). (fn. 96)
Money was left for a new bell in 1530. (fn. 97) There
were three bells in 1724, (fn. 98) evidently those dated
1629, 1675, and 1686 which were rehung in 1866;
two more were then added. (fn. 99) The plate in 1662 included a silver cup and cover and a flagon, presumably the pewter one listed in 1724. (fn. 1) It was replaced
by a new set given in 1838 by Sir Timothy Shelley. (fn. 2)
The registers date from 1700 and are complete. (fn. 3)