The Parish Church Buildings 1066 - 1850

A map published around 1850 claiming to be Sussex as at 1066 shows no mention of Lavant as a village. It shows a place Bertredtone with a church, this seems to be the present day Binderton ( It is now a hamlet adjacent to Lavant, without a church.). Domesday does not make any reference to churches in the Lavant Entries. The Church shown at Estone, from its location on the map, could be East Dean, it is too far north to be East Lavant.

Some authorities claim the origin of the name Lavant as being derived from a British root meaning to glide. I prefer to think the origin comes from the word for water way. The 1066 map shows Levitone which, I estimate from it position, is West Lavington. (Which is not on the River Lavant. ).

This map has the following note.
 

Sussex in Saxon times was vlrtually a self-contained kingdom, cut off from the rest of the country to the North by the great forest of ANDRFDSWEAID and connected only by a few isolated tracks. Vast inroads .by the sea had existed since the Roman occupation and remained till the storms of the 13th century moulded the coastline as we know it to-day. The map shows Sussex after the Norman Conquest and villages inscribed according to Domesday Book.
For defensive purposes WILLIAM I divided the county into six Rapes, each .strongly held by a trusted noble.

I have located three other maps, also issued at the same time as the Domesday map, and claim to represent Sussex in 1575, 1595 and 1610. Data on these maps are again in conflict, I have extracted the Data relative to the Lavant Valley and entered it on a current day background map. These and later maps show two N/S Roman roads, only one of which is still in use. The other is believed to cross the present school playing field.

These early maps show a settlement of West Lavant. This we think was linked to East Lavant, and was a peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who usually reckoned in Pagham Hundred.

Mid Lavant was in the holding of Earl Godwin and was attached to Chichester/Selsey cathedral

The earliest part of the East Lavant Church (St Marys ) is believed to be Norman and hence is post Domsday. However some authorities claim that parts of one window in the South wall of the Nave in the Mid Lavant Church ( St. Nicholas ), are of Saxon origin. If this is the case, it is likely that the current Nave South Wall existed as part of a building in 1066 but was not important enough to rank as a church.

The Chichester County Library has a catalogue of Watercolours and drawings
The Sharp Collection belonging to the Sussex Archaeological Society. The drawings we are interested in are by Henry Petrie FSA.(1797 - 1809 ) The collection is housed at Michelham Priory, Upper Dicker, Hailsham. The catalogue has the following entries:-

LAVANT. S.E- 1804.

No.200

The large square tower at S W corner of nave is of brick and dates from l671; clasping buttresses of three stages and plinth at W and E corners.
In S side a high round headed door blocked, with evidently brick jambs and voussoirs showing keystone and imposts .
Above this and below the string course between first and second stages, is the line of a shallow arch.
In top stage on S and E faces. two lancets, one above the other the top being just below the parapet ; on the S, side a water spout comes through at the join of parapet and wall drawing away the water from within, a small piece of spire visible.
Beyond the tower westwards can be seen a piece of the nave roof and a two stage buttress against its S wall.
Chancel roofed with Horsham slabs with stone coping and finial at E
The E window three light Perp. In S wall, doorway set deep under pointed hood with stops, two windows, each of two trefoil headed lights under square hood with stops, the westernmost of these is partly obscured by a large triangular buttress; against this buttress and in the wall is what looks like another support
- Petrie has marked '4' on the wall and drawn a faint line to the support indicating that it is of wood.
Another buttress. two stage.against S wall of 'chancel, its W side built on E wal1 of tower ' Restored 1863 ', As Nairn says . ".... an appalling restoration by G M Hills "
References: V C H 4 Notes and plan.
S R S Jubilee Vol. Drawing by Lambert from S W

Small rough pencil sketch of a church no longer standing. shows nave and chancel with small weather boarded turret with shingled cap on West end of nave roof, louvres on West and North. sides. Both nave and chancel roofs tiled and their North walls plaster rendered West door roughly marked, code '4. above it a small West window glazed. with wooden shutters either side open against the wall. Tree at E marked ‘Yew’. Fence of horizontal rails with gate surrounds church
In Petrie's writing. top left West Lavant
References From Guide to East Lavant. F.W.Steer .. a parish or tithing called West Lavant has lost its identity, but was probably on the site of the present Lavant House

The watercolours mentioned above are held at Michelham Priory, The Priory has a Web Site but has not got the watercolours on line.
You may like to view the Priory Pages if you do you will move out of the Lavant environment.