CHURCHES.
A chapel of St. Leonard existed in
1215, (fn. 93) but if, as seems likely, it gave its name to the
forest rather than vice versa, had been founded by
c. 1208; (fn. 94) it survived until the mid 16th century. It
was not a chapel of ease, for the incumbent of Beeding apparently had no jurisdiction over it; instead it
was described as a free chapel or chantry (fn. 95) belonging
to the successive lords of St. Leonard's Forest, the
Braoses, the Mowbrays, and the Howards, who presented its chaplains. (fn. 96) Thus in 1381 a Crown presentation by reason of the minority of John Mowbray
was directed to the constable of Bramber castle, not
to the ordinary. (fn. 97) In the early 15th century the
chaplain was alternatively called a warden; (fn. 98) on one
earlier occasion he seems to have been called a
rector. (fn. 99) The chapel was dissolved by the duke of
Norfolk in or shortly before 1547. (fn. 1) No trace has survived of the building, which is said to have been
sited either on what became the bay of Hawkins
pond or near the Horsham–Colgate road not far
from the parish boundary. (fn. 2)
A parish of Lower Beeding was formed in 1838,
to resolve disputes over tithe between Magdalen
College, Oxford, and local landowners. Bewbush
tithing was however excluded from the new parish
and remained ecclesiastically part of Upper Beeding
until 1871. A parish church, Holy Trinity, was built
in 1840. (fn. 3) The living was at first a perpetual curacy,
but in 1866 a vicarage was established, the first incumbent called vicar being instituted in 1883. (fn. 4) The
advowson of the new living was settled on Magdalen
College, (fn. 5) which sold it in 1861 to W. E. Hubbard of
Leonardslee, (fn. 6) from whose family it passed in 1922
or 1923 to the bishop. (fn. 7)
The tithes of Lower Beeding belonged during the
Middle Ages and later to Sele priory and Magdalen
College, Oxford, as successive rectors of Beeding. (fn. 8)
In 1247 the chaplain of St. Leonard's chapel unsuccessfully claimed the tithes of calves, foals, and
cheeses in St. Leonard's Forest against the priory. (fn. 9)
In 1269, however, he or a successor was provided by
the priory with a pension on retirement, at the request of William, Lord Braose. (fn. 10) In 1535 the chaplain's income was £9 13s. 4d., including £6 in fixed
rents and 19s. in offerings. (fn. 11) At the chapel's dissolution in or before 1547 the lands apparently comprised over 230 a., including High Hurst manor
(100 a.) in Nuthurst and land in Cowfold and
Slaugham. (fn. 12)
By the earlier 17th century Magdalen College's
right to tithe from the forest had become a buck and
a doe annually, (fn. 13) later commuted to a payment of
between 2 and 10 guineas. (fn. 14) Land in Bewbush tithing was said in 1650 to be tithe-free, (fn. 15) but in 1727
and 1832 tithes there were taken by the college's
lessee. (fn. 16) Following the great expansion of arable in
the parish in the early 19th century, the college in
1833 laid claim to all tithes from the Wealden portion of Beeding parish, but was opposed by landowners in the forest. To resolve the dispute the
parish of Lower Beeding was created by an Act of
1838, Bewbush tithing being excluded. A rent charge
of £135 was levied on the landowners of the area to
maintain an incumbent. (fn. 17) The annual render of 10
guineas in lieu of the buck and doe was, however,
maintained during the lifetime of the then incumbent
of Upper Beeding. (fn. 18) Meanwhile the tithes of Bewbush tithing were commuted in 1841 at £83 18s.; (fn. 19)
in 1861 that rent charge was sold with the advowson
of Lower Beeding church to W. E. Hubbard. (fn. 20)
By the Act of 1838 Robert Aldridge of St.
Leonard's house was to give 20 a. as glebe, on which
Magdalen College undertook to build a house. The
building, of stone, was erected 2/3 mile south-west of
the church, and survived in 1981. (fn. 21) By then, however, it had been replaced by a new glebe house
built next to the church. The net income of the
living was said in 1875 to be c. £117. (fn. 22)
Chaplains of St. Leonard's chapel were recorded
sporadically between 1215 and 1535; (fn. 23) one was a
prebendary of Salisbury, (fn. 24) and another, John Bilney
(resigned 1400), was later mayor of Cambridge. (fn. 25)
After the dissolution of the chapel the spiritual care
of Lower Beeding devolved in theory on the incumbent of Beeding. Some inhabitants were apparently
married at Upper Beeding church in the early 17th
century, (fn. 26) the many baptisms in private entered in
the Beeding register in the later 18th century were
perhaps for Lower Beeding, (fn. 27) while the large number of parishioners of Beeding presented for not
receiving communion in 1679 perhaps included
residents in the Wealden outlier. (fn. 28) Most inhabitants
of Lower Beeding, however, presumably made use
of neighbouring churches, for instance those of Cowfold, (fn. 29) Horsham, (fn. 30) Ifield, (fn. 31) Nuthurst, (fn. 32) and Slaugham; (fn. 33) in the 1820s the residents at Holmbush house
had a pew in Crawley church, (fn. 34) where the Broadwood family, the later owners of Holmbush, were
buried. (fn. 35)
In the 1820s the clergy of the neighbourhood
complained to Magdalen College of the increasing
burden caused them since the partial inclosure of the
parish after 1801, and represented the reclaimed area
as without spiritual comforts. (fn. 36) By 1836, before the
creation of the new parish, money had begun to be
collected to build a church in the west near Coolhurst in Horsham. (fn. 37) The dowager marchioness of
Northampton, the owner of Coolhurst, gave the site,
and her successor C. Scrase-Dickins, together with
Robert Aldridge of St. Leonard's house, largely defrayed the cost of building. (fn. 38) The church, St. John's,
known later as the 'forest church', (fn. 39) was consecrated, evidently together with its graveyard, in
1839, (fn. 40) having been constituted a chapel of ease to
Lower Beeding under the Act of 1838. The Act also
provided for alternate morning and evening Sunday
services at each church. (fn. 41)
J. M. Cholmeley, the first incumbent of Lower
Beeding and a former fellow of Magdalen College,
worked hard at setting up parish organizations, and
also held weekday cottage services at Colgate. (fn. 42) His
successor, instituted in 1848, was another fellow of
Magdalen. (fn. 43) In 1851 services were held alternately
in morning and afternoon at the two churches, morning service at Lower Beeding on Census Sunday
being attended by 91 people besides Sunday schoolchildren and afternoon service at Coolhurst by 112. (fn. 44)
In 1856 there were two Sunday services at Lower
Beeding church, the morning service having a congregation of c. 80, but the evening service often being
overcrowded, so that before long it was necessary to
enlarge the building. At the same date there was only
one Sunday service at Coolhurst, the congregation
for which, except for the Aldridge family and their
servants, came entirely from outside the parish.
Communion was then being celebrated 12 or 14
times a year at Lower Beeding and 8 times a year at
Coolhurst. (fn. 45) In the 1860s there was an assistant
curate, (fn. 46) but the incumbent's task was much eased
by the building of Colgate church and the creation of
Colgate ecclesiastical parish in 1871. (fn. 47)
In 1875 congregations at Lower Beeding church
averaged c. 150. (fn. 48) Coolhurst church was greatly enlarged in 1889 by C. R. Scrase-Dickins, grandson of
the co-founder: a new chancel and north aisle, in
13th-century style, were added, to the designs of
J. O. Scott, with very sumptuous interior decoration
and fittings. (fn. 49) In 1890, by arrangement with the
vicar of Lower Beeding, Coolhurst church was
served by the vicar of Horsham, who provided a
Sunday service and monthly communion. (fn. 50) Inhabitants of other outlying parts of the parish attended
neighbouring churches in 1903, though by then two
mission rooms for use in winter had been provided
for them, (fn. 51) one near Old Park (fn. 52) and the other at
Ashfold crossways. The latter had been built in 1878
and still existed in 1933. (fn. 53)
The church of HOLY TRINITY, built near the
centre of the then more populous southern part of
the parish, is of local sandstone and consists of
chancel, aisled nave, and tower with short spire. A
three-bayed church in 13th-century style comprising
a single internal space lit by lancet windows was put
up in 1840 (fn. 54) by Magdalen College, on a site given by
Robert Aldridge, its building being financed partly
by a levy of £1,000 on the landowners and occupiers
of the new parish of Lower Beeding. (fn. 55) It was designed by the architect of Littlemore church (Oxon.)
as a copy of that building, (fn. 56) the vicar of Upper
Beeding, J. R. Bloxam, having served at Littlemore
as curate under J. H. Newman. (fn. 57) The building was
greatly enlarged in 1862, also in 13th-century style,
to the designs of Habershon and Pite, and at the
expense of W. E. Hubbard of Leonardslee. (fn. 58) The
west tower, however, was not carried out until
1884, (fn. 59) various other embellishments being made
soon afterwards. (fn. 60)
The church of ST. SAVIOUR, Colgate, originated as a small chapel built before 1868 by Thomas
Broadwood of Holmbush. In 1871 it was rebuilt and
considerably enlarged in Gothic style at the expense
of his successor, Col. James Clifton Brown, (fn. 61) and to
the designs of G. M. Hills. (fn. 62) It comprises chancel,
nave, north vestry, and south porch of red, white,
and blue brick with stone dressings, and is roofed
with purple slates. The bell turret sits over the
chancel arch. A graveyard was provided from the
beginning. (fn. 63) A consolidated chapelry was formed
from Lower Beeding and Horsham parishes, together with the tithing of Bewbush. (fn. 64) By 1874 the
benefice was called a vicarage, Col. Clifton Brown
being the first patron. (fn. 65) From him the advowson
descended to his son Brig.-Gen. H. Clifton Brown
(d. 1946), and between 1962 and 1981 it belonged to
Mrs. E. C. Calvert. (fn. 66) Between 1950 (fn. 67) and 1979 there
was a priest-in-charge. A vicarage house was built by
Col. Clifton Brown (fn. 68) north-west of the church and
in the same architectural style. About 1950 it was
sold and replaced by a smaller building east of the
church. (fn. 69) The living was augmented by grants from
Col. Clifton Brown, Mrs. S. B. Brown, and Queen
Anne's Bounty between 1872 and 1877, and was said
in 1875 to be worth £130 net a year. (fn. 70) In the latter
year two services were held each Sunday, besides
weekday services. A parish room, not far from the
church, had been provided by that date at the expense of Col. Clifton Brown. (fn. 71) By 1898 communion
was held weekly. (fn. 72) After 1966 the vicar of Colgate
also served the church at Faygate in Rusper. (fn. 73)